Professor of Rock

Coming up Next. A song that came from a rock frontman’s desire to spit in the face of the "put a flower in your hair hippie persona" of the 60s. I’m talking about Ozzy Osbourne from Black Sabbath...He called the movement crap and he and his band with Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, and Bill Ward only wanted to muck up the mainstream… So they wrote a haunting metal classic called Iron Man… At first, it...

The fact is Dire Straits interrupted disco in the late 70s with the classic song Sultans of Swing that would take radio hostage! with their unique sound and singer Mark Knopfler’s gruff iconic vocals. but they were victims of the sophomore slump when their 2nd record faltered and flailed on the charts. Determined to bounce back with a statement album, Knopfler heard a song on the radio that flippe...

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Coming up, the terrifying story of a songwriter named John D. Loudermilk who was kidnapped by three men while sleeping in the backseat of his car during a late-night blizzard. Allegedly, his captors abused him for three days, until they found out that he was a professional songwriter in the Nashville music scene…and then.. they made him a deal…. agree to write a song about the injustices put upon...

Coming up, we’re giving you a rare inside look at one of the most power-packed partnerships of the rock era. Two mighty musicians at the top of their game went on a massive decade-long run… Eddie Van Halen and Sammy Hagar… Van Halen kicked out four straight chart-topping records and 17 Top 10 rock singles. in just 9 years. For this episode we’re zeroing in on one of those tracks: the 1988 classic...

The Beatles...They are easily the biggest band ever. But after they broke up officially in 1970, the world hoped for a day they would reunite. but It seemed impossible. And yet following a decade of solo careers, for all four, Paul McCartney both solo and with Wings, Ringo Starr, John Lennon, and George Harrison there were behind-the-scenes talks of a reunion. it was actually going to HAPPEN! Howe...

This catchy/happy singalong hit was actually written after Men Without Hats singer Ivan Doroschuk was kicked out of a club for moshing. He went home in defiance and wrote the Safety Dance... Little did he know it would became an 80s catchphrase and a #1 hit on the dance club chart and the Cashbox chart. It became the dance of the 80s and most don't realize it's actually a middle finger against con...

A Latin-flavored riff developed into an allegorical masterpiece and the signature song for America’s band. Hotel California by Eagles became their signature song. It’s the psychological tale of a man- precariously caught in a disturbing asylum- from which... he may never escape. The iconic writers Don Henley, Glenn Frey, and Don Felder wanted the song to open like an episode of The Twilight Zone.....

Coming up, we’ve got the story of three mischievous New Yorkers who disavowed one of the biggest songs… Mike D, Ad-Rock, and MCA otherwise known as the Beastie Boys hated (You Gotta Fight) for Your Right (to Party). This breakthrough track became a legendary music video on MTV but for all the wrong reasons. A rebellious party anthem they wrote to make fun of party anthems in general but in the end...

Coming up… an interview with the mysterious disappearing rocker of the 80s. John Parr had a massive #1 hit in the mid-80s… a song he co-wrote and recorded in less than a day… St Elmos Fire (Man in Motion) was to be the theme to a big movie the Brat Pack 80s coming-of-age film St Elmos Fire. but he actually wrote the song about an inspirational journey that was being forged at the time by a disable...

It’s a track that slowly builds energy, perseverance, & resolve. It’s a Frankenstein song… with 3 completely different songs stitched together AND IT’S THE Only song in Fleetwood Mac’s legendary career where all 5 members created it The Chain from the 1977 masterpiece Rumours. By the time you hear its exhilarating crescendo, you feel as if you can conquer ANYTHING... Even a devastating, soul-c...

It’s the rise and fall of one of the most controversial bands of the 80s… Frankie Goes To Hollywood a band that many here in the US think of as a one-hit wonder. But that couldn’t be further from the truth. These guys killed it around the world, even notching three #1 hits in the UK in one year. Relax, Two Tribes and the Power of Love… Relax stirred up a firestorm of controversy. As DJs listened t...

Coming up, the story behind one of the many genius tracks created by one of the most shy and reluctant stars of the Rock Era. Jeff Lynne ELO otherwise known as Electric Light Orchestra. The lyrics of this international hit have spawned very emotional interpretations. See if you can guess what the real answer is. Was their 70s classic Livin’ Thing written about the suicide of a former bandmate, was...

In 1967, the illustrious Summer of Love, A psychedelic sunshine pop standard, hit number one on the US charts, Incense and Peppermints by Strawberry Alarm Clock but the song was cloaked in controversy, first of all, it was supposed to be a B-SIDE, then it was found that the song was allegedly based off of an instrumental idea from two of the band members who given credit. One Ed King, who would go...

It’s a song with a storied history and a bittersweet legacy. But you’d never know just listening to it. That’s because this is one of those happy-go-lucky pop tunes we were all singing along with back in the 80s. However, in the studio and behind the scenes… it was a different story. Walk Like An Egyptian by the Bangles. This song was actually the catalyst for this band’s breakup. It all fell apar...

Coming up the story of a song that was written on a bet… Graham Nash was staying with a friend in Hawaii and was getting ready to leave the island to go home when his friend said if you’re such a big shot songwriter let’s see if you can write a song before you go… I’ll BET you 500 bucks you can’t… Well needless to say he wrote a song quickly and let’s just say he won the bet… oh ya and it also bec...

Sammy Hagar was in Montrose. At the time they were called America’s answer to Led Zeppelin and it wasn’t even the biggest band he’d be a part of…. Since he joined Van Halen years later. Up next one of the greatest voices in rock history, the red rocker tells the story behind his biggest solo hit… I Can’t Drive 55 is a song that became a catchphrase in the 80s and came from getting pulled over by t...

Coming up... the story of a band on the brink of destruction. They had no direction, no identity, and no money. The Moody Blues lead singer & frontman had left the band, and in a last-ditch effort to save the group, the remaining founders hired a 19-year-old lead singer named Justin Hayward- hoping he would spark new life into their sagging future. After a late-night gig, Justin returned home...

Today we’re talking supergroups. And in particular one of the most unexpected collaborations of the 1980s. Damn Yankees. This band featured three big-time names, coming out of three big-time careers… Jack Blades from Night Ranger, Ted Nugent, Tommy Shaw of Styx, and Michael Cartellone from Lynyrd Skynyrd. Starting completely from scratch, they wrote half an album their first weekend together as a...

So how much is too much of a good thing? Well, today’s artist Phil Collins may epitomize the answer. This radio titan got off to a strong start in the 70s, was pretty much everywhere in the 80s, and barely slowed down for the 90s. He took over an established band in the 70s in Genesis then in the 80s he doubled his output by kicking off an unrelenting solo career… Beyond that, he also tried his ha...

In an exclusive interview, Mark Farner formerly of Grand Funk Railroad or just Grand Funk tells the story of a song the came to him while praying. I'm Your Captain (Closer to Home) became an all-time 70s rock classic even thought it was 10 minutes long. It was the opening shot that made Grand Funk Railroad a household name, later having major hits with We're an American Band and The Locomotion, th...

Coming up… The Cure were underground for years making music that the outcasts embraced but then all of a sudden in the late 80s they started getting played on mainstream radio… and then they had a #2 hit with Lovesong from their 1989 classic Disintegration. After that The band that was everybody’s secret became mainstream and then they released today’s song. Robert Smith and the Cure put out a cat...

Coming up, it’s a smash hit from a band that was absolutely hammered by the rock press… At the center of a smear campaign, they called ‘em knock-offs, copy-cats, clones… And they were accused of being derivative of other popular bands at the time. Stone Temple Pilots took a lot of flack... But it was completely unwarranted… and untrue. In fact, in one Rolling Stone poll, STP was voted the worst ne...

Coming up. IN 1984 a film starring SNL alumni Bill Murray and Dan Ackroyd called Ghostbusters needed a theme song badly but scores of artists had tried or been approached but nothing was working. Ray Parker Jr. came in with just days to go before the song was due… but he had nothing and he had the challenge of fitting the strange and very long movie title into the chorus. But what rhymes with Ghos...

Coming up, it’s a musical genius who was in the room for some of the biggest chapters in rock history: Alan Parsons. He was with Pink Floyd on their landmark album The Dark Side of the Moon and the Beatles on several of their masterworks including Abby Road. It doesn’t get any bigger than that. But you know what? This prodigy wrote a mind-blowing chapter of his own. Masterminding an unprecedented...