Rock & Roll High School With Pete Ganbarg

Colin Hay is one of those rare artists whose career has unfolded in two remarkable acts. As the lead singer, guitarist, and principal songwriter of Men at Work, Hay helped create some of the defining songs of the early MTV era, including "Who Can It Be Now?," "Down Under," "Overkill," "It's a Mistake," and "Be Good Johnny." The band's landmark debut album,  Business As Usual , spent an extrao...

This week on Rock & Roll High School , we're joined by rock & roll pioneer Gary U.S. Bonds. Long before the British Invasion, Gary U.S. Bonds was one of the defining voices of early rock & roll. Bursting onto the charts with classics like "New Orleans," "Quarter to Three," "School Is Out," and "Dear Lady Twist," he became one of the biggest hitmakers of the early 1960s, helping bridge...

Legendary guitarist, producer, author, music historian, and cultural curator Lenny Kaye joins us this week on Rock & Roll High School. For more than five decades, Lenny has occupied a singular place in popular music. As the longtime guitarist and closest musical collaborator of Patti Smith, he helped shape the sound of one of rock's most influential artists and has remained by her side since t...

All of us at Rock & Roll High School are very saddened to learn of the passing of our friend and former guest Clive Davis. This is a new edit of our conversation with the legend himself, originally recorded shortly after Clive’s 90th birthday in 2022. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

Vernon Reid has spent more than four decades pushing the boundaries of what rock music can be. Best known as the founder, guitarist, and primary songwriter of the groundbreaking band Living Colour, Reid helped redefine hard rock in the late 1980s by fusing rock, metal, funk, jazz, punk, and hip-hop into a sound that was entirely their own. Living Colour's debut album Vivid became a cultural phenom...

Few artists have lived as many lives in music as Judy Collins. Emerging from the folk revival of the early 1960s, Judy became one of the era's defining voices, recording timeless interpretations of songs by artists such as Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Randy Newman, and Leonard Cohen, while helping introduce many of them to a wider audience. Her recording of Joni Mitchell's "Both Sides Now" became a s...

Bobby Colomby has had an absolutely fascinating career in music. Growing up in Manhattan, Bobby's older brothers were deeply entrenched in the city's thriving jazz scene: one was best friends with Miles Davis, while the other managed Thelonious Monk. That love of jazz rubbed off on Bobby, who, as drummer and co-founder, alongside his friends Al Kooper and Steve Katz, helped create one of the first...

When Jonathan Cain joined Journey in 1980, the band was already successful. But with Cain’s arrival, Journey evolved into something even bigger: one of the defining melodic rock bands of all time. As keyboardist and co-songwriter, Cain helped create some of the most enduring songs in popular music history — including “Don’t Stop Believin’,” “Open Arms,” “Separate Ways,” and “Who’s Crying Now” — wh...

When people talk about the great American bands of the 1970s, The Doobie Brothers are always part of the conversation. Across more than five decades, the band has navigated multiple eras, lineups, and styles—moving seamlessly between biker bar rock, California harmony pop, blue-eyed soul, and FM radio classics while remaining one of the most enduring touring and recording acts in rock history. At...

For more than four decades, "Weird Al" Yankovic has done something almost nobody else in popular music has ever pulled off: he built a lasting career out of parody, satire, and sheer musical precision — while becoming one of the most beloved entertainers in pop culture history. From early homemade recordings and cult radio exposure on  The Dr. Demento Show  to Grammy wins, platinum...

Everlast has had one of the most unconventional career arcs in modern music—from his early days as a teenager with Ice-T’s Rhyme Syndicate to mainstream success with House of Pain and their iconic hit Jump Around . After a near-fatal heart episode, he reinvented himself with the deeply personal Whitey Ford Sings the Blues , which went 2X Platinum and features the breakout single What It's Like . H...

Few figures in the history of Southern music operated as both insider and architect the way Alan Walden did. Best known as the co-founder (with his brother Phil) of Capricorn Records and manager (and music publisher) of both Lynyrd Skynyrd and Otis Redding, Alan helped build the infrastructure behind what became known as Southern rock—long before it had a name. Alongside his brother, he was at the...

This week, we continue our Southern Rock trilogy with Don Barnes of .38 Special. As the co-founder, lead singer, and chief songwriter behind .38 Special, Don helped define a sound that brought Southern rock squarely into the mainstream—melding muscle, melody, and undeniable hooks. With a string of hits like “Hold On Loosely,” “Caught Up in You,” and “Rockin’ Into the Night,” the band car...

Few artists embody the spirit, resilience, and evolution of Southern rock quite like Henry Paul. A founding member of Outlaws and later the driving force behind Blackhawk, Henry’s career bridges two distinct eras of American music—each rooted in storytelling, musicianship, and a deep sense of place. From the triple-guitar attack of the "Florida Guitar Army" that helped define the Ou...

Few producers in the history of modern music have shaped records—and artists—the way Don Was has. From his early days as a hitmaking artist with Was (Not Was) to becoming one of the most trusted producers in the business, Don’s fingerprints are on an extraordinary range of iconic recordings. But beyond the credits, what defines him is his philosophy: serve the song, honor the artist, and know when...

John Oates is one half of the most successful duo in music history — Hall & Oates — and one of the architects of the sound of American pop radio in the late 20th century. In this episode of Rock & Roll High School , John takes us inside the making of a catalog that includes era-defining hits like “She’s Gone,” “Sara Smile,” “Rich Girl,” and “Maneater,” and breaks down the unique musical ch...

Imagine you’re a second-string high school running back. You strike up a conversation with the backup quarterback, bonding over a shared love of vocal harmony. You decide to start a group together. That group becomes The Beach Boys — a band that will reshape the sound of modern music. And that quarterback? Brian Wilson — one of the most visionary musical minds of the 20th century. The running back...

Harry Wayne “KC” Casey is a hit machine. As the founder, songwriter, producer, and frontman of KC and the Sunshine Band, KC helped define the sound of the 1970s and 80s with a run of joyous, groove-driven records that still light up dance floors around the world. Blending Miami soul, funk, R&B, and pop into an irresistible new hybrid, he turned the studio into a celebration — creating a string...

As the voice, songwriter, and driving force behind REO Speedwagon, Kevin Cronin helped shape the sound of American arena rock in the late ’70s and ’80s. His soaring vocals and emotionally direct songwriting powered a string of radio staples including Keep On Loving You , Take It on the Run , Can’t Fight This Feeling , Roll with the Changes , and Time for Me to Fly. REO Speedwagon’s 1980 breakthrou...

To a generation of Americans, Suzi Quatro is best known as Leather Tuscadero on the 1970s sitcom  Happy Days  and for her 1979 smash duet with Chris Norman, “Stumblin’ In.” But long before she stepped onto a Hollywood soundstage or crossed over to American pop radio, Suzi Quatro had already detonated the rulebook. Emerging from Detroit in the early 1970s and breaking first in the UK and...

Noel Paul Stookey is a founding member of one of the most iconic trios of all time, the legendary folk group Peter, Paul and Mary . From helping ignite the 1960s folk revival to introducing the songs of Bob Dylan to a mass audience with their era-defining recording of “Blowin’ in the Wind,” and carrying anthems like “If I Had a Hammer” and “Puff, the Magic Dragon” into the cultural bloodstream, No...

Elliot Scheiner and Frank Filipetti are two of the most legendary recording studio figures of all time. As producers, engineers and mixers, they've worked on thousands of successful award-winning projects over the past 50+ years. Together with fellow studio legends George Massenburg, Chuck Ainlay, Jimmy Douglass, Niko Bolas and Sylvia Massey, Elliot and Frank run the Music Engineering and Technolo...

As a pioneering architect of British folk-rock and one of the most distinctive guitarists of his generation, Richard Thompson has spent more than five decades redefining musical storytelling. As a founding member of Fairport Convention, he helped shape a new sound that fused traditional British folk with rock instrumentation — effectively launching an entire genre — while his intricate guitar work...

As the iconic voice behind one of arena rock’s most enduring bands, Lou Gramm helped define the sound of late-’70s and ’80s rock radio. As the frontman of Foreigner, his powerful, unmistakable vocals drove a run of classic albums and singles including Cold as Ice , Hot Blooded , Juke Box Hero , Waiting for a Girl Like You , and I Want to Know What Love Is — songs that blended hard rock muscle with...

As one of the most respected guitarists and songwriters in American roots rock,  Warren Haynes  has helped carry the traditions of blues, soul, and Southern rock into the modern era. Best known for his work with  The Allman Brothers Band ,  Gov’t Mule , and  The Dead , Haynes has built a career defined by emotional depth, virtuosic playing, and a fearless commitment to liv...