'60s '70s '80s - Warm, Candid, Classic, Rock Interviews with Music Legends - A BREATH OF FRESH AIR

For more than five decades, The Angels have been one of Australia's most influential and enduring rock bands, delivering powerful live performances and timeless songs that have become woven into the fabric of Australian music. Their catalogue has stood the test of time, but perhaps no song is more iconic than Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again , which this year celebrates its 50th anniversary...

More than fifty years after it first sailed onto the charts, Brandy (You're a Fine Girl) remains one of the most beloved songs of the 1970s. In this episode of A Breath of Fresh Air , Sandy Kaye welcomes Elliot Lurie, the lead singer, guitarist and songwriter behind Looking Glass, for a fascinating conversation about the song that changed his life forever. Elliot shares the remarkable story of...

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame drummer Matt Sorum joins Sandy Kaye for an honest, funny and deeply insightful conversation about life inside some of the biggest rock bands in history. Best known for his years with Guns N' Roses during the explosive Use Your Illusion era, Matt opens up about the journey that took him from the clubs of Hollywood’s Sunset Strip to stadiums packed with hundreds of tho...

Steve Katz is known as a founding member of Blood, Sweat & Tears as well as a guitarist, singer, songwriter, producer and author. Steve shares incredible stories from a career that spans more than six decades, taking listeners inside the birth of folk-rock, the Greenwich Village music scene, the formation of Blood, Sweat & Tears, Woodstock, Monterey Pop and beyond. Steve recalls his early...

Did you know that one singer secretly voiced some of the biggest pop hits of the 1970s — all at the same time? Most people have no idea who he was. In this fascinating episode of A Breath of Fresh Air , Sandy Kaye chats with legendary British session singer Tony Burrows, the man behind an astonishing string of international hits including Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes), My Baby Loves Lovin&#3...

Al Jardine is perhaps one of few artists who can say they helped create an entirely new sound that changed popular music forever. In this warm and revealing conversation, the founding member of The Beach Boys looks back on the extraordinary journey that took a group of California teenagers from local surf culture to global music immortality. As Al prepares to tour Australia celebrating the 60th an...

This week, one of classic rock’s most recognisable voices — singer, guitarist and songwriter Mark Farner, founding member of Grand Funk Railroad. With more than 30 million records sold worldwide, 16 gold and platinum albums and a string of massive hits including “I’m Your Captain,” “Some Kind of Wonderful,” “The Loco-Motion” and “We’re An American Band,” Grand Funk Railroad became one of the bigge...

In this episode, we dive into the colourful, high-energy world of Domingo Samudio , better known as Sam the Sham , the unforgettable frontman of Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs. With his trademark turban, cape, and mischievous grin, Sam didn’t just perform music—he created a spectacle that helped define the fun, rebellious spirit of 1960s rock and roll. We explore Sam’s early life in Texas, where hi...

The music world has lost one of its most distinctive voices with the passing of Dennis Locorriere, the longtime frontman of Dr. Hook, who died aged 76 following a battle with kidney disease. The voice behind some of the most loved soft rock and country-pop hits of the 1970s has fallen silent. In this special tribute episode, we remember the life, music and remarkable legacy of Dennis Locorriere —...

Today, Sandy sits down with John Illsley, founding member and bassist of Dire Straits, for an intimate and revealing conversation about the extraordinary journey behind one of the most iconic bands in rock history. John takes us right back to the beginning, sharing the story of how a modest council flat in South London became the unlikely birthplace of Dire Straits. It was there that a chance enco...

Joe Camilleri is one of the most influential and enduring figures in Australian music, and in this episode he shares the remarkable story behind a career that has spanned more than six decades. From his early life as a migrant child growing up in Melbourne to becoming the driving force behind Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons and The Black Sorrows, Joe’s journey is filled with passion, persistence and r...

From Singing for Sweets to Punk Pioneer Hugh Cornwell, best known as the original frontman of The Stranglers, has lived a career shaped by instinct, rebellion and creative evolution. Remarkably, his journey began at just three years old, singing in the garden for neighbours who rewarded him with sweets. Even then, Cornwell knew he wanted to be a singer—though his parents had very different plans....

Ann Wilson, the powerhouse voice behind the band Heart, is widely regarded as one of rock’s greatest female vocalists. Born in 1950 in San Diego and raised in a military family that moved frequently, Ann found stability in music early on. Alongside her younger sister Nancy Wilson, she was inspired by seeing The Beatles perform in '66—a moment both sisters later described as life-changing. Ann...

Sandy recently sat down with legendary guitarist, singer-songwriter and founding member of Traffic, Dave Mason, for a candid and often humorous look back at a remarkable life in music. Dave reflects on his early beginnings, revealing how a failed ambition to join the Royal Air Force led him instead toward music—a path he committed to in his teens after forming his first bands. He shares how his co...

In this episode, Sandy Kaye sits down with legendary singer-songwriter Don McLean , the voice behind one of the most iconic songs in music history— American Pie . Best known for that timeless anthem, Don’s career spans more than five decades, with a remarkable catalogue that includes Vincent , And I Love You So , and many more. But as you’ll hear, there’s so much more to his story than a single hi...

Step behind the curtain of the music industry and into the high-stakes world of one of pop’s most fascinating eras. In this episode, Sandy Kaye explores the remarkable story of Dan Beck — the music executive who worked closely with Michael Jackson during a pivotal and turbulent time in his career. Dan Beck wasn’t just another record label executive. As a senior figure at Epic Records, he became Mi...

Today’s guest is a true rock icon. Simon Kirke is the powerhouse drummer and co-founder of two of the most influential bands in classic rock history—Free and Bad Company. From the raw, blues-driven energy of Free to the arena-filling success of Bad Company, Simon has lived a life that most musicians only dream about. And as you’re about to hear, it all began with a simple toss of a coin. In this w...

In this episode of A Breath of Fresh Air , Sandy Kaye sits down with Verdine White , the legendary bassist and founding member of Earth, Wind & Fire , to explore the remarkable life and career of one of music’s most dynamic performers. Verdine reflects on growing up in a large and deeply musical family in Chicago , where jazz, blues and rhythm and blues filled the house and helped shape his ea...

In this episode, Sandy Kaye sits down with one of the true pioneers of Australian rock music — Ross Wilson . With a career spanning more than six decades, Ross has shaped the sound of Australian music as a performer, songwriter and producer. From his early beginnings in Melbourne in the '60s, Ross quickly became part of the thriving local music scene. Inspired by blues records and armed with a...

Ralph McTell is one of Britain’s most enduring and respected singer-songwriters, a master storyteller whose songs have become woven into the fabric of English folk music. Born in Kent and raised in Croydon, McTell developed an early love for American blues, folk and traditional British music. As a teenager he was captivated by artists such as Woody Guthrie and Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, influences tha...

Johnny Townsend is an American singer, songwriter, and musician best known as the lead vocalist and co-founder of the Sanford-Townsend Band, the group responsible for the timeless 1977 hit “Smoke from a Distant Fire.” With his distinctive voice, melodic songwriting, and deeply personal life story, Johnny became one of the defining artists of the late-'70s soft rock and Southern rock era. Johnn...

Laurence Juber is an acclaimed guitarist, composer, and former lead guitarist with Paul McCartney’s band Wings. His journey began in London during the explosion of Beatlemania. Inspired by The Beatles’ revolutionary sound, he picked up the guitar as a child and quickly developed into a versatile and highly skilled musician. His early ambition was to become a studio guitarist, and by his early twen...

John Coghlan is one of British rock’s most instantly recognisable drummers — a powerhouse player whose relentless, no-nonsense beat helped define the sound and success of Status Quo , one of the UK’s most enduring and best-loved rock bands. As a founding member, John was there at the very beginning, helping to shape a career that would span decades, rack up millions of record sales, and soundtrack...

Mitch Ryder is one of the most powerful and uncompromising voices in American rock and soul. Born William Levise Jr. in Detroit, Michigan, he came of age in a city buzzing with rhythm and blues, gospel and early rock ’n’ roll. That musical melting pot shaped Ryder’s unmistakable vocal style — raw, passionate and emotionally charged — setting him apart from his peers from the very beginning. MItch...

In this episode of A Breath of Fresh Air , Sandy Kaye explores the remarkable life and career of Burton Cummings , one of the most influential and recognisable voices in Canadian music history. From his beginnings in Winnipeg to international superstardom — and now a highly anticipated return to the stage with The Guess Who — Cummings’ story is one of talent, ambition, creative independence and en...