Former teen idol Bobby Sherman is 80 years old and still wowing them. He was born in Santa Monica, California and became interested in singing whilst at high school. Following his graduation, he was given the opportunity to sing for Sal Mineo’s band at a party and eventually got a gig as house singer for the ABC show ‘Shindig!’, which ran from 1964 to 1966. His luck changed drastically in 1968 when he was cast in the role of a stammering, bashful logger in the TV drama series ‘Here Come the...

Helen O'Hara is a talented violinist best known for her contributions to British band Dexys Midnight Runners. Born in London, Helens musical journey began at an early age. She exhibited a natural affinity for the violin, showcasing both technical prowess and a deep emotional connection to the instrument. Her early training and dedication to mastering the violin set the stage for her later success with Dexy's Midnight Runners. She had met the charismatic Kevin Rowland in the late 70s and...

John Kay and his band Steppenwolf were pivotal in shaping the rock music landscape of the late 1960s and early 1970s. Born in Germany in 1944 as Joachim Fritz Krauledat, John’s journey to becoming a rock icon was filled with challenges and perseverance. John’s early life was marked by adversity. He faced hardships in post-war Germany and immigrated to Canada as a teenager. His passion for music bloomed in the vibrant musical scene of Toronto. In the mid-1960s, he formed The Sparrows, which...

Chicago was one of the most successful bands of the rock era, racking up 21 Billboard Top Ten hits between 1970 and 1990. They were a band that placed equal (if not greater) emphasis on horns as guitar and picked up where Blood Sweat & Tears left off. Chicago quickly learned how to channel their expansive sound into concise pop songs, scoring hits in the early 1970s with punchy tunes like "25 or 6 to 4" as well as producing sweet melodies like "Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?"...

Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show was an American rock band formed in New Jersey in 1968. They enjoyed huge commercial success in the 1970s with hit singles including "Sylvia's Mother", "The Cover of 'Rolling Stone'", "Only Sixteen" and "A Little Bit More." Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show owes much of their success to poet Shel Silverstein. The band had 8 years of regular chart hits. Their music spanned several genres, mostly novelty songs and acoustic ballads in the early years but then with...

Canned Heat emerged in 1966 and was founded by blues historians and record collectors Alan “Blind Owl” Wilson and Bob “The Bear” Hite. Hite took the name “Canned Heat” from a 1928 recording by Tommy Johnson. They were joined by Henry “The Sunflower” Vestine, another ardent record collector who was a former member of Frank Zappa’s Mothers of Invention. Rounding out the band in 1967 were Larry “The Mole” Taylor on bass, an experienced session musician who had played with Jerry Lee Lewis and The...

Rolling Stone Magazine caled Darlene Love “one of the greatest singers of all time” but perhaps Paul Shaffer says it even more concisely: “Darlene Love is Rock N’ Roll!” – which was made official when she was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame by Bette Midler, a great fan of her work, in 2011. She was one of Phil Spector's hand-picked early '60's girl group singers and sang some lead vocals for the Crystals, Bob B. Soxx and the Blue Jeans. After turbulent times with Spector,...

Walter Trout is an American blues guitarist, singer and songwriter and probably the best performer I have ever seen play live. Walter's backstory is a page-turner you won’t want to put down. Five decades in the making; it is equal parts thriller, romance, suspense and horror. There are musical fireworks, critical acclaim and fists-aloft triumph, offset by years in the wilderness and massive narcotic binges. He has been a gunslinger in bands from John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers to Canned Heat,...

Joey Dee and the Starliters were a hot act in 1962 with the hit “Peppermint Twist.” — The Beatles opened for them and Dee helped out a young Jimi Hendrix. Joey Dee with his group, The Starliters, helped launch the "Twist" craze in 1961 with their hit song "The Peppermint Twist". Joey is often billed as “The Godfather of The Twist.” Joey Dee started out wanting to be a history teacher. Every cent he made as a teenage Bandleader went into his studies. But bookings for his band grew and Joey...

One of Australia’s longest surviving vocal groups, the Delltones were formed in 1959. Comprising Ian ‘Pee Wee’ Wilson, Noel Widerberg, Brian Perkins and Warren Lucas. The band performed at dances, as part of backing bands for artists such as Johnny O’Keefe. Occasionally performing a cappella covers of songs they heard on the radio, the band was influenced by 50s doo-wop vocal groups. The accidental death of Noel Widerberg, in 1962, did not deter the group from continuing. With replacement...

Status Quo are one of Britain's longest-running bands, staying together for over six decades. During much of that time, the group was only successful in the U.K., where they racked up a string of Top Ten singles over the decades. In America, the Quo were ignored after they abandoned psychedelia for heavy boogie rock in the early '70s. Before that, the band managed to reach number 12 in the U.S. with the psychedelic classic "Pictures of Matchstick Men" Following that single, the group...

Few singer/songwriters are as individual and eclectic as Rickie Lee Jones, a vocalist and composer who’s able to weave jazz, folk, and R&B into songs for decades. Rickie Lee’s greatest commercial success came at the outset of her career with ‘Chuck E’s in Love’, but a restless creative spirit and a stubborn refusal to be pigeon holed into any one musical niche, ensured her on-going status as a cult hero. Her second LP, 1981's Pirates added rock and soul flavours. Others followed. As...

Marty Wilde (born Reginald Leonard Smith) is an English singer and songwriter who was among the first generation of British pop stars to imitate American rock'n'roll. He began performing under the name Reg Patterson until he was spotted by impresario Larry Parnes who subsequently changed his name to Wilde. From mid 1958 to the end of 1959, Marty was one of the leading British rock singers, along with Tommy Steele and Cliff Richard. His backing group, the Wildcats featured Big Jim Sullivan...

Over the past several decades you would have heard Louie Shelton's riffs and solos on many hits by artists such as; THE MONKEES Last Train To Clarksville, THE JACKSON FIVE: I Want You Back, LIONEL RICHIE; Hello, THE CARPENTERS; We’ve Only Just Begun & Close To You, NEIL DIAMOND; Cracklin’ Rose, Play Me and I Am I Said, BOZ SCAGGS; Low Down plus albums with BARBRA STREISAND, JOE COCKER, THE MAMAS & PAPAS, MARVIN GAYE, JOHN LENNON, DIANA ROSS and many others. For the past 50 years...

In 1969, Mark Farner, along with Don Brewer (drums and vocals) and Mel Schacher (bass), formed the band Grand Funk Railroad.  They quickly gained recognition for their energetic, bluesy rock sound.  The band's name was a play on words, inspired by the Grand Trunk Western Railroad that ran through their hometown of Flint, Michigan.  Grand Funk Railroad achieved massive success in the early 1970s. Their music was characterized by a blend of rock, funk, and blues.  The band released a series...

New York born, Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, guitarist /singer- songwriter Ricky Byrd (inducted in 2015 with Joan Jett and The Blackhearts), has had a career in music, spanning more than 40 years. He spent over a decade as a member of Joan Jett and the Blackhearts where he contributed music and background vocals to two platinum albums, I Love Rock 'n Roll and Up Your Alley, the gold certified Album, and four others for the band. Although best known for his time spent with The Blackhearts,...

From Daddy Cool to Mondo Rock and as a solo artist with no less than 26 ARIA Top 40 hits to his credit as a singer, songwriter and producer, ROSS WILSON is one of Australia’s most awarded, respected and well-known artists. From the legendary band Daddy Cool whose number one anthem Eagle Rock and debut album “Daddy Who?” smashed all previous sales records in Australia an astounding 50 years ago in 1971, to the 1977 formation of Mondo Rock, delivering 80’s hits ‘Cool World’, ‘State of The...

Jamaican Reggae legend JIMMY CLIFF was born in 1948 as James Chambers and proved to be an accomplished performer at an early age. At 14 he moved to Kingston and took the surname Cliff as a proclamation of the heights he imagined he would reach. In Kingston, Jimmy released the 1962 hit, Hurricane Hattie and numerous other recordings throughout the rest of the 1960s. Jimmy Cliff moved to the UK in the late 60s and was bitterly disappointed with the racism he encountered there. His...

Drummer SIMON KIRKE kept the beat for two of the '70s most popular bluesy hard rockers: Free and Bad Company. Born in London, Simon developed an interest in music at a young age and joined a local band called the Maniacs to play drums and sing. He negotiated a deal with his parents after graduating high school, that if he couldn't make it as a drummer in a band within a two-year period, he would then start a college career. Just a few months before the self-imposed deadline, Kirke landed a...

Formed as a jazz ensemble in the mid-'60s, Kool & the Gang became one of the most inspired and influential funk units during the '70s, and one of the most popular R&B groups of the '80s after their breakout hit "Celebration." Just as funky as James Brown or Parliament (and sampled almost as frequently), Kool & the Gang relied on their jazz backgrounds and long friendship to form a tightly knit group.  Their 21 Top 40 hits display a huge range, from the tough funk of "Jungle...

English singer-songwriter, NIK KERSHAW was a 1980s teen idol; he spent 62 weeks on the UK Singles Chart in 1984-5 and beat every other solo artist at the time. He appeared at Live Aid in 1985, and penned a number of hits for other artists, including a UK number one single in 1991 for Chesney Hawkes "The One and Only”. Nik played guitar and sang in a number of underground bands from 76 before deciding on a career as a songwriter. However, he ended up performing his own songs rather than...

Soft rock singer/songwriter, guitarist, pianist and producer KENNY LOGGINS had a consistent string of hits in the '70s, '80s and '90s. After playing in several bands in the late '60s and honing his songwriting chops as a staff songwriter, Kenny rose to prominence with Loggins & Messina, a duo with fellow singer/songwriter Jim Messina. The two were together from 72 to 76, and released a string of successful albums. Kenny's first solo album was released in '77, and included the hit "I...

In the heart of the ‘Swinging Sixties’, a British rock band called Savoy Brown was born and almost immediately began to make a profound impact with their pioneering blues-rock sound. Energetic Blues has always been Savoy Brown’s calling card.   In fact, Blues Rock became the catch-all phrase in the late 1960s to describe the band’s music along with that of contemporaries including Cream, Fleetwood Mac, and Jimi Hendrix.   Even though the band was plagued with a constantly changing line-up,...

Steve Katz and Blood, Sweat & Tears (BS&T) are synonymous with the golden era of American rock and jazz fusion. This iconic band, known for its genre-blending music, was founded by Steve Katz and went on to achieve massive success in the late 1960s and early 1970s. In this episode, we explore the fascinating story of Steve Katz and his pivotal role in shaping BS&T's ground-breaking sound. Steve Katz was born in New York City and displayed a passion for music from a young age. His...

In the vibrant music scene of New Orleans during the 1960s, a group of exceptional musicians came together to form a band that would redefine funk music. Bassist George Porter Jr. joined forces with Art Neville(keyboards), Joseph "Zigaboo" Modeliste (drums), and Leo Nocentelli (guitar) to create The Meters. The name itself hinted at their precision and rhythm. The Meters introduced a distinctive sound that blended funk, R&B, soul, and New Orleans grooves. Their music was characterised...