As most of you may have already seen on the Music Sumo Facebook Page, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ guitars were reported stolen from Culver Studios in Southern California on Thursday April 12th while at rehearsals for their up coming tour. The guitars were Petty’s blond 1967 maple 12-string Rickenbacker and his Gibson SGTVJunior, Mike Campbell‘s blue Dusenberg, Ron Blair‘s Fender Broadcaster, and Scott Thurston‘s 1967 Epiphone Sheridan. Collectively, the guitars were said to be worth around $100,000. On their website, the band offered a “no questions asked” $7,500 reward for information leading to the return of the instruments.
Police Chief Don Pedersen said a break in the case came when a 51 year old security guard from the Culver Studios named, Daryl Emmette Washington, pawned one of the guitars at a Hollywood pawn shop for only $250. While I am sure that Tom Petty and the boys are glad to get their instruments back, a message seeking comment from the band’s publicist, Jim Merlis, was not immediately returned.
Berkleemusic.com, the online school of Boston’s renowned Berklee College of Music, is launching Rock History, an online course that chronicles the evolution of one of the greatest periods of music. Rock History takes an in-depth look at the highs and lows of rock over the past 60 years; the key heroes and villains, the movers and shakers from the studio and the concert stage, and a behind-the-scenes look at the managers, industry executives, promoters, and cultural trends that shaped it. The course launches tomorrow, April 2nd, 2012.
“The new Rock History online course from Berklee is a comprehensive, interactive, and immersive way to experience the most important and interesting time ever in the music industry. Steve Morse has such a wealth of knowledge and insight into what actually happened behind the scenes and the way the course is crafted, it is simply the most unique and exciting way to learn about this incredible time in the history of music. You will not find a better way to learn about and appreciate the classic albums and live shows that were created by the true legends of rock and roll, as the music industry ignited.”
“I have known Steve Morse for over twenty years. Steve is a musicologist and his love of music makes him a very enthusiastic teacher. Steve has an undying love of music and a proven ability to be one of music’s finest critics and writers.”
Berkleemusic hosted a free live Rock History event in Berkleemusic’s studio Thursday, March 8th: an exclusive conversation between Rock History’s Morse, and Boston DJ, John Laurenti. Laurenti joins Morse in the Pantheon of the Boston music scene. John is a DJ at Boston’s #1 classic rock station in Boston, WZLX is the music director at University of Massachusetts’ radio station, WUMB. Laurenti has also hosted a number of historical music documentaries shown on WGBH in Boston. You can see that converstation, here:
Music Sumo 