Professor of Rock

COMING up a classic hit double A Side from one of the Depeche Mode In the 80s the band was starting to make it’s way up the charts and they haven’t stopped since. Today we break down the beautiful, sensitive Martin Gore Ballad Somebody along with it’s other side Blasphemous Rumors. Believe it or not the latter song caused an uproar in my small community of Blackfoot Idaho for it’s out right blasphemy…in fact when the main writer showed it to the rest of the band one key members was afraid it would offend everyone… . When Martin Gore brought Somebody to David Gahan, the late Andrew Fletcher and Alan Wilder he decided to sing it.. and sing it he did… buck naked. He wasted to sing it in the nude to capture the vulnerability perfectly. Boy did he ever. Coming up next the story of an 80s DM classic and how it lead to other great song of the same nature like, Enjoy the Silence, Stripped, A Question of Lust and more.. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Coming up, the harrowing details behind a near fatal car crash that put one of the great musical Genius Stevie Wonder in a coma for 4 days. He had just come off Talking Book the #1 album that gave him grammys and hits including You are the Sunshine of My Life and his cousin smacked into a flatbed truck in front of them and Stevie was stuck in the head and bleeding. He was rushed to a hospital and was near death for days. When his cousin came to see him he began to sing his latest song Higher Ground softly to him and Stevie woke up. He was afraid he’d lost his musical abilities since he could no longer taste or smell but days later he mustered enough to try his clarinet and he could still jam. Stevie felt that the accident was his destiny and felt he was given a second chance at life and Higher Ground was the perfect omen for that. He would then release several historic albums including Songs in the Key of Life and fulfillingness first finale and embrace the future. We also include an interview with rock hall of famer who witnessed it first hand when Little Stevie Wonder came to Motown. He had just written his first song at the age of 10! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee 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 a #1 smash with the distinction of having one of the most innovative and unforgettable music videos ever made. Peter Gabriel’s super catchy #1 hit Sledgehammer. Made up of over 100 hours of filming…the song was written by the master artist who lived on the fringes of pop culture stardom for decades. But after releasing this song, it’s awesome video, and his extraordinary album So, Peter Gabriel was on everyone’s radar. And in the process, he even one-upped his former bandmates, Phil Collins and Genesis stealing the #1 spot from one of their biggest hits, Invisible Touch, replacing them at the top of the charts. Most people don’t realize, this innocent fun loving hit is all about SEX! Coming up, get the story of how this slice of ear candy came out of nowhere to become an all-time 80s favorite and actually When He REPLACED his Former Band Genesis at #1, Phil Collins Wanted to Send a Note that said: Congratulations Bastard! The story is NEXT on the Professor of Rock. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Coming up the story of the monumental #1 hit the Age of Aquarius/Let the Sunshine one of the biggest #1 hit of 1969 by the 5th Dimension… It’s definitely a song that defined it’s time. today we have an exclusive interview from two important former members of the group, Billy Davis Jr and Marilyn McCoo. … It all happened because Billy accidentally left his wallet in a new york taxi cab…. He realized this when he got to hit hotel room and his wife said well you’ll never see that again… they they got a call some time later from an honest stranger who found the wallet and wanted to return it… The stranger happened to be a big broadway producer and would invite the two of them to see the hit musical HAIR. As soon as the two of them heard the Age go Aquarius they knew they had to record it. So an act of honestly led to a magical song that has changed the world. It swept the Grammies and we still sing this ditty everyday... Find out how it came together next on professor of rock. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

One of the coolest and lesser known stories in rock history. Drummer Keni Richards used to be David Lee Roth’s jogging buddy One day Diamond Dave asked him what he was up to and Keni showed him a demo of the band he was in. DLR wasn’t impressed. Keni then showed him a demo tape of a bunch of his drinking buddies who jammed together on the weekends.. They weren’t even a band.. Diamond Dave love the sound that offered the non existent band a slot to open for Van Halen on their 1984 tour. Keni was ecstatic. So they put together the band officially and decided to name it Autograph comprised of lead singer Steve Plunkett and tapping genius guitarist Steve Lynch. But Lynch was told that he could use his tapping style while on tour with Van Halen because that was Eddie Van Halen’s thing. As the make shift band came together and played they got better and better and ended up getting a record deal which lead to writing one of the 80s best hard rock songs.. Turn up the Radio. Only Autograph had to fight to get it released as the label didn’t believe in it. Then they had to sell out a little without he music video which was sponsored by paper mate and one of the most obvious product placement videos ever. The song was a smash as Autograph had a built in pedigree for radio with it’s call to action and recorded version for stations… This was a band on fire and then they never had another hit. They are now remembered as a one hit wonder but they deserved better. We find out where the band is now. Hint: the band is still going but does’ have any original members. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In 1986 Level 42 was coming off one of the best songs of the 80s in Something About You. which went to the top ten on both sides of the Atlantic and the double platinum album World Machine. The trick now was figuring out how to do it again. the struggle for every musician. Repeating success in the 80s wonderland of blissful and magnetic rock and pop spectacles was not an easy feat. Fortunately singer bassist Mark King and falsetto singer and keyboardist Mike Lindup were up to the task coming up with a song that nearly matched its success in America and actually bettered it every where else including going to #1 in 5 other countries. the story of the 80s classic Lessons in Love from the album Running in the Family . Up next co-founding member Mike Lindup shares the in depth story of this undeniable 1987 hit that you may’ve forgotten about but will be delighted to rediscover. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Coming up renowned rock front Ed Roland of Collective Soul gives us the skinny on his band’s first number one hit Shine that came years before... He was visiting his parents and his kid brother Dean who was only 15 was messing around with a riff.. Ed loved it and finished the song on the spot…5 years later it would be the biggest rock song of the year in 1994… the brothers would later elaborate calling the chorus a prayer… a rock and roll prayer and a few years later one of the greatest legends of last 50 years, Dolly Parton would record a very strange but cool version.. How Collective Soul became the best of the post grunge era… Critics said they were copy cats of the grunge genre but they wrote this #1 hit years before the genre blew up...The interview is next on professor for rock. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Coming up this 70s rock band ruled radio on their first release… Green Eyed Lady by the band Sugarloaf flew out of the gates as an irresistible ditty fronted by a sensational bass line and mysterious lyrics about a beautiful lady that took the band to the top of the charts quickly. But then the band fell apart. Then they lost their record deal.. Not once but TWICE! Desperate to overcome being labeled a one hit wonder the band reformed and recorded at a friend’s studio. They did a song about the real struggle of trying to get the record label to notice them and the cut throat experience they battled through to get That first and only hit. It worked! The song Don’t Call us We’ll Call you gave them another hit but would they be able to turn that momentum into long term success or fade away again. an original surviving band member, Guitarist Bob Webber tells us both the story of these 2 hits. Singer Jerry Corbetta passed away several years back leaving Bob to tell us the history. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merry Christmas from Professor for Rock! Today we have a special gift for you from our friend the 3rd biggest selling male artist of the 20th century behind only Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra… He tells the story behind his classic Christmas record as well as the magical story behind his #1 hit Chances Are! The first time he heard it on the radio he almost wrecked his car he was son excited. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Coming up, it is one of the most tragic tales of the rock era. Band leader Syd Barrett fronted Pink Floyd for a time and then cracked under the pressure. Whether it was due to excessive drug abuse, a preexisting mental illness, or psychological strain its not entirely clear. However the band was forced to go without him. But his memory would haunt the band members Rogers Waters and David Gilmour ever after, and cast a shadow over some of their greatest work including The 70s opus the Dark Side of the Moon. with would spend almost 20 years on the charts and become one of the biggest albums ever. Today, we are taking a deep dive into the classic rock standard Brain Damage and Eclipse the phenomenal album’s ending that was inspired by these events. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.