The broadcaster claim that his version of events is ‘categorically untrue’.
During the week, it was revealed during an interview with Billboard, Rod Stewart said that he wasn’t allowed to perform Grace during his most recent visit to the BBC.
“Also, they won’t let me sing ‘Grace’ because of its Irish, anti-English overtones in the song. Forget about it, it’s one of the greatest love songs ever written. The guy goes to his death 15 minutes the next morning after he’s been married and I can’t sing that one either,” he said.
When asked to explain his personal connection to the Irish ballad, Stewart said: “Celtic is the football team I support, and Celtic was formed by an Irishman in Glasgow in 1888 to raise money for the Irish to come over after the Potato Famine, so I heard the Celtic supporters singing it about three years ago.”
The BBC have released the following statement regarding Stewart’s interview with Billboard: “This story is categorically untrue. No songs are banned on the BBC. All songs performed live on the BBC Radio 2 Breakfast Show are agreed with the artist.”
Rod Stewart was a guest on BBC Radio 2 on Friday morning as he chatted with Chris Evans about his 30th studio album, Blood Red Roses.
Aside from this chat about his next record, the former Faces singer talked about the great honour he felt after being knighted and he performed a new single called ‘Look in Her Eyes’.
Stewart, however, revealed in an interview with Billboard that he wasn’t very happy with the BBC as, ahead of his appearance with Evans, he was told that he wasn’t going to be allowed sing a song he had wanted to perform, the Irish ballad ‘Grace’.
He is set to play in Cork in 2019.
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