Professor of Rock

Oh man, coming up on today, we're getting into a topic that we’ve never covered before. It’s the stories of musicians who vanished from public without a trace. I’m not talking about One hit wonders who never had another hit…I’m talking about actual missing persons… Amazingly, some of these artists would later be found after decades of having gone missing but the others remain unsolved. Some of these disappearances are completely unexplainable, and some of these musicians have been pronounced dead… because it’s the most likely scenario. We’ll tell the story of a beloved bassist from an iconic 80s band Loverboy who was swept overboard by a massive 25-foot wave off the coast of San Francisco. And the tale of legendary bandleader Glen Miller, whose plane disappeared over the English Channel. And then there’s the brilliant folk singer Connie Converse, who packed her Volkswagen and drove off into the sunset never to be heard from again. Some of these artists would leave nothing behind but their music. But did some of them fake their own disappearance? Some people think so. Get ready for seven incredible disappearing acts… including David Glasper from Breath who had hits with Hands to Heaven and How Can I Fall and Gerry Rafferty who's 70s hit Baker Street changed everything. Both vanished. 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, 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.