Tommy Solo's famous friends
by Tommy Solo
I talk musical careers & random adventures with Canadian musicians, promoters, photographers, broadcasters etc. who I've connected with in the biz over the years since I started playing music professionally in 1976. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/tommy-solo-s-famous-friends--4318572/support.
Episodes
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Episode 131 Terry Draper Infinity
Terry Draper of Klaatu fame has been releasing solo albums for years. His regular routine is to release a new record every year in time for Christmas. His usual process was interupted last year by health issues which he is now recovering from. So for this current project, he dug into the vault…
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Episode 130 Chris Birkett
Chris Birkett is a world renowned musician/record producer who has worked with such top shelf artists as Sinead O'Connor (he produced Nothing compares 2U) , Mel Brooks & Def Leppard. His own music has often taken a back seat to his work helping others to create hits, but now he has a brand new...
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Episode 129 Carmine Appice Temple of blues
Carmine Appice is a legendary drummer known for his work with Vanilla Fudge, Cactus, Beck Bogert & Appice, and Rod Stewart. Rising to prominence after appearing on the Ed Sullivan show in 1968 with Vanilla Fudge, he hasn't ever slowed down. In fact, he often has several projects on the go at the...
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Episode 128 Aaron Badgley Dark Horse
Aaron Badgley has been a huge fan of the Beatles since he was a kid in the early 1970s. His fascination with music, inspired by his love of the Fab Four lead him to a life in radio broadcasting and music journalism. He has a new book entitled "Dark Horse the story of George Harrison's post…
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Episode 127 Phil Mogg
Ever since the band called UFO was formed in 1968, lead singer Phil Mogg has been a force in rock music. Inspired by seeing artists like Eric Clapton, Eric Burdon & the Animals and more performing live in nearby Tottenham England, Phil was bitten by the rock & roll bug. There have been over 40…
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Episode 126 Ronnie Robson
Ronnie Dawg Robson is a highly sought after session musician. While he is primarly known as a top shelf bassist, and is listed in "The Titans of Bass" as one of the top 130 bassists the world over, he has a much broader resume than that. This is from his own website: To date, Ronnie's resume is...
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Episode 125 Fernando Perdomo Shameless plugs "Self"
LA session guitarist/producer, Fernando Perdomo has a new solo album out called "Self". It's a wonderful mix of songs that I thought to myself, if the Beatles, Burt Bacharach & Frank Zappa had a baby it would be this album. In this episode we discuss the album, his work with Marshall Crenshaw,...
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Episode 124 Uli Jon Roth In search of the Alpha law
Uli Jon Roth has been a force to be reckoned with as a master of the guitar for decades. While he first made his mark with German rockers, the Scorpions, he has been blazing new trails for himself ever since. He is known as an early innovator of neo classical rock and has gone beyond the norm…
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Episode 123 David McPherson pop trivia for Boomers
David McPherson is a Canadian author based in Waterloo Ontario. He is a regular magazine contributor to Canadian musician, Exclaim! etc., and along with his previous book the legendary Horseshoe tavern: a complete history, he's recently published 101 Fascinating Canadian Music Facts. Based on his...
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Episode 122 Shameless plugs Terry Draper Social studies
Terry Draper has released one new album per year for the longest time without missing a beat. It's his routine to winter in Florida & write songs to record over the summer back at his recording studio Swamp Manor North of Toronto. This year he threw a wrench in his machine when he discovered lost...
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Episode 121 Honeymoon Suite Alive
Honey Moon Suite started gaining momentum globally in the early 1980s & they've barely looked back since then. They've released over a dozen albums over the years & have just released the fruits of their labour over two years in a global pandemic. Teaming with American producer Mike Krompass…
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Episode 120 Hillbilly Moon Explosion feat Oliver Baroni
Formed from the ashes of the Hillbilly Headhunters & Moon MD in 1998, the Hillbilly Moon Explosion have since released several successful albums culminating with their latest album "Back in time" featuring the singles "Sometimes at night" & "Knocked down" . In this episode I discussed with Oliver...
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Episode 119 Rik Emmett
Singer/songwriter Rik Emmett was known as the virtuostic guitarist & singer with iconic Canadian band Triumph, and he has been an independant solo artist since the 1990s. In this episode we discuss his new memoire "Lay it on the line" which is as he describes it "A backstage pass to rockstar...
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Episode 118 In memory of Myles Goodwyn
Legendary Canadian rocker Myles Goodwyn left this mortal coil on December 3rd 2023 after a lenghty battle with various illnesses. On December 18th 2023, I was fortunate to share memories from the life & times of Myles Goodwyn with his three surviving original co founding members of April Wine....
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episode 117 Terry Draper In the beginning
You may know Terry Draper from his tenure with the classic Canadian band Klaatu. Did you know he has just released his 20th solo record? His new release "In the beginning" is a quirky prog pop collection featuring solid songwriting & solid performances throughout. And this time Terry harkens back...
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Tommy Solo classics with Frank Soda part two
This is part two of my 2020 conversation with seminal singer/guitarist/songwriter Frank Soda. In this part of our chat Frank talks about how he survived the music business by widening his horizons & not being afraid to diversify his act. As this episode was originally recorded during the big…
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Tommy Solo's classics with Frank Soda part one
In part one of my classic interview with Seminal Canadian rocker Frank Soda we discuss his early years starting out in the Canadian bar circuit in the 1970s. From his time with Buddy Knox to muscle rocker Thor & beyond, Frank shares his experiences leading up to Frank Soda & the Imps signing with...
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Episode 116 Robert Lawson Who is the Guess Who?
On November 10th 2023 Burton Cummings & Randy Bachman launched a false advertising law suit against former bandmates Jim Cale & Garry Peterson. In this episode I spoke with one of the leading experts on all things "The Guess Who", Robert Lawson about this news. Robert's book "Wheatfield Empire"...
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Tommy Solo's Classics Ronnie Hawkins
When I interviewed Ronnie Hawkins in 2021 he was already 86 years old, but he proved that he was still the king of one liners & had me laughing throughout our conversation. Growing up in Arkansas he was influenced by the music he was raised on & when he brought his brand of Rockabilly music to...
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In memory of John McGale
John McGale was one of my hometown guitar heroes. He was a couple of years older than me & my neighbourhood pals & was playing in a working band around the time I learned to ride a bicycle. He was very popular both in the neighbourhood & at our highschool where he was elected to the student's...
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Episode 115 Alex Machin The Singers Part two
In part two of my chat with Alex Machin, we pick it up from where he was a staff songwriter with United artists in LA. While he would inevitably reunite with A Foot in cold water, there was a lot more to his story in the in between years. Did you know that Alex was the lead singer with Moxy for a...
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Episode 115 Alex Machin The Singers part one
Alex Machin is the voice behind one of Canada's most iconic classic radio hits, "Make me do anything you want." When he & guitarist extraorinaire Paul Naumann joined forces with the remaining members of Nucleus; Bob Horne, Danny Taylor & Hughie Leggat, musical magic happened. A foot in cold water...
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Jaimie Vernon Pop trivia 1 revisited
Jaimie Vernon has been a music business insider for decades serving as a musician, record company president & author among other things. He has been described as a walking pop music encyclopedia & in fact, is the author of the "Canadian pop music encyclopedia". The following is how this episode…
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Tommy Solo's famous friends "classic" featuring Tommy Hunter
This is a reissue of my interview with Canada's Country Gentleman, Tommy Hunter. When I reached out to him in the summer of 2020, he was more than accomodating with me & we had an awesome discussion about his early beginnings & his 30 plus years on both CBC TV & on the Nashville network. This was...
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Episode 114 Danny Taylor part two
In part two of my conversation with Danny Taylor, we discuss how the iconic Canadian band "A foot in cold water" was formed, the creation of their biggest hit & more. Danny started in the music business as a teenager still in highschool & he has a lot of interesting stories to share. And Danny...
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Episode 114 Danny Taylor part one
Danny Taylor has been a part of Canadian music history since he was a teenager in highschool during the 1960s, finding success was as drummer with "the Lords of London", once considered to be Canada's answer to the Monkees. After having some commercial success with a few radio hits, the Lords of...
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Tommy Solo's famous friends presents In performance with Jimmy the janitor
This is the first in my new series "in performance with" & we're getting things rolling with Sandy Gillis aka comedian Jimmy the janitor. Sandy started in radio way back in 1968 & some 30 years later developed the Jimmy the janitor character as part of a radio show. It didn't take long before…
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Episode 113 Ray Harrison the keyboardists
Ray Rabbit Harrison joined Del Shannon's touring band in 1962 at a mere 16 years old & he hasn't looked back since. He's been the keyboardist over the years in the Greaseball boogie band, Shooter, Crowbar & more top shelf acts. Currently he is still tickling the ivories with his long time band…
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Episode 112 Walter Zwol the singers
Walter Zwol started fronting the band Brutus in the late 1960s & he hasn't looked back as a pro singer since. He was the first Canadian artist to be signed with EMI records in the USA & had chart success with several singles. While he has worked in the business side of the music business, his...
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Episode 111 Greg Godovitz the singers
Greg Godovitz went from thinking that the Beatles with their odd haircuts looked wierd on their debut album cover to being heavily influenced by them as a budding singer as a kid in the 1960s. By the early 1970s, he would travel as far away as England with his first top shelf band, Fludd. After...
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Episode 110 Kim Berley the singers
Kim Berley is one of the original founding members of the iconic Canadian band, the Stampeders. In this segment of our "the singers" series Kim & I discuss his early days learning to sing & how his singing voice has matured & evolved since the begiinings of the Stampeders. Of course in this…
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Episode 109 Keith Hampshire The Singers part two
In part two of Keith Hampshire "The Singers", we discuss among other things, the challenge of singing in the recording studio & Keith's favourite singers. We also talked about how he considers himself a lucky guy with his three radio hits & a popular TV show in his past. And as always in this...
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Episode 109 Keith Hampshire THE SINGERS part one
& Keith Hampshire's legacy as a singer is no secret to most of the Canadian "Boomer" generation, & his TV show on CBC TV "Keith Hampshire's Music Machine" was an awesome spotlight for all of Canada's best artists of the day including, April Wine, the Stampeders, Light House, Fludd, etc.. Aside…
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Episode 108 Fernando Perdomo Guitar talk
Miami born, LA based session guitarist/producer & multi instrumentalist, Fernando Perdomo came to my attention via his collaborations with legendary drummer Carmine Appice. They've recorded two instrumental albums together, the most recent release being "Running up that hill". When I listened to...
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Episode 107 Carmine Appice Running up that hill
Ace drummer Carmine Appice is known as one of the most prolific & talented drummers on the planet. Having played with Vanilla Fudge, Cactus, Beck Bogert & Appice, Rod Stewart etc., he long ago established his legacy. Now he has partnered with LA session guitarist Fernando Perdomo to create an...
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Episode 106 Jim Henman
Way back in 1969 Jim Henman asked his cousins David & Ritchie Henman if they wanted to form a new band. David suggested he would be interested if Jim could get his friend Myles Goodwyn to join. This would be the early beginnings of what became the iconic Canadian band, April Wine. Jim quit April...
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Episode 105 Ritchie Henman High adventure
Ritchie Henman is an original founding member of iconic Canadian classic rock band April Wine. He & his brother David were inspired at an early age to pick up musical instruments & inspired by their parents, treated their early bands like a business. This would pay off big time when Ritchie, his...
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Episode 104 Rod Raslack the singers
While Rod Raslack may not be as famous as most featured guests in this series "the singers", he has none the less dedicated most of his life to his craft as a top shelf singer. Growing up in Thunder Bay, Ontario he decided against pursuing record deals, fame & fortune & the things most small town...
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Episode 103 Harry Hess Mood Swings 30th anniversary
Singer/songwriter record producer Harry Hess signed his 1st record deal at a mere 15 years old. Since then, he has recorded over a dozen albums with his most widely known act, Harem Scarem. June 2023 marks the 30th anniversary of their biggest breakthrough album, Mood Swings. Harry has teamed up...
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Episode 102 UNIVERSAL HONEY part two
In part two of my conversation Leslie Stanwyck & Johnny Sinclair aka "Universal Honey" we continue discussing the struggle of being in a band in today's world. Life as artists during a global pandemic isn't easy, but they've managed to soldier through & after acquiring the rights to their old...
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Episode 102 Universal Honey part one
Leslie Stanwyck & Johnny Sinclair were members of "The pursuit of happiness" during that group's (fronted by Moe Berg) height of popularity. They continue to this day singing the praises of Moe Berg as an artist & genuine human being. Feeling the need to spread their wings & grow as artists under...
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Shameless Plugs Andy Curran 30th re release
Andy Curran who you probably know as co-founding member of iconic classic Canadian band, Coney Hatch has new stuff to share. Something old is new & revamped & something relatively new is coming soon for another round! In this "shameless plugs" episode Andy tells us all about his special 30th...
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Episode 101 Sarina Haggarty the singers
Sarina Haggarty is a rising star from London Ontario. She was only 18 years old when I met her a few years ago, while she was in her final year as a student in the Music Industry Arts program at Fanshawe college. At that point, she had already accomplished a lot at such a young age. She had...
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Episode 100 Ted Axe "the singers"
Ted Axe is a veteran of the music business, having logged decades as a singer/songwriter. He got his first break as the frontman with one of Canada's earliest Punk bands circa 1977. Since then his journey has taken him from Ottawa to Montreal, Toronto & LA , Canada's West coast. He eventually...
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Episode 99 Gerry Young "the insiders" part two
In part two of my conversation with music industry insider Gerry Young of Current Management, we discuss his experiences with Dire Straits, 10cc & other world wide stars among other things. During our chat we also talked about how he managed to sell Marvin Gaye's last concert recordings to former...
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Episode 99 Gerry Young "the insiders" part one
This week I'm introducing yet another series on my podcast all about the entertainment "insiders". The people who keep the machine oiled & running. I couldn't have picked a better guest to debut this series with than Gerry Young. He has worked in various areas in entertainment since the 1970s,...
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Episode 99 Gerry Young the insiders preview
I've started a brand new series on this podcast all about the entertainment biz insiders. And here's a sneak preview of the first episode in this series, featuring record company executive & band manager, Gerry Young. Gerry went from working in TV production to managing chart topping 1980s band...
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Episode 98 Valerie Shearman "the singers" part two
In part two of my conversation with Valerie Shearman, we discuss how she became the front woman with not just one but two top shelf tributes to Heart. We also talk vocal technique, her passion for horses, an upcoming documentary about her late husband Buzz Shearman & the band Moxy....and a lot...
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Episode 98 Valerie Shearman "The singers" Part one
Valerie Shearman went from being a kid who remembered her Grandfather playing fiddle at the Calgary Stampede to being placed in foster care at a young age with a musical family. Years later she would be forced to move on from her life with Moxy frontman, Buzz Shearman after his untimely passing…
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Episode 97 Virgil Scott the singers Part Two
In part two of my chat with Virgil Scott, the focus is on the business side of the music business with some fun memories shared along the way. You may not be familiar with Virgil Scott if you live outside the greater Toronto area, but you've likely heard him singing some of the most memorable...
About this show
I talk musical careers & random adventures with Canadian musicians, promoters, photographers, broadcasters etc. who I've connected with in the biz over the years since I started playing music professionally in 1976.
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/tommy-solo-s-famous-friends--4318572/support.
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