Rock & Roll High School With Pete Ganbarg

One of the founding members of the group that bears his name, Robert “Kool” Bell helped form Kool & The Gang in 1964 with his brother Khalis, and friends Dennis "D.T." Thomas, Robert "Spike" Mickens, Charles Smith, George Brown, and Ricky West. With hits like “Celebration,” “Summer Madness” “Ladies’ Night,” and “Jungle Boogie,” Kool & The Gang earned 25 Top Ten R&B hits and nine T...

The Zombies were part of the “British invasion” movement of the 1960s and enjoyed some major success for a short period before they broke up after only a few years. But the band’s acclaimed 1968 album Odessey and Oracle is considered to be one of the greatest albums ever recorded and hits like “She’s Not There,” Tell Her No,” and “Time of the Season” remain all time classics. Rod formed a new band...

Groundbreaking singer, songwriter, producer, multi-instrumentalist and 2021 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Inductee Todd Rundgren started his career as a guitarist for Nazz, before fronting the band Runt and eventually pursuing a solo career. His first official solo album, Something/Anything (released in 1972 via Warner Bros. Records), stayed on the Billboard 200 for nearly a year and contained...

One of the most legendary divas of all time, Gloria's recordings of “I Will Survive,” "Never Can Say Goodbye," and "I Am What I Am" remain all-time classics.  The 2-time Grammy Award winner’s career spans over five decades, 20 albums and genres ranging from disco to Gospel. Gloria is also an acclaimed author, the subject of a forthcoming documentary on her life, and a member of the Grammy Mus...

Widely regarded as pioneers of progressive rock, Yes were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2017. Formed in London in 1968, Yes' sound is instantly recognizable by the band's jazz and rock playing, and by the singular alto-tenor lead vocal of Jon Anderson. Yes' classic albums, including The Yes Album, Close To The Edge, Fragile, and 90125, are staples of classic rock libraries ever...

A celebrated and prolific songwriter, Jimmy’s works have been recorded by world-renowned artists, such as Glen Campbell, Richard Harris, Frank Sinatra, Barbra Streisand, Nina Simone, Donna Summer, and Tony Bennett, just to name a few. Some of his best known songs include “Up, Up and Away,” “By the Time I Get to Phoenix,” “Worst That Could Happen,” “Galveston,”  “Highwayman,” “MacArthur Park”...

As creators of the "Philly Sound" and their own Philadelphia International Records label, Kenny Gamble & Leon Huff have written and produced over 175 gold and platinum records, including all-time classics by The O'Jays, Billy Paul, Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes, MFSB, The Three Degrees, Lou Rawls, Teddy Pendergrass, and The Jacksons. Their hits include iconic classics like “Love Train” by...

At the age of 16, Debbie Gibson signed to Atlantic Records and immediately had a string of Top 5 hits, all self-written and co-produced. Her songs “Foolish Beat” and “Lost In Your Eyes” both hit No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 (the former of which made her the youngest female artist to write, produce, and perform a Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 song) and her album Electric Youth spent five weeks at No. 1 o...

Tony Visconti is a 3-time Grammy winner and one of the most acclaimed producers in the history of Rock & Roll.  Among his seminal productions are "Get It On (Bang A Gong)," from one of 10 albums he produced for T. Rex, as well as legendary albums for Badfinger, Iggy Pop, Thin Lizzy, the Boomtown Rats, The Moody Blues, and Morrissey.  Most notably, though, Tony produced 14 albums for...

The Temptations are one of the greatest singing groups of all-time, with 14 No. 1 R&B singles, including all-time classic hits like “My Girl," "Ain't Too Proud To Beg," “The Way You Do The Things You Do,” and “Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me)." The group is one of the most influential of Motown Records' golden era and their success has transcended to current times with non-stop...

Kathy Valentine has been a working musician and songwriter for over 40 years, ever since she started her first band at age 16 in her hometown of Austin, Texas. After moving to Los Angeles, Kathy joined a band that would go on to make music history:  The Go-Go’s . In the group, Kathy wrote or co-wrote some of the bands most renowned tunes, including the hits “Vacation” and “Head Over Heels.”&n...

Among music legends, Nile Rodgers is truly exceptional. He amplifies his legacy as a multiple GRAMMY-winning composer, producer, arranger and guitarist by constantly traversing new musical terrain and successfully expanding the boundaries of popular music. As the co-founder of CHIC , Nile helped to pioneer a musical language that generated chart-topping hits like "Le Freak," (the biggest selling s...

One of Atlantic Records’ most iconic artists, Graham Nash started his career by co-founding the English pop/rock group The Hollies. In the late 60's, he partnered with David Crosby and Stephen Stills to form Crosby, Stills & Nash, which later also included Neil Young. The recordings released by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young remain some of the best-loved of all time, including songs written...

Rock and Roll High School is an interview series that spotlights some of the most important figures in the history of contemporary music. Interviews by Pete Ganbarg, President of A&R at Atlantic Records. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

Rock and Roll High School is an interview series that spotlights some of the most important figures in the history of contemporary music. Interviews by Pete Ganbarg, President of A&R at Atlantic Records. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .