The Who fans are still shaking off whiplash after the classic rock band fired and then re-hired longtime drummer Zak Starkey… before apparently firing him again. The son of legendary Beatles drummer Ringo Starr, Starkey played with The Who from 1996 to 2025. The 59-year-old musician hasn’t exactly gone quietly, even leaking an unreleased recording featuring himself, his father, and Elton John, along with Guns N’ Roses’ Slash, Axl Rose, and Duff McKagan. Now, Zak Starkey is begging Axl Rose to release the star-studded cover’s master recording, claiming the song could raise $2 million for charity.
Videos by American Songwriter
Zak Starkey Says “It’s A Drag” That The Record Is Still Unreleased
Earlier this year, Zak Starkey shared a cover of T. Rex’s 1972 single “Children of the Revolution” to his Instagram page. Apparently recorded for an unannounced charity album, it featured appearances from a roster of A-list names.
On Aug. 22, Zak Starkey publicly appealed to the Guns N’ Roses frontman in an Instagram post. “Dear Axl Rose, please give me my master of this track back,” the iconic drummer wrote.
He then revealed that he and his wife, Australian rocker Sshh Liguz, spent three years working on the record, even arranging for “a modulating section for [Slash’s] guitar, another for [Duff McKagan’s] bass solo, and plenty of room for Elton before u asked sshh if u could sing it.”
Continuing, Starkey wrote, “It’s a drag that the record is on the shelf as Christie’s [auction house] have advised it could generate $2M for Teen cancer. Cmon bro…”
Is There an Entire Album?
The cover originated in 2017, when both Guns N’ Roses and The Who played at Rock in Rio. In April 2024, Zak Starkey revealed that Axl Rose was currently mixing the “Children of the Revolution” cover. He also hinted that he and his wife had produced a full album with the Stooges’ Iggy Pop, “more than one Beatle, a Smith, a Pretender, an Ashcroft… and many more.”
Earlier this year, Starkey called on his collaborators to properly release the T.Rex cover. “C’mon amazing people – let’s get this record out and helping these teenagers who as musicians WE RELY ON SO MUCH,” he wrote on social media in April. “If we wait much longer some of the these brave young people may not have enough time to hear it – this is the first half then it gets wild !!! Everything generated by this record ( other artists tagged) goes to teenage cancer – if it gets released – which depends totally on the amazing participants giving us the green light …”
Featured image by Rick Kern/Getty Images for The Who
Leave a Reply
Only members can comment. Become a member. Already a member? Log in.