Eric Woolfson, best known as co-founder, co-producer, songwriter and sometimes vocalist of progressive rock's Alan Parsons Project, has died of cancer at the age of 64.

Woolfson's accomplishments went well beyond his work with APP. He was a prolific composer, talented pianist, and accomplished producer. After his partnership with Parsons (1975-1990) ended, Woolfson became heavily involved in composing musical theater. Earlier this year, he released The Alan Parsons Project That Never Was, on which he sang songs he had written for APP which were never released.

Word of Woolfson's death spread quickly after appearing on his Facebook page. "We are very sad to have to tell you that Eric Woolfson passed away in the early hours of this [12/2/09] morning after a long and brave battle with cancer. He very much enjoyed seeing all your kind comments and posts on this Facebook page and his family wanted to thank you for your appreciation of his work."

^{Photo from Eric Woolfson's Facebook page}

Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck go way back. They were both members of The Yardbirds back in the '60s. But they've never toured together. Until now.

The two guitar gurus have five shows booked so far, beginning with two at London's O2 Arena in February, followed by New York City (Madison Square Garden), Toronto and Montreal.

The two played a show together in Japan earlier this year, and it was Beck who filled in for Clapton at a recent Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Anniversary concert when Clapton had to have gall bladder surgery.

Occupational Hazard: Shoulder Surgery on a Drummer
Drummer Vinny Appice (Black Sabbath, Dio, Heaven & Hell) won't be drumming for at least five months, following surgery on his right shoulder. The shoulder was injured during the recent Heaven and Hell tour, but Appice's surgeon expects him to be back behind the drum kit after taking time off to recover.

H&H's ranks have pretty much been decimated lately. Besides Appice, guitarist Tony Iommi is being treated for a hand injury, and lead singer Ronnie James Dio is undergoing treatment for stomach cancer.

I guess Ronnie Wood should be thankful for all the attention Tiger Woods and his self-confessed "transgressions" are getting this week. Otherwise, the Rolling Stones bassist/guitarist's own dirty laundry would probably be getting more of an airing that it is.

At this moment, Wood is free on bail after having been arrested for what a police spokesman described as "suspicion of assault in connection with a domestic incident." The Guardian website reports that it "understood the incident involved Wood's on-off girlfriend, Ekaterina Ivanova, 20."

Wood's spokesman confirms the arrest and release on bail, but nothing else. A January court appearance is next. All of this comes against the backdrop of Wood's divorce (in which his association with the young cocktail waitress played a central role) recently becoming final, and three months after police responded to another "domestic incident" at the house that Wood and Ivanova share.

And What About a Stones Tour in '10?
Ironically enough, Ms. Ivanova's name had surfaced earlier in the week when she was identified as the source of a "leak" in the Brit tabloid, The Sun about plans for a Rolling Stones world tour in 2010. While that got humongous tabloid headlines, it's less than startling, considering that at the end of their two-year long Bigger Bang tour in 2007 (the highest-grossing tour in the history of the known universe) band members promised it would not be their last tour.

With a planned Faces reunion tour and possible Stones tour just ahead, maybe Wood subscribes to the time honored I-don't-care-what-you-say-about-me-as-long-as-you-spell-my-name-right theory of getting publicity. Or maybe he's just looking forward to the extra money to pay for life's little necessities, like lawyers, bail, and alimony.

^{Ronnie Wood, Ekaterina Ivanova photo by Gareth Cattermole / Getty Images}

Prominent among the nominees in various rock categories are some of our favorite classic rockers.

Best Rock Album
Black Ice (AC/DC)
Live From Madison Square Garden (Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood)
No Line On The Horizon (U2)
21st Century Breakdown (Green Day)
Big Whiskey And The Groogrux King (Dave Matthews Band)

Best Rock Song
"Working On A Dream" (Bruce Springsteen)
"I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight" (U2)
"The Fixer" (Pearl Jam)
"21 Guns" (Green Day)
"Use Somebody" (Kings Of Leon)

Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance

Bob Dylan ("Beyond Here Lies Nothin'")
John Fogerty ("Change In The Weather")
Bruce Springsteen ("Working On A Dream")
Neil Young ("Fork In The Road")
Prince ("Dreamer")

Best Metal Performance
Judas Priest ("Dissident Aggressor")
Lamb Of God ("Set To Fail")
Megadeath ("Head Crusher")
Ministry ("Señor Peligro")
Slayer ("Hate Worldwide")

Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals
Eric Clapton & Steve Winwood ("Can't Find My Way Home")
Coldplay ("Life In Technicolor II")
Green Day ("21 Guns")
Kings Of Leon ("Use Somebody")
U2 ("I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight")

Best Hard Rock Performance
AC/DC ("War Machine")
Alice In Chains ("Check My Brain")
Linkin Park ("What I've Done")
Metallica ("The Unforgiven III")
Nickelback ("Burn It To The Ground")

Best Rock Instrumental Performance

Jeff Beck ("A Day In The Life")
Steve Vai ("Now We Run")
Brian Setzer Orchestra ("Mr. Surfer Goes Jazzin'")
Booker T. Jones ("Warped Sister")
Brad Paisley ("Playing With Fire")

The 52nd Grammy Awards will air on CBS on January 31. You'll find a list of all nominees in all categories on the Grammy website.

Anybody want to give me odds on how many AC/DC will win? Springsteen? Clapton and Winwood?

^{AC/DC photo by Kevin Mazur / Getty Images; Bob Dylan photo by Dave Hogan / Getty Images; Eric Clapton - Steve Winwood photo by Tasos Katopodis / Getty Images; Jeff Beck photo by Tasos Katopodis / Getty Images}