Game Changers With Vicki Abelson

It was wonderful to sit down at last with multi-BMI Award-winning composer, conductor, arranger, and multi-instrumentalist, Bennett Salvay. Scheduled to join me on March 11th, 2020, I chickened as he and wingman, Pete George, had very recently flown (and boy were their arms tired), and the COVID threat was ever-growing. Two days later we were in lockdown. Here, 19 months later we be. Some things,...

Stories! Man does my old pal, Kenny Aaronson, have them, and, he was in them when their monster hit, Brother Louie, was #1. I love rock ’n roll, and savored every word of Kenny’s incredible career from Dust with Marky Ramone, to his current gig with The Yardbirds, a 50-year dream come true. There’s so damn much betwixt and between and stories for all of it. How he got each gig, highlights, and how...

'Twas Doody, no shit! Barry Pearl, my fab new friend was such a delight, tonight. Grease is the word, and Barry’s got lots of ‘em. Great stories about Travolta, Olivia Newton-John, Jeff Conaway. We talked his beginnings from tap class in Lancaster Pa to the original Bye Bye Birdie on Broadway at 11, and then Broadway’s Oliver with The Monkees Davy Jones, right after, where I saw him! I was but a l...

What a treat to meet the artist behind more cross-genre iconic licks than I can count. Fellow Bronxite, Eddie Martinez, surrounded by platinum records, without a trace of a New York accent, was fun, whip-smart, thoughtful, articulate, inclusive, with stories to spare. Inspired by the Beatles, Hendrix, and Beck, Eddie started out when his neighbor, Nile Rogers, lead him to his first professional gi...

James Lee Stanley is chicken soup for my pandemic weary soul. I’m talking Grandma Katz’s soup, the most flavorful, soothing, healing, and delicious. I was having a kinda funky day, an hour and a half in James’ good company… hearing his stories, listening and watching him play, was just what the doctor ordered. There’s a reason this man has opened for everyone from Bonnie Raitt, Art Garfunkle, Bill...

Iffn' you missed the fabulousness that is Wendy Waldman - tada! So what if it took years - this was the perfect moment. On the eve of the high holy day, two Jewish girls being of service, as Wendy put it. Happy New Year! This was indeed a joyous celebration of life and art. What a glorious sit down with the singer, songwriter, arranger, producer, recording artist, Grammy nominee, and multi-platinu...

So lovely, so chill, to sit down with actress, comedian, writer, activist, Mo Gaffney. We talked about the recall... VOTE, please, Californians... the unimaginable in Texas, the 4 yr mess that's spilled all over us, COVID craziness, vaccines, the cost of the unvaccinated to all of us, work in the time of corona, binging food and TV, reading, writing, no arithmetic! How it started at 4, it was alwa...

From forced piano lessons at 8 to adding multiple instruments through the years, including his voice, to studying with Dave Stroud (who's worked with Michael Jackson, Justin Timberlake, and Kelly Clarkson, for a few), Korel’s developed his own style of teaching voice, his great passion. He explained how it’s possible to teach pitch and harmonies, and says, yes, pretty much everyone can be taught t...

He's all about the bass. And, keys, who knew? Carmine Rojas has dug the groove on so much iconic music of our time. Not sure I've ever seen more gold and platinum records in one room. I’ve been circling Carmine’s orbit since the streets of Bleecker and the Club of China. There were jams, loads of mutual friends, attempts to get him on this show, A Bowie Celebration show at his invitation, some Fac...

Some dreams really do come true. It may take 40+ years, but SO WHAT?!? Greg Mullavey, Greg Mullavey was worth the wait. A die-hard Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman fan, who missed nary a one of the 325 episodes, which in 1977, pre VCRs, and COVID, when I actually had a life and did stuff, required some effort and diehard devotion, spent today in fangirl heaven. Best part, Greg exceeded all of my very hi...

I knew I was about to be face-to-face with five-time Grammy Nominee, producer, composer, arranger, vocalist, and guitarist extraordinaire, Johnny Gale, for the first time in three-plus decades, when I was booking rock, and Johnny was playing it, back in the heady daze of the New York club scene. What I didn't know is that we actually met five decades ago. What?!? Earlier today, listening to an int...

John Waite Live On Game Changers With Vicki Abelson by Vicki Abelson

Days don’t get much happier than spending them in Donny Most's good company. What fun this was! Don ran the gamut from how he got to be Ralph Malph on Happy Days, not the role he auditioned for, turning it down, and getting a persuasive bump from Garry Marshall; backtracked to The Jolson Story and how it changed his life. His training and launch with a Borscht Belt revue, which crazily I saw, his...

What a delight going Live with actor, and friend, Michael Gross. A pro, he handled the intro whilst I dealt with FB frustrations. We touched ever so briefly on the pandemic, jumped into Michael’s humble beginnings in Chicago, as a lower middle class, parochial school-going alter boy, raised by a fair-minded before his time, father, and a fearless, creative, impromptu mother who inspired and gave p...

Had a great time chatting and getting to know Mr. Squeeze, Phil Parlapiano. From the meaning of his name, and how he got his nickname, what he did over his pandemic staycation, his grandma's guidance, to his first keys, early influences, not The Beatles... at first, pre-teen gigs, touring with Joan Baez, his first big gig at 22, his deal at Geffen, John Prine, 9 years with JOHN PRINE, sigh, Elvis...

Sitting down with 24's Bill Buchanan, AKA, James Morrison, is like wrapping myself up in my softest, warmest, coolest, comfiest, cutest, silkiest pajamas, and settling in for an easy, breezy, fun, loving, memorable night. I didn't know James when he graced the living room, and Women Who Write, not yet 7 years ago, since then he's become a cherished friend, and my appreciation of his talents and cr...

Chatting Live with long-time friend Eddie Ojeda of Twisted Sister was like going home... and after all these years I just discovered we're both Bronxites. Loved chatting about the early years, the first guitar, being inspired by the Beatles, he was a Paul, a few years later, a thisclose encounter with John, SPX to Twisted Sister, the successes and the "if only." From clubs to stadiums, to wedding...

Steve Conte is a jumbo slice of Rock 'n Roll Heaven. We got treated to his latest single, Recovery Doll, a recent Coolest Song in the World on Little Steven's Underground Garage, the B side, Rock And Rye Queen, and, Gimme Rockaway, which was not only another Coolest Song in the World, it also placed in the top 5 for Coolest Song of the Year, on the heels of Ian Hunter, and The Monkees. He's in my...

It's been a long ride with singer/songwriter/producer, Steve Postell. We go back to Bleecker Street in the heady daze of the New York club scene. I was booking the Rock 'N Roll Café and Steve was fresh outta Pure Prairie League. I was RockStar struck. I booked him that day and have continued to for the past 30 + years wherever I went and whatever I did. When I had my book launch at The Federal it...

SCORE! Pure joy! #DonnaPescow is, even more of a dream than I'd hoped. The woman is hysterical! #SaturdayNightFever #Angie #EvenStevens #OutOfThisWorld #GreatStories #Travolta #FUN #GameChangersWithVickiAbelson Replay here: https://bit.ly/3g9e5JH It's such a joy when those I've adore and admire exceed expectations. Ka-ching! Donna Pescow is, even more, a dream than I'd hoped. The woman is hysteric...

Fantastically fabulous time with two-time Emmy Award Winner (for those amazing Billy Crystal Academy Award shows which he talks about), Robert Wuhl, actor, writer, producer, director, perhaps best known as the creator and star of HBO's long-running series, Arli$$, talked about the creative freedom the show afforded him to delve into topics which intrigued him, way before their time, why he cast Sa...

Unmasked! Post-apocalyptic pandemic blues in Eb may have started and ended the show (with Tristan Cappel), but it was joy, joy, joy, with bass boy, Leland Sklar, my first face-to-face guest since a year ago February. What a great segue back to a semblance of normalcy. It felt so right, so dyn-o-mite. Sorry. We jumped into the book, Everybody Loves Me, an idea without a plan a mere 15 months ago, n...

I like the comedy with my Rock 'n Roll. Hall of Fame'r Ricky Byrd, delivers brilliantly on both counts. Great stories of his heroes in both worlds. Watching them as a kid on Ed Sullivan, to sharing jokes and cokes at The Pines Hotel coffee shop with Freddie Roman, Dick Capri, and Mal Z Lawrence, to sharing a stage with Stevie Wonder, Joe Walsh, Billie Joe Armstrong, Paul McCartney, and Ringo Starr...

Candy Clark, part deux, looking fab as always, adding some much appreciated Hollywood glamour for the pandemic weary.  We got Candy's take on Sunday's Academy Awards, and her three trips down the red carpet, her first an unknown in the nosebleeds with binoculars, then with her beau, Jeff Bridges (see what I did there), when he was nominated for The Last Picture Show, and then he with her when she...

Regardless of the innumerable technical challenges, this was one of my favorite shows in 4 yrs. Comedian, @RitchShydner is affable, warm, hysterically funny, evolved, intelligent & downright entertaining as fuck. #GameChangersWithVickiAbelson Replay:
https://bit.ly/3tIukSi Grateful! Regardless of the innumerable technical challenges with the new Zoom interface, presenting to Only Me on the Faceboo...