Pop: The History Makers with Steve Blame

Steve Kilbey of The Church on his five best songs - some surprises here. Wait until the end of hear his NUMBER ONE Spoiler; Below are a list of the TOP FIVE in no particular order. If you want to watch this episode on YouTube go here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWXxgV1C5-8 His main career interview is on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/4oSKP1CMaJg?si=HVc8N8c6IYqjZaiG Steve Kilbey, born on Sept...

Billie Ray Martin's story reads like a Hollywood movie, full of twists and turns. It even contains the obligatory 'singer looks for band' advert which leads to Electribe 101. But when a second album is rejected the band splits, Billie Ray Martin goes solo, and the album is forgotten for 30 years until it was released a couple of years ago.⁠ Full Interview on YouTube also here:⁠ https://youtu.be/QN...

Ultra Naté, born March 20, 1968, in Havre de Grace, Maryland, is a highly accomplished American singer, songwriter, DJ, and label owner who has made a significant contribution to the dance and electronic music scenes. ⁠ To watch this interview on Yout´Tube go here: https://youtu.be/k_3i-Ln8flY?si=aVi8eXthay9NIkhP ⁠ In the early stages of her career, Ultra Naté, recognised for her distinctive voice...

World famous ex- SIMPLE MINDS DRUMMER MEL GAYNOR on his solo album COME WITH ME, LIVE AID and MORE To watch this on YouTube - go here https://youtu.be/8pwSQI1asFQ?si=r7ranJ0nOdoXTOK1 Mel Gaynor is embarking on a solo career with a self-penned and vocal led album 'Come With Me' released on the legendary Marquee Records on 10th May 2024. This interview is on his solo album COME WITH ME, and through...

Laurie Kaye’s memoir is the story of her rock radio-related early life leading up to John Lennon’s final interview. On December 8th 1980, Kaye co-conducted an interview with Lennon and Ono for RKO Radio at the Dakota in New York just a few hours before he was shot and killed.  Full interview on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/F0qHqyOOHdM?si=RodcUxuiXStOEJc_ Kaye had previously written the RKO...

In Your Mind - The Infinite Universe of Yoko Ono by Madeline Bocaro. Yoko Ono is a Japanese artist, musician, and peace activist who rose to international prominence as the wife of the legendary Beatles member, John Lennon. Born on February 18, 1933, in Tokyo, Ono's avant-garde art and experimental music have played a significant role in the Fluxus movement and conceptual art. She gained attention...

DAVID BOWIE; by Dana Gillespie, Man Parrish, 'M' Robin Scott, Marcella Detroit, & Steve Kilbey Something a little bit different this week - a new feature - FIVE ARTISTS on ... Full Feature; https://youtu.be/qLdaTgW0j_A This week all about David Bowie featuring - Dana Gillespie (former friend of Bowie) Man Parrish (of Hip Hop Be Bop (Don't Stop) fame. 'M' Robin Scott (of POP MUSIK fame) Marcell...

Niki Haris and Donna De Lory; You want to know about Madonna then this is the interview for you. Full interview on YouTube: (Please subscribe) https://youtu.be/LDF6CWJqT2Y But to be fair, to define Niki Haris and Donna De Lory only by their careers as backing vocalists for Madonna would do them a disservice. Both are distinguished artists in their own right, but certainly both would not deny that...

Dieter Meier from YELLO talks about how YELLO came about, his long-term partner in the band - Boris Blank, the departure of Carlos Peron, the hits, about his love of Billy Mackensie's voice, and of course their Rhythm Divine track with Shirley Bassey. And he talks about the role co-incidence has played in his life, the highs and the lows, his art, his ranch in Argentina, and his latest venture...

Ulf Ekberg, one of the founding members of Ace of Base along with Jonas, Jenny, and Malin or Linn Berggren, co-wrote most of the tracks on their debut album Happy Nation which included the hits All That She Wants and Wheel of Fortune, and which subsequently gave the band worldwide success. At the height of their success in 1993, stories appeared in the Swedish press revealing his past as part of a...

Following the break-up of The Bodysnatchers, Jennie Matthias got her big break in the 80’s all girl group The Belle Stars, later signed to Stiff Records, and hit the charts in 1982 with Iko Iko, a song which was to later again feature significantly in Jennie’s life, after it was used in the Dustin Hoffman, Tom Cruise film Rain Man.  Full Interview on YouTube here: In the UK, The Belle Stars releas...

British singer songwriter Dee C. Lee rose to prominence as a session musician for Wham! and the Style Council. She had risen through the ranks of the Brit Funk movement of the late 70s, early 80s singing sessions for bands like Central Line.  Full length Interview on YouTube - Please subscribe if you watch it there https://youtu.be/H6F9nM6HK80 Working with George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley raised...

Norman Washington Giscombe, otherwise known as Junior who gained fame with his hit single "Mama Used to Say" in the early 80s.⁠ ⁠If you want to watch this episode on YouTube - SUBSCRIBE to POP the history makers::⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5S9xw1B-ppDXVkAuvRRQtg?sub_confirmation=1⁠ ⁠When the album Ji was released, he was compared to Stevie Wonder.⁠ He wrote Too Late about domestic...

Singer. Actor and Author, Dana Gillespie has a career that has spanned over 50 years. Her first foray into music was folk and pop, but later, and she has appeared on more than 70 albums, she’s concentrated on the Blues. Her family and private life has been a constant source of fascination for many people.  - Her father had breakfast with Hitler. - She slept with Bowie, the beginning of a long frie...

Peter Straker - the man who was close friends with Freddie Mercury. ⁠ ⁠When Peter Straker first recorded music he was the given the moniker of the Black Bowie. He was fresh from a career defining role as Hud in Hair - the musical that redefined the musical, outrageous, brave and trailblazing. His career as an actor, found him choosing roles which were audacious and bold - playing what we'd ter...

Scarlet Fantastic singer, Maggie K de Monde, reached the charts in the UK with her musical partner of the time - Rick P. Jones as Scarlet Fantastic. Well known for her sultry vocals and avant-garde fashion sense, they pushed musical boundaries and achieved success with 'No Memory', a track which was resurrected in the club scene of the 1990s. Both Maggie and Rick were former members of Swa...

First Lady of House Music; this was the moniker Kym Mazelle received when she signed to EMI in London as their first House Music artist. Born on August 10, 1960, in Gary, Indiana, just two doors down to where the Jackson's would first record.  If you want to see this interview on YouTube - go here: https://youtu.be/or2f-T9yRQg?si=-Y8bJABZhj5jJSp0 And Subscribe! Her dynamic vocals and stage pre...

Artist Mark Wardel on David Bowie and Cracked Actor: The Fly in the Milk - a new book! Mark Wardel has been a fan of David Bowie since Ziggy Stardust. He won the Art prize at school for his1974 painting of Bowie, and in 1979 he received a Berlin Air Mail letter from the man himself thanking him for a piece of Cracked Actor inspired fan art he had made. For Mark, creating the hand-painted artworks...

When Londonbeat hit the top of the Billboard charts in February of 1991, Jimmy Helms realized a dream that he had been working for his whole life. He was approaching his 50th birthday. He had achieved chart success earlier, in 1973, with ‘I'm Gonna make you an Offer’, a song inspired by the most famous phrase from the Godfather movie. Helms has simply one of the greatest soul voices ever. In h...

Inspiring change through Art: Dameon Priestly's Artistic Stand for Human Rights. A fascinating interview, which explores how the events of his childhood have shaped his art and life. Priestly's exhibition 'Tripwire Timeline. 1970-1988 (A Belfast Tale) opens in his hometown on November 2nd, at the Belfast Exposed Gallery.  Exhibition dates: Thursday 2 November – Saturday 18 November Ven...

The I'm too Sexy guys - Richard and Fred Fairbrass - Right Said Fred. With Drake releasing Way 2 Sexy with rappers Future and Young thug as the first single from his sixth studio album, Certified Lover Boy, the track 'I’m Too Sexy' by Right Said Fred which Way 2 Sexy relies heavily upon has come back into focus. A worldwide hit in 1991, 'I’m Too Sexy' even topped the US charts....

New on POP; The History Makers - an interview with Angela Smith, former wife of Happy Mondays bass player and founding member - Paul Ryder, who died on 15th July 2022, after she had recorded many hours of interviews with him for the podcast The Paul Ryder tapes.⁠ To watch on YouTube: ⁠https://youtu.be/aQM1eGWsPQY ⁠ The Paul Ryder tapes are available here:⁠ https://shows.acast.com/64bae93d8fa9bb001...

Steve Kilbey is one of the most prolific songwriters around, having released in the region of (roughly) 70 albums and 1,000 songs in his career. ⁠ This podcast interview concentrates on Steve's early life and the period in the 1980s where The Church achieved first Australian then worldwide success. Of course, no interview with Steve is complete without talking about Under the Milky Way from th...

Australian cultural critic Lesley Chow, associate editor of the journal  Bright Lights, has published widely over the past eighteen years, in  Salon ,  Times Literary Supplement,   The Quietus, The Age, Pop Matters , and  CNN . She has appeared on numerous film juries including Venice and Berlin, and was President of the Critics’ Jury at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2018. In this int...

Chris Huelsbeck remains one of the most important composers in the area of computer games music. He was influenced by Tangerine Dream, Kraftwerk, and other experimental electronic bands of the 1970s. His sounds for Turrican, Star Wars, and The Great Giana Sisters rank amongst his most famous compositions but he has in total written music for over 100 games in his career. Born in Kassel in Germany,...