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Yes Bob & Jules declared it was "Love Your Ears Day" last Saturday night - and you can tell from today's Track Of The Day that they were not joking! The 2015 WRC award winning Rock On The Ridge served up some tasty stuff as usual including Davy's Gripp, RavenEye, Rival Sons, The Broken Ravens, Crobot (pictured by John Bull who is appearing on the show next week), Captain Black Beard, Aviator Shades, Dr. Feelgood, Black Stone Cherry, Argent and Avenged Sevenfold!

Glenn Frey, who has died aged 67 from stomach problems, was a founding member, singer, guitarist and driving force of the 1970's Californian country-rock band the Eagles, co-writing most of their biggest hits and taking part in a journey which saw a group of smiling young troubadours morph into drug-addled superstar burn-outs, before reuniting in later life as seasoned old pros. The Eagles were founded in Los Angeles in 1971 by Frey and his songwriting partner, the drummer and singer Don Henley. Over the next decade they became the most popular group in the world, Frey and Henley turning out hits, often with Frey as lead singer, including 'Tequila Sunrise', 'Lyin’ Eyes', 'Heartache Tonight' and of course 'Hotel California'. Their 'Greatest Hits' became the biggest-selling album of all time (29 million units in its original 1975 form plus 11 million when it was repackaged in 1982 to include later hits), above even Michael Jackson’s 'Thriller'. Altogether the Eagles sold more than 120 million albums worldwide while Frey won six Grammy Awards and five American Music Awards. The band’s success was built on recording techniques which smoothed out any grit, producing a sort of shiny, all-American homogeneity. Even their darkest material was full of easy-on-the-ear harmonies, leading critics to accuse them of killing Rock and Roll with synthetic kitsch and creating a template for singer-songwriters such as Elton John. Behind the scenes, however, the Eagles conformed to a more traditional Rock and Roll stereotype. The title track of their classic 1976 album, 'Hotel California', evoked a musty, claustrophobic decadence: “Last thing I remember I was running for the door / I had to find the passage back to the place I was before / 'Relax’, said the night man, 'We are programmed to receive / You can check out any time you like but you can never leave’. ” Frey once described their career in the 1970's as “got crazy, got drunk, got high, had girls, played music and made money’’. He might have added “fought like cats and dogs”. “The Eagles talked about breaking up from the day I met them,” as their manager, Irving Azoff, recalled. Of their original four-man line-up, guitarist Bernie Leadon and bassist Randy Meisner departed, in 1975 and 1977 respectively, after disagreements with Frey, Leadon famously announcing his departure by pouring a can of beer over Frey’s head. Relations among the replacement line up of Frey and Henley, with Don Felder, Timothy Schmit and Joe Walsh, deteriorated during the making of their 1979 album, 'The Long Run', which took 18 months to produce. In 1978 Walsh caused $20,000 worth of damage to a Chicago hotel room with a chain saw. The following year Henley was arrested after a naked 16-year-old prostitute suffered a drug overdose during a party at his home in Los Angeles. Police seized cocaine, marijuana and quaaludes and Henley was subsequently charged for contributing to the delinquency of a minor, fined and put on probation. The last straw came at their final concert, a Democratic Party fundraiser in July 1980 at the Long Beach Arena. During an evening later referred to as “Long Night at Wrong Beach”, the Eagles broke up in drug-fuelled rancour, with band members threatening to beat each other up. Although Frey played his part in the hellraising, he was always the most businesslike of the group. After the break-up, he went on to forge a successful solo career, his debut solo album, 'No Fun Aloud' (1982, in part a collaboration with the songwriter Jack Tempchin), going gold and spawning several hit singles, including 'The One You Love'. His single 'The Heat Is On' went and reached No. 2 in the Billboard charts (No. 12 in Britain) after it featured as a soundtrack in the 1984 film Beverly Hills Cop. Frey also embarked on a career as an actor, becoming the first rock star to appear (as a drug dealer) on Miami Vice (for which he wrote and performed the song 'You Belong to the City', which reached No. 2 in the US charts), doing a Pepsi commercial, starring with Robert Duvall and Gary Busey in the film Let’s Get Harry (1986) and taking a small role in the 1996 film Jerry Maguire. In the mid-1980's he embarked on a self-administered “detox” programme, which was so successful that in 1989 the Health and Tennis Corporation of America signed him up as a spokesman. After the Eagles’ break-up Frey ruled out the possibility of reuniting “for a Lost Youth and Greed tour”, while Don Henley claimed that the group would only get back together again “when hell freezes over”!! Fourteen years later, however, in 1994 they came together for a massively successful “Hell Freezes Over” tour, and they continued to perform together until last year, drawing big crowds and earning big bucks, and releasing five compilation albums, a live album and, in 2007, 'Long Road Out of Eden', the first Eagles album of new material since 'The Long Run' in 1979. The following year they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Mrs. WTS and myself saw the Eagles for the only time at the 02 Arena in London in June 2014 and for me, few bands were better at distilling the vibe of Los Angeles in the 1970's than the Eagles, and as its singer and guitarist, Glenn Frey served as a sort of mellow ambassador of LA. Just as Liverpool is forever associated with the Beatles, Seattle claims Nirvana and Bruce Springsteen owns New Jersey, the Eagles embodied the bell-bottomed, feather-haired flair of Southern California. Frey may be gone, but those sun-baked, Southern California ballads, many sung with exquisite tenderness, will endure forever... He is a fallen Eagle whose legacy will last for the long run... Wrinkly the Silver

Following on from Wednesday nights excellent 'An Evening With Russ Ballard' we now have a photo gallery available here plus we also have a new Vid Of The Day - Russ performing 'I Don't Believe In Miracles'. Photos from the Leicester Square Theatre, London, also include interviewer Mike Read plus the ex-Argent vocalist/guitarist Special Guests Brian May, Kerry Ellis, Rick Wakeman and Bob Henrit!

Not a great start to 2016 for WRC member Chris Painter who resides in Chaniá, Greece! "Disaster! Hey guys, my membership card went badly through the wash, can you pop another in the post please? Cheers, Chris." Of a course a replacement card will shortly be winging its way to Greece - but in the meantime if you have still not joined the WRC FREE for life - then why not a make a New Year's resolution and join up here. We'll consequently send you a WRC members card (kindly modelled by Keith Howe of Blacktop Deluxe) which you can use to benefit from the current members offers which we also hope to add to in the future.

It's day 3 of our 2015 WRC Award announcements and we are delighted to reveal that King Crimson have won our Best Prog Performance award! KC beat off the strong challenge of both Steven Wilson (who the WRC are off to see again on Wednesday 27th January) and The Pineapple Thief who we saw at Ramblin' Man in July. Fully deserved after their Hackney Empire gig in September - please check out our King Crimson Vid Of The Day!

Canadian hard-rockin’ juggernaut Monster Truck, will release their new album 'Sittin’ Heavy' on 19th February 2016 via their new home of Mascot Records/Mascot Label Group for Europe and Dine Alone Records for the rest of the World. 'Sittin’ Heavy' is 11 tracks of high-octane, foot to the floor, raucous rock that picks up from where 2013's incredible Juno Award nominated 'Furiosity' left off. For the past two years since the debut dropped they have been hell-bent on putting Hamilton, Ontario, on the rock ‘n’ roll map as they have, in true road warrior style, relentlessly been tearing through Europe, the US and Canada opening for the mighty Guns N' Roses, Slash, Alice in Chains, ZZ Top, Buckcherry, Rival Sons and Vista Chino as well as stepping up for blistering sets at the UK's Hammerfest and Download Festival. Anyway check out their Vid Of The Day!

Walter Trout's return to the music scene with his great new album 'Battle Scars' - follows a long period in hospital with liver disease - with his fans uncertain as to whether he would survive, let alone ever get the chance to see him play again. But, as you will hear on today's Track Of The Day interview with Rory Auskerry - Walter is back and he's rockin'. Don't forget also to tune into Rory's Route 66 show here tonight at 6pm.

With Joe Bonamassa, Chris Antonik and the awesome Ramblin' Man Festival behind us - we not only take a look at what happened in July 2016 in today's August 2016 WRC e-mail Bulletin, but also what's ahead in this year plus of course BluesRockFest and Wrinklystock V on the WRC horizon! Remember just go here to sign up for FREE membership where you can get discounts on selected gigs and merchandise! And if you are not currently on our e-mail circulation list then please send us your details in the contact box below!

"After weeks of escalating anticipation, the 2016 Ramblin’ Man Fair finally got underway shortly after midday on Saturday. For me, the day started at the Rising Stage, where relatively new acts are given the opportunity to showcase their talents. First on were Leogun, whose surging blend of Rock and Blues is already familiar to many WRC members. Next up was the Planet Rock Stage for a dose of hard, driving rock from Inglorious. Then, after a quick visit to the real ale tent, it was on to the Prog in the Park Stage for sets from progressive supergroup Frost, psychedelic rockers Purson and, a little later, the reformed Zombies. Faced with a tricky decision at 7.30pm, I opted for Uriah Heep over Thin Lizzy, though I did manage to catch the latter’s rousing finale. Then, with barely enough time for another visit to the real ale tent, it was back to the Prog in the Park Stage for 60's festival favourites, Family. Finally, it was a rapid return to the Planet Rock stage to catch the final hour of Whitesnake, followed by a reasonably early night - I didn’t want to miss any of Sunday’s equally impressive line-up ….." With Big Ian's full Saturday review still to come plus pics from John Bull - check out today's Ramblin' Man Vid & Track Of The Day! Day 2 beckons!

We first introduced you to Birmingham quartet Broken Witt Rebels in September 2015. Since then the band have gone from strength to strength combining the power and intensity of Indie Rock with the finesse and delicacy of soulful Blues. Heralded as one of the most exciting new live bands in the country, they have just released a new EP Georgia Pine and you have the chance to see them either on Thursday 20th October at the Proud, Camden in London or the following night at Leo's Red Lion, in Gravesend, Kent!

American Blues Rock guitarist Joe Bonamassa launched his series of British Blues Explosion concert's, at Liverpool’s famous Cavern Club last Monday - which pays homage to some of his musical inspirations including Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page! Check out today's new Photo Gallery here.

Where did August go? Well if you want to find out what the WRC got up to then watch out for our September bulletin e-mail that's going out today with all the links you need re: the current goings on at Wrinkly Towers! Whether it's Wrinklystock, Merchandise, Gig Reviews, FREE Membership, New Bands, CD Reviews or our latest Gig Calendar - it's all there. And if you are not currently on our e-mail circulation list then please send us your details in the contact box below!