Podcast appearances and mentions of Peter Wolf

DREAMS COME TRUE. Milt (and especially) Dave experience a rock n roll fantasy come true as they (alongside special guest Cha-Chi LoPrete) talk with legendary J. Geils Band front man and best-selling author Peter Wolf. He's the author of 'Waiting on the Moon.' Mysteries are unraveled including the legend of Raputa the Beauta and Peter's favorite J Geils album. They also discuss memorable moments from Peter's career, including his stories about Muddy Waters, Alfred Hitchcock, and Aretha Franklin, and insight into his new book. The episode highlights Peter's knack for storytelling, his views on relationships in the music industry, and his experiences meeting other iconic figures. The conversation also covers Peter's approach to writing his book, his narration of the audiobook, and entertaining anecdotes from his illustrious career.   Topics 03:16 The Story Behind the Book 07:34 Writing Process and Inspirations 14:09 Peter Wolf's Literary Journey 22:37 Cha-Chi's Connection with Peter  26:31 Memories of George Harrison 26:53 Favorite Beatles Discussion 28:07 Peter's Magnetic Personality 29:42 Meeting Music Legends by Chance 37:38 The Challenge of Narrating an Audiobook 42:27 John Lee Hooker and the Blues

Join @thebuzzknight for this episode with the legendary musician Peter Wolf. He is the former frontman with The J Geils Band and also has a solo career with his band the midnight travelers. Peter has a new memoir "Waiting on the Moon: Artists, Poets, Grifters, and Goddesses" which takes us through his colorful life, his musical passions, his time as a disc jockey at WBCN in Boston and his many encounters with the legends of a generation. You'll love his colorful storytelling and the behind the scenes look at a music legend.Support the show: https://takinawalk.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Join @thebuzzknight for this episode with the legendary musician Peter Wolf. He is the former frontman with The J Geils Band and also has a solo career with his band the midnight travelers. Peter has a new memoir "Waiting on the Moon: Artists, Poets, Grifters, and Goddesses" which takes us through his colorful life, his musical passions, his time as a disc jockey at WBCN in Boston and his many encounters with the legends of a generation. You'll love his colorful storytelling and the behind the scenes look at a music legend.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chaz & Aj interview Peter Wolf, lead singer of the J. Geils band about his time in the studio, and his new book 'Waiting On The Moon". Photo Credit: Reuters

When it comes to infidelity: can we have our cake and eat it too? In the following two songs, written by the incomparable Don Covay, this theme is explored. The two men narrating these tales of inconstancy are in turmoil - one cheater feels guilty, while the other betrayer is suffering from hurt pride - because his woman is playing the same game. The soulful bard who created these parables of marital strife covers the gamut here: in the first you'll hear the voice of the creator himself, Mr. Covay, on a special alternate track of “I Was Checking Out While She Was Checking in”; the second song, “I Stole Some Love” features one of his best interpreters, Peter Wolf, of the J. Geils Band.Donald James Randolph, aka Don Covay aka “Superdude” left us in 2015 with a legacy of pungent excavations of the human psyche, often delivered with toe tapping, humorous perfection. Although he was a charismatic performer in his own right, he was known predominantly as a songwriter with an unerring instinct for hits. Starting out in the fifties as a chauffeur and opening act for Little Richard, Covay went on to pen a raft of chart toppers such as Mercy Mercy (recorded by the Stones), See Saw, and Chain of Fools, for which Aretha Franklin won a Grammy. But it was in '72, doubling as an A&R man for Mercury Records, that Don hit performing pay dirt with “Superdude,” which contained the following song-monologue, which we are honored to present here with this alternate take, where the singer ruminates on the irony of his unique situation.In '92, Don suffered a stroke, and Ronnie Wood of the Faces and the Stones, produced a tribute album entitled “Back to the Streets” which contained the Covay classic “I Stole Some Love,” delivered here with characteristic swagger by the one and only Peter Wolf - former front man for the J. Geils Band. 79 years old and still going strong, the ex late night DJ “Woofa Goofa”, turned undeniable Rock Star and raconteur, has recently delivered an engrossing memoir “Waiting on the Man: Artists, Poets, Drifters, Grifters, and Goddesses” about his life's journey, and the iconic artists he's encountered along the way- starting with his stint studying art at Tufts University, and rooming with David Lynch. (He was also married to Faye Dunaway for five years)…, so he knows a lot about a lot of stuff, including failed romance. And, on this cut, his tortured vocal attests to the emotional vise he's caught in.

Rock legend Peter Wolf has written an extraordinary memoir entitled "Waiting On The Moon" that's full of mindblowing stories that go far beyond his brilliant music career, to unforgettable stories about his marriage in The Seventies to the Oscar-winning actress Faye Dunaway, and his fascinating experiences with everyone from Marilyn Monroe to Muddy Waters, The Rolling Stones to Alfred Hitchcock. Phil and David invited noted J Geils Band fan and famed TV writer Mike Scully (The Simpsons, Parks & Recreation, Everybody Loves Raymond) to join this soulful conversation. Order Peter's book here.  All this, plus, hear a preview of next week's episode with the one & only Smokey Robinson along with Brad Paisley. To learn more about building community through food and "Somebody Feed the People," visit the Philanthropy page at philrosenthalworld.com. 

Tiger Woods is dating Donald Trump Jr's ex-wife, Jessica Dupnack tells us about her creepers, Jim Morrison is alive, Michelle Obama's boring podcast, The Top 50 Solo Artists in rock history, Trump Tower protests, Maz checks in, and Jim's Picks: Best Opening Lines. The Xavier Worthy story gets even worse. The Kansas City Chief WR's finance has filed a protective order detailing his other alleged attacks. He's also firing back at what she did. We're just glad this domestic dispute is taking place in the court of public opinion. Michelle Obama's podcast is super entertaining...If you like to hear her go on and on about her parents. The YouTube comments are far more entertaining. Meghan Markle has a crappy new podcast coming out that sounds a lot like her old crappy podcast. REM reunites on stage with actor Michael Shannon's REM tribute band. Jim Morrison is still alive according to a new documentary. Some people are saying that Rick Beato might have jumped the shark due to his newest interview. Ultimate Classic Rock has put out a list of the Top 50 Solo Artists in rock history. A new Bonerline. Peter Wolf's new book spills on how Faye Dunaway made him a cuck. There's a new update on the student missing in Punta Cana. Justin Bieber breaks his silence by saying he's not good enough. Fox 2's Jessica Dupnack calls in to talk about all of the boners that attack her on social media. We call Maz back after he makes us wait 14 minutes. NFL Free agency is the biggest sports news of the week. Tom predicts where Aaron Rodgers will land. Tom takes a side in the Michigan vs MSU half court brawl. We have to let Maz go because some people have to be places after the show, apparently. Tiger Woods has a new piece in Donald Trump Jr's ex-wife Vanessa. There's a very strange twist in the Diddy case. CNN deleted the video of him beating Cassie and it will not be admitted into evidence. Luigi Mangione just received his largest single donation- $35k.. he's raised over $700k for his defense team. A Bayer executive was allegedly targeted with arson. Thanks a lot, Luigi! The new Canadian Prime-Minister elect, Mark Carney, allegedly loves Ghislaine Maxwell. Jim's List: The Top 10 Best Opening Lines in Rock. If you'd like to help support the show… consider subscribing to our YouTube Channel, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter (The Drew Lane Show, Marc Fellhauer, Trudi Daniels, Jim Bentley and BranDon).

Phil & David are thrilled to welcome a great friend -- beloved actress, best-selling author, humanitarian Kimberly Williams-Paisley to "Naked Lunch." Kimberly is hosting the new season of the Fox dating competition series, "Farmer Wants A Wife" which premieres March 20. They discuss Kimberly's frightening experience losing her voice for two years and how she eventually regained it -- also the subject of a recent People magazine cover story on her. Kimberly shares powerful and often funny stories from her long and impressive career, including how starring as the bride in the "Father of the Bride" movies forever changed not simply her career on screen, but ultimately her entire life. They also discuss the remarkable story of how Kim and her husband Brad Paisley started The Store (www.thestore.org), in Nashville, Tennessee, bringing together a dedicated community to combat food insecurity in Middle Tennessee with dignity and respect. All this plus a preview of our next episode with Peter Wolf. To learn more about building community through food and "Somebody Feed the People," visit the Philanthropy page at philrosenthalworld.com. 

PETER WILL BE AT THE MUSIC HALL IN PORTSMOUTH NEXT WEEK.

Peter Wolf ex lead singer of The J.Geils Band delivers 35 chapters on his encounters with the most unusual, and extremely interesting people who came into his life. Alfred Hithcock, Muddy Waters, Bob Dylan, David Lynch, Julia Child, Norman Rockwell, Van Morrison, John Lee Hooker and Faye Dunaway all play a significant part in this story. And that is just a few of the names!! This is one of rock n roll's most unique memoirs. ******This week's SHOUT OUT goes to Mad Music RadioMad Music Radio is a small cluster of five internet-only non-commercial radio stations bringing you fantastic music 24 hours a day. They also publish stories at least twice a week on the Patreon, Substack and the Medium platforms. Mad Music Radio, tunes and tales too good to be ignored. It nice that you get a few options to choose from. They have blues, rock, oldies, The Dead and Jazz stations. Whoever does the programing for this has a great ear, I love the diversity and the way they play cuts so deep I would call them lost. Check em out - Mad Music Radio****** Want more news and reviews of the best new rock n roll books and docs out there? The Rock Talk Studio BLAST!! is a monthly newsletter that comes out on the last Friday of the month that keep you on top of all the new releases. Just send me an email using the address below and say "Big Rick send me that BLAST!!" Support the showemail Big Rick at:info@rocktalkstudio.com

The frontman for the J. Geils Band has a new book out called "Waiting on the Moon" It comes out March 11th, but we take a peek inside today to learn how Peter Wolf handled his woman (Faye Dunaway) disappearing upstairs with Jack Nicholson!

Rich Embury is back again with another flashback to the '70s, '80s, and '90s rock and metal scene! Rock History, and Classics from Metallica / Bon Jovi / Montrose / Soundgarden / Stampeders / Accept / Yngwie J. Malmsteen / Peter Wolf / Kix / Manowar / Jeff Healey Band! This edition of Rich Embury's Power […]

My co-host is country singer Lee Sims.  Lee is releasing his latest song today "Wyoming Wind'.  Make Sure you give it a listen,  You can see everything about Lee at leesims.comNational Cereal day. Entertainment from 2018. Bloody Sunday in Alabama, Bikini Atoll evacuated, Constantine decrees everyone take Sundays off. Todays birthdays - Willard Scott, Peter Wolf, John Heard, Bryan Cranston, Taylor Dayne, Wanda Sykes, Rachel Weisz, Jenna Fischer, Laura Prepon. Stanley Kubrick died.Intro - I'm the one that ain't coming back - Lee SimsCereal song - Paul the TrambonistGod's plan - DrakeFive more minutes - Scotty McCreeryIf God got the blues - Lee SimsSummer Fall - Lee Sims1st Ronald McDonald commercialLove stinks - J. Geils BandMalcolm in the middle TV themeTell it to my heart - Taylor DayneThat 90's show TV themeWyoming Wind - Lee Simscountryundergroundradio.comHistory and Factoids website

Political analyst Chuck Todd reacts to Trump's Tuesday address to congress, plus yesterday's "sanctuary city" hearings and other headlines from D.C.Former public safety secretary Andrea Cabral discusses SCOTUS rejecting Trump's request to freeze USAID funds, plus Tesla protests and reactions to Wednesday's hearing with Boston Mayor Michelle Wu.Boston University's Anthony Jack talks about recent education headlines, including Linda McMahon at the helm of the Department of Education --- and her efforts to dismantle it. Plus, how universities are interacting with ICE.Peter Wolf, former David Lynch roommate & lead singer for The J. Geils Band, has a new memoir. He joins in studio to discuss his life and his recent decision to cancel an event at the Kennedy Center.

Today:Peter Wolf, lead vocalist for the J. Geils Band, solo artist, and a former Boston disc jockey joins Jim and Margery in Studio 3 to talk about his new memoir: "Waiting on the Moon: Artists, Poets, Drifters, Grifters, and Goddesses."And, Boston University professor Anthony Jack discusses threats to the Department of Education, and the impact of Trump's rhetoric in general, on higher education.

All the latest book buzz and doc news from artists like: Led Zeppelin, Bob Dylan, Brian Wilson, Tom Petty, Genesis, The Cars, Peter Wolf of The J.Geils Band and many more. Find out the news on all the upcoming titles. *Want to stay on top of the world of Rock N Roll Book and Documentaries? That's also easy. Sign up for the Monthly BLAST!! the newsletter that comes out on the last Friday of the month that features book buzz and doc news, recently released titles, top 5 lists, and more. Just shoot me over an email at the address below  and say Big Rick, send me that Blast!!This weeks SHOUT OUT goes to Mad Music RadioMad Music Radio is a small cluster of five internet-only non-commercial radio stations bringing you fantastic music 24 hours a day. They also publish stories at least twice a week on the Patreon, Substack and the Medium platforms. Mad Music Radio, tunes and tales too good to be ignored. I like that you get a few options to choose from. They have blues, rock, oldies, The Dead and Jazz stations. Whoever does the programing for this has a great ear, I love the diversity and the way they play cuts so deep I would call them lost. Check em out - Mad Music RadioSupport the showemail Big Rick at:info@rocktalkstudio.com

SHOW 79 Special guest host (Jeremy Hirsch) joins Rob to talk about music, movies and ringo Just call Jeremy "JEREMY 2 : Electric Bugaloo" ********* We start the show with a brand new stripped down single "NOBODY'S GOT ME" from Jesse Daniel Edwards from his upcoming self-titled album MUSIC NEWS - Ringo's hate for Pizza, Nirvana Reunite, the Grammys, KISS, and Rob reveals his favorite actress MUSIC DOCUMENTARY : NORMAN's RARE GUITARS - Jeremy and Rob discuss this great new(ish) documentary which is currently on Netflix. NEW MUSIC BIOGRAPHIES - Mike Campbell / Peter Wolf ********* KNOW GOOD MUSIC can be found on Podbean (host site), Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Iheart Radio, Pandora, YouTube (link below) and almost anywhere you listen to podcasts. Links to more sources at Link Tree - www.linktr.ee/knowgoodmusic  Help support our Podcast by purchasing some cool merch: https://www.teepublic.com/user/knowgoodmusic Visit our YouTube Channel where you can see video segments from all of our interviews.  Just search "know good music" TURN OFF THE TV - TURN UP THE MUSIC!

Hoy desvelaremos los pasajes más ocultos de la vida de David Keith Lynch, mundialmente conocido como “el de Twin Peaks”. El pequeño Daví nació el 20 de enero de 1946 en Montana, pero podría haber nacido en Castrourdiales porque los padres se movían más que la mesa coja de un velador. Su madre se llamaba Edwina, que es el Elpidia de ellos y su padre Donald, que se vé que es el Manué de allí. Donald era científico y trabajaba para el Seprona por eso el matrimonio iba teniendo los hijos cerca de las reservas forestales que al padre le tocaba investigá porque que a los americanos le pasan muchas cosas malas en los bosques, en los lagos, en los parques nacionales y en las puertas de urgencias de los hospitales. David fue educado como presbiteriano que en vez de ostias consagradas en la comunión les dan galletas de arroz sin gluten. Y luego querrán que las criaturas no vayan dando tiros. También fue Boy Scout consiguiendo el más alto rango, el de Eagle Scout, porque el niño se conocía mejor la Serranía de Ronda que “El Tragabuches”. Gracias a esto, en 1961, David participó como acomodador en la toma de posesión del presidente Kennedy el día que cumplía 15 años, porque las investiduras de los presidentes en los EEUU siempre son los 20 de enero, que coja a la gente sin dinero pa comprá balas. En 1964 se matriculó en la escuela de Bellas Artes de Boston y le tocó de compañero de cuarto Peter Wolf. Tú te matriculas en la de Cádiz y te toca un compañero de Barbate, que a lo mejor famoso no se hará pero no veas el material que se trae del pueblo. David no duró mucho porque esa escuela no le inspiraba y se fue con su colega Jack Fisk a Europa para intentar estudiar en la escuela de Oskar Kokoschka que pa ser pintor dibujaba los tigres como mi niño que puede ser un tigre, un oso o un bocadillo de lomo con queso. Cuando llegaron, Kokoschka les dijo que no era posible pq la última plaza la había cogido uno de Barbate, así que se volvieron y David se matriculó en la escuela de Pensilvania donde conoció a Peggy Reavey, con la que se casó en 1967 y tuvo a su 1º hija. Luego ya iría teniendo otras parejas y niños como la renovación del certificado digital, cada 4 años Buscador incansable de imágenes bizarras, tocó tó los palos: arte, pintura, comics, cine, fotografía, imagen y sonido, electrónica y grandes electrodomésticos. Ya en esta época llevaba el tupé como Sergio Ramos y tenía el pellejito de los párpados así caío y arrugaito, como los güebetes de los masai. Su debut como director fue en 1967 con Alphabet, pero el reconocimiento le llegaría con películas como Terciopelo Azul, El Hombre Elefante o Corazón Salvaje. Eso sí, el dinero se lo dio Twin Peaks, serie de TV estrenada en 1990 y en la que 35 años después todavía no se sabe quién mató a Laura Palmer. Desgraciadamente, el 16 de enero de este 2025, a los 78 años, David se llevó el final de Twin Peaks, aunque ustedes siempre podrán recordarlo cuando se renueven el certificado digital o les toque un compañero de Barbate.

We chat sports, and ask why Greg wasn't asked to host something.

John Conte Live on Game Changers With Vicki Abelson What crazy fun to sit down with my old dear friend, bassist John Conte, whom I hadn't seen in decades. How is it possible that he appears to have aged barely a day? Seriously! John took us back to childhood days, his jazz-singing mother, Rosemary, his early days on guitar, and his brother Steve at first on drums. Their first band when John was 8 or 9, their early songwriting, including John's first song, Maryanne, Sittin on a Log, which he gave us a little taste of. He was a boy with a dream of playing arenas with rock stars. He told us how they flipped instruments, with John choosing bass. His college days, jazz-infused, where he gigged around with stellar players like Terence Blanchard. We tripped down memory lane, where we met, in the md-80s at The Rock 'n Roll Cafe on Bleecker Street, 1/2 of The Brothers of Conte, as I affectionately came to call them, with his brother Steve, they were weekly regulars whenever their schedules allowed. John was in Blood, Sweat & Tears, his first major gig, at the time, and told us all about that. Great stories there, including playing Madison Square Garden. Not bad for a 23-year-old. During their tenure at the Rock 'N Roll, late one rainy night they brought in their friend, Phoebe Snow, a life changer for me who had been a diehard fan since high school. The Phoeb's and I became fast friends, and I have the boys to thank for that as well as for years of amazing live music there, and at Spo-dee-o-dee's, Woody's, RockGirl, The Marquee, The Cafe Wha, True Blue and The China Club, where they were also a part of my RockGirl Jam Band. A stellar bassist, with an easy temperament and oh so easy on the eyes, it was always a joy when John was around. I made him tell his requisite Chuck Berry story. At that same time, the Conte brothers, as part of The Hudson River Rats, were laying the foundation for much of the session and road work that was to follow. Like Finding himself in the studio with Tony Visconti and David Bowie. John's description of hearing Bowie vocalize in his ear gave me goosebumps. He talked about laying down tracks with Peter Wolf and Ian Hunter, getting to jam with loads of his heroes. The Conte Brothers connected with Kyf Brewer and Company of Wolves were borne. They did some showcases, got signed, did a tour with Richard Marx, and foreshadowed John's future, one with Southside Johnny and The Asbury Jukes. John talked us through touring with Joan Osbourne (beautiful words here), Roseanne Cash, and Southside Johnny choosing him in 2007, a gig that would take him through to present day. There was a short tour with Billy Joel during his 2012 comeback with our friend, Tommy Byrnes, lovely to hear John's take on it, and great stories about his tenure playing with The Disciples of Soul, the house band for the American Music Honors where he got to play with honorees, Jackson Browne, Mavis Staples, John Mellencamp and Dion, as well as host, Bruce Springsteen and Steven Van Zandt. John's shared the stage with Bruce numerous times before, memorably for an impromptu 45-minute set with Southside. John's recounting of that and of playing with Peter Frampton (and Sheryl Crow) at the Sandy Hook Promise Benefit is another moving, goosebump-inducing tale. I loved every single second with my old friend. It's thrilling to see how his life has played and continues to play out. The young boy living his dream. Southside Johnyy's future may be unsure, but John's certainly isn't. He's always got multiple projects cooking, his own music in the works - check him out here johnconte.bandcamp.com and here Facebook.com/johncontebass I just adore the boy. He'll always be a rockboy to me and damn, he sure still looks like one. John Conte Live on Game Changers With Vicki Abelson ****Wednesday, 1/29/25, 1 PM PT, 4 PM ET**** Streamed Live on my Facebook Replay here: https://bit.ly/4hbKHj6

Steve Conte became lead guitarist in one legendary band, the New York Dolls, and co-wrote half of his latest album, The Concrete Jangle, with the main singer-songwriter of another one: Andy Partridge of XTC. Conte is a longtime New York working musician who has played with such artists as Paul Simon, Peter Wolf, Phoebe Snow and, in a great story, Chuck Berry. Now he has released two solo albums on Stevie Van Zandt's Wicked Cool label and has two songs vying for the Coolest Song of the World 2024 on Little Steven's Underground Garage. Here he recalls what it was like to join the New York Dolls and to work with David Johansen—and with guitar in hand, he tells how he got connected with Partridge and demonstrates how the two of them wrote some very catchy songs together. (Photo by Anja van Ast.)

Episode 127. The Emporium brings you the music of Chuck Berry, Peter Wolf, Echo & The Bunnymen, Carly Rae Jepsen, Christopher Cross, Iron Maiden, Girlschool, Gloria Estefan & The Miami Sound Machine and Marillion.

Musicals zijn populair, maar lang niet iedere voorstelling trekt volle zalen. Wat maakt een show een regelrechte hit? En: kan de theatersector de geplande btw-verhoging aan, nu het de klap van corona pas nét te boven is? Ruud de Graaf, algemeen directeur van DG Theater en De Graaf & Cornelissen Entertainment is te gast in BNR Zakendoen.        Macro met Mujagić  Elke dag een intrigerende gedachtewisseling over de stand van de macro-economie. Op maandag en vrijdag gaat presentator Thomas van Zijl in gesprek met econoom Arnoud Boot, de rest van de week praat Van Zijl met econoom Edin Mujagić.  Boardroompanel  De ACM wil nog langer kijken naar de overname van RTL door DPG Media. En: het apneu-debacle van Philips blijft het bedrijf maar achterna zitten. Dat en meer bespreken we om 11.10 in het Boardroompanel met: Inge Brakman, commissaris bij onder meer DSM Nederland en partner bij de bestuurskamer en Steven Schuit, hoogleraar corporate governance aan Nyenrode Business Universiteit    FBL   Wie zijn de ondernemers van de toekomst? Welke hordes willen ze nemen, hoe willen ze groeien en wat voor soort leider willen zij zijn? Presentator Thomas van Zijl gaat in gesprek met jonge ondernemers en vraagt ze ook wat hun grootste valkuil is.       Te gast is Marjolein Leenarts, oprichter van cosmeticabedrijf Drs Leenarts.      Geniaal Of Onzinnig   Welk bedrijf droomt er niet van: het introduceren van een geniaal product of een briljante dienst. Maar wat in de ogen van het bedrijf in kwestie geweldig is, kan zo maar onzinnig zijn.     Om de echte pareltjes te vinden én nonsens te ontmaskeren, gaat Thomas van Zijl iedere donderdag in gesprek met een ondernemer die een product of dienst onder de aandacht wil brengen. Deze week is het de beurt aan Peter Wolf, oprichter en voormalige topman van First Circular Insulation.    Contact & Abonneren    BNR Zakendoen zendt elke werkdag live uit van 11:00 tot 13:30 uur. Je kunt de redactie bereiken via e-mail.     Abonneren op de podcast van BNR Zakendoen kan via bnr.nl/zakendoen, of via Apple Podcast en Spotify.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From playing keys for Frank Zappa to writing and producing some of the biggest songs in pop history (We Built This City, Everybody Wang Chung Tonight) to producing several songs for 4HIM, Peter Wolf has had a career that nearly defies description! He and his wife Lea join me on this episode to talk about his journey through the entertainment world, some wild song stories, how he and Lea reignited their faith, and what he's up to now.Support the showandychrisman.com

From playing keys for Frank Zappa to writing and producing some of the biggest songs in pop history (We Built This City, Everybody Wang Chung Tonight) to producing several songs for 4HIM, Peter Wolf has had a career that nearly defies description! He and his wife Lea join me on this episode to talk about his journey through the entertainment world, some wild song stories, how he and Lea reignited their faith, and what he's up to now.Support the showandychrisman.com

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The incredible guitarist Duke Levine joins me on the show today. Back in the 90's and early 2000's when I was just getting started, Duke was putting out all these really amazing twangy instrumental guitar records. He actually started out as almost a fusion guy on his first album, but pretty quickly veered off into this highly original guitar style that has elements of blues, jazz, country, bebop and influences like Roy Buchanan, Ray Flacke, Albert Lee, I hear Wes Montgomery and Jerry Reed in there as well. The first record I heard of his was called “Country Soul Guitar” and I feel like at that time, the early 90's, no one was really playing anything like that. He's primarily a tele player and just has an incredible touch and tone that makes him a totally unique player. He put out a couple more records in that vein, but pretty quickly got scooped up as a sideperson, playing guitar for artists like Shawn Colvin, Peter Wolf, J Geils, Bill Morrissey, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Slaid Cleaves, Jonatha Brooke, and eventually his current employer, the untouchable Bonnie Raitt. The hired gun gigs really became his bread and butter and he spent the better part of the last 25 years touring with alot of those folks. Duke came up in the New England club scene, and has basically stayed in the area his whole life. During the pandemic, he put out a string of really interesting videos featuring stellar guitar playing that you can watch, and some of those videos became what makes up his most recent and amazing EP “Left To My Own Devices”.You can get info on all of Duke's activities as well as his tour dates with Bonnie Raitt over at dukelevine.com - Enjoy my conversation with Duke Levine!This season is brought to you by our sponsors Larivée Guitars and Fishman AmplificationYou can join our Patreon here to get all episodes ad-free, as well as access to all early episodesThe show's website can be found at www.makersandshakerspodcast.com Get ad-free episodes and access to all early episodes by subscribing to Patreon. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Stevie Van Zant Disciple documentary needs over two hours to tell the story of one of rock's most accomplished careers. Guest appearances by Paul McCartney, Jackson Browne, Peter Wolf, and of course Bruce himself take this doc over the top. It's one not to miss. This episode also includes book and doc news about projects featuring The Grateful Dead, Robert Hunter, Jerry Garcia, Prince, John Lennon, Chuck Berry and The Doors to name a few. Support the Show.email Big Rick at:info@rocktalkstudio.com

TOMMY EMMANUEL is arguably one of the best and most influential guitarists in the world. From Australia, across America and around the globe, Tommy is packing major concert halls to the rafters with his amazing and brilliant guitar skills. LARRY CAMBPELL & TERESA WILLIAMS are a husband and wife music powerhouse. Larry Campbell is perhaps best known for his time as part of Bob Dylan's band. Teresa Williams is an accomplished musician who has worked with artists such as Julie Miller, Levon Helm, Peter Wolf, and Hot Tuna. ISAAC BEVERS is our WoodSongs Kid who recently won the National Thumbpickers Award!

Jason Scheff has cemented his place in music history as the iconic lead vocalist for the legendary band Chicago, which was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Since joining the multi-platinum band in 1985, Jason has infused his electrifying vocals into some of Chicago's biggest hits, including his rendition of "25 or 6 to 4" and the beloved classic, "Will You Still Love Me." His dynamic performances have spanned four decades, captivating audiences worldwide. Whether he's touring, composing his own music, or collaborating with artists like Peter Wolf and Ina Wolf, Steve Ferrone, Tim Pierce, and many more, Jason, with over decades of musical experience, has amassed a wealth of studio secrets and tips, all of which he generously shares. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You know his work with Steely Dan, the incredible guitar solo on Fame, along with session work with The Doobie Brothers, Carly Simon, The Blues Brothers, Carl Wilson, Peter Wolf, Peter Frampton, and many others. However, there's so much more to Elliott Randall's career, from his early gigs in Greenwich Village, to joining Seatrain, forming his band Randall's Island, to jingle writing, and so much more. On this episode of Inside MusiCast, we'll explore the diverse musical path of guitarist Elliott Randall, who joins us from his home in the UK.

Jason Scheff has cemented his place in music history as the iconic lead vocalist for the legendary band Chicago, which was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Since joining the multi-platinum band in 1985, Jason has infused his electrifying vocals into some of Chicago's biggest hits, including his rendition of "25 or 6 to 4" and the beloved classic, "Will You Still Love Me." His dynamic performances have spanned four decades, captivating audiences worldwide. Whether he's touring, composing his own music, or collaborating with artists like Peter Wolf and Ina Wolf, Steve Ferrone, Tim Pierce, and many more, Jason, with over decades of musical experience, has amassed a wealth of studio secrets and tips, all of which he generously shares. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jason Scheff has cemented his place in music history as the iconic lead vocalist for the legendary band Chicago, which was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Since joining the multi-platinum band in 1985, Jason has infused his electrifying vocals into some of Chicago's biggest hits, including his rendition of "25 or 6 to 4" and the beloved classic, "Will You Still Love Me." His dynamic performances have spanned four decades, captivating audiences worldwide. Whether he's touring, composing his own music, or collaborating with artists like Peter Wolf and Ina Wolf, Steve Ferrone, Tim Pierce, and many more, Jason, with over decades of musical experience, has amassed a wealth of studio secrets and tips, all of which he generously shares. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jimmie Bones is most widely known as the longtime keyboardist, backing vocalist for Kid Rock and the Twisted Brown Trucker Band as well as being a solo artist, singer/songwriter.  In this episode we discuss his early musical beginnings, opening for The Rolling Stones, having Kid Rock as a boss, his solo career and more! 0:00:00 - Intro0:00:13 - David Duchovny & Billy Bob Thornton 0:01:15 - Star Quality & Doing Interviews 0:04:05 - Jimmie's Path to Joining Kid Rock 0:08:45 - Beatles on Ed Sullivan Inspires 0:12:35 - Piano, Singing, Solo Career & Emotion in Music 0:15:57 - Touring with Peter Wolf of J Giles Band0:18:37 - Opening for The Rolling Stones 0:20:05 - Beatles & Bob Seger 0:22:00 - Playing Football Games 0:23:40 - Kid Rock, It Factor & Initial Thoughts 0:28:00 - Devil Without a Cause & Early Years 0:31:05 - Kid Rock Getting Signed & Jimmie Joining 0:34:20 - Rest of the Kid Rock Band0:37:30 - Drummers Who Sing 0:38:40 - Jimmie's Solo Band 0:42:05 - Great Songs & Outside Songwriters 0:46:20 - Writing & Recording with Sheryl Crow 0:48:45 - Kid Rock as a Boss & His Political Views 0:51:25 - Kid Rock White House 0:53:02 - Nashville Music Scene 0:56:00 - Touring with Metallica  0:58:15 - Touring with Jason Aldean 0:59:50 - Super Bowl Halftime Show1:01:10 - Touring & Traveling 1:03:50 - Promotions 1:08:10 - Outro Jimmie Bones website:https://www.jimmiebones.com/Chuck Shute Linktree:https://linktr.ee/chuck_shuteSupport the Show.Thanks for Listening & Shute for the Moon!

On this week's show, we meet inventors and pioneers who have changed the way we eat. We begin with the Bayou State's spiciest new business, Louisiana Pepper Exchange. Founder and CEO Chris White shares the story of the amazing engineering feat he accomplished and how it led to the launch of his company. Then, we learn about plant breeder Dr. Calvin Lamborn, known as the Father of the Sugar Snap Pea. We speak with his son, Rod Lamborn, who is working hard to preserve his late father's legacy. Finally, we hear the fascinating story of Leon Godchaux, Louisiana's own titan of the sugar industry in the 19th century. His rags-to-riches tale comes to life in Peter Wolf's book, The Sugar King: Leon Godchaux, A New Orleans Legend, His Creole Slave and His Jewish Roots. Peter, who is Godchaux's great-great-grandson, tells us how this poor, illiterate Jewish immigrant built a business empire with his innovative spirit. For more of all things Louisiana Eats, be sure to visit us at PoppyTooker.com.

On this week's show, we meet inventors and pioneers who have changed the way we eat. We begin with the Bayou State's spiciest new business, Louisiana Pepper Exchange. Founder and CEO Chris White shares the story of the amazing engineering feat he accomplished and how it led to the launch of his company. Then, we learn about plant breeder Dr. Calvin Lamborn, known as the Father of the Sugar Snap Pea. We speak with his son, Rod Lamborn, who is working hard to preserve his late father's legacy. Finally, we hear the fascinating story of Leon Godchaux, Louisiana's own titan of the sugar industry in the 19th century. His rags-to-riches tale comes to life in Peter Wolf's book, The Sugar King: Leon Godchaux, A New Orleans Legend, His Creole Slave and His Jewish Roots. Peter, who is Godchaux's great-great-grandson, tells us how this poor, illiterate Jewish immigrant built a business empire with his innovative spirit. For more of all things Louisiana Eats, be sure to visit us at PoppyTooker.com.

National Cereal day. Entertainment from 2006. Bloody Sunday in Alabama, Bikini Atoll evacuated, Constantine decrees everyone take Sundays off. Todays birthdays - Willard Scott, Peter Wolf, John Heard, Bryan Cranston, Taylor Dayne, Wanda Sykes, Rachel Weisz, Jenna Fischer, Laura Prepon. Stanley Kubrick died.Intro - Pour some sugar on me - Def Leppard http://defleppard.com/Cereal song - Paul the TrambonistCheck on it - BeyonceYour man - Josh TurnerBirthdays - In da club - 50 Cent http://50cent.com/ 1st Ronald McDonald commercialLove stinks - J. Geils BandMalcolm in the middle TV themeTell it to my heart - Taylor DayneThat 90's show TV themeExit - Its not love - Dokken http://dokken.net/

How about a law that prohibits rainbow flags from being removed, Super Tuesday primary talk, Candi from Dead On Arms, its Cereal Day, The Win of The Week, Not Hot Dogs, kudos to the Spectrum guy, H-bday to Peter Wolf, and "Nikki Cheney" to finish...See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Yes, you are right - Toto IV was released in March of 1982, not April of 1985.  However, the rock group Toto was a celebrity phenomenon in 1985, particularly in Japan.  In April of 1985 MTV broadcast a special episode showcasing a Toto concert from Japan.Toto IV was both a commercial and critical success.  Three of the singles would be top 10 hits, and the album would achieve triple Platinum status as it became known as one of the best albums of the year.  Critically, the group would earn six Grammy awards including Album of the Year, and Record of the Year for the single “Rosanna.”The group would spend much of 1982 and 1983 on tour, though there would be some changes in personnel.  Bassist David Hungate left the group shortly after the release of Toto IV, sensing that the success of the album and the fame of the group would negatively impact time with his family.  Lead singer Bobby Kimball was in and out of court fighting prosecution on drug-related charges.  Those charges would eventually be dismissed in late May 1983, but he would be released from the band after missing many recording sessions.The album is a soft-rock masterpiece, with balanced synth and keyboard sounds and soaring harmonies.  Songs have a jazzy feel, interspersed with piano-based ballads.Lynch has been lobbying for a long time to do this album, and we hope you enjoy it for this week's podcast. RosannaThe biggest hit from the album was often thought to be inspired by actress Rosanna Arquette who was dating keyboardist Steve Porcaro.  However, writer David Paich says the lyrics were based on various girls he had known in the past rather than a single individual.  The shuffle drum pattern is reminiscent of both Bo Diddley rhythms and John Bonham's groove on "Fool in the Rain."Make BelieveThis sunny-feeling single hit number 30 on the Billboard Hot 100.  It describes a time of looking back with an old lover, remembering the moments they shared.  It was the second US single from the album.  David Paich wrote the song, and Bobby Kimball is on lead vocals.I Won't Hold You BackThe piano-oriented ballad peaked at number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100, and held the number 1 spot on the US Adult Contemporary chart for three weeks.  It looks back on a failed romance as the singer lets go of what he had.  Guitarist Steve Lukather takes lead vocals duties for this track, and Eagles alumnus Timothy B. Schmidt provides backing vocals in the chorus. AfricaWhile this song did well as a single, it has grown into a cultural icon.  It did top the Billboard Hot 100 in 1983, but would see a resurgence in popularity over time, particularly after Weezer's cover in 2018.  The lyrics depict a man struggling between his love for the continent and returning to his relationship elsewhere.  ENTERTAINMENT TRACK:Main theme from the motion picture “Ladyhawke”This fantasy movie starring Rutger Hauer, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Matthew Broderick hit the big screen in April of 1985. STAFF PICKS:Walking on Sunshine by Katrina and the WavesWayne starts us off with a popular and optimistic song that got the band Grammy-nominated for Best New Artist.  It is off their debut and eponymously named album.  It was first released in Canada, though the band was out of England.  It went to number 9 on the Billboard Hot 100.Summer of '69 by Bryan AdamsBruce brings us this well-known song from Adams' album "Reckless," which was released in April of 1985.  The original name was going to be "Best Days of My Life," and in the first draft the lyric "summer of '69" only appeared once.  With the name change, "Summer of '69" replaced several appearances of the phrase "best days of my life," in the track.High On You by SurvivorRob's staff pick is an ode to the intoxication and infatuation of new love.  It is the first top 10 single from their album "Vital Signs," and arose from a jam during touring sound checks.  Mickey Thomas from Jefferson Starship and Peter Wolf from the J. Geils Band are supporting musicians on this track.Silent Running by Mike + the MechanicsLynch finishes the staff picks with a synth-heavy song with science fiction lyrics.  The singer is a father who has journeyed into the future and is now communicating back to his son with instructions for mitigating the coming war and catastrophe.  This is the first single released by Mike + the Mechanics, and it went to number 6 on the Billboard Hot 100. INSTRUMENTAL TRACK:Moments In Love by Art of NoiseThis largely instrumental piece is a signature song from the art rock group. Thanks for listening to “What the Riff?!?” NOTE: To adjust the loudness of the music or voices, you may adjust the balance on your device. VOICES are stronger in the LEFT channel, and MUSIC is stronger on the RIGHT channel.Please follow us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/whattheriffpodcast/, and message or email us with what you'd like to hear, what you think of the show, and any rock worthy memes we can share.Of course we'd love for you to rate the show in your podcast platform!**NOTE: What the Riff?!? does not own the rights to any of these songs and we neither sell, nor profit from them. We share them so you can learn about them and purchase them for your own collections.

Romas waits forever for "pretty damn quick" from PDQ .Ducharme talks about the rock concert he attended the night before. https:/patreon.com/2als1podhttps://www.instagram.com/thetalkingdickscomedypodcast/https://twitter.com/DicksTwohttps://www.facebook.com/thetwodickshttps://www.facebook.com/The-Talking-Dicks-Comedy-Podcast-107101331446404Support the show

Episode 178 - Peter Wolf and Copiloting the CRM Journey

Let's get folking special! We're closing out 2023 with an exclusive live recording from folk mothership Club Passim, the historic folk venue located in Cambridge, MA, celebrating the bi-annual festival campfire. and its remarkable 25th anniversary. It started as a way for the club to book a slow holiday weekend and now 25 years later, campfire. is still held every Memorial Day and Labor Day weekend and remains an extremely popular fundraiser for Passim. Cindy and lizzie host this live show featuring captivating performances by lizzie, Zachariah Hickman, Kara McKee, and Mercedes Escobar. Additionally, listeners are treated to a rare on-stage interview with Managing Director and campfire. founder Matt Smith and Club Manager and campfire. programmer Abby Altman, providing unique insights into the festival's evolution and the passion that fuels its success.The episode highlights the unpredictability of campfire., where both emerging artists and legends like Peter Wolf share the sacred stage. Matt Smith and Abby Altman's dedication shines through as they discuss their exhaustive efforts in planning, booking, and executing nearly 60 campfires, showcasing the heart and soul behind this beloved festival. Follow Basic Folk on social media: https://basicfolk.bio.link/ Sign up for Basic Folk's newsletter: https://bit.ly/basicfolknews Help produce Basic Folk by contributing: https://basicfolk.com/donate/ Donate to Club Passim: https://www.passim.org/Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Episode 170 of A History of Rock Music in Five Hundred Songs looks at "Astral Weeks", the early solo career of Van Morrison, and the death of Bert Berns.  Click the full post to read liner notes, links to more information, and a transcript of the episode. Patreon backers also have a forty-minute bonus episode available, on "Stoned Soul Picnic" by Laura Nyro. Tilt Araiza has assisted invaluably by doing a first-pass edit, and will hopefully be doing so from now on. Check out Tilt's irregular podcasts at http://www.podnose.com/jaffa-cakes-for-proust and http://sitcomclub.com/ Errata At one point I, ridiculously, misspeak the name of Charles Mingus' classic album. Black Saint and the Sinner Lady is not about dinner ladies. Also, I say Warren Smith Jr is on "Slim Slow Slider" when I meant to say Richard Davis (Smith is credited in some sources, but I only hear acoustic guitar, bass, and soprano sax on the finished track). Resources As usual, I've created Mixcloud playlists, with full versions of all the songs excerpted in this episode. As there are so many Van Morrison songs in this episode, the Mixcloud is split into three parts, one, two, and three. The information about Bert Berns comes from Here Comes the Night: The Dark Soul of Bert Berns and the Dirty Business of Rhythm and Blues by Joel Selvin. I've used several biographies of Van Morrison. Van Morrison: Into the Music by Ritchie Yorke is so sycophantic towards Morrison that the word “hagiography” would be, if anything, an understatement. Van Morrison: No Surrender by Johnny Rogan, on the other hand, is the kind of book that talks in the introduction about how the author has had to avoid discussing certain topics because of legal threats from the subject. Howard deWitt's Van Morrison: Astral Weeks to Stardom is over-thorough in the way some self-published books are, while Clinton Heylin's Can You Feel the Silence? is probably the best single volume on the artist. Information on Woodstock comes from Small Town Talk by Barney Hoskyns. Ryan Walsh's Astral Weeks: A Secret History of 1968 is about more than Astral Weeks, but does cover Morrison's period in and around Boston in more detail than anything else. The album Astral Weeks is worth hearing in its entirety. Not all of the music on The Authorized Bang Collection is as listenable, but it's the most complete collection available of everything Morrison recorded for Bang. Patreon This podcast is brought to you by the generosity of my backers on Patreon. Why not join them? Transcript Before we start, a quick warning -- this episode contains discussion of organised crime activity, and of sudden death. It also contains excerpts of songs which hint at attraction to underage girls and discuss terminal illness. If those subjects might upset you, you might want to read the transcript rather than listen to the episode. Anyway, on with the show. Van Morrison could have been the co-writer of "Piece of My Heart". Bert Berns was one of the great collaborators in the music business, and almost every hit he ever had was co-written, and he was always on the lookout for new collaborators, and in 1967 he was once again working with Van Morrison, who he'd worked with a couple of years earlier when Morrison was still the lead singer of Them. Towards the beginning of 1967 he had come up with a chorus, but no verse. He had the hook, "Take another little piece of my heart" -- Berns was writing a lot of songs with "heart" in the title at the time -- and wanted Morrison to come up with a verse to go with it. Van Morrison declined. He wasn't interested in writing pop songs, or in collaborating with other writers, and so Berns turned to one of his regular collaborators, Jerry Ragavoy, and it was Ragavoy who added the verses to one of the biggest successes of Berns' career: [Excerpt: Erma Franklin, "Piece of My Heart"] The story of how Van Morrison came to make the album that's often considered his masterpiece is intimately tied up with the story we've been telling in the background for several episodes now, the story of Atlantic Records' sale to Warners, and the story of Bert Berns' departure from Atlantic. For that reason, some parts of the story I'm about to tell will be familiar to those of you who've been paying close attention to the earlier episodes, but as always I'm going to take you from there to somewhere we've never been before. In 1962, Bert Berns was a moderately successful songwriter, who had written or co-written songs for many artists, especially for artists on Atlantic Records. He'd written songs for Atlantic artists like LaVern Baker, and when Atlantic's top pop producers Leiber and Stoller started to distance themselves from the label in the early sixties, he had moved into production as well, writing and producing Solomon Burke's big hit "Cry to Me": [Excerpt: Solomon Burke, "Cry to Me"] He was the producer and writer or co-writer of most of Burke's hits from that point forward, but at first he was still a freelance producer, and also produced records for Scepter Records, like the Isley Brothers' version of "Twist and Shout", another song he'd co-written, that one with Phil Medley. And as a jobbing songwriter, of course his songs were picked up by other producers, so Leiber and Stoller produced a version of his song "Tell Him" for the Exciters on United Artists: [Excerpt: The Exciters, "Tell Him"] Berns did freelance work for Leiber and Stoller as well as the other people he was working for. For example, when their former protege Phil Spector released his hit version of "Zip-a-Dee-Do-Dah", they got Berns to come up with a knockoff arrangement of "How Much is that Doggie in the Window?", released as by Baby Jane and the Rockabyes, with a production credit "Produced by Leiber and Stoller, directed by Bert Berns": [Excerpt: Baby Jane and the Rockabyes, "How Much is that Doggie in the Window?"] And when Leiber and Stoller stopped producing work for United Artists, Berns took over some of the artists they'd been producing for the label, like Marv Johnson, as well as producing his own new artists, like Garnet Mimms and the Enchanters, who had been discovered by Berns' friend Jerry Ragovoy, with whom he co-wrote their "Cry Baby": [Excerpt: Garnet Mimms and the Enchanters, "Cry Baby"] Berns was an inveterate collaborator. He was one of the few people to get co-writing credits with Leiber and Stoller, and he would collaborate seemingly with everyone who spoke to him for five minutes. He would also routinely reuse material, cutting the same songs time and again with different artists, knowing that a song must be a hit for *someone*. One of his closest collaborators was Jerry Wexler, who also became one of his best friends, even though one of their earliest interactions had been when Wexler had supervised Phil Spector's production of Berns' "Twist and Shout" for the Top Notes, a record that Berns had thought had butchered the song. Berns was, in his deepest bones, a record man. Listening to the records that Berns made, there's a strong continuity in everything he does. There's a love there of simplicity -- almost none of his records have more than three chords. He loved Latin sounds and rhythms -- a love he shared with other people working in Brill Building R&B at the time, like Leiber and Stoller and Spector -- and great voices in emotional distress. There's a reason that the records he produced for Solomon Burke were the first R&B records to be labelled "soul". Berns was one of those people for whom feel and commercial success are inextricable. He was an artist -- the records he made were powerfully expressive -- but he was an artist for whom the biggest validation was *getting a hit*. Only a small proportion of the records he made became hits, but enough did that in the early sixties he was a name that could be spoken of in the same breath as Leiber and Stoller, Spector, and Bacharach and David. And Atlantic needed a record man. The only people producing hits for the label at this point were Leiber and Stoller, and they were in the process of stopping doing freelance work and setting up their own label, Red Bird, as we talked about in the episode on the Shangri-Las. And anyway, they wanted more money than they were getting, and Jerry Wexler was never very keen on producers wanting money that could have gone to the record label. Wexler decided to sign Bert Berns up as a staff producer for Atlantic towards the end of 1963, and by May 1964 it was paying off. Atlantic hadn't been having hits, and now Berns had four tracks he wrote and produced for Atlantic on the Hot One Hundred, of which the highest charting was "My Girl Sloopy" by the Vibrations: [Excerpt: The Vibrations, "My Girl Sloopy"] Even higher on the charts though was the Beatles' version of "Twist and Shout". That record, indeed, had been successful enough in the UK that Berns had already made exploratory trips to the UK and produced records for Dick Rowe at Decca, a partnership we heard about in the episode on "Here Comes the Night". Berns had made partnerships there which would have vast repercussions for the music industry in both countries, and one of them was with the arranger Mike Leander, who was the uncredited arranger for the Drifters session for "Under the Boardwalk", a song written by Artie Resnick and Kenny Young and produced by Berns, recorded the day after the group's lead singer Rudy Lewis died of an overdose: [Excerpt: The Drifters, "Under the Boardwalk"] Berns was making hits on a regular basis by mid-1964, and the income from the label's new success allowed Jerry Wexler and the Ertegun brothers to buy out their other partners -- Ahmet Ertegun's old dentist, who had put up some of the initial money, and Miriam Bienstock, the ex-wife of their initial partner Herb Abramson, who'd got Abramson's share in the company after the divorce, and who was now married to Freddie Bienstock of Hill and Range publishing. Wexler and the Erteguns now owned the whole label. Berns also made regular trips to the UK to keep up his work with British musicians, and in one of those trips, as we heard in the episode on "Here Comes the Night", he produced several tracks for the group Them, including that track, written by Berns: [Excerpt: Them, "Here Comes the Night"] And a song written by the group's lead singer Van Morrison, "Gloria": [Excerpt: Them, "Gloria"] But Berns hadn't done much other work with them, because he had a new project. Part of the reason that Wexler and the Erteguns had gained total control of Atlantic was because, in a move pushed primarily by Wexler, they were looking at selling it. They'd already tried to merge with Leiber and Stoller's Red Bird Records, but lost the opportunity after a disastrous meeting, but they were in negotiations with several other labels, negotiations which would take another couple of years to bear fruit. But they weren't planning on getting out of the record business altogether. Whatever deal they made, they'd remain with Atlantic, but they were also planning on starting another label. Bert Berns had seen how successful Leiber and Stoller were with Red Bird, and wanted something similar. Wexler and the Erteguns didn't want to lose their one hit-maker, so they came up with an offer that would benefit all of them. Berns' publishing contract had just ended, so they would set up a new publishing company, WEB IV, named after the initials Wexler, Ertegun, and Berns, and the fact that there were four of them. Berns would own fifty percent of that, and the other three would own the other half. And they were going to start up a new label, with seventeen thousand dollars of the Atlantic partners' money. That label would be called Bang -- for Bert, Ahmet, Neshui, and Gerald -- and would be a separate company from Atlantic, so not affected by any sale. Berns would continue as a staff producer for Atlantic for now, but he'd have "his own" label, which he'd have a proper share in, and whether he was making hits for Atlantic or Bang, his partners would have a share of the profits. The first two records on Bang were "Shake and Jerk" by Billy Lamont, a track that they licensed from elsewhere and which didn't do much, and a more interesting track co-written by Berns. Bob Feldman, Richard Gottehrer, and Jerry Goldstein were Brill Building songwriters who had become known for writing "My Boyfriend's Back", a hit for the Angels, a couple of years earlier: [Excerpt: The Angels, "My Boyfriend's Back"] With the British invasion, the three of them had decided to create their own foreign beat group. As they couldn't do British accents, they pretended to be Australian, and as the Strangeloves -- named after the Stanley Kubrick film Dr  Strangelove -- they released one flop single. They cut another single, a version of "Bo Diddley", but the label they released their initial record through didn't want it. They then took the record to Atlantic, where Jerry Wexler said that they weren't interested in releasing some white men singing "Bo Diddley". But Ahmet Ertegun suggested they bring the track to Bert Berns to see what he thought. Berns pointed out that if they changed the lyrics and melody, but kept the same backing track, they could claim the copyright in the resulting song themselves. He worked with them on a new lyric, inspired by the novel Candy, a satirical pornographic novel co-written by Terry Southern, who had also co-written the screenplay to Dr Strangelove. Berns supervised some guitar overdubs, and the result went to number eleven: [Excerpt: The Strangeloves, "I Want Candy"] Berns had two other songs on the hot one hundred when that charted, too -- Them's version of "Here Comes the Night", and the version of Van McCoy's song "Baby I'm Yours" he'd produced for Barbara Lewis. Three records on the charts on three different labels. But despite the sheer number of charting records he'd had, he'd never had a number one, until the Strangeloves went on tour. Before the tour they'd cut a version of "My Girl Sloopy" for their album -- Berns always liked to reuse material -- and they started performing the song on the tour. The Dave Clark Five, who they were supporting, told them it sounded like a hit and they were going to do their own version when they got home. Feldman, Gottehrer, and Goldstein decided *they* might as well have the hit with it as anyone else. Rather than put it out as a Strangeloves record -- their own record was still rising up the charts, and there's no reason to be your own competition -- they decided to get a group of teenage musicians who supported them on the last date of the tour to sing new vocals to the backing track from the Strangeloves album. The group had been called Rick and the Raiders, but they argued so much that the Strangeloves nicknamed them the Hatfields and the McCoys, and when their version of "My Girl Sloopy", retitled "Hang on Sloopy", came out, it was under the band name The McCoys: [Excerpt: The McCoys, "Hang on Sloopy"] Berns was becoming a major success, and with major success in the New York music industry in the 1960s came Mafia involvement. We've talked a fair bit about Morris Levy's connection with the mob in many previous episodes, but mob influence was utterly pervasive throughout the New York part of the industry, and so for example Richard Gottehrer of the Strangeloves used to call Sonny Franzese of the Colombo crime family "Uncle John", they were so close. Franzese was big in the record business too, even after his conviction for bank robbery. Berns, unlike many of the other people in the industry, had no scruples at all about hanging out with Mafiosi. indeed his best friend in the mid sixties was Tommy Eboli, a member of the Genovese crime family who had been in the mob since the twenties, starting out working for "Lucky" Luciano. Berns was not himself a violent man, as far as anyone can tell, but he liked the glamour of hanging out with organised crime figures, and they liked hanging out with someone who was making so many hit records. And so while Leiber and Stoller, for example, ended up selling Red Bird Records to George Goldner for a single dollar in order to get away from the Mafiosi who were slowly muscling in on the label, Berns had no problems at all in keeping his own label going. Indeed, he would soon be doing so without the involvement of Atlantic Records. Berns' final work for Atlantic was in June 1966, when he cut a song he had co-written with Jeff Barry for the Drifters, inspired by the woman who would soon become Atlantic's biggest star: [Excerpt: The Drifters, "Aretha"] The way Berns told the story in public, there was no real bad blood between him, Wexler, and the Erteguns -- he'd just decided to go his own way, and he said “I will always be grateful to them for the help they've given me in getting Bang started,” The way Berns' wife would later tell the story, Jerry Wexler had suggested that rather than Berns owning fifty percent of Web IV, they should start to split everything four ways, and she had been horrified by this suggestion, kicked up a stink about it, and Wexler had then said that either Berns needed to buy the other three out, or quit and give them everything, and demanded Berns pay them three hundred thousand dollars. According to other people, Berns decided he wanted one hundred percent control of Web IV, and raised a breach of contract lawsuit against Atlantic, over the usual royalty non-payments that were endemic in the industry at that point. When Atlantic decided to fight the lawsuit rather than settle, Berns' mob friends got involved and threatened to break the legs of Wexler's fourteen-year-old daughter, and the mob ended up with full control of Bang records, while Berns had full control of his publishing company. Given later events, and in particular given the way Wexler talked about Berns until the day he died, with a vitriol that he never used about any of the other people he had business disputes with, it seems likely to me that the latter story is closer to the truth than the former. But most people involved weren't talking about the details of what went on, and so Berns still retained his relationships with many of the people in the business, not least of them Jeff Barry, so when Barry and Ellie Greenwich had a new potential star, it was Berns they thought to bring him to, even though the artist was white and Berns had recently given an interview saying that he wanted to work with more Black artists, because white artists simply didn't have soul. Barry and Greenwich's marriage was breaking up at the time, but they were still working together professionally, as we discussed in the episode on "River Deep, Mountain High", and they had been the main production team at Red Bird. But with Red Bird in terminal decline, they turned elsewhere when they found a potential major star after Greenwich was asked to sing backing vocals on one of his songwriting demos. They'd signed the new songwriter, Neil Diamond, to Leiber and Stoller's company Trio Music at first, but they soon started up their own company, Tallyrand Music, and signed Diamond to that, giving Diamond fifty percent of the company and keeping twenty-five percent each for themselves, and placed one of his songs with Jay and the Americans in 1965: [Excerpt: Jay and the Americans, "Sunday and Me"] That record made the top twenty, and had established Diamond as a songwriter, but he was still not a major performer -- he'd released one flop single on Columbia Records before meeting Barry and Greenwich. But they thought he had something, and Bert Berns agreed. Diamond was signed to Bang records, and Berns had a series of pre-production meetings with Barry and Greenwich before they took Diamond into the studio -- Barry and Greenwich were going to produce Diamond for Bang, as they had previously produced tracks for Red Bird, but they were going to shape the records according to Berns' aesthetic. The first single released from Diamond's first session, "Solitary Man", only made number fifty-five, but it was the first thing Diamond had recorded to make the Hot One Hundred at all: [Excerpt: Neil Diamond, "Solitary Man"] The second single, though, was much more Bert Berns' sort of thing -- a three-chord song that sounded like it could have been written by Berns himself, especially after Barry and Greenwich had added the Latin-style horns that Berns loved so much. Indeed according to some sources, Berns did make a songwriting suggestion -- Diamond's song had apparently been called "Money Money", and Berns had thought that was a ridiculous title, and suggested calling it "Cherry Cherry" instead: [Excerpt: Neil Diamond, "Cherry Cherry"] That became Diamond's first top ten hit. While Greenwich had been the one who had discovered Diamond, and Barry and Greenwich were the credited producers on all Diamond's records  as a result, Diamond soon found himself collaborating far more with Barry than with Greenwich, so for example the first number one he wrote, for the Monkees rather than himself, ended up having its production just credited to Barry. That record used a backing track recorded in New York by the same set of musicians used on most Bang records, like Al Gorgoni on lead guitar and Russ Savakus on bass: [Excerpt: The Monkees, "I'm a Believer"] Neil Diamond was becoming a solid hit-maker, but he started rubbing up badly against Berns. Berns wanted hits and only hits, and Diamond thought of himself as a serious artist. The crisis came when two songs were under contention for Diamond's next single in late 1967, after he'd had a whole run of hits for the label. The song Diamond wanted to release, "Shilo", was deeply personal to him: [Excerpt: Neil Diamond, "Shilo"] But Bert Berns had other ideas. "Shilo" didn't sound like a hit, and he knew a hit when he heard one. No, the clear next single, the only choice, was "Kentucky Woman": [Excerpt: Neil Diamond, "Kentucky Woman"] But Berns tried to compromise as best he could. Diamond's contract was up for renewal, and you don't want to lose someone who has had, as Diamond had at that point, five top twenty hits in a row, and who was also writing songs like "I'm a Believer" and "Red Red Wine". He told Diamond that he'd let "Shilo" come out as a single if Diamond signed an extension to his contract. Diamond said that not only was he not going to do that, he'd taken legal advice and discovered that there were problems with his contract which let him record for other labels -- the word "exclusive" had been missed out of the text, among other things. He wasn't going to be recording for Bang at all any more. The lawsuits over this would stretch out for a decade, and Diamond would eventually win, but the first few months were very, very difficult for Diamond. When he played the Bitter End, a club in New York, stink bombs were thrown into the audience. The Bitter End's manager was assaulted and severely beaten. Diamond moved his wife and child out of Manhattan, borrowed a gun, and after his last business meeting with Berns was heard talking about how he needed to contact the District Attorney and hire a bodyguard. Of the many threats that were issued against Diamond, though, the least disturbing was probably the threat Berns made to Diamond's career. Berns pointed out to Diamond in no uncertain terms that he didn't need Diamond anyway -- he already had someone he could replace Diamond with, another white male solo singer with a guitar who could churn out guaranteed hits. He had Van Morrison: [Excerpt: Van Morrison, "Brown-Eyed Girl"] When we left Van Morrison, Them had just split up due to the problems they had been having with their management team. Indeed, the problems Morrison was having with his managers seem curiously similar to the issues that Diamond was having with Bert Berns -- something that could possibly have been a warning sign to everyone involved, if any of them had known the full details of everyone else's situation. Sadly for all of them, none of them did. Them had had some early singles success, notably with the tracks Berns had produced for them, but Morrison's opinion of their second album, Them Again, was less than complimentary, and in general that album is mostly only remembered for the version of Bob Dylan's "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue", which is one of those cover versions that inspires subsequent covers more than the original ever did: [Excerpt: Them, "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue"] Them had toured the US around the time of the release of that album, but that tour had been a disaster. The group had gained a reputation for incredible live shows, including performances at the Whisky A-Go-Go with the Doors and Captain Beefheart as their support acts, but during the tour Van Morrison had decided that Phil Solomon, the group's manager, was getting too much money -- Morrison had agreed to do the tour on a salary, rather than a percentage, but the tour had been more successful than he'd expected, and Solomon was making a great deal of money off the tour, money that Morrison believed rightfully belonged to him. The group started collecting the money directly from promoters, and got into legal trouble with Solomon as a result. The tour ended with the group having ten thousand dollars that Solomon believed -- quite possibly correctly -- that he was owed. Various gangsters whose acquaintance the group had made offered to have the problem taken care of, but they decided instead to come to a legal agreement -- they would keep the money, and in return Solomon, whose production company the group were signed to, would get to keep all future royalties from the Them tracks. This probably seemed a good idea at the time, when the idea of records earning royalties for sixty or more years into the future seemed ridiculous, but Morrison in particular came to regret the decision bitterly. The group played one final gig when they got back to Belfast, but then split up, though a version of the group led by the bass player Alan Henderson continued performing for a few years to no success. Morrison put together a band that played a handful of gigs under the name Them Again, with little success, but he already had his eyes set on a return to the US. In Morrison's eyes, Bert Berns had been the only person in the music industry who had really understood him, and the two worked well together. He had also fallen in love with an American woman, Janet Planet, and wanted to find some way to be with her. As Morrison said later “I had a couple of other offers but I thought this was the best one, seeing as I wanted to come to America anyway. I can't remember the exact details of the deal. It wasn't really that spectacular, money-wise, I don't think. But it was pretty hard to refuse from the point of view that I really respected Bert as a producer. I'd rather have worked with Bert than some other guy with a bigger record company. From that angle, it was spectacular because Bert was somebody that I wanted to work with.” There's little evidence that Morrison did have other offers -- he was already getting a reputation as someone who it was difficult to work with -- but he and Berns had a mutual respect, and on January the ninth, 1967, he signed a contract with Bang records. That contract has come in for a lot of criticism over the years, but it was actually, *by the standards in operation in the music business in 1967*, a reasonably fair one. The contract provided that, for a $2,500 a year advance, Bang would record twelve sides in the first year, with an option for up to fifty more that year, and options for up to four more years on the same terms. Bang had the full ownership of the masters and the right to do what they wanted with them. According to at least one biographer, Morrison added clauses requiring Bang to actually record the twelve sides a year, and to put out at least three singles and one album per year while the contract was in operation. He also added one other clause which seems telling -- "Company agrees that Company will not make any reference to the name THEM on phonograph records, or in advertising copy in connection with the recording of Artist." Morrison was, at first, extremely happy with Berns. The problems started with their first session: [Excerpt: Van Morrison, "Brown-Eyed Girl (takes 1-6)"] When Morrison had played the songs he was working on for Berns, Berns had remarked that they sounded great with just Morrison and his guitar, so Morrison was surprised when he got into the studio to find the whole standard New York session crew there -- the same group of session players who were playing for everyone from the Monkees to Laura Nyro, from Neil Diamond to the Shangri-Las -- along with the Sweet Inspirations to provide backing vocals. As he described it later "This fellow Bert, he made it the way he wanted to, and I accepted that he was producing it... I'd write a song and bring it into the group and we'd sit there and bash it around and that's all it was -- they weren't playing the songs, they were just playing whatever it was. They'd say 'OK, we got drums so let's put drums on it,' and they weren't thinking about the song, all they were thinking about was putting drums on it... But it was my song, and I had to watch it go down." The first song they cut was "Brown-Eyed Girl", a song which Morrison has said was originally a calypso, and was originally titled "Brown-skinned Girl", though he's differed in interviews as to whether Berns changed the lyric or if he just decided to sing it differently without thinking about it in the session. Berns turned "Brown-Eyed Girl" into a hit single, because that was what he tended to do with songs, and the result sounds a lot like the kind of record that Bang were releasing for Neil Diamond: [Excerpt: Van Morrison, "Brown-Eyed Girl"] Morrison has, in later years, expressed his distaste for what was done to the song, and in particular he's said that the backing vocal part by the Sweet Inspirations was added by Berns and he disliked it: [Excerpt: Van Morrison, "Brown-Eyed Girl"] Morrison has been very dismissive of "Brown-Eyed Girl" over the years, but he seems not to have disliked it at the time, and the song itself is one that has stood the test of time, and is often pointed to by other songwriters as a great example of the writer's craft. I remember reading one interview with Randy Newman -- sadly, while I thought it was in Paul Zollo's "Songwriters on Songwriting" I just checked that and it's not, so I can't quote it precisely -- in which he says that he often points to the line "behind the stadium with you" as a perfect piece of writing, because it's such a strangely specific detail that it convinces you that it actually happened, and that means you implicitly believe the rest of the song. Though it should be made very clear here that Morrison has always said, over and over again, that nothing in his songs is based directly on his own experiences, and that they're all products of his imagination and composites of people he's known. This is very important to note before we go any further, because "Brown-Eyed Girl" is one of many songs from this period in Morrison's career which imply that their narrator has an attraction to underage girls -- in this case he remembers "making love in the green grass" in the distant past, while he also says "saw you just the other day, my how you have grown", and that particular combination is not perhaps one that should be dwelt on too closely. But there is of course a very big difference between a songwriter treating a subject as something that is worth thinking about in the course of a song and writing about their own lives, and that can be seen on one of the other songs that Morrison recorded in these sessions, "T.B. Sheets": [Excerpt: Van Morrison, "T.B. Sheets"] It seems very unlikely indeed that Van Morrison actually had a lover die of tuberculosis, as the lover in the song does, and while a lot of people seem convinced that it's autobiographical, simply because of the intensity of the performance (Morrison apparently broke down in tears after recording it), nobody has ever found anyone in Morrison's life who fits the story in the song, and he's always ridiculed such suggestions. What is true though is that "T.B. Sheets" is evidence against another claim that Morrison has made in the past - that on these initial sessions the eight songs recorded were meant to be the A and B sides of four singles and there was no plan of making an album. It is simply not plausible at all to suggest that "T.B. Sheets" -- a slow blues about terminal illness, that lasts nearly ten minutes -- was ever intended as a single. It wouldn't have even come close to fitting on one side of a forty-five. It was also presumably at this time that Berns brought up the topic of "Piece of My Heart". When Berns signed Erma Franklin, it was as a way of getting at Jerry Wexler, who had gone from being his closest friend to someone he wasn't on speaking terms with, by signing the sister of his new signing Aretha. Morrison, of course, didn't co-write it -- he'd already decided that he didn't play well with others -- but it's tempting to think about how the song might have been different had Morrison written it. The song in some ways seems a message to Wexler -- haven't you had enough from me already? -- but it's also notable how many songs Berns was writing with the word "heart" in the chorus, given that Berns knew he was on borrowed time from his own heart condition. As an example, around the same time he and Jerry Ragavoy co-wrote "Piece of My Heart", they also co-wrote another song, "Heart Be Still", a flagrant lift from "Peace Be Still" by Aretha Franklin's old mentor Rev. James Cleveland, which they cut with Lorraine Ellison: [Excerpt: Lorraine Ellison, "Heart Be Still"] Berns' heart condition had got much worse as a result of the stress from splitting with Atlantic, and he had started talking about maybe getting open-heart surgery, though that was still very new and experimental. One wonders how he must have felt listening to Morrison singing about watching someone slowly dying. Morrison has since had nothing but negative things to say about the sessions in March 1967, but at the time he seemed happy. He returned to Belfast almost straight away after the sessions, on the understanding that he'd be back in the US if "Brown-Eyed Girl" was a success. He wrote to Janet Planet in San Francisco telling her to listen to the radio -- she'd know if she heard "Brown-Eyed Girl" that he would be back on his way to see her. She soon did hear the song, and he was soon back in the US: [Excerpt: Van Morrison, "Brown-Eyed Girl"] By August, "Brown-Eyed Girl" had become a substantial hit, making the top ten, and Morrison was back in the States. He was starting to get less happy with Berns though. Bang had put out the eight tracks he'd recorded in March as an album, titled Blowin' Your Mind, and Morrison thought that the crass pseudo-psychedelia of the title, liner notes, and cover was very inappropriate -- Morrison has never been a heavy user of any drugs other than alcohol, and didn't particularly want to be associated with them. He also seems to have not realised that every track he recorded in those initial sessions would be on the album, which many people have called one of the great one-sided albums of all time -- side A, with "Brown-Eyed Girl", "He Ain't Give You None" and the extended "T.B. Sheets" tends to get far more love than side B, with five much lesser songs on it. Berns held a party for Morrison on a cruise around Manhattan, but it didn't go well -- when the performer Tiny Tim tried to get on board, Carmine "Wassel" DeNoia, a mobster friend of Berns' who was Berns' partner in a studio they'd managed to get from Atlantic as part of the settlement when Berns left, was so offended by Tim's long hair and effeminate voice and mannerisms that he threw him overboard into the harbour. DeNoia was meant to be Morrison's manager in the US, working with Berns, but he and Morrison didn't get on at all -- at one point DeNoia smashed Morrison's acoustic guitar over his head, and only later regretted the damage he'd done to a nice guitar. And Morrison and Berns weren't getting on either. Morrison went back into the studio to record four more songs for a follow-up to "Brown-Eyed Girl", but there was again a misunderstanding. Morrison thought he'd been promised that this time he could do his songs the way he wanted, but Berns was just frustrated that he wasn't coming up with another "Brown-Eyed Girl", but was instead coming up with slow songs about trans women. Berns overdubbed party noises and soul backing vocals onto "Madame George", possibly in an attempt to copy the Beach Boys' Party! album with its similar feel, but it was never going to be a "Barbara Ann": [Excerpt: Van Morrison, "Madame George (Bang version)"] In the end, Berns released one of the filler tracks from Blowin' Your Mind, "Ro Ro Rosey", as the next single, and it flopped. On December the twenty-ninth, Berns had a meeting with Neil Diamond, the meeting after which Diamond decided he needed to get a bodyguard. After that, he had a screaming row over the phone with Van Morrison, which made Berns ill with stress. The next day, he died of a heart attack. Berns' widow Ilene, who had only just given birth to a baby a couple of weeks earlier, would always blame Morrison for pushing her husband over the edge. Neither Van Morrison nor Jerry Wexler went to the funeral, but Neil Diamond did -- he went to try to persuade Ilene to let him out of his contract now Berns was dead. According to Janet Planet later, "We were at the hotel when we learned that Bert had died. We were just mortified, because things had been going really badly, and Van felt really bad, because I guess they'd parted having had some big fight or something... Even though he did love Bert, it was a strange relationship that lived and died in the studio... I remember we didn't go to the funeral, which probably was a mistake... I think [Van] had a really bad feeling about what was going to happen." But Morrison has later mostly talked about the more practical concerns that came up, which were largely the same as the ones Neil Diamond had, saying in 1997 "I'd signed a contract with Bert Berns for management, production, agency and record company,  publishing, the whole lot -- which was professional suicide as any lawyer will tell you now... Then the whole thing blew up. Bert Berns died and I was left broke." This was the same mistake, essentially, that he'd made with Phil Solomon, and in order to get out of it, it turned out he was going to have to do much the same for a third time.  But it was the experience with Berns specifically that traumatised Morrison enough that twenty-five years later he would still be writing songs about it, like "Big Time Operators": [Excerpt: Van Morrison, "Big Time Operators"] The option to renew Morrison's contracts with Berns' companies came on the ninth of January 1968, less than two weeks after Berns' death. After his death, Berns' share of ownership in his companies had passed to his widow, who was in a quandary. She had two young children, one of whom was only a few weeks old, and she needed an income after their father had died. She was also not well disposed at all towards Morrison, who she blamed for causing her husband's death. By all accounts the amazing thing is that Berns lived as long as he did given his heart condition and the state of medical science at the time, but it's easy to understand her thinking. She wanted nothing to do with Morrison, and wanted to punish him. On the other hand, her late husband's silent partners didn't want to let their cash cow go. And so Morrison came under a huge amount of pressure in very different directions. From one side, Carmine DiNoia was determined to make more money off Morrison, and Morrison has since talked about signing further contracts at this point with a gun literally to his head, and his hotel room being shot up. But on the other side, Ilene Berns wanted to destroy Morrison's career altogether. She found out that Bert Berns hadn't got Morrison the proper work permits and reported him to the immigration authorities. Morrison came very close to being deported, but in the end he managed to escape deportation by marrying Janet Planet. The newly-married couple moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts, to get away from New York and the mobsters, and to try to figure out the next steps in Morrison's career. Morrison started putting together a band, which he called The Van Morrison Controversy, and working on new songs. One of his earliest connections in Massachusetts was the lead singer of a band called the Hallucinations, who he met in a bar where he was trying to get a gig: [Excerpt: The Hallucinations, "Messin' With the Kid"] The Hallucinations' lead singer was called Peter Wolf, and would much later go on to become well-known as the singer with the J. Geils Band. He and Morrison became acquaintances, and later became closer friends when they realised they had another connection -- Wolf had a late-night radio show under the name Woofa Goofa, and he'd been receiving anonymous requests for obscure blues records from a fan of the show. Morrison had been the one sending in the requests, not realising his acquaintance was the DJ. Before he got his own band together, Morrison actually guested with the Hallucinations at one show they did in May 1968, supporting John Lee Hooker. The Hallucinations had been performing "Gloria" since Them's single had come out, and they invited Morrison to join them to perform it on stage. According to Wolf, Morrison was very drunk and ranted in cod-Japanese for thirty-five minutes, and tried to sing a different song while the band played "Gloria". The audience were apparently unimpressed, even though Wolf shouted at them “Don't you know who this man is? He wrote the song!” But in truth, Morrison was sick of "Gloria" and his earlier work, and was trying to push his music in a new direction. He would later talk about having had an epiphany after hearing one particular track on the radio: [Excerpt: The Band, "I Shall Be Released"] Like almost every musician in 1968, Morrison was hit like a lightning bolt by Music From Big Pink, and he decided that he needed to turn his music in the same direction. He started writing the song "Brand New Day", which would later appear on his album Moondance, inspired by the music on the album. The Van Morrison Controversy started out as a fairly straightforward rock band, with guitarist John Sheldon, bass player Tom Kielbania, and drummer Joey Bebo. Sheldon was a novice, though his first guitar teacher was the singer James Taylor, but the other two were students at Berklee, and very serious musicians. Morrison seems to have had various managers involved in rapid succession in 1968, including one who was himself a mobster, and another who was only known as Frank, but one of these managers advanced enough money that the musicians got paid every gig. These musicians were all interested in kinds of music other than just straight rock music, and as well as rehearsing up Morrison's hits and his new songs, they would also jam with him on songs from all sorts of other genres, particularly jazz and blues. The band worked up the song that would become "Domino" based on Sheldon jamming on a Bo Diddley riff, and another time the group were rehearsing a Grant Green jazz piece, "Lazy Afternoon": [Excerpt: Grant Green, "Lazy Afternoon"] Morrison started messing with the melody, and that became his classic song "Moondance": [Excerpt: Van Morrison, "Moondance"] No recordings of this electric lineup of the group are known to exist, though the backing musicians remember going to a recording studio called Ace recordings at one point and cutting some demos, which don't seem to circulate. Ace was a small studio which, according to all the published sources I've read, was best known for creating song poems, though it was a minor studio even in the song-poem world. For those who don't know, song poems were essentially a con aimed at wannabe songwriters who knew nothing about the business -- companies would advertise you too could become a successful, rich, songwriter if you sent in your "song poems", because anyone who knew the term "lyric" could be presumed to know too much about the music business to be useful. When people sent in their lyrics, they'd then be charged a fee to have them put out on their very own record -- with tracks made more or less on a conveyor belt with quick head arrangements, sung by session singers who were just handed a lyric sheet and told to get on with it. And thus were created such classics prized by collectors as "I Like Yellow Things", "Jimmy Carter Says 'Yes'", and "Listen Mister Hat". Obviously, for the most part these song poems did not lead to the customers becoming the next Ira Gershwin, but oddly even though Ace recordings is not one of the better-known song poem studios, it seems to have produced an actual hit song poem -- one that I don't think has ever before been identified as such until I made a connection, hence me going on this little tangent. Because in researching this episode I noticed something about its co-owner, Milton Yakus', main claim to fame. He co-wrote the song "Old Cape Cod", and to quote that song's Wikipedia page "The nucleus of the song was a poem written by Boston-area housewife Claire Rothrock, for whom Cape Cod was a favorite vacation spot. "Old Cape Cod" and its derivatives would be Rothrock's sole evident songwriting credit. She brought her poem to Ace Studios, a Boston recording studio owned by Milton Yakus, who adapted the poem into the song's lyrics." And while Yakus had written other songs, including songs for Patti Page who had the hit with "Old Cape Cod", apparently Page recorded that song after Rothrock brought her the demo after a gig, rather than getting it through any formal channels. It sounds to me like the massive hit and classic of the American songbook "Old Cape Cod" started life as a song-poem -- and if you're familiar with the form, it fits the genre perfectly: [Excerpt: Patti Page, "Old Cape Cod"] The studio was not the classiest of places, even if you discount the song-poems. Its main source of income was from cutting private records with mobsters' wives and mistresses singing (and dealing with the problems that came along when those records weren't successful) and it also had a sideline in bugging people's cars to see if their spouses were cheating, though Milton Yakus' son Shelly, who got his start at his dad's studio, later became one of the most respected recording engineers in the industry -- and indeed had already worked as assistant engineer on Music From Big Pink. And there was actually another distant connection to Morrison's new favourite band on these sessions. For some reason -- reports differ -- Bebo wasn't considered suitable for the session, and in his place was the one-handed drummer Victor "Moulty" Moulton, who had played with the Barbarians, who'd had a minor hit with "Are You a Boy or Are You a Girl?" a couple of years earlier: [Excerpt: The Barbarians, "Are You a Boy or Are You a Girl?"] A later Barbarians single, in early 1966, had featured Moulty telling his life story, punctuated by the kind of three-chord chorus that would have been at home on a Bert Berns single: [Excerpt: The Barbarians, "Moulty"] But while that record was credited to the Barbarians, Moulton was the only Barbarian on the track, with the instruments and backing vocals instead being provided by Levon and the Hawks. Shortly after the Ace sessions, the Van Morrison Controversy fell apart, though nobody seems to know why. Depending on which musician's story you listen to, either Morrison had a dream that he should get rid of all electric instruments and only use acoustic players, or there was talk of a record deal but the musicians weren't good enough, or the money from the mysterious manager (who may or may not have been the one who was a mobster) ran out. Bebo went back to university, and Sheldon left soon after, though Sheldon would remain in the music business in one form or another. His most prominent credit has been writing a couple of songs for his old friend James Taylor, including the song "Bittersweet" on Taylor's platinum-selling best-of, on which Sheldon also played guitar: [Excerpt: James Taylor, "Bittersweet"] Morrison and Kielbania continued for a while as a duo, with Morrison on acoustic guitar and Kielbania on double bass, but they were making very different music. Morrison's biggest influence at this point, other than The Band, was King Pleasure, a jazz singer who sang in the vocalese style we've talked about before -- the style where singers would sing lyrics to melodies that had previously been improvised by jazz musicians: [Excerpt: King Pleasure, "Moody's Mood for Love"] Morrison and Kielbania soon decided that to make the more improvisatory music they were interested in playing, they wanted another musician who could play solos. They ended up with John Payne, a jazz flute and saxophone player whose biggest inspiration was Charles Lloyd. This new lineup of the Van Morrison Controversy -- acoustic guitar, double bass, and jazz flute -- kept gigging around Boston, though the sound they were creating was hardly what the audiences coming to see the man who'd had that "Brown-Eyed Girl" hit the year before would have expected -- even when they did "Brown-Eyed Girl", as the one live recording of that line-up, made by Peter Wolf, shows: [Excerpt: The Van Morrison Controversy, "Brown-Eyed Girl (live in Boston 1968)"] That new style, with melodic bass underpinning freely extemporising jazz flute and soulful vocals, would become the basis of the album that to this day is usually considered Morrison's best. But before that could happen, there was the matter of the contracts to be sorted out. Warner-Reprise Records were definitely interested. Warners had spent the last few years buying up smaller companies like Atlantic, Autumn Records, and Reprise, and the label was building a reputation as the major label that would give artists the space and funding they needed to make the music they wanted to make. Idiosyncratic artists with difficult reputations (deserved or otherwise), like Neil Young, Randy Newman, Van Dyke Parks, the Grateful Dead, and Joni Mitchell, had all found homes on the label, which was soon also to start distributing Frank Zappa, the Beach Boys, and Captain Beefheart. A surly artist who wants to make mystical acoustic songs with jazz flute accompaniment was nothing unusual for them, and once Joe Smith, the man who had signed the Grateful Dead, was pointed in Morrison's direction by Andy Wickham, an A&R man working for the label, everyone knew that Morrison would be a perfect fit. But Morrison was still under contract to Bang records and Web IV, and those contracts said, among other things, that any other label that negotiated with Morrison would be held liable for breach of contract. Warners didn't want to show their interest in Morrison, because a major label wanting to sign him would cause Bang to raise the price of buying him out of his contract. Instead they got an independent production company to sign him, with a nod-and-wink understanding that they would then license the records to Warners. The company they chose was Inherit Productions, the production arm of Schwaid-Merenstein, a management company set up by Bob Schwaid, who had previously worked in Warners' publishing department, and record producer Lewis Merenstein. Merenstein came to another demo session at Ace Recordings, where he fell in love with the new music that Morrison was playing, and determined he would do everything in his power to make the record into the masterpiece it deserved to be. He and Morrison were, at least at this point, on exactly the same page, and bonded over their mutual love of King Pleasure. Morrison signed to Schwaid-Merenstein, just as he had with Bert Berns and before him Phil Solomon, for management, record production, and publishing. Schwaid-Merenstein were funded by Warners, and would license any recordings they made to Warners, once the contractual situation had been sorted out. The first thing to do was to negotiate the release from Web IV, the publishing company owned by Ilene Berns. Schwaid negotiated that, and Morrison got released on four conditions -- he had to make a substantial payment to Web IV, if he released a single within a year he had to give Web IV the publishing, any album he released in the next year had to contain at least two songs published by Web IV, and he had to give Web IV at least thirty-six new songs to publish within the next year. The first two conditions were no problem at all -- Warners had the money to buy the contract out, and Merenstein's plans for the first album didn't involve a single anyway. It wouldn't be too much of a hardship to include a couple of Web IV-published tracks on the album -- Morrison had written two songs, "Beside You" and "Madame George", that had already been published and that he was regularly including in his live sets. As for the thirty-six new songs... well, that all depended on what you called a song, didn't it? [Excerpt: Van Morrison, "Ring Worm"] Morrison went into a recording studio and recorded thirty-one ostensible songs, most of them lasting one minute to within a few seconds either way, in which he strummed one or two chords and spoke-sang whatever words came into his head -- for example one song, "Here Comes Dumb George", just consists of the words "Here Comes Dumb George" repeated over and over. Some of the 'songs', like "Twist and Shake" and "Hang on Groovy", are parodying Bert Berns' songwriting style; others, like "Waiting for My Royalty Check", "Blowin' Your Nose", and "Nose in Your Blow", are attacks on Bang's business practices. Several of the songs, like "Hold on George", "Here Comes Dumb George", "Dum Dum George", and "Goodbye George" are about a man called George who seems to have come to Boston to try and fail to make a record with Morrison. And “Want a Danish” is about wanting a Danish pastry. But in truth, this description is still making these "songs" sound more coherent than they are. The whole recording is of no musical merit whatsoever, and has absolutely nothing in it which could be considered to have any commercial potential at all. Which is of course the point -- just to show utter contempt to Ilene Berns and her company. The other problem that needed to be solved was Bang Records itself, which was now largely under the control of the mob. That was solved by Joe Smith. As Smith told the story "A friend of mine who knew some people said I could buy the contract for $20,000. I had to meet somebody in a warehouse on the third floor on Ninth Avenue in New York. I walked up there with twenty thousand-dollar bills -- and I was terrified. I was terrified I was going to give them the money, get a belt on the head and still not wind up with the contract. And there were two guys in the room. They looked out of central casting -- a big wide guy and  a tall, thin guy. They were wearing suits and hats and stuff. I said 'I'm here with the money. You got the contract?' I remember I took that contract and ran out the door and jumped from the third floor to the second floor, and almost broke my leg to get on the street, where I could get a cab and put the contract in a safe place back at Warner Brothers." But the problem was solved, and Lewis Merenstein could get to work translating the music he'd heard Morrison playing into a record. He decided that Kielbania and Payne were not suitable for the kind of recording he wanted -- though they were welcome to attend the sessions in case the musicians had any questions about the songs, and thus they would get session pay. Kielbania was, at first, upset by this, but he soon changed his mind when he realised who Merenstein was bringing in to replace him on bass for the session. Richard Davis, the bass player -- who sadly died two months ago as I write this -- would later go on to play on many classic rock records by people like Bruce Springsteen and Laura Nyro, largely as a result of his work for Morrison, but at the time he was known as one of the great jazz bass players, most notably having played on Eric Dolphy's Out to Lunch: [Excerpt: Eric Dolphy, "Hat and Beard"] Kielbania could see the wisdom of getting in one of the truly great players for the album, and he was happy to show Davis the parts he'd been playing on the songs live, which Davis could then embellish -- Davis later always denied this, but it's obvious when listening to the live recordings that Kielbania played on before these sessions that Davis is playing very similar lines. Warren Smith Jr, the vibraphone player, had played with great jazz musicians like Charles Mingus and Herbie Mann, as well as backing Lloyd Price, Aretha Franklin, and Janis Joplin. Connie Kay, the drummer, was the drummer for the Modern Jazz Quartet and had also played sessions with everyone from Ruth Brown to Miles Davis. And Jay Berliner, the guitarist, had played on records like Charles Mingus' classic The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady: [Excerpt: Charles Mingus: "Mode D - Trio and Group Dancers, Mode F - Single Solos & Group Dance"] There was also a flute player whose name nobody now remembers. Although all of these musicians were jobbing session musicians -- Berliner came to the first session for the album that became Astral Weeks straight from a session recording a jingle for Pringles potato chips -- they were all very capable of taking a simple song and using it as an opportunity for jazz improvisation. And that was what Merenstein asked them to do. The songs that Morrison was writing were lyrically oblique, but structurally they were very simple -- surprisingly so when one is used to listening to the finished album. Most of the songs were, harmonically, variants of the standard blues and R&B changes that Morrison was used to playing. "Cyprus Avenue" and "The Way Young Lovers Do", for example, are both basically twelve-bar blueses -- neither is *exactly* a standard twelve-bar blues, but both are close enough that they can be considered to fit the form. Other than what Kielbania and Payne showed the musicians, they received no guidance from Morrison, who came in, ran through the songs once for them, and then headed to the vocal booth. None of the musicians had much memory of Morrison at all -- Jay Berliner said “This little guy walks in, past everybody, disappears into the vocal booth, and almost never comes out, even on the playbacks, he stayed in there." While Richard Davis later said “Well, I was with three of my favorite fellas to play with, so that's what made it beautiful. We were not concerned with Van at all, he never spoke to us.” The sound of the basic tracks on Astral Weeks is not the sound of a single auteur, as one might expect given its reputation, it's the sound of extremely good jazz musicians improvising based on the instructions given by Lewis Merenstein, who was trying to capture the feeling he'd got from listening to Morrison's live performances and demos. And because these were extremely good musicians, the album was recorded extremely quickly. In the first session, they cut four songs. Two of those were songs that Morrison was contractually obliged to record because of his agreement with Web IV -- "Beside You" and "Madame George", two songs that Bert Berns had produced, now in radically different versions: [Excerpt: Van Morrison, "Madame George"] The third song, "Cyprus Avenue", is the song that has caused most controversy over the years, as it's another of the songs that Morrison wrote around this time that relate to a sexual or romantic interest in underage girls. In this case, the reasoning might have been as simple as that the song is a blues, and Morrison may have been thinking about a tradition of lyrics like this in blues songs like "Good Morning, Little Schoolgirl". Whatever the cause though, the lyrics have, to put it mildly, not aged well at all: [Excerpt: Van Morrison, "Cyprus Avenue"] That song would be his standard set-closer for live performances for much of the seventies. For the fourth and final song, though, they chose to record what would become the title track for the album, "Astral Weeks", a song that was a lot more elliptical, and which seems in part to be about Morrison's longing for Janet Planet from afar, but also about memories of childhood, and also one of the first songs to bring in Morrison's fascination with the occult and spirituality,  something that would be a recurring theme throughout his work, as the song was partly inspired by paintings by a friend of Morrison's which suggested to him the concept of astral travel: [Excerpt: Van Morrison, "Astral Weeks"] Morrison had a fascination with the idea of astral travel, as he had apparently had several out-of-body experiences as a child, and wanted to find some kind of explanation for them. Most of the songs on the album came, by Morrison's own account, as a kind of automatic writing, coming through him rather than being consciously written, and there's a fascination throughout with, to use the phrase from "Madame George", "childhood visions". The song is also one of the first songs in Morrison's repertoire to deliberately namecheck one of his idols, something else he would do often in future, when he talks about "talking to Huddie Leadbelly". "Astral Weeks" was a song that Morrison had been performing live for some time, and Payne had always enjoyed doing it. Unlike Kielbania he had no compunction about insisting that he was good enough to play on the record, and he eventually persuaded the session flute player to let him borrow his instrument, and Payne was allowed to play on the track: [Excerpt: Van Morrison, "Astral Weeks"] Or at least that's how the story is usually told -- Payne is usually credited for playing on "Madame George" too, even though everyone agrees that "Astral Weeks" was the last song of the night, but people's memories can fade over time. Either way, Payne's interplay with Jay Berliner on the guitar became such a strong point of the track that there was no question of bringing the unknown session player back -- Payne was going to be the woodwind player for the rest of the album: [Excerpt: Van Morrison, "Astral Weeks"] There was then a six-day break between sessions, during which time Payne and Kielbania went to get initiated into Scientology -- a religion with which Morrison himself would experiment a little over a decade later -- though they soon decided that it wasn't worth the cost of the courses they'd have to take, and gave up on the idea the same week. The next session didn't go so well. Jay Berliner was unavailable, and so Barry Kornfeld, a folkie who played with people like Dave Van Ronk, was brought in to replace him. Kornfeld was perfectly decent in the role, but they'd also brought in a string section, with the idea of recording some of the songs which needed string parts live. But the string players they brought in were incapable of improvising, coming from a classical rather than jazz tradition, and the only track that got used on the finished album was "The Way Young Lovers Do", by far the most conventional song on the album, a three-minute soul ballad structured as a waltz twelve-bar blues, where the strings are essentially playing the same parts that a horn section would play on a record by someone like Solomon Burke: [Excerpt: Van Morrison, "The Way Young Lovers Do"] It was decided that any string or horn parts on the rest of the album would just be done as overdubs. It was two weeks before the next and final session for the album, and that featured the return of Jay Berliner on guitar. The session started with "Sweet Thing" and "Ballerina", two songs that Morrison had been playing live for some time, and which were cut in relatively quick order.  They then made attempts at two more songs that didn't get very far, "Royalty", and "Going Around With Jesse James", before Morrison, stuck for something to record, pulled out a new lyric he'd never performed live, "Slim Slow Slider". The whole band ran through the song once, but then Merenstein decided to pare the arrangement down to just Morrison, Payne (on soprano sax rather than on flute), and Warren Smith Jr: [Excerpt: Van Morrison, "Slim Slow Slider"] That track was the only one where, after the recording, Merenstein didn't compliment the performance, remaining silent instead – Payne said “Maybe everyone was just tired, or maybe they were moved by it.” It seems likely it was the latter. The track eventually got chosen as the final track of the album, because Merenstein felt that it didn't fit conceptually with anything else -- and it's definitely a more negative track than the oth

THE ARWEN LEWIS SHOW - Today Arwen welcomes legendary music Producer and Engineer Ed Stasium! Ed has recorded and produced such diverse artists as Ramones, Talking Heads, Julian Cope, Peter Wolf, Nona Hendryx, Mick Jagger, Jeff Healey, Joan Jett, Marshall Crenshaw, Living Colour, Soul Asylum, The Smithereens, Motorhead, Baby Animals, Biohazard, The Reverend Horton Heat, Shirley Caesar, Simon Phillips, Misfits, Blackfire, Joey Ramone, The Chesterfield Kings, Sihasin, Hoodoo Gurus, The Empty Hearts and The Long Ryders. Ed recorded and mixed his first gold single, Gladys Knight & the Pips' “Midnight Train to Georgia” and had a top ten hit with Bazuka's at Venture Sound. Check out Ed Stasium at https://edstasium.com The Arwen Lewis Show Host | Arwen Lewis Executive Producer | Jeremiah D. Higgins Producer - Sound Engineer - Richard “Dr. D” Dugan https://arwenlewismusic.com/ The Arwen Lewis Show is Brought to you by John DeNicola and Omad Records https://www.omadrecords.com/ On Instagram, Follow Arwen Lewis Here: @thearwenlewisshow @arwenlewis www.thejeremiahshow.com On Instagram @jeremiahdhiggins https://linktr.ee/jeremiahdhiggins

Thanks for the shout-out Ed! You are amazing! Ed has recorded and produced such diverse artists as Ramones, Talking Heads, Julian Cope, Peter Wolf, Nona Hendryx, Mick Jagger, Jeff Healey, Joan Jett, Marshall Crenshaw, Living Colour, Soul Asylum, The Smithereens, Motorhead, Baby Animals, Biohazard, The Reverend Horton Heat, Shirley Caesar, Simon Phillips, Misfits, Blackfire, Joey Ramone, The Chesterfield Kings, Sihasin, Hoodoo Gurus, The Empty Hearts and The Long Ryders. Ed recorded and mixed his first gold single, Gladys Knight & the Pips' “Midnight Train to Georgia” and had a top ten hit with Bazuka's at Venture Sound. Check out Ed Stasium at edstasium.com The Arwen Lewis Show Host | Arwen Lewis Executive Producer | Jeremiah D. Higgins Producer - Sound Engineer - Richard “Dr. D” Dugan arwenlewismusic.com/ The Arwen Lewis Show is Brought to you by John DeNicola and Omad Records www.omadrecords.com/ On Instagram, Follow Arwen Lewis Here: @thearwenlewisshow @arwenlewis www.thejeremiahshow.com On Instagram @jeremiahdhiggins linktr.ee/jeremiahdhiggins

ABOUT DESMOND CHILD AND LIVIN' ON A PRAYER: BIG SONGS, BiG LIFEDesmond Child is the iconic Grammy® Award winning and Emmy nominated songwriter / producer who has contributed to some of the biggest global hits that helped ignite the success of music icons KISS, Bon Jovi, Aerosmith, Alice Cooper, Ricky Martin, Katy Perry, and countless others. Desmond is gearing up for the release of his first-ever memoir, “LIVIN' ON A PRAYER: BIG SONGS BIG LIFE” (out Sept. 19) – his personal story of anguish and struggle that reveals how he climbed his way to the top and beyond amid extraordinary circumstances. Sharing his very intimate and unbelievable journey that shaped him into an artist of international renown, the book features a foreword by Paul Stanley, in collaboration with legendary music biographer David Ritz.Having co-written over 80 Top 40 hits and selling over 500 million records worldwide, Desmond's contributions to the music industry have earned him induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, the Latin Songwriters Hall of Fame, and multiple prestigious awards. For over half a century, Desmond has collaborated with the world's most celebrated artists creating timeless classics, such as Bon Jovi's "Livin' On A Prayer" and "You Give Love A Bad Name," as well as Ricky Martin's "Livin' La Vida Loca" and "The Cup Of Life," amongst his vast catalog. But in "LIVIN' ON A PRAYER: BIG SONGS BIG LIFE," Desmond himself takes center stage to share his transformational story of a misfit outsider to cultural pacesetter.In the upcoming title, Desmond recounts his unconventional upbringing as his colorful family fled revolutionary Cuba for Florida in the 1960s and fell into poverty. He details his shocking discovery at age 18 that the man he called "dad" was not his biological father after all, and he courageously bares his soul about navigating the trials of being a Latino gay man in the macho world of Rock 'n' Roll. His is a story of willing himself to succeed and overcoming impossible odds to establish himself as one of the most influential composers and lyricists of all time.In an interview, Desmond can discuss the following:The triumphs, challenges, and lessons he's learned throughout his career * Inspiring others to embrace their own creative pursuits, overcome obstacles, and live their dreams to the fullestRevealing untold stories about the making of the hit songs that have become the soundtrack of our lives.Recounting the magic and inspiration behind each composition, while shedding light on what it's like to collaborate with music legends.Lessons from a maestro with invaluable resources for aspiring artists and industry professionals alike to understand songwriting, production, and the music industryDESMOND CHILD BIOGrammy-winning and Emmy-nominated songwriter Desmond Child is one of music's most prolific and accomplished hitmakers. He's a film, television, theater and music producer, recording artist, performer, and author. His credits appear on more than eighty Billboard Top 40 singles spanning six decades, including "Livin' On A Prayer," "You Give Love A Bad Name," "I Was Made For Lovin' You," "Dude Looks Like A Lady," "How Can We Be Lovers If We Can't Be Friends," "I Hate Myself For Loving You," "Livin' La Vida Loca," "The Cup Of Life," "Waking Up In Vegas," "Kings & Queens" and many more.From Aerosmith to Zedd, his genre-defying collaborations also include KISS, Bon Jovi, Cher, Barbra Streisand, Ricky Martin, Alice Cooper, Joan Jett, Michael Bolton, Katy Perry, Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, Garth Brooks, Cyndi Lauper, Christina Aguilera, Ava Max, Mickey Mouse and Kermit the Frog, selling over 500 million records worldwide with downloads, YouTube views and streaming plays in the billions.Desmond Child was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2008 and serves on its Board of Directors as well as the Board of ASCAP. In 2018 he received ASCAP's prestigious Founders Award celebrating 40 years as a proud member of ASCAP. In 2012 he also co-founded the Latin Songwriters Hall Of Fame where he serves as Chairman Emeritus. In 2022, he was inducted into the Latin Songwriters Hall Of Fame and "Livin' La Vida Loca" was inducted into the National Archives of the Library of Congress for its cultural significance to America. In 2023, "Livin' On A Prayer" was certified to have reached 1 billion streams on Spotify.Personal HistoryBA in Music Education from New York University 1976AA of Art from Miami Dade Community College 1974Graduated Miami Beach High School 1972Born John Charles Barrett October 28th, 1953Artist HistoryThe single, "Love on a Rooftop" charts Top 40 1990Released, "Discipline" through Elektra Records 19901st Top 40 hit, "Our Love Is Insane" Spring of 1979Musical guest on Saturday Night Live (original cast) Xmas show of 1979First U.S. Tour including legendary performances at The Bottom Line in NYC and The Whisky a Go Go in LA 1979Released first self-titled album, "Desmond Child & Rouge" 1979First signed to Capitol Records with group Desmond Child & Rouge 1978Billboard #1 Hits4th Billboard #1 "Livin' La Vida Loca" 19993rd Billboard #1 "Bad Medicine" Bon Jovi 19882nd Billboard #1 "Livin' On A Prayer" Bon Jovi 19871st Billboard #1 "You Give Love A Bad Name" Bon Jovi 19861st International #1 "I Was Made For Lovin' You" KISS 1979Honors & AwardsASCAP Founders Award 2018Songwriters Hall of Fame Inductee 2008Miami Beach High Wall of Fame (alongside Barbara Walters, Mickey Rourke, Andy Garcia)TAXI Lifetime Achievement Award 2004Emmy Award nomination for "Everyone Matters" The Muppets 2003Latin Grammy Award - Rock Album of the Year Alejandra Guzman 2001NARAS Florida Chapter Heroes Award 2000Grammy Nomination - Best Pop Album, Ricky Martin 2000Grammy Nomination - Record of the Year, "Livin' La Vida Loca" 2000Grammy Nomination - Song of the Year, "Livin' La Vida Loca" 2000Honored with Key Of The City of Miami Beach 1999El Premio Award - Song Of The Year "Livin' La Vida Loca" 1999Official World Cup Song - "La Copa De La Vida", "The Cup Of Life" 1998El Premio Award - Song Of The Year, "La Copa De La Vida", "The Cup Of Life" 1998Songs Recorded By:Aerosmith, Christina Aguilera, Clay Aiken, Animotion, Baha Men, Jimmy Barnes, Robin Beck, Beggars & Thieves, Stephanie Bentley, Petra Berger, Bif Naked, Blackhawk, Michael Bolton, Bon Jovi, Bonfire, Boyzone, Flavio Cesar, Bill Champlin, Chayanne, Judy Cheeks, Cher, Chicago, Kelly Clarkson, Clarence Clemons, Alice Cooper, Carlos Cuevos, Paul Dean, Diana DeGarmo, Desmond Child & Rouge, Dudes of Wrath, Dream Theater, Hilary Duff, Evil Stig, FM, Ellen Foley, Ace Frehley, The Gufs, Haddaway, Hall & Oates, Hanson, Chesney Hawkes, Ty Herndon, INXS, Joan Jett, Cletus T. Judd, KISS, Patti La Belle, Nikki Leonti, La Ley, Dan Lucas, Cyndi Lauper, Mitch Malloy, Amanda Marshall, Ricky Martin, Jesse McCartney, Stephanie McIntosh, Meat Loaf, Megadeth, Mika, Millie, Billie Myers, Alannah Myles, Vince Neil, Ru Paul, Chynna Phillips, Phoenix Down, Iggy Pop, Jason Raize, The Rasmus, RATT, LeAnn Rimes, Kane Roberts, Rosco, Roxette, Jennifer Rush, Richie Sambora, Saraya, Scorpions, Shakira, Sia, Sisqo, Southgang, Billy Squier, Paul Stanley, Barbra Streisand, Swirl 360, 3rd Faze, Bonnie Tyler, Kris Tyler, Carrie Underwood, Steve Vai, Maria Vidal, Anna Vissi, John Waite, Tim Weisberg, Robbie Williams, Peter Wolf and Trisha YearwoodLivin' On A Prayer: Big Songs Big Life available on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Livin-Prayer-Big-Songs-Life-ebook/dp/B0BZT9MK68?ref_=ast_author_mpb

Fathers Day around the corner! Manscaped https://www.manscaped.com/ promo code "opie" for 20% off and free shipping Trump indicted!  I want Trump out of my life NOT for political reasons.  Also, Dawgie hurting got to take hi to the vet, Biden READ THIS, caught a celebrity without his wig, PGA selling out to the Saudis, Messi coming to America, clip of Jonah Hill on Opie and Anthony,  Jim Norton getting his junk signed, An acoustic song from Aaron Lewis from Stand, Anthony wears wigs and much more! Live-streaming most mornings on: www.facebook.com/opieradiofans www.youtube.com/opieradio Instagram - OpieRadio  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week is another epic two-parter with a legendary producer. This time we get to hear from legendary producer Ed Stasium! American punk rock may not have been what it was without the help of Ed Stasium. He's humble and says he's just a "knob turner", but there is magic in those hands. First of all he helped bring up the Ramones and in part one of this conversation we also discuss the Hoodoo Gurus, Peter Wolf, Living Colour, Marshall Crenshawm and Jeff Healey as well as many others. Ed's full of stories, so sit back and soak it in!  www.edstasium.com www.patreon.com/thehustlepod

In an era brimming with instant gratification, some things are worth the wait. This is an apt takeaway from our chat with photographer Charles Daniels about his long-outdated film from the legendary Boston Tea Party and other 60s-era music venues, rarely processed until recently. Joining Daniels in conversation is his long-time partner Susan Berstler, and Gerald Freyer from Film Rescue International, the unique image processing and digitization specialists entrusted with his mother lode of 4,000 plus rolls. Listen in as Daniels tells of his rise from club denizen to emcee to cultural ambassador, introducing 60s-era British invasion rockers to America, with a Leica, two Nikons and a mic in hand. Berstler describes how the unprocessed rolls stockpiled in their home became a COVID project, which then went viral after the launch of a Go-Fund-Me campaign. After a break, Freyer explains how Film Rescue International's unique processing and scanning technologies can breathe new life into lost and found film, saving untold stories from oblivion. Freyer also recounts his epic drive from Saskatchewan to Somerville (and back!) to safely collect the film for processing, without risking x-rays or other shipping hazards. As Daniels notes during the show, “For years, I never really developed any film, but I was shooting all the time. It was just there, and then at some point I realized that I needed to bring some of this older stuff to light.” With a nod to Daniels's 80th birthday on November 30th, the pictures may have been a long time coming—but what a fabulous gift to photographers and music aficionados alike! Guests: Charles Daniels, Susan Berstler, Gerald Freyer Photographs © Charles Daniels For more information on our guests and the gear they use, see: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/podcasts/photography/master-blaster-charles-daniels-reveals-his-unseen-60s-era-photo-archive Guest Bios: Charles Daniels was born in segregated Alabama, where his parents ran a late-night speakeasy after farming cotton all day; maybe that's how outlaw music got into his blood. After moving to Boston's Roxbury neighborhood with his family in the 1950s and teaching himself photography with a camera he found in his parent's closet, Charles began capturing whatever caught his eye on city streets and in the era's legendary music venues. Soon he was serving as emcee for the bands, which provided unique access and strong friendships. This led to Lear Jets and tours with the likes of Rod Stewart, Ron Wood, and the Rolling Stones. Since his start in rock-and-roll, Charles has expanded his photography to embrace a wide range of subjects from music and fashion to dance, performance, and everything in between. Susan Berstler has a long history as a visual artist, curator, and arts producer, deeply immersed in the vibrant arts scene of Somerville, Massachusetts. One of her primary interests is transformative events and media, especially within public art. Her passion for this medium is further enhanced by her work as an Emerging Technology Specialist for Creative Technologies at Harvard University's Cabot Science Library. After a small grant from the Somerville Arts Council allowed her to begin developing Charles's treasure trove of film, the Go-Fund-Me campaign set up by a friend quickly went viral, raising more than $70,000 to date. Susan was referred to the company Film Rescue International, which became an ideal solution for film processing and creating high-resolution archival files from the negatives. At present, she is also in discussions with publishers and university archives to identify a final home for this unique image collection. Gerald Freyer is a technically trained photographer who also studied folklore, monument preservation and cultural history at the University of Bamberg in Germany. After working as a research assistant in museums, he became a consultant for digital imaging pioneer Phase One. Since 2007, Gerald has trained museum and archive staff in the use of high-end digitization systems, completing both archival and 360-degree photography projects for international museums and cultural institutions. In 2021, he joined Film Rescue International to work on digitization projects for its clients. Stay Connected: Charles Daniels Go-Fund-Me Website: https://www.gofundme.com/f/2500-rolls-Charles-Daniels Charles Daniels Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100088252000625 Film Rescue International Website: https://www.filmrescue.com Film Rescue International Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/filmrescueinternational/ Episode Timeline 4:15: Charles Daniels's start as a music emcee and his most productive years for photography: 1967 – 1969 6:36: A friendship with J. Geils Band front man Peter Wolf and coming up with his Woofa Goofa nickname 8:20: Hanging out with the bands during the day provided easy access and authentic pictures 10:07: Daniels's most enjoyable Rock & Roll subject and co-photographer mate: Alvin Lee from 10 Years After 13:26: How far to push black and white film for best results with concert pictures in low light   14:32: Using a handheld light meter, and shooting with Nikons and Leicas for best results 15:10: Daniels's go-to lens: a 21 mm wide-angle for a different look 15:41: The challenge of pushing black and white film and not labeling it with the ISO 18:34: Daniels's shooting strategy as emcee: a microphone in one hand and a camera in the other 20:53: Finding Charles's undeveloped film became a COVID project   21:55: Unprocessed color film includes several rolls of Kodachrome, which was developed as black and white 22:16: Juggling an active Go Fund Me campaign with Charles's recent health issues 24:30: Connecting with the lab Film Rescue International after developing initial rolls locally 25:35: Episode break 26:43: The back story to Canadian lab Film Rescue International in processing lost and found film 27:45: Effects to undeveloped film over time is based on cold storage and other environmental factors 28:46: A two-step process for developing old color film, including Kodachrome 30:35: The first step in Film Rescue's development process with lost and found film 33:34: Proprietary chemistry for film development, plus years of experience 34:22: Processing and scanning movie film, 16mm, and Kodachrome Super-8 with high end laser graphic film scanner 35:10: Do certain types of film hold up better over time than others? 36:05: The importance of scanning old transparencies to maintain color integrity and save the image 37:46: Digital scanning of slides and negatives can offer more detail and better quality than the original photo 39:50: Film Rescue International's workflow and time distribution between film development and scanning 41:14: Gerald Freyer's epic 7-day trip from Saskatchewan and Somerville to pick up Charles's film 43:08: Safety issues when shipping film and the risk of x-rays 45:59: Gerald's favorite picture from Charles's film: Joe Cocker 46:36: An update on Charles's project and the potential for a book and documentary 48:04: Susan's favorite roll of Charles's film: Jeff Beck Group on the tarmac 49:09: The thousands of stories Film Rescue discovers in its work, and how to reach them 50:54: Contact details for Charles Daniels and the project's Go-Fund-Me page