Professor of Rock

FROM THE VAULT: David Gilmour’s Most Powerful Vocal Performances with Pink Floyd In this special vault episode, we shine a spotlight on one of rock’s most iconic yet often underrated voices: David Gilmour of Pink Floyd. While his guitar solos are legendary, it’s his soaring, soulful vocals that gave depth and emotion to some of the band’s most powerful songs. From the haunting beauty of  Comf...

It was the year of golden oldies. In fact, it was the year that was described when people say the oldies but goodies. So many incredible songs, including the rise of the instrumental track Telstar by The Tornados that would spark the British Invasion, and it was recorded in a kitchen, along with a one-hit wonder, Monster Mash, that we play every single year for a month. Plus, The Twist, a song tha...

He was the madman who redefined heavy metal… an unlikely rock hero who became a legend. With the passing of Ozzy Osbourne on July 22, 2025, the world lost more than the “Prince of Darkness”—we lost one of music’s most passionate, misunderstood, and enduring voices. Today, we’re celebrating Ozzy the only way that feels right—by taking a deep dive through the songs that shaped his legacy. Because be...

There are only a few dozen songs that came on the radio and rearranged our brains; they smacked us upside the head and changed the way we looked at the world. Today, we have the two principals from Living Colour behind one such song: Cult of Personality. It exploded onto MTV and Radio in the late 80s with an epic riff and a revolutionary message that had us seeing double. Corey Glover and Vernon R...

On This Day in Rock History , 1981, music changed forever with the launch of MTV, and the very first video to air was “Video Killed the Radio Star” by The Buggles. It became an anthem of the new era, but here’s the twist: it wasn’t an '80s song at all. Written, recorded, released, and even charted in the late '70s, the track peaked modestly at #40 in the U.S., yet it became one of the most iconic...

I love stories like this… I've got one half of the underrated duo England Dan and John Ford Coley, that maybe the kings of the line, "Oh, that’s who sings that song…I’ve always loved it but never knew who sang it." Get This... today’s guests opened for Led Zeppelin as unsigned rookies, and they were so great that the newspaper that reviewed the show said they bettered the golden gods of rock!&nbsp...

In this special episode of  Behind The Song , Janda Lane is joined by Adam Reader for an emotional conversation about the passing of one of rock’s most iconic and influential figures: Ozzy Osbourne. Recorded just after his death on July 22, 2025, this bonus installment invites you to look back on Ozzy’s towering impact... from the dark, game-changing riffs of Black Sabbath to his wild, unforg...

Coming up, we’re breaking down a year that might be the best ever for the lost art of the ALBUM: 1979. It was truly a year of classics. Including a record by The Clash, a band that was so damn broke, they ate nothing but food from a can. And then a great song, Train in Vain, came to them at the last second when the album was already being printed... so it didn’t even appear on the track list....

On this day in 1966, Cream (Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce, and Ginger Baker) made their explosive live debut at The Twisted Wheel in Manchester. Just three years later, they'd help invent heavy metal and influence generations of rock bands. In this Vault episode of Professor of Rock, Adam dives into the haunting 1968 classic “White Room.” More than just a psychedelic anthem, it was born from poet...

Coming up, it’s the story of 10 classic songs from a tsunami year in music. Tsunami as in a year where 1 song wiped out the status quo on radio and MTV… With Nirvana's Smells Like Teen Spirit, but there were plenty of other great songs from that monumental year, including one that came from a story the songwriter read in a newspaper about a drunk guy who shot up his girlfriend’s car. The...

Coming up next, I have to admit, I was pretty intimidated to interview today’s guest, John McCrea of Cake. This witty singer is wicked smart. Cake's song The Distance was an instant favorite with an opening line that grabs you by the ears and never lets go, and also contains a word that has never been used like this in a rock song. I think it’s got to be the best opening line of the last 30 years...

What does a comedy legend do after he’s conquered the 80s with some of the funniest take downs of classic songs with food and hospitals, and then skewered the 90s by slamming its biggest icon with a song so hilarious it made the serious artist laugh at himself? Well, he only got better. Today, we have more from the prince of parody, the sultan of satire, and the master of mockery, Weird Al Yankovi...

Today, we have one of those rare classic songs, Purple Haze, that has a multitude of stories and legends behind it. First of all, it’s the mother of all misheard lyrics… One that Jimi Hendrix himself started doing in his live shows as a joke. Then there was the first draft of this thing, which was an epic 1000 words that Jimi pared down for radio… then Hendrix risked being electrocuted to create i...

Coming up, I had a blast with my guest today, Walter Egan… a man who many call a one-hit wonder, but that’s too easy... Sure, he created a huge hit in the late 70s, Magnet and Steel, that became a pop culture fixture with 2 legends who sang background vocals on this classic hit from a band that was rock’s big soap opera of the time. One of these backing vocalists, Lindsey Buckingham, is one of the...

As we continue our tribute to the late, great Ozzy Osbourne, we revisit one of the most electrifying chapters of his legendary career with the creation of “Crazy Train.” After being kicked out of from Black Sabbath, the very band he helped make iconic, many believed Ozzy’s time in the spotlight was over. Battling addiction, depression, and self-doubt, even Ozzy himself thought it might be the end....

Today, we honor the Prince of Darkness: Ozzy Osbourne, who has passed away, leaving behind one of the most legendary and unfiltered legacies in the history of rock ‘n’ roll. From his groundbreaking days with Black Sabbath to a solo career that defied all odds, Ozzy wasn’t just a rock star—he was a survivor, a showman, and above all, a voice for the outcasts. His life was chaos and brilliance in eq...

So this was probably the most difficult episode I’ve ever made. But it’s one that I hope will provoke a real discussion… So one of the main reasons rock ’n’ roll hit so hard when it exploded in the ’50s was because… it wasn’t just music—it was rebellion. It shook off the stiff, clean-cut norm of the time and brought in something wild, loud, and full of swagger. The artists who lit the spark weren’...

It’s been such a crazy week as I’ve been fighting this music rights scam. At one point, I was about ready to give up hope. But I can’t believe how much good has come out of all of this. Right up front, I've got to say THANK YOU to this amazing community. You have flooded the comment section with love and support. And I’ve felt it. THANK YOU! I also want to thank Rick Beato, Justin Hawkins, and Rhe...

Don’t go anywhere. Next up: the most-watched episode in  Professor of Rock  history! FROM THE VAULT : Today, it’s an epic track from a throwaway album… Or at least that’s what the band called it. This song though, it set a new standard for how rock bands wrote and released singles in the 80s, and in the process became one of their signature hits. Home Sweet Home by Motley Crue… Unfortuna...

Today's vault episode serves up one of Adam's favorite episodes. The collaborative genius of Lennon & McCartney created many of the most celebrated compositions ever recorded- including two heartfelt & evocative pieces of musical theater that demonstrated why The Beatles were the most impactful group of the Rock Era. The story of the powerful double-A side masterpiece- “Penny Lane” and “St...

Alright, for this episode, we’re flipping the record over to uncover some of the greatest surprise hits of the rock era… That’s right, it’s the revenge of the B-sides. You know, the red-headed stepchildren of rock… songs that were’t good enough to make it onto an album…only good enough to back a hit single. Well, as you’ll see, today’s entries can more than hold their own. In fact, we’ve got a sto...

Ya know, every now and again I do an interview and I have a pinch-me moment. All of a sudden, I have the realization that I’m talking to True Rock Royalty… somebody who laid the foundation and kicked open the door everyone is walking through right now. And today I’m excited to share one of those types of interviews. Michael Anthony is arguably the greatest backing vocalist and bassist in hard rock...

🎸 On This Day in Rock History: In 1978,  Def Leppard  played their  first-ever gig  at  Westfield School in Sheffield , setting the stage for their legendary career. In today’s VAULT episode, we dive into the  unbelievable story  behind their 1987 blockbuster album  Hysteria  — a masterpiece shaped by  Joe Elliott ,  Steve Clark ,  Rick...

On this day in rock history, Judas Priest released their eighth studio album, "Screaming For Vengeance," which went on to sell millions worldwide. To honor the one of the greatest metal bands of all time, check out this classic from 2021. Metal God Rob Halford explains why he wrote BREAKING THE LAW the metal hit that rocked MTV in the early 80s and the power behind their classic album British STEE...

Coming up, we're taking the time machine to the 80s and going on a shopping spree at the record store. We're gonna track down the ten best albums of 1985 including the best song and best hidden gem from each of these masterpieces and along the way we get the Tear for Fears #1 hit Everybody Wants to Rule the World that has an inside joke that almost nobody got that references another song from the...