Robert Plant and Jimmy Page
Photo: Aubrey Powell Productions

English folk/blues guitarist Roy Harper will celebrate his 60th birthday on Sunday with his family — his musical progeny, that is, and it won't be a quiet event.

During a sold-out concert at the Royal Festival Hall in London, he'll be joined onstage by Led Zeppelin's Robert Plant and Jimmy Page, guitarist Nick Harper — his son — folk guitarist John Renbourn, Tea Party guitarist Jeff Martin, and possibly Jethro Tull flutist and vocalist Ian Anderson. Kate Bush is scheduled to attend as well, but the event publicist wasn't sure if she would perform. And while Pink Floyd guitarist and vocalist David Gilmour was invited, it's unclear whether he'll be able to attend.

Although Harper's evocative fretwork and intimate lyrics remain somewhat unknown in the United States, he's well-respected in England, especially by the elder statesmen and women of rock, many of whom have cited him as a major influence. Led Zeppelin immortalized him on the track "Hats Off to (Roy) Harper" from Led Zeppelin III (1970), and Pink Floyd invited him to sing lead vocals on "Have a Cigar" off Wish You Were Here (1975).

Over the years, Harper — whose actual birthday is Tuesday — has worked with nearly all of the aforementioned acts, as well as original Who drummer Keith Moon, Paul and Linda McCartney, Ten Years After guitarist Alvin Lee, Faces/Small Faces bassist Ronnie Lane, and Yes and King Crimson drummer Bill Bruford.

On June 19, the Right Stuff/EMI will release the Harper career retrospective Hats Off, which features a mix of his best collaborations and solo recordings.

The track listing for Hats Off:

• "Death or Glory?"
• "Commune"
• "Me and My Woman" (w/ David Bedford Orchestra)
• "Male Chauvinist Pig Blues" (w/ Jimmy Page, Keith Moon and Ronnie Lane)
• "Highway Blues" (w/ Jimmy Page)
• "You" (w/ Kate Bush and David Gilmour)
• "1948ish" (w/ Jimmy Page)
• "Another Day (Live)" (w/ David Bedford Orchestra)
• "Don't You Grieve"
• "Ten Years Ago"
• "These Fifty Years" (w/ Ian Anderson)
• "One of Those Days in England (Part 1)" (w/ Paul and Linda McCartney, Alvin Lee, and Ronnie Lane)
• "The Same Old Rock" (w/ Jimmy Page)
• "The Game" (w/ David Gilmour, John Paul Jones, Bill Bruford and Chris Spedding)

• Roy Harper
• Robert Plant
• Jimmy Page

The Black Crowes'<BR> Chris Robinson
Photo: Sony

The Black Crowes are still looking for a remedy — a legal one, this time.

On Wednesday (February 28), the band sued Lloyd's of London, claiming that the insurance firm failed to honor its agreement with the band after Jimmy Page's back injury forced the cancellation of nearly a month's worth of tour dates last fall.

The Crowes and Page took out an insurance policy from Lloyd's to cover any losses that might come from canceled gigs, according to a statement issued from the Atlanta rockers. After a successful run of shows in June and July, Page injured his back, forcing an end to the tour, which featured a mix of Black Crowes tunes and classics from Page's Led Zeppelin catalog.

The suit, filed in Los Angeles, alleges that Lloyd's failed to compensate the band for scrapped September and October dates in the U.S. and Europe, including a planned co-headlining run with the Who at Madison Square Garden.

The suit alleges the band suffered "great financial loss" from missed income and wasted preparation expenses.

A spokesperson for Lloyd's of London had no comment.

• The Black Crowes
• Jimmy Page

In a development sure to launch at least a few pool-hall fistfights, VH1 has teamed up with an all-star panel to name the top 100 hard-rock acts in music history, and Led Zeppelin top the list.

While U.K. exports rule the top of the list, 73 of the top 100 acts hail from the United States. And while rock history is served throughout the list — with the inclusion of the Yardbirds, the Who, Jimi Hendrix, the Doors, the Rolling Stones and other legendary acts — contemporary acts also muscled onto the top 100. Rage Against the Machine, Nine Inch Nails, Korn, Pantera, Ministry, Foo Fighters, Green Day and Tool all made the cut.

Many of the artists who selected the top 100 will be interviewed in the VH1 series, as will Billy Corgan, Alice Cooper, Chuck D, C.C. DeVille, Peter Frampton, Sammy Hagar, Rob Halford, James Hetfield, Kid Rock, Liz Phair, Henry Rollins, Vince Neil, Slash and others.

• Led Zeppelin
• Jimmy Page
• Robert Plant

The joint Jimmy Page-Black Crowes tour won't be taking flight anytime soon, as the Led Zeppelin guitarist continues to suffer from back problems that may require surgery.

According to representatives for the tour, Page injured his back in early August, just as he and the Black Crowes had begun the second leg of their North American tour in support of the "Live At The Greek" double album (see "Page-Crowes Tour Postponed; Chris Robinson Engaged").

Canceled dates from that leg had been incorporated into the upcoming tour's itinerary, an outing that was scheduled to kick off on September 15 in Mountain View, California.

Page has been ordered to rest for the next six weeks, after which time the guitarist will be re-examined by doctors to determine if surgery is needed to alleviate the injury.

In addition to canceling their own North American and European tour plans, Page and the Black Crowes have also been forced to nix plans for a four-night co-headlining stint with The Who at Madison Square Garden in New York City set for early October.

Tour organizers are holding out hope, however, that Page and the Crowes might be able to make up the New York City concerts for sometime in December, if Page is able to fully recover in time.

If and when Page is able to continue touring, you can count on the Black Crowes to flock to his side when needed, frontman Chris Robinson explained to MTV News prior to the tour's launch earlier this year.

"We have become friends over the years," Robinson said. "Besides from just being friends, if Jimmy calls and needs us to be his band, man, you don't think twice about it. You're like, 'Of course we'll be there. It's an honor.'" [RealAudio]

Since getting its retail release in July, Page and the Crowes' "Live At The Greek" album has sold more than 116,000 copies, according to SoundScan.

• The Black Crowes
• Led Zeppelin
• Jimmy Page
• Robert Plant

Jimmy Page and the Black Crowes have announced makeup dates for three of the shows they postponed earlier this month after the Led Zeppelin guitarist injured his back following an August 12 concert in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

But scheduling conflicts have forced Page and the Crowes to cancel four of the other shows set for the leg, the second in their tour in support of the double-live album, "Live At The Greek." Page and the Crowes will play the three missed dates immediately prior to the start of the third leg of the outing, originally slated to kick off on September 23 in Miami.

"Live At The Greek" has already sold more than 100,000 copies since being released via TVT Records following an Internet-only deal with Musicmaker (see "Page And The Crowes Get Retail Release Of 'Live' LP"). The concert record has spawned a pair of radio singles, "What Is And What Should Never Be" and the current track, "Ten Years Gone," both of which are Led Zeppelin covers.

The modified itinerary for Jimmy Page and the Black Crowes' fall tour:

• 9/15 - Mountain View, CA @ Shoreline Amphitheater
• 9/17 - Irvine, CA @ Verizon Amphitheater
• 9/20 - Houston, TX @ Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
• 9/23 - Miami, FL @ Coral Sky Amphitheater
• 9/25 - Tampa Bay, FL @ Ice Palace
• 9/27 - Atlanta, GA @ Philips Arena
• 9/29 - Noblesville, IN @ Deer Creek Music Center
• 10/1 - Cleveland, OH @ Gund Arena
• 10/3 - New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden (w/ The Who)
• 10/4 - New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden (w/ The Who)
• 10/6 - New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden (w/ The Who)
• 10/7 - New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden (w/ The Who)

• The Black Crowes
• Led Zeppelin
• Jimmy Page
• Robert Plant

Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page and The Black Crowes have been forced to postpone the second leg of their joint tour because of a back injury Page suffered following a performance in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on August 12.

The postponement affects eight tour dates slated through an August 30 stop in Spring, Texas, and included concerts in Las Vegas, Denver, Dallas, and Sacramento, California, among others.

The Albuquerque show was the first show of the tour's second leg, and while Page apparently felt well enough to perform a cover of Led Zeppelin's "Wanton Song" with the Black Crowes for a taping of "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno" on Monday afternoon, the decision to push back the other dates was made quickly thereafter.

According to a statement issued by tour organizers, Page isn't expected to be sidelined for too long, and he and The Black Crowes are hoping to reschedule the missed gigs prior to the launch of the tour's third leg on September 23 in West Palm Beach, Florida.

As part of the third leg, Jimmy Page and The Black Crowes will team up with The Who for a four-night stand at New York City's Madison Square Garden on October 3, 4, 6, and 7.

In happier news, The Black Crowes' Chris Robinson has become engaged to actress Kate Hudson, who appears in Cameron Crowe's new rock and roll film, "Almost Famous," based loosely on the filmmaker's experiences as a teen writer for "Rolling Stone" in the 1970s.

Hudson, who is the daughter of Goldie Hawn, revealed the engagement to MTV News while promoting "Almost Famous," but while she was wearing a large diamond ring bestowed on her by the singer, the actress said they don't plan on getting married for a while.

Publicists for The Black Crowes refused to comment on the engagement or suggest when the nuptials might be held, stating only that they "don't comment on their clients' personal lives."

• The Black Crowes
• Led Zeppelin
• Jimmy Page
• Robert Plant

Everclear's new album, "Songs From An American Movie, Volume I - Learning How To Smile," has already sold more than 175,000 copies and spawned a hit alternative single in "Wonderful," but the band is way too busy right now to enjoy the success.

The Portland, Oregon-based group has already returned to the studio to wrap work on the second half of the double-album set, subtitled "Volume II - A Good Time For A Bad Attitude," tentatively set for release in the fall.

Everclear has issued a video for its "Wonderful" single, directed by frontman Art Alexakis, and though he's been asked to helm other videos, Alexakis told MTV News that his focus remains on "Volume II."

"I've had a couple people ask me," Alexakis said,

British rock veterans The Who will share a stage with former Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page on at least one date of the group's reunion tour this summer, the band said Monday.

In an unusual move intended to save money, Page, backed by roots-rockers The Black Crowes, will share a road crew and a stage with The Who throughout its U.S. tour of amphitheaters and arenas, but the two mostly will play separate shows.

Still, the two acts are set to co-headline a show sometime in October at New York's Madison Square Garden, according to Who guitarist Pete Townshend. "I've always been a fan of The Black Crowes, and Jimmy played on The Who's first successful record. He played rhythm guitar on 'I Can't Explain,'" Townshend said in a press conference held at Manhattan's Supper Club. "It's gonna be good to be together."

The Who tour will begin June 25 at Chicago's New World Music Theater; no dates have been announced for the Page/Crowes outing. Page shares a management company, Trinifold, with The Who.

The Who, which hasn't released a studio LP since 1982, also hopes to work on material for a possible new album while on the road.

"Roger [Daltrey] and I have never written a song together, and that's what we're going to try to do," Townshend said, sitting between vocalist Daltrey and bassist John Entwistle. "We're in our mid-50s. If we can't do it now, we never will."

For his part, Daltrey, whose songwriting role in The Who has always been minimal, said he has already written several compositions that might be suitable for the group. "Lyrically, they're strong, but melodically they need the input of the band."

In the meantime, new live versions of such Who classics as "My Generation" are available on "The Blues To The Bush," a new customizable CD compilation for sale only on the Web site musicmaker.com.

"It's what we've got at the moment," said Townshend, who was dressed casually in a shiny blue windbreaker. "We found this record; we looked under our fingernails, and there it was."

Musicmaker.com also released a similar live compilation from Page and the Crowes' 1999 tour together.

Though they've often feuded in the past, the surviving members of The Who (drummer Keith Moon died in 1978) appeared comfortable with one another at the press conference, joking more or less amiably with the journalists.

"We like each other, but we f***in' hate you," a poker-faced Townshend told a reporter who asked about the state of the band's relationships.

Entwistle, known for his low-key onstage demeanor, was silent during most of the conference.

The bassist, clad in a denim vest over a black shirt, became animated only during a discussion of the band's decision to tour as a five-piece rather than in the expanded configurations of recent years.

"It allows us to improvise a lot easier, rather than worrying about 100 people knowing what you're going to do next," Entwistle said.

The Who's music also will be featured in an upcoming film based on the life of Moon, Daltrey said. A screenplay for the film, which has been in the works for ten years, is expected to be finished by the end of the year, according to the singer.

"I think there's a great film to be made from the life of Keith Moon. He was a complicated character, a frustrated genius," he said. "It's not a band story at all. It's the story of a drummer on his days off."

The Who's tour dates:

• 6/25 - Tinley Park, IL @ New World Music Theater
• 6/27 - Auburn Hills, MI @ Palace
• 6/29 - Burgettstown, PA @ Star Lake Pavilion
• 7/1 - Holmdel, NJ @ PNC Bank Arts Center
• 7/3 - Mansfield, MA @ Great Woods Center
• 7/5 - Bristow, VA @ Nissan Pavilion
• 7/7 - Camden, NJ @ E Center
• 7/9 - Wantagh, NY @ Jones Beach Theater
• 8/14 - Phoenix, AZ @ Desert Sky
• 8/16 - Irvine, CA @ Irvine Meadows
• 8/19 - George, WA @ The Gorge
• 8/21 - Mountain View, CA @ Shoreline Amphitheatre
• 8/24 - Denver, CO @ Pepsi Center
• 8/27 - Dallas, TX @ Reunion Arena
• 8/29 - Woodlands, TX @ C.W. Mitchell Pavilion
• 9/24 - West Palm Beach, FL @ Mars Music Amphitheatre
• 9/26 - Tampa, FL @ Ice Palace
• 9/28 - Atlanta, GA @ Phillips Arena
• 9/30 - Cleveland, OH @ Gund Arena
• 10/2 - Toronto, ON @ Air Canada Center

• Led Zeppelin
• Jimmy Page
• Robert Plant
• The Who

Following up last year's release of an "Early Days" Led Zeppelin compilation, "Latter Days - The Best Of Led Zeppelin Volume 2" arrived in stores this week containing ten songs from the legendary rock band's last four studio albums.

• Led Zeppelin
• Jimmy Page
• Robert Plant