Professor of Rock

Coming up, the fantastic stories from the creme of the crop from a pivotal year in the formation of the Rock Era: 1957. Including a classic hit we all sing along to, but decades after it was a smash, nobody knows who sang it. It was recorded by two competing bands who were touring and recording under the same name, the Del-Vikings! But the two singers sounded so much alike that nobody knows who really sang it. Let’s see if we can solve it. Then there is the breakout single That'll Be the Day from one of rock’s greatest legends, Buddy Holly, who stole the lyric from a movie. He knew the song was a hit. But he was told by his producer that it was “the worst song he’d ever heard, so he set out to prove him wrong all the way to #1. Then there was Jerry Lee Lewis, who was playing to such a rough crowd that they were throwing bottles, and then they ran out of songs… Fearing for their life, they launched into a song they barely knew and had to adlib the whole thing. The crowd loved it so much that they made them play it 23 more times. By the end, they knew it would be a smash, and they were right! Our countdown of the Top 10 Songs of 1957 is NEXT…on Professor of Rock.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Coming up next… sometimes you have to ask, is there any justice in the world? Today I’ve got an interview with Don Barnes, one of the coolest singers of the 80s. He’s a guy who doesn’t get the credit he deserves. He fronted the band 38 Special, which started out as a southern rock band, but by the early 80s, they’d transformed into a leading arena rock group. And they released some of the most memorable hits of the decade, including today’s classic Caught Up in You. It was actually a co-write between this band’s guitarist and lead singer, along with a talented writer from a rival band…when the rival band’s guitarist heard about this contribution, he was livid. To avoid a lawsuit, they gave him a co-writing credit even though he didn’t write anything. By the end of the 80s, after 16 hits, this band had a temp singer who came in for 1 album, and he delivered their biggest chart hit. Let’s do it.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Coming up next a story you won’t believe. Talk about an ordeal. Today’s guest, John Parr, has a massive #1 hit in 1985 that is still huge today. It was the theme to the movie St. Elmo's Fire, but the song was actually written about the power to overcome anything and was inspired by a disabled man. It not only hit #1 but was the frontrunner to win the Best Original Song Oscar that year. But then it was pulled from contention on a stupid technicality. But in the end, it raised incredible awareness and millions of dollars for people with spinal injuries. John Parr was at the pinnacle of his career, and then someone in his inner circle betrayed him, and an ongoing litigation kept him from recording music for 18 years! He had to get a regular job to make ends meet for his family and to raise his kids. But there is a happy ending. Let’s do itSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Coming up, we’re going all in on the most unlikely origin stories for some seriously legendary bands and artists. I think you're going to really dig this one... including the grieving drummer Dave Grohl, whose famous band, Nirvana had just splintered in tragedy. He left music for a time, but then, out of the blue, he secretly recorded a solo album in one week, playing every instrument himself. Then made up a fake band name FOO FIGHTERS because he didn't want anyone to know who he was… He became one of the biggest acts in rock. Then there’s the story of Nikki Sixx, who found his guitarist, Mick Mars, in an unforgettable classified ad… but it turns out he had already met him before and even had his number. He had just forgotten about him. Their band, Motley Crue, would become one of the biggest acts of the 80s and beyond. Plus, the singer Darlene Love, who was hired by one of the biggest jerks in history Phil Spector to sing lead on the legendary song He's a Rebel. The song went to #1, but it was credited to another band, the Crystals even though she was the voice behind it! Even today, people still don’t know she sang it. Plus the story of the Everly Brothers who were recorded a Country record called Bye Bye Love but they accidentally sent it to rock stations and it became a #1 rock hit and made the Everly's rock stars!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

When today’s legendary band came out, they were unlike anything anyone had ever heard back in… Black Sabbath! Their music was hardcore and at first, they almost called themselves a three-word title that started with Polka, thankfully they saw a horror movie around that time and took its much cooler title as their name.. Their first record was destroyed by the critics but out of nowhere fans bought a million copies of it and they readied their sophomore record. Needing only 3 more minutes of music to finish it, the band created a track that inadvertently affected the future of rock & roll. Paranoid would change everything. It was the unfolding of a heavy metal anthem was it inspired by dark mysticism or the highs and lows of drug indulgence….find out next on Professor of Rock.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this exclusive podcast-only episode, the Professor of Rock sits down for an unfiltered, full-length conversation with the one and only Paul Shaffer—legendary bandleader, keyboardist, and comedic straight man for David Letterman. From his early days growing up in Canada and discovering his love for music, to becoming a mainstay on late night TV for over three decades, Paul shares hilarious, heartfelt, and behind-the-scenes stories you've never heard before. From SNL to CBS’s Late Show, from jamming with musical legends to accidentally upstaging them, this is Paul Shaffer like you’ve never heard him. It’s a rare glimpse into the mind of a pop culture icon who helped shape the sound of an era.As always, we’re incredibly thankful for you—the listeners—for making it possible to bring these stories to light. Your support keeps the music (and the memories) alive. Happy Thanksgiving from the Professor of Rock.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

STRAIGHT UP. If there was just one Video or interview That I’ve done in the history of my channel that I would want my viewers to see. Just one. that I could leave to this world…Leave to my kin, to my ancestors. Well you get the point. It would be this one. I made a list of 15 artists I wanted to interview before I leave this earth and this was in my top 3. they Say NEVER to meet your heroes but in this interview, I found that belief to be untrue. What you are going to see next is the full uncut interview with one of the greatest singers and lyricists in rock history, He wrote and performed the most played song in radio history with Every Breath You Take with the Police and we talk through his career with the police including the stories of Every Breath You Take, King of Pain, Wrapped Around your Finger and Roxanne and his solo career including his hits If You Love Somebody Set Them Free, All This Time, Fields of Gold and If I Ever Lose My Faith In You and tears are shed as we talk about our fathers and their deaths. It’s very personal and thoroughly uplifting. In the past, I’ve only shared a piece of this, but today I’m giving you all of it. Here is my full interview with Sting.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today, we're counting down the Top 10 Songs from 1984 That Deserved BETTER! We play them all the time, but somehow they missed the Top 40, and Most are better than the biggest hits of the year. I’ve got the story of Prince's gut-wrenching ballad that has been rumored to be about three different women. It was written in a late-night session as a last-minute track for one of the most unforgettable films of 1984. But who is it really about? There’s also a classic song by rock icon Ian McCulloch that was so divinely inspired the songwriter literally gave half the songwriting credit to God. Plus, there’s the folk rock legend Leonard Cohen, who spent years and 80 verses trying to write his masterpiece. He went so mad over this song, and one night, while in a hotel room in his underwear, he started bashing his head on the floor trying to figure it out. Finally, Decades later the world would recognize him for his genius. Plus the most haunting song of the 80s and it missed the top 40! These stories and more are coming up next. Let’s go.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Pat Benatar has something of an adversarial relationship with one of her biggest songs… the Top Ten 10 hit “Hit Me With Your Best Shot.” It broke her career wide open. There’s a few reasons for this, but ultimately, even though she made it famous, it wasn’t her song to begin with. That distinction goes to a struggling songwriter who wrote it after punching pillows in a new age therapy session. Yeah, you can’t make this stuff up. Even though Pat doesn’t care for it, there’s no doubt that generations of fans haven’t been able to get enough of it. It’s an 80s classic rock radio staple for sure, oozing confidence and bravado, putting Pat Benatar forward as the 80s premier female rocker that would be followed by plenty of great hits like Love Is a Battlefield and We Belong.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

I can’t believe I initially stopped doing these yearly countdowns at 1994 because today’s yearly top 10 is truly great. These 10 songs were certainly surrounded by some of the worst songs ever, but they shined like the song that Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan wrote about an important landmark date in his life, 1979 but he had to use a different year than the actual one because it had better rhymes. But his hardcore producer deleted the song from the final album track list because it wasn’t good enough. This frontman was livid. He argued for it so passionately that the Producer gave him 24 hours to go back and rework it, or it was going in the trash bin. So he stayed up all night and perfected it. The next morning, it was undeniable.. It would make the album, but not only that it became the Smashing Pumpkins’ biggest hit and one of the best songs of its time. Plus, No Doubt's Don't Speak the song that was the most played song of the year, but due to a crazy technicality, the Billboard charts wouldn’t let it be included in the charts. So it was never a hit, but 30 years on, it has over 3 billion streams, plus the most Haunting Instrumental of the rock era, Children by Robert Miles. Plus Champagne Supernova by Oasis and Missing by Everything but The Girl as well as Journey Singer Steve Perry and his final song with the band When You Love a Woman. It’s all coming up on a star-studded year-end countdown.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today, we're diving into the solo career of one of rock's most over-the-top frontmen, David Lee Roth. After leaving Van Halen, one of the mightiest rock bands on the planet in 1985, this larger-than-life showman set out to prove he didn't need his former band to make killer rock music. Armed with a supergroup of virtuosos and a stadium-sized ego, he unleashed a string of hits that split fans right down the middle. But no one could deny Dave's charisma and ability to command the stage. On our latest edition of short and sweet, we’re counting down Roth's three biggest solo tracks, including a death-defying music video shot on the face of a mountain, a cover song that secretly featured a secret rock and roll legend, and a track that may have been a declaration of war against his former band. Find out which songs made the cut and the inside joke that he and his former band were perpetrating… NEXT on the Professor of Rock.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Coming up, we’re turning back the clock to the days when the Grammys actually mattered… But for today’s bands, maybe that’s not such a good thing. Because if you landed on this countdown, it means you’re in for some surefire disappointment. I’m talking about the much-talked-about Grammy curse… the best new artist curse… Is it a ticking time bomb, ready to blow up careers? Well, we’re going to investigate this urban legend. And in the process, we’ll tell the story of the singer-songwriter Marc Cohn, who barely survived being shot in the head during a carjacking. Also, there’s the soft-rock quartet Starland Vocal Band that was behind one of the 70s biggest summer hits Afternoon Delight, whose career got flushed down the toilet… destroying two marriages in the process. And then there’s the mysterious singer Bobbie Gentry, who topped the charts at 23 with a haunting hit that captivated the nation. But years later, she vanished without a trace. So… what do all these musicians have in common? They won the Grammy’s Best New Artist award! Is it the kiss of death? Is it music’s greatest curse? Find out next on POR.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today’s featured artist, Phil Collins is a favorite. And he may well be the greatest hit machine of any decade. In fact he was such a prolific hit machine at one point he averaged a hit song every 3 months for 7 years including Solo career and fronting the band Genesis. ..but today we focus on one of he best songs... Easy Lover a song that he was producing for Philip Bailey of Earth Wind and Fire and then in the middle of the recording session, it became a surprise duet and it was just a rough demo but when they came back to record it for real, they couldn’t top the rough spur of the moment demo so they kept it. He can also thank his cheating ex-wife for the hit. It would become one of many hits he wrote about that subject. Lambasting his ex made him a lot of money… You’ll see what I mean next. On Professor of Rock… Let’s do it.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

If there was ever a cautionary tale about a rock group making a deal with the devil to hit the big time, it would be the story of the rise and fall of SWEET. A saga of talent, fame & excess, followed by violence, frustration, alcoholism, disaster, poverty, and death. Along this bumpy journey, there are a lot of GREAT songs that will make you stand up and cheer. I want to warn you….it’s gonna be electric and frantically hectic.. the story of their biggest american hit Ballroom Bltiz from the 70s is .NEXT…on Professor of Rock.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

I really enjoyed this one. Today we're counting down 9 of the greatest female hidden gems in rock history. Songs that seriously deserve the spotlight... including the heartbreaking tale of Eva Cassidy, one of the greatest voices of her generation who was virtually unknown while she was alive. She died at just 33 years old—with only a handful of songs recorded that were paid for by her aunt. The labels flat our rejected her because they didn’t know how to market her multifaceted style, but her posthumously released recordings have since sold over 12 million copies including a song that she covered that has somehow surpassed the Legendary original! We also have the incredible story of Nicolette Larson, a backup singer who found her career-launching Top 10 hit "Lotta Love" on a random cassette tape lying on the floor of Neil Young's car. He didn’t want it and just handed it to her and said "it's yours.". Plus The Primitives who broke up but then a sleazy label allowed a blockbuster movie to use their hit Crash and record a bunch of new instruments into the classic track without involving the band…crazy stories. Let’s get into it.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Coming up, it was the year rock n’ roll dominated the airwaves, and pop culture, and those who were desperately trying to control the status quo thought the world was coming to an end. These stories are crazy…you had a legendary lyricist who wrote Elvis Presley's hit Don't Be Cruel and All Shook Up which became some of the biggest hits of all time, and sold it for a couple of bucks.. then One of the most elegantly performed classics ever, The Great Pretender, by the Platters and was written on a commode during a break.. then there was the song written by a teacher and refrigerator repairman that gave Elvis his first #1 hit. Heartbreak Hotel. Plus Frankie Lymon who sang a love song that he never made a penny from, instead a notorious mobster took credit for the song and finally the scary song Tonight You Belong to Me that has begun one of the most famous urban legends ever where young sisters were threatened by a man with a knife to record one of the creepiest song ever and then when one refused, tragedy struck but is the story true?See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today we're telling the story of Jimmy Buffett, a singer-songwriter who spent years bouncing around the Southern US struggling to find his voice… before he invented an entire lifestyle brand built on relaxation and escapism. This Alabama-raised dreamer crafted a sound he called "Gulf & Western," mixing down home storytelling with Caribbean rhythms and beach-town philosophy that turned him into something more than a musician. This Jimmy’s laid-back melodies and tales of coastal living created a fantasy world that millions wanted to live in. Buffett went from a struggling songwriter to the leader of an army of "Parrotheads" who turned his concerts into parties and his brand into an empire. It's a journey from dive bars to billion-dollar businesses from a song that all the big wigs said was a terrible idea to launching a whole new way of life on our latest edition of Short and Sweet. Let's get into it.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Remember back in the day when we used to draw band names and logos on our trapper keepers, and binders or school tablets? Well these logos, these symbols were more than just doodles. They were declarations of our rock identity. And man, we've uncovered some wild tales today as we count down the best ever. And these stories will blow your mind, like the Nirvana logo that's shrouded in mystery—no one can figure out who sketched it. whether it was swiped from the sign of a seedy gentleman’s club? Or a jab at frontman Axl Rose? Plus the same band’s logo was so low on the priority list they paid a measly fifteen bucks to a typesetter to create it, instructing him to just use whatever font was already loaded in his machine and it became legendary. Then there's the emblem known as "The Lick" that was faxed over to the Rolling Stones' label, but The fax was so distorted they had to redraw it which changed it... but the change was kept a secret for decades. Plus the most famous rock band ever The Beatles with the most iconic logo didn’t actually put it on any of their album cover until over a decade after they broke up. And then they didn’t even copyright it until 30 years after they formed their band... and they’ve made more from licensing their logo than their music. Let’s do it!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today’s song Forever Young by Alphaville is a classic that every 80s kid knows by heart… But here’s the kicker… some know it as a slow methodical ballad and some know it as an up-tempo anthem. That’s because the song was released in 2 iterations, and depending on how and when you heard it, one of those versions is your memory of it. And the other crazy thing is that, even though it’s one of the most well-known songs of the 80s and it’s been used dozens of times in film and television, it was not actually a hit. Not in America. In fact, it was released 7 different times, and not one of those times did it become a hit, though we all swear it was. But when it hit #1 across the sea, the band didn’t even know how to play their instruments. Up next the story of a classic that was a disaster until the band’s engineer accidentally slowed the tempo down. Let’s do it...See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

I’m excited to share today’s interview.He’s had 11 Top 40 hits, sold over 55 million albums, and is one of only a few artists in history with a Top 50 album in six consecutive decades.But even more important — today’s guest is a rock pioneer who helped build and shape some of the most important musical genres and movements of our lifetime and beyond.Like shock rock, of which he’s the king. But also punk rock — Johnny Rotten’s tryout that got him the job as singer of the Sex Pistols was Alice’s song I’m Eighteen, and the first song Joey Ramone wrote for the Ramones was based on the chords of that same song. The seeds of punk rock came from Alice!And of course, hard rock and metal owe a debt of gratitude to Mr. Cooper. KISS begged, borrowed, and stole from Alice — even they admit it — among many others.And what other living rock star was beloved by Groucho Marx, Mae West, and Salvador Dalí? Or was called a great songwriter by Bob Dylan? Or had a comic book series created about him by Neil Gaiman?He also waged one of the greatest comebacks in rock history in 1989 with Poison after critics said he was done — and then won the hearts of a whole new generation in Wayne’s World.We cover all of that, plus the real story behind the chicken and many other urban legends. You’ll get some surprises along the way — and some of the best stories I’ve ever heard in an interview.I’m recording this intro just hours before going in for serious surgery… hoping this isn’t my final interview. But if it was — I’d take it! Ha ha.Here’s Alice.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

FROM THE VAULT: The controversial song about female self-love… was written by a dude? Ha ha. It's I Touch Myself by the Divinyls. This story is almost too good to be true, and yet it is. I have an interview with a Hall of Fame songwriter Billy Steinberg who wrote 5 #1 hits with his songwriting partner Tom Kelly. And all five #1s were for female artists. All 5 songs were huge in the 80s, but at the end of the decade, Billy met with a prolific Australian band and sheepishly gave them his private notebook of lyrics and asked what song they wanted to work on. And today’s iconic female rocker Chrissy Amphlett chose a song that was about self-love. I Touch Myself wasn’t quite finished so the band and the songwriting team tackled it. It’s pretty straightforward forward, and though it was controversial it became a global smash. Let's run it back, on Professor of Rock See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today, we're diving into one of the most innovative and enjoyable bands to listen to in rock history…it’s a group that blended symphonic grandeur with pure pop perfection. It's Electric Light Orchestra. And if you can’t get on board with these guys, you better check your pulse. And there’s great stories to get into along the way… Including the panic-written hit Evil Woman that may have been inspired by a wicked California groupie whose identity is still a complete mystery. But this singer, Jeff Lynne, got even when he lambasted her on radio. Then there's the tale of the double album Jeff said he would write in a month… Only he got writer’s block soon after, and he couldn’t break through it until one day the clouds literally parted and his depression fizzled and he wrote Mr. Blue Sky to chase away his anxiety, and it actually ended up being the happiest song of all time, as backed and certified by scientists. It’s a journey through five landmark albums that changed the sound of the 70s and 80s forever... Let’s do it.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

I ended this series a few months ago because I didn’t think there were any great top 40 songs after 1994. Well, after months of reflection, I admit I was wrong. Most of the songs in today’s year countdown were reluctantly recorded, and were either not intended to be a single, or were an embarrassment for the artist who created it- and they ended up being masterworks... including the Pearl Jam song about a traumatized boy who watched a man he thought was his real father hurt his mother. He turned it into a song years before he hit it big, and never wanted to put the song out. Then there was the Tom Petty song that MTV initially banned, and then edited a lyric by playing a word backward that confused the hell out of listeners and changed the meaning of the song. Then there was the pissed off fan who offered Weezer a multimillion-dollar fortune to just go away, because they couldn’t match the majesty of their perfect debut album. Our countdown is next on Professor of Rock… Let’s do it!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today we are telling the story of the other Canadian power trio that originated in the 70s. And their name isn't Rush. It's Triumph and they maybe the most underrated band of their time. Coming up, We've got the wild tale of how a single radio DJ in San Antonio, Texas turned these three unknown guys from Toronto into arena rock legends, back when that sort of thing could happen. Plus we’ll cover the anthem Never Surrender that ironically planted the seeds for the band's eventual breakup. It’s our latest episode of Short and Sweet, NEXT on the Professor of Rock.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

I’m pretty sure this episode is going to blow your mind. Today, we’re counting down the biggest female power ballads of all time. And some of these are serious scorchers. But there’s a catch. There may just be no such thing as a 100% female power ballad. Let’s just say someone else might have been pulling the strings. There are some truly twisted stories here. There’s the “tough as nails” lead singer, Chrissie Hynde, who was desperate for a hit; she openly admitted she was selling out to get it. Then, when the song was finished, she called it CRAP. Talk about a love-hate relationship. There’s also the turn it to 11 track about Monsters getting it on... Total Eclipse of the Heart. It was originally written for a Nosferatu musical and coveted by one of the most theatrical rock stars of all time. But he didn’t get to sing it. Then there’s the unlikely story of how an American exchange student armed with a cassette tape turned the European power pop duo Roxette into global superstars. Plus, the school teaching duo Quarterflash, who were teaching in the day and playing clubs at night, till their power ballad rocked the 80s, and they could quit their day job.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Coming up next Ya know I’ve interviewed over 800 Famous musicians over my career and I have to say today’s guest is my favorite He’s my favorite person in the music business. A humble guy, a great person. next is A full uncut interview with Huey Lewis… From 1984 to 1988 nobody was bigger. he had so many classic hits like The Heart of Rock and Roll, Heart and Soul, Jacobs Ladder, I Want a New Drug, Stuck With You, The power of Love, Hip to Be Square and a dozen more. Huey Tells the story of all of them here in some of the best stories you’ll hear on this channel. i’ve only shared some tidbits from this interview over the years.. Never the whole thing. Let’s do it. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Coming up, an interview with Jason Mraz, one of the nicest guys in music... about one of the catchiest singalong hits of the last 30 years: I'm Yours. The song started as a rough demo that this artist put on their website. It was just a throwaway B-side. He thought it was good, but it was just a simple song; it was easy to sing, almost like a nursery rhyme, but he soon forgot about it... until a few years later when he was playing a concert in a foreign country and ran out of songs. Ao he played the old B-side and was floored when 10K people knew every word and were singing it in unison. He couldn’t believe it. So when he got back home, he did a proper recording of it. And put it out and it blew up. It set a record at the time of being on the charts for almost 2 years. He tells the story next on Professor of Rock.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

It’s our latest “Fell Short the Top 40” countdown. And this might be one of the strongest years we’ve done so far. These are tracks that should’ve dominated the charts, but were simply too ambitious, too dark, or too outside the box for mainstream radio. We've got the story of Led Zeppelin, who spent weeks in the desert creating Kashmir, a track so massive and mystical that it redrew the boundaries of rock. And the band members have all said it’s the best song in their catalog, but it always takes a back seat to a much more popular pick. But then their famous guitar mortified fans when he let a predator use it in his terrible rap song. In fact, the guitarist was even in on the recording. We’ll also reveal how James Taylor's escape fantasy was actually a shocking confession of addiction and delusion… a cry for help disguised as an upbeat travel song. Plus, we’ll cover the devastating moment when the Eagles closed one of their most successful albums with a bleak farewell—a ticking time-bomb track that was a public admission that the band was about to implode. Let’s do it. Plus the story of Pink Floyd I Wish you were Here and Heart with Dreamboat Annie. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Coming up... this song was written to be part of a rock opera that legendary guitarist Pete Townshend of the Who wanted to make into a film but he couldn’t get it off the ground so he threw it on his band’s next album which happened to be the all time classic Who’s Next! It became one of the most powerful rock anthems ever. So powerful that the legend’s iconic scream was so piercing when the band first heard it they thought their singer Roger Daltrey had gotten into a fistfight with the engineer. It’s a song that is about a revolution but unfortunately, life has now imitated art because the lesson in this song has still not been learned 50 years later… We need to figure this out now! The story of the 70s classic Won’t Get Fooled Again by the Who is next!<p> </p><p>Learn more about your ad choices. Visit <a href="https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices">podcastchoices.com/adchoices</a></p>See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Coming up, the infamous side of fame, where sketchy artistic moves, bad behavior, deceit, and out-of-control egos create career killers. We’ll tell the story of Creed, a band that was on top of the world until their lead singer, Scott Stapp, proclaimed himself a prophet of God and wound up homeless... The story of The Replacements, a band that delivered the most notorious performance on Saturday Night Live ever. Plus, an offensive t-shirt that made rookie lead singer Sebastian Bach a villain, which derailed his band Skid Row as they were on top of the world after massive hits like 18 and Life and I Remember You. And also Peter Frampton, who was riding high after releasing the best selling live album "Frampton Comes Alive" that became the biggest-selling album ever with the Hits "Baby I Love Your Way" And "Show Me The Way" at the time, but a bad movie role in Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band cratered his career. It’s 8 stories of Career Killers, NEXT on Professor of Rock! Plus the story of the Bay City Rollers and Color Me Badd who both imploded after some bad decisions. And Dead Or Alive who became a one hit wonder in America. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today, we have the story of what I believe is the greatest protest song of the last 50 years, Pink Floyd's Another Brick in the Wall Part 2. And the back story is like a classic big-screen drama or the front page of the National Enquirer. It was the only #1 hit this legendary rock band ever had, and they made it count. It came from the landmark record The Wall, which is arguably the greatest concept album ever created. So today’s song might be the most unlikely #1 hit ever. First off, it was only a minute long, and initially it was pretty boring… What made it a classic was a strange recipe… a choir full of children that the band secretly bussed from a nearby school that they never had permission to use on the recording, and the guitarist was convinced to add some disco to it, even though he loathed that particular genre. It may be the most controversial song of its time due to its history. The detailed story is next on Professor of Rock.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Coming up, it's the story of Richard Marx, a Chicago kid who grew up in recording studios watching his jingle-writing father work. For years, he stayed in the shadows, singing backup for superstars and writing powerhouse hits for other artists. Marx spent his twenties as a session singer, quietly honing his craft and paying his dues, trying to make it as a singer. In fact, super-producer David Foster told him he’d never make it. But he proved him wrong… Dead wrong. When he finally stepped into the spotlight in the late 80s, he exploded. Seven Top 5 hits on the Billboard charts. Then seven more Top 20 hits in the early 90s. He was a repeat chart offender who became one of the most successful pop songwriters of his era. So how did this kid go from singing backup to dominating the airwaves? Get the behind-the-scenes story of his rise from the studio shadows to pop royalty, including an interview with the man himself… on our latest edition of short and sweet. He had so many hits from Endless Summer Nights to Right Here Waiting to Satisfied to Angelia...from Should've Known Better to Hold on the Nights, from Hazard to Now and Forever, from Keep Coming Back. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today, we're returning for round three of the Strangest Feats in Rock. And this time we're going bigger than ever before with a seriously supersized episode. Last time our big one was the only artist to sell 90 million records without ever playing a live concert It Enya!. This time, we've got even more insane records, including the band Jackyl that played 21 full concerts in just 24 hours—requiring military precision as they tore down, traveled, and set up again and again with zero room for error. Then there's the shocking story of the loudest concert ever and how Deep Purple cranked up their amps so loud that three fans hit the floor unconscious from the overwhelming sound. It was a stunt so dangerous that Guinness World Records had to retire the category forever. And then there was the largest band to ever play together. Over a thousand musicians playing simultaneously as one massive group. It’s a dream that started with a viral video plea from one man to his favorite band… And it ended up breaking world records in front of packed stadiums. And there’s plenty more where that came from. These rock records pushed music to its absolute limits. Let’s do it.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Coming up next, an interview with an artist who had a bunch of hits in the 70s, with several that will take you back to a simpler time! and are as 70s as it gets. He was known to all as just One Name: LOBO. Well, today we solve the mystery of the real man behind that pseudonym and get the stories of his biggest hits, including a song co-written by his dog. "Me and You and a Dog Named BOO", it’s a really funny story and the song that came from his crush on his high school teacher, "I’d Love You To Want Me" that became a smash hit and topped the charts in 7 countries, including hitting #2 here in America… It’s the story of a mellow 70s AM Gold Artist that’s song were smooth and still are classic of 70s classic rock and pop radio. Let’s do it.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Coming up, I’m finally doing it. My personal top 10 song of all time. 10 songs that were pivotal in shaping and changing the life of a small-town boy from Idaho. These are my personal favorite classic rock songs of all time. There's a story about the genius Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys collaborating with an unknown jingle writer that surprised rock fans and even his own band with the greatest harmony ever…with the song God Only Knows. The story of the 70s classic Baker Street, a song that features one of the greatest instrumental performances of the Rock Era and the sax player was only paid 27 bucks while the singer made millions … Plus Pink Floyd's Comfortably Numb, the song that pulled me out of deep despair following a devastating divorce that ultimately put me on a path to a life I didn't know existed, and Born to Run by Bruce Springsteen the song that made me who I am and busted me out of prison It's the countdown of MY Top 10 Personal greatest songs EVER, NEXT on Professor of Rock.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Bob Seger had been a regional sensation for over a decade but when it was all said and done he had only had one hit in 15 years and by 1976 it had been 8 years since that hit. He couldn’t seem to break through. Well, one night after seeing a popular film of the time he started to have a vision for a song. the 70s rock classic NIGHT MOVES was a very emotional and private experience from his adolescence and sometime later he wrote it at an A&W Drive-in after ordering a burger.. rumor is he wrote it on his tab… He wrote it about a teenage tryst. She ended up marrying somebody else and broke his heart but he turned it into a breakthrough smash single, transforming him into one of American Rock’s greatest rock storytellers. and to think due to a mix-up at his label it almost ended up being a b side… The story is next on Professor of rockSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today we're counting down 10 killer classics from a special year in the 80s that were snubbed by mainstream radio. I’m talking about massive songs from some of the biggest musicians and bands of the era… that somehow never made the top 40. These are real musical mysteries —We’ve got the story of a remixed Don't Stand So Close to Me, that’s tied to what may be the most disastrous band reunion ever… including a broken collarbone and a 12-inch switchblade. As well as Boston's Cool the Engines, that was almost lost forever when its writer accidentally melted its master… Find out how he saved it. There’s also the AC/DC that pulled out of a 6-year slump with a massive record that a famous author fanboyed the band into doing for a B Movie. But it sold 5 million and outsold the movie! Then there was one of the biggest records of the year that landed Paul Simon on a hit list, and then years later, some would try to cancel it for Cultural Appropriation. Find out why. And finally, there was the song that iconic guitarist Johnny Marr of the Smiths wrote, and then declared it to be the best song he had ever heard in his life. But then he refused to release it as a single! Let’s get into it.The story of AC/DC Highway to Hell and Who Made, Bon Jovi Never Say Goodbye from Slippery When Wet, Boston third stage including the Hot Amanda, Van Halen with Sammy Hagar and Eddie Van Halen on the album 5150 including Dreams and the Best of Both worlds, Paul Simon Graceland , Peter Gabriel So and Sledgehammer and Red Rain, The Smiths there is a light that never goes out, The police Don’t Stand so close to me. Try ZipRecruiter for free:https://www.ziprecruiter.com/rockSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today we’re telling the story of folk singer Jim Croce, who spent years playing dive bars and college cafeterias for pocket change… before he finally broke through in his thirties. This Philadelphia everyman wrote songs in the back of pickup trucks between construction jobs, pouring his heart into tales about working stiffs, lost love, and fleeting moments. Jim's warm baritone and fingerpicking guitar-work created intimate three-minute short stories that felt like conversations with an old friend. Tragically, just as Jim reached the summit, his life was cut short in the cruelest way imaginable. But the songs he left behind became timeless classics that still move us decades later. It's a bittersweet journey on our latest edition of Short and Sweet. Let’s get into it.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Alright, you asked for it. So you got it. It’s a Halloween Special Edition of Professor of Rock. Today, we're counting down my Top 8 most haunting, spine-chilling tracks from the rock era. And yeah, we’re gonna get a little creepy here. So brace yourselves. On this episode, we’re telling stories of sonic spookers, dark confessions, back-masking messages, and deathly warnings… including one track that was born from a father's twisted bedtime stories about a man-eating monster that haunted his son Robert Smith of the Cure for decades. He couldn’t escape his nightmares; the only way he solved it was through writing a song about it called Lullaby. Then there’s the song that was so traumatizing for Korn lead singer, Jonathan Davis, that he broke down into hysterics after he finished singing his vocals. And it was all caught on tape. The producer just kept it rolling. I’ve also got the most controversial musician I have ever interviewed on this channel. When I released our interview a few years back, I lost 5000k subscribers overnight…I’m hoping it doesn’t happen again. IlAnd lastly, the most chilling song ever released: DOA by Bloodrock. It was not only banned…for a time, it was against the law to play it. It was so disturbing that the band’s promising career never recovered and they were cursed to be a one hit wonder See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Legendary rock band Kansas was coming off of a huge single with Carry On Wayward Son and album with Leftoverture that established them as the one of the premier bands of the 70s as they were woking on their follow up their main songwriter Kerry Livgren was playing a fingerpicking exercise when his wife noticed and told him he should put lyrics to it. He did and wrote Dust in the Wind with lyrics that go back to Genesis in the Bible making it 6000 years old. The next day he was reticent to show the band this song since it was a ballad and totally opposite to what they were about. but as soon as he showed them they knew it had to be their next single. It became their only top 10 hit and in the interview next original guitarist and founding member Rich Willams tells how the song was such an ordeal it made his fingers bleed and how Steve Walsh made it flow… with special guests on how the 70s rock classic has changed everything.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

COMING UP I’ve never done this before but if it goes well I’ll do it again. A full length interview with one of my favorite rock singers ever. A true legend who will walk us through his legendary career song by song including fronting one of the greatest rock bands ever. It’s our first ever episode of RETROSPECTIVE We start with Sammy Hagar and cover his entire career from Montrose to his solo years including I Can't Drive 55 and then joining Eddie Van Halen and helping take Van Halen to #1 on the album charts many times with 5150, 0U812 and For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge and the stories of his biggest hits including the guitarist he hates working with because he never tries the same thing twice. It's all coming up in our 1 hour interview with Sammy Hagar the red rocker...See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

There must have been something in the water back in the mid to late 60s because legendary bands and artists wrote some of the most life-changing songs ever. Today, we celebrate a true lost art... songs that stick it to the man. From an accidental protest song from rock’s greatest poet Bob Dylan, who put lyrics to a melody from the 1800s but wrote the lyrics down so fast and messy that night when he played it live for the first time, he couldn’t read his own handwriting, so he had to make up the lyrics on the spot, and it became an all-time standard. Then there was the legendary song that Barry Maguire didn’t like. In fact, he recorded a bunch of songs, and his voice was so shot that he trudged through the song without any care; it was raspy, rough, and haggard. He knew it was a scratch vocal and he’s re-do it later, but then the label put it out as is, luckily it was just a B-side, but then a DJ mistakenly played the wrong side and it became a #1 hit overnight. And helped push the 26th Amendment across the finish line. And then there was the Byrds' song Turn Turn Turn, which was taken straight from the bible, and its writer added his own 2 cents to the scriptures that made it a protest song. Let’s get into it. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Riding high on satire…Weird Al Yankovic seemed unstoppable in the mid 80s after Eat It! and Like A Surgeon. but when his fourth record, Polka Party essentially flopped, he almost called it quits. But instead, he started writing for his life. And out of this trepidation, he created a supersized song patterned after the King of Pop Michael Jackson’s latest hit Bad called Fat. It not only won over listeners, but captivated MTV audiences across the world with a hilarious video in 1988. If you lived through the 80s, I don’t think there’s any way you could have missed this one. It was huge! How Weird Al went platinum with Even Worse and rocked 88.Check out this classic, next on Professor of Rock. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Remember when a particular band came out of nowhere and dominated radio and MTV with a big album and a bunch of hit songs, and it looked like the start of a massive career? But then the band sputtered and never had another hit, and a few years later, you might hear their old hit and go "What the hell happened to that band?" Well today we have a special edition of bottled lightning, counting down those intriguing stories. Including frontman Darius Rucker, who was overheard singing in a college dorm shower. His future bandmate proposed they team up on the spot… Then years later, David Letterman boosted their album sales into the millions when he promoted it on his show. Then there was Fine Young Cannibals, who put an ad on MTV for a new lead singer. They got 500 cassettes in the mail, and they all sucked. But a friend took pity on them and recommended Roland Gift, a saxophone player who secretly had a great voice. They had 3 Huge hits and a #1 album and became the #1 band of the last year of the 80s. And then they NEVER put out another song ever again. Let’s do this.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today, it's the story of a band that made rock history by literally singing their way onto the cover of Rolling Stone. This ragtag bunch of musical misfits from Jersey looked more like a gang of bikers than pop stars. Their lead singer wore an eye patch that made him look like a pirate, and their sound was unlike anything else on the radio... they were the musical equivalent of a traveling circus. And they were a powerhouse scoring 8 massive hits in the 70s and early 80s that we still love today. but then they just vanished. It's a wild ride from dive bars to the top of the charts on this New edition of Professor of Rock. We call short and sweet.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

COMING UP…We’ve done two of these, and you loved them and asked for more. The great IMPROV Moments in music, and the 3rd time might be the best. These are some of the most entertaining stories I’ve come across. Songs that weren't planned or rehearsed, but became pure gold. We’ve got a producer who brought a feast of chicken and ribs into the studio and got Screamin' Jay Hawkins and his band so drunk they blacked out during the session…and forgot they wrote a song. When they got sober, they discovered they’d created a shocking, unhinged masterpiece called I Put a Spell on You. There's also the legend Ella Fitzgerald, who forgot the lyrics to Mack the Knife during a live broadcast in front of thousands... but instead of panicking, she rewrote the song on the spot and walked away with two Grammys. Plus, the UK band Blur improvised a two-minute parody track called Song 2 to mock Cheesy American rock, fully expecting it to be a throwaway cut. But their label loved it, packaged it as a single, and it became their biggest hit. And then the broken string that caused a badass guitar sound that the band Metallica was never able to repeat again.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Coming up next, I must have a death wish to keep covering this band but I have the final part of my interview with one of greatest producers of the 70s and ‘80s who produced most of the tracks on the biggest selling album ever as well as 5th biggest selling album ever and he has some great behind the scenes stories on some true American classics including a legendary song that may be the most storied rock hit ever. Hotel California, and there are some stories here that have never been told, including the fact that the song had to be recut three different times. The first time it was cut i the wrong tempo, then the second time it was done in the wrong key. The third time was the charm, and then this producer got a front row seat to the greatest guitar battle of all time when the dual solo was recorded. Then there is the classic song that was just Joe Walsh’s warmup exercise, and the band talked him into making it into a song, and there was the song that was a source of contention between the guitarist and lead singer…The guitarist wanted to sing it, but the singer outfoxed him and got his vocal down on the final. These stories are next on Professor of Rock.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today, it's the defining track of a big-budget, no holds barred rock opus. But writing this signature song would be a harrowing experience for this band’s frontman Dave Grohl. Just a couple years removed from the suicide of his friend and bandmate, Kurt Cobain when he was in NIRVANA, Dave Grohl was trying to move on. Now with a new band Foo Fighters and writing their second album the Colour and the Shape, he was facing all kinds of problems. The guys weren’t gelling and were exhausted from their perfectionist producer Gil Norton. And then he got served divorce papers at the studio. Crushed by the weight of his crumbling marriage… he put the sessions on pause and flew cross-country to his hometown. There he wrote his best song Everlong, pouring into it everything he was feeling. When it was finished, it would become the biggest song of his career. One that would have millions of fans singing along in unison. Get ready for a banger next.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today, we’re covering a truly special group, the Carpenters. This brother-sister pair ruled the 70s and early 80s with 10 Top 5 hits, 18 that made the Top 20, and 15 more that went to #1 on the AC Charts. And we’re going to cover as many as we can, tracing the evolution of their career. We’ve got some amazing behind-the-scenes song stories to go with this one. How about the song that Richard Carpenter saw performed on late-night TV, but had no idea what it was called? But he knew they had to record a cover version because they could do it better. Or the track that one Richard was so sure would bomb on the charts that he bet his recording engineer $1000 that it would flop. And how about the song that Karen Carpenter hated with a fiery passion, and never performed live. And to add flame to the fire… Neal Sendaka, who wrote the original version, went out on tour with them, and they fired him for stealing the show. There are a lot of cool stories on this one. Find out how it all plays out… NEXT on the Professor of Rock.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today we’re talking lost songs, underrated classics, and B-sides that should have been A-sides… all coming from the rock’s mightiest band Led Zeppelin… It’s a mystery how some of these tracks weren’t bigger than they were. In the mix, we’re uncovering one of rock’s holy grail songs. An epic song that could have rivaled Zeppelin's most iconic tracks… But it didn’t made the cut for its album. So it was broken up and scattered across at least four other songs… so you can hear parts of it, but what does the actual song sound like and why wasn’t it released? Especially since it had the potential to be Led Zeppelin's biggest anthem… It’s an episode packed with some of the best odds and ends and hidden gems from classic rock’s most legendary band… NEXT on the Professor of Rock.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.