The VVN Music Interviews

Dick Taylor started his career with school friends Mick Jagger and Keith Richards in a group they called the Rollin' Stones but left before they cut their first album to return to art school.   The next year, Dick and Phil May started the Pretty Things with whom he stayed until 1969 after the release of the now critically acclaimed but initially failed rock opera "S.F. Sorrow". Taylor went on to produce, most notably the debut album of Hawkwind in 1970, before returning to the Pretty Things in 1979.  He remains with the group today.  The Pretty Things recently announced that they would be retiring from playing electric shows by the end of 2018. 

On March 23, Procol Harum released an eight-disc box set chronicling the band's history both in the studio and live.  The one person who has been there for that entire history is lead singer Gary Brooker.  Brooker and Robin Trower came from the band the Paramounts, who had a couple of minor hits in Britain in the early-60's before forming Procul Harum in 1966.   The new band had a major international hit with their first single, "A Whiter Shade of Pale" and led the way in the incorporation of symphony accompaniment with progressive rock music.   Procol Harum continues to record new material including last year's Novum.  Still There'll Be More: An Anthology 1967-2017

This time, we go back to 2012 for an archive interview with Tommy Roe. Tommy was one of the rare artists who was able to keep his songs in the top ten for most of the 60's, from 1962's "Sheila" through the late-60's and early-70's with "Dizzy" and "Jam Up and Jelly Tight". Roe also toured twice with the Beatles, once in the U.K. and once in the U.S. 

Rachael Sage is a true Renaissance woman of the arts. Over her lifeshe has danced with the New York City ballet, taught herself piano, painted, acted, started her own record company and become a successful singer-songwriter.  Since 1996, she has released fifteen full length albums and EPs including her LP of music for dance, Choreographic, and her new EP of holiday music, Joy!

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member Glenn Hughes has had a long and very active career in music, first with the British group Trapeze and, starting in 1973, as a member of Deep Purple Mk. III and IV. It was with Deep Purple that he sang and played bass on the albums Burn, Stormbringer, Come Taste the Band and the live set, Made in Europe. After Deep Purple, Hughes recorded the first of over a dozen solo albums and went on to be a member of Phenomena, Black Sabbath (Seventh Star), Voodoo Hill, California Breed and his current band, Black Country Communion.  BCC, made up of Hughes, Joe Bonamassa, Derek Sherinian and Jason Bonham, have just released their fourth studio album, BCCIV. 

Paula Cole started her career in the clubs around her native Boston before being asked to join Peter Gabriel's Secret World Tour.  Her exposure from that tour and her first album, Harbinger, got her signed to Warner Brothers where she released This Fire which went on to be nominated for Album of the Year at the Grammys along with six other categories including Producer of the Year.  Cole has just released her new album, Ballads, which contains twenty songs from the Great American Songbook along with the world of Americana.  

According to Rolling Stone, Carl Palmer is one of the ten best drummers in music.   He started his career in the late-60's with The Crazy World of Arthur Brown and Atomic Rooster before forming Emerson, Lake and Palmer with the late Keith Emerson and Greg Lake. Together, they created a rare mix of rock and classical music that was a cornerstone in the progressive rock movement.   After Emerson, Lake and Palmer, Carl was a founding member of Asia before striking out on his own with his own band.  He is currently on tour with Yes and Todd Rundgren on the Yestival tour, fronting Carl Palmer's ELP Legacy. 

Ross the Boss Friedman has been a mainstay of the music business for over forty years. In 1973, he was a founding member of the punk icons The Dictators and, in 1980, he started the hard rock band Manowar. Plus, he's been involved in recordings for a wide variety of other artists over the years.  We talk with Ross on the forming of both bands, his work with Bruce Springsteen, how he managed to get Orson Welles on two Manowar albums, his work ethic and his induction into the Hall of Heavy Metal History. 

Singer and guitarist Tommy Victor got his start in music working at CBGB in New York as a sound engineer and, in 1986, got together with a fellow employee, Mike Kirkland, and ex-Swans drummer Ted Parsons to form Prong.  Prong released their debut EP, Primitive Origins in 1987 and full LP, Force Fed, in 1989 before signing a deal with Epic Records where they recorded four albums including Cleansing and Rude Awakening. The band broke up in 1996 with Victor going on to play with Danzig and, later, Ministry, but in 2002, he reformed the band with a revised lineup for some touring and, in 2007, took it back full time.  Prong's latest album, Zero Days, is available now. 

Jett Williams was born just five days after her father, Hank Williams died at the age of 29.  Her birth mother gave her up for adoption and it wasn't until the early-80's that she researched her heritage and found out her father was a country icon.  After a court battle to be accepted as one of William's true heirs, she joined forces with her brother, Hank Williams, Jr., to assemble The Complete Mother's Best Recordings, a sixteen-disc box set that contained 72 15-minute radio programs that Williams recorded for WSM in Nashville. Jett is also a country performer in her own right with her latest being the 2017 set Mount Olive. 

Killer Queen have never recorded an album, yet they have fans around the world for their spot on tribute to the music of Queen. Patrick Myers has fronted the band since it was formed by students at a London university just weeks before the death of Freddie Mercury in 1991.  Within two years, they were on London's West End with their show and, since, have played in theaters, arenas and stadiums around the world including many of the same venues where Queen played during their career.  Last year, they played a major show at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado and will be returning to the U.S. for a series of dates in July.  

Peter Cetera was one of the three main voices of Chicago, along with Robert Lamm and Terry Kath, from their beginnings until the album Chicago 17 and singing such favorites as 25 or 6 to 4, Feelin' Stronger Every Day, Call on Me, If You Leave Me Now, Hard to Say I'm Sorry and You're the Inspiration but, in 1985, disagreements with the band and management over allowing time for him to pursue a solo career caused him to leave the group. Within a year, he was at the top of the charts twice (Glory of Love and The Next Time I Fall with Amy Grant) and he followed with such favorites as One Good Woman and After All with Cher. Last year, Ceterea was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with Chicago and, this year, will be a new member in the Songwriters Hall of Fame.  Peter has a brand new album, The Very Best of Peter Cetera, the first collection to concentrate solely on his solo career. 

The British heavy metal band Diamond Head has had a major influence on the world of metal music over the last forty years.  Formed in 1976, the band released their first two albums independently in the early 80's before singing with MCA Records.  That early music found its way to the ears of groups like Metallica and Megadeth with the former covering a number of Diamond Head's songs in their early shows. Even as recent as a few weeks ago, Lars Ulrich announced his new weekly radio show, "It's Electric", named after the early Diamond Head song and using it as the theme.  After a couple of breakups, the band reformed in 2000 and have been going strong ever since, including their latest, self-titled, album which was released last year. 

For our fortieth episode, we go back four years to a 2013 interview with classic rock drummer Carmine Appice.  Carmine, along with his brother Vinnie, are two of the strongest drummers in rock music. His long history has taken him through Vanilla Fudge, Cactus, Beck, Bogert & Appice, KGB and other groups along with playing in the recording and touring bands of such artists as Rod Stewart and Ozzy Osbourne.  When we talked with Carmine, he had just started Rocker Records and was in the midst of putting together a tour by The Rod Stewart Experience with other musicians who had played with Rod over the years.  Appice recently released his memoir, Stick It!: My Life of Sex, Drums and Rock 'n' Roll. 

Melissa Manchester has had a tremendous career as a singer-songwriter, scoring numerous hits and working with the best in the business.  Four years ago, she ventured out on her own, running an Indiegogo campaign to finance her new album, You Gotta Love the Life. Now, she is using Indiegogo again for a new set, The Gents, a companion to her 1989 album Tribute but, this time, concentrating on the great male singers of the last 70 years such as Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Tony Bennett, Dean Martin and Johnny Mathis.  Manchester sees the Indiegogo route as a way to not only finance the various facets of the album making process but, also, as a way to work with her many fans or, as she calls them, Fanchesters.  The contribute to Melissa's new project, go to https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/melissa-manchester-the-fellas-music#/

Terry Ilous and Patt Fontaine came to America from their native France in the mid-80's where they put together the rockers XYZ. Over the next six years, the band would release two studio albums, break up and eventually reform with two more albums coming out in the mid-2000's.  In 2010, Ilous filled in for Jack Russell in Great White and, a year later, was made the permanent lead singer after Russell left to start his own version of the group.  On Friday, April 28, Terry is releasing his latest solo album, Gypsy Dreams, a great set where Ilous covers a number of rock classics but does it with a special twist. He has stocked his band with musicians well versed in Latin and Flamenco styles, giving classics from "Heaven and Hell" to "Whole Lotta Love" to "Ride Like the Wind" a unique and special sound. 

This week, we celebrate the upcoming second anniversary of the VVN Music Podcast by going back to our very first episode with John Lodge of the Moody Blues.  For those that may have missed it at the time, we recorded the interview just as John was about to release his first solo album in 38 years called 10,000 Light Years Away. Then, it's off to Australia for a relatively new band by the name of Strange Karma (19:26). Described as having the "powerhouse rock elements of Led Zeppelin with the flair and pomposity reminiscent of Queen", they create a classic sound that would have fit in well in the 70's and 80's. Their new album, which they only released on vinyl, is called Cold Blooded.

George Frayne has been playing music for fifty years, 46 years of which have been under the name of Commander Cody.  With his band, the Lost Planet Airmen, he has recorded a long line of both studio and live albums that combine such diverse genres as rock, rockabilly, country, gospel, R&B and country swing.  Commander Cody recently released a brand new album, "Live at Ebbet's Field, Denver, CO, August 11, 1973", the first of a series of live albums from his own archive being put out on Rhino's Rockbeat Records. 

This week, we go back to 2012 for an interview with Freddy Cannon. At the time, Cannon was promoting his memoir, "Where the Action Is!", a no holds barred look at his career and the music business. Our conversation moved from where Cannon feels he should be placed in the world of rock music, his family and wife and how they fit into his career, his friends and associates in the business including his "proudest moment" with Elvis, how he came to own his masters and the current state of the music business.  Book: Where the Action Is! Compilation: The Complete Releases 1959-1962

Michael Schenker returns to the VVN Music Podcast for the second time in a year with another live album.   Last June, we talked with him about the live set with his band Temple of Rock, On a Mission, Live in Madrid. This time around, it's Michael Schenker Fest: Live in Japan which celebrates the music of the Michael Schenker Band with three of their lead singers, Gary Barden, Graham Bonnet and Robin McAuley. 

We once again have a double bill this week on the VVN Music Podcast.  First up is a brand new interview with Steve Hackett whose new album, The Siren's Call, is out this Friday, March 24.   Then, it's contemporary blues great Ruthie Foster who is releasing her tenth album, Joy Comes Back, on the same day. 

Cindy Lee Berryhill started her music career in the late 80's as part of the anti-folk movement, a term which she is credited with creating. In 1987, she released her debut album on Rhino Records, Who's Gonna Save the World and followed with Naked Movie Star in 1989 and Garage Orchestra in 1994. At the same time, she had a budding relationship with rock journalist Paul Williams, who started Crawdaddy Magazine in 1966, which was interrupted when Williams suffered a traumatic brain injury in a bicycle accident. He eventually recovered and the couple married but, a few years later, he started to show the signs of early dementia. Berryhill's life became one of an artist also acting as a primary caretaker.  Since Williams' passing, Berryhill has once again begun to write with the result being her superb brand new album, The Adventurist, which is one of best released so far this year.   

This week we're going back to 2012 for an interview with singer Tracy Nelson. Tracy started her career in the mid-60's with the folk album Deep Are the Roots. After a period when she spent time in and around the Chicago Blues scene, she moved to California where she formed Mother Earth.  Over her career, Tracy has released six albums with the band and over a dozen as a solo artist. Her latest venture is The Blues Broads which also includes Dorothy Morrison, Angela Strehli and Annie Sampson.  Their debut live CD and DVD were released in 2012. 

Punky Meadows was a part of the music scene from the mid-60's to the mid-80's as a member of The Cherry People, Bux and Angel. It was that latter group that brought Punky his greatest success as they followed KISS onto Casablanca Records where they released six albums over six years but the collapse of their record company sent Meadows into a nearly three decade hiatus from the music business, finally coming back last year with his first solo album, Fallen Angel. 

In the 60's, Chip Taylor wrote such hits as the Troggs' "Wild Thing", Merilee Rush's "Angel of the Morning", the Hollies' "I Can't Let Go" and Janis Joplin's "Try (Just a Little Bit Harder)". By the 70's, he had signed with Buddah and became a successful singer/songwriter before dropping out of music to become a professional gambler. Lucky for fans, he returned to music in 1996 and has since been releasing almost an album a year, most of which do well on the Americana charts.  His latest album is A Song I Can Live With.

We're going back to January of 2014 this weeks for an interview with the great Paul Rodgers. Rodgers is one of those rarities that has not only found success in a series of bands including Free, Bad Company, the Firm, the Law and Queen + Paul Rodgers, but also as a solo artist.  When we talked to Rodgers in 2014, he was about to release his new solo album The Royal Sessions which was recorded at Royal Studios in Memphis, TN. 

For the first time, we have two guests this week on the VVN Music Podcast. John Mayall is one of the greatest of the British blues men and the man who gave a start to such musical giants as Eric Clapton, Peter Green, John McVie, Mick Taylor, Andy Fraser, Jon Mark and John Almond, Harvey Mandel, Walter Trout and Coco Montoya. His latest album, the 66th of his career, is Talk About That. Then, it Anders Rönnblom of the Swedish rockers Killer Bee. During their original run, they played across Europe with some of the biggest names in the business and performed in both Red Square and at Olympic Stadium in Moscow.  After a twelve year hiatus, they returned in 2012, releasing a series of albums that has culminated with their latest, Eye in the Sky. 

Jeannie Seely is about to celebrate her 50th anniversary of becoming a member of the Grand Ole Opry, an honor that she says is one of the great achievements of her career.  Since the mid-60's, Seely has not only been a successful recording artist but also a songwriter whose music has been recorded by Irma Thomas, Ernest Tubb, Merle Haggard, Etta James, Willie Nelson and many more.  Her new album, Written in Song, includes her first recordings of many of those songs that were interpreted by others but never before released by the woman who wrote them. 

For most people, Dennis Coffey is best known for his early-70's hits "Scorpio" and "Taurus", but his many career highlights include studio work and production including: Bringing psychedelic guitar to the Motown sound on such hits as "Cloud Nine" and "Ball of Confusion" by the Temptations. Playing electric sitar on Freda Payne's "Band of Gold". Being the first white artist to appear on "Soul Train". Production on hits from Gallery's "Nice to Be With You" to C.J. & Company's "Devils Gun" Discovering and producing Sixto Rodriguez in the early 70's, the subject of the award winning documentary "Looking For Sugarman". Dennis has just released a new album, "Hot Coffey in D: Burnin' at Morey Baker's Showplace Lounge", a live set originally recorded in 1968.   

B.J. Thomas has had an impressive career with hits in Pop, Christian and Country. In 2013, he rerecorded a number of those hits but with updated arrangements and, for a majority of cuts, with duet partners like Vince Gill, Richard Marx, Isaac Slade of The Fray, Lyle Lovett, Keb Mo and Steve Terrell. The resulting album, The Living Room Sessions, provides a unique look into the B.J. Thomas songbook. 

Henry Paul has had success in not one, not two, but three bands over the last 44 years. He was a founding member of the Outlaws and has had a number of stints with the band over the years.  In the 80's he had his own Henry Paul Band while, in the 90's, he started the country hitmakers Blackhawk.  Today, he is in both the Outlaws and Blackhawk with ongoing projects with both groups. The Outlaws' latest album was just released, Live Legacy.

For 47 years, Mick Box has been the guitarist and the driving force behind the classic British rock band Uriah Heep. BMG has recently started a reissue series with deluxe editions of the Uriah Heep catalog along with a new anthology, Your Turn to Rememeber: The Definitive Anthology 1970-1990. Two-CD sets with rarities of their first two albums, Very 'Eavy Very 'Umble and Salisbury are also now available. 

Randy Bachman is the only person to be inducted twice into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame (a fact he didn't know until this interview) as a member of The Guess Who and Bachman-Turner Overdrive.  This is an archive interview from 2014 when he was releasing his DVD Vinyl Tap Tour: Every Song Tells a Story. We talk about his early years playing in bands with the likes of Neil Young, his time with the Guess Who and Bachman-Turner and a host of other subjects. 

Jesse James Dupree was one of the co-founders of the southern rock and metal band Jackyl who have just released their latest album, ROWYCO. Along with being a musician, Dupree also owns his own record label and management company, liquor company and is a partner in the Full Throttle Saloon in Sturgis, SD, producing and co-starring in the popular reality show on the bar. 

John Corabi has gone from five years as the singer for Motley Crue to stints in Union, the Eric Singer Project (ESP), Twenty 4 Seven, Brides of Destruction and, now, the Dead Daisies. He was part of the Daisies lineup for their historic concert in Cuba and is the singer on their just released "Make Some Noise".  

When we last talked with Jon Anderson, he was releasing a new album with Jean Luc Ponty, Better Late Than Never. Now, he has two new projects. The first, with Swedish guitar great Roine Stolt, is the result of the two artists meeting during a rock cruise. Their new album, Invitation of Knowledge, is available now.  The other project brings together Anderson with former Yes bandmates Trevor Rabin and Rick Wakeman in ARW. They will be touring starting in October and have been writing new music together.

Our guest is Roger Earl, longtime drummer for Foghat. Roger was originally a member of Savoy Brown before breaking off in 1970 with bandmates Dave Peverett and Tony Stevens along with Black Cat Bones guitarist Rod Price to form Foghat. With numerous changes in personnel over the years, Earl has been the one constant in the band. He has played on every one of their albums including their latest, Under the Influence, which is available now. 

Our guest is classic rock guitarist Michael Schenker. Schenker played his first gig at the age of 11 with his brother Rudolph's band, The Scorpions. By 17, he was a full member of the group before leaving to join UFO. Over the years, Michael has played with a number of other bands along with his own Michael Schenker Group, the McCauley Schenker Group and, now Michael Schenker's Temple of Rock. Temple of Rock have just released a new live album, On a Mission, Live in Madrid. 

Our guest for this episode is Canadian singer Lee Aaron. Aaron emerged in the early-80's with her album The Lee Aaron Project. While selling well in Canada, Aaron also made a name for herself in England where, even though the album was never officially released, it gained a strong cult following. Through the rest of the 80's and into the 90's, Lee recorded a number of successful albums including Metal Queen, Call of the Wild and Bodyrock. In the early-90's, she struck out with her own label and, late in the decade, started exploring blues and jazz music. Aaron has just released her first new album in twelve years, Fire and Gasoline, which returns her to the world of rock.   

Our guest for this episode is entertainer Bobby Rydell. Rydell made a name for himself in the late 50's through the mid-60's with a long series of hit singles but, even while being a teen idol, he was branching out into singing at the Copacabana, in film and on television variety shows. In 2012, he narrowly escaped death when a kidney and liver were found for him at the last minute.  Rydell tells these stories and many more in his new book Teen Idol on the Rocks: A Tale of Two Chances.   Please note that, at two points in the interview, the phone line becomes slightly faulty. This clears up within a minute.     

Our guest this episode is L.J. Reynolds of the classic R&B group the Dramatics. In 2012, we wrote about Reynolds being dismissed as lead singer and manager of the group. What we didn't know is that, just weeks later, Reynolds was able to legally obtain the Dramatics name in a court ruling. He recently contacted us about the situation and we asked him to guest on our program.  

Our guest this episode is Marky Ramone. Marky's memoir, "Punk Rock Blitzkrieg" was just published in paperback. We talk about his time with the heavy metal band Dust, Richard Hell and the Voidoids and, of course, the Ramones.    Book: Punk Rock Blitzkrieg VVN Music Radio

This is the second time we've had the honor to talk with Nils Lofgren (our previous interview). He has recently released his new live album, UK2015 Face the Music Tour, one of a long line of solo releases from throughout his almost fifty year career.  Lofgren released his first album with his group Grin in 1971 and began a solo career four years later. He has also been a member of Crazy Horse and recorded during the 70's with Neil Young.  Nils has also been a member of Bruce Springsteen's E-Street Band since 1984, appearing on seven of his studio albums and participating in eleven Springsteen tours including the upcoming trek in support of the expanded version of The River.  Album: UK2015 Face The Music Tour VVN Music Radio

Our guest today is Steve Hackett who was the guitarist for Genesis from 1970 to 1976, later recording numerous solo albums along with playing in the band GTR with Steve Howe.  This year alone, Steve has released his solo album, Wolflight, a deluxe version of his album with GTR, a multi-disc retrospective of his early albums on Premonitions: The Early Years 1975 to 1983, and a documentary on his life, The Man, The Music. Album: Wolflight Album: Premonitions: Charisma Recordings 1975-83 Album: GTR: 2-CD Deluxe Expanded Edition DVD: The Man, The Music VVN Music Radio

Our guest is Jon Anderson who is best known as the guitarist and singer for Yes with whom he played almost constantly from 1968 to 2008.  Today, he is exploring other avenues for his music including the new Anderson Ponty Band with French violinist Jon Luc Ponty.  Their first album, Better Late Than Never, was recently released via Liaison Music and includes reworkings of both Yes and Ponty songs along with a couple of new tunes. Album: Better Late Than Never by the Anderson Ponty Band (CD with DVD) VVN Music Radio

Our guest is singer/songwriter, musician and radio personality Michael Stanley started his career in the late 60's with his band Silk who released one album on ABC before Stanley went solo, recording two classic country tinged solo albums.   In 1975, he premiered The Michael Stanley Band, moving into the rock mainstream with a series of albums that charted through the mid-80's and produced songs like He Can't Love You, one of the first songs played on a fledgling MTV, and My Town.    After the breakup of the band, Stanley's career took a turn with him becoming the host of a show on Cleveland's WJW television and, in 1990, taking over the afternoon drive slot on the classic rock station WNCX, a show that he still does to this day.   That didn't keep him away from music, though. In 2003, he started his own Line Level Records and has released ten albums over the last twelve years including his brand new one, And Then.    Album: And Then - Michael Stanley   Audacity Trial Membership: AudibleTrial.com/VVN

Our guest is Lloyd Price whose 1952 hit Lawdy Miss Clawdy set the tone for the upcoming Rock and Roll explosion and became one of the first big crossover hits from R&B to white audiences.    Clawdy kicked off a career that would see Price climb into the R&B top ten a total of fourteen times and into the Pop top three with Stagger Lee, Personality and I'm Gonna Get Married but that is only one side to Price's story. Over the course of his life, Lloyd was a record company owner, got the careers started of such artists as Little Richard and Wilson Pickett, bought out New York's Birdland and made it the first uptown R&B club, promoted prize fights with Don King including the Rumble in the Jungle, worked in food distribution, spent a decade in Africa and, now, has become an author.    And he did all of this while being a black man in a racially charged America. Lloyd's new book, Sumdumhonky, tells his story through vignettes from throughout his life, from growing up in the deep south during the 30's and 40's through his breakout in music and all of the challenges he faced by being a minority in a prejudiced society.    I was honored to talk to Mr. Price from his home north of New York.    Book: sumdumhonky by Lloyd Price   Audacity Trial Membership: AudibleTrial.com/VVN

Probably best known as the drummer for David Letterman's World's Most Dangerous Band and, when he changed networks, the CBS Orchestra, Anton Fig has also worked with a long list of artists since the 70's.    Fig was born and raised in South Africa but moved to Boston in his late teens to study at the New England Conservatory of Music. After graduation in 1976, he moved to New York where he started a career as a freelance musician. In 1978, he played drums on Ace Frehley's solo album and, later, was a member of Frehley's Comet. He was also a "ghost drummer" for KISS, playing on all but one track on the album Dynasty and all of the tracks on Unmasked.    Outside of his KISS and Ace Frehley work, he played with a long line of artists including Bob Dylan, B.B. King, Warren Zevon,  Peter Frampton and many more along with being a member of the group Spider.    In 1986, Anton joined the Paul Shaffer led band for David Letterman's late night show, a position he would hold for 29 years. Over that time, Fig would have the opportunity to play with practically every artist of the time and, between his Letterman gig and his history of studio work, he was able to assemble an amazing lineup of guest stars for his first album, Figments.    The album was re-released on Friday, August 14 after having a limited run of copies in 2002. Joining Fig on the album are such artists as Brian Wilson, Ace Frehley, Blondie Chaplin, Ivan Neville, the late Richie Havens, Sebastian Bach, Al Kooper, Chip Taylor, Chris Spedding, Donald Duck Dunn and Booker T. and the M.G.'s.    Album: Figments by Anton Fig   Audacity Trial Membership: AudibleTrial.com/VVN

In the first of our archive shows, we go back to last year when we interviewed Susan Cowsill and Vicki Peterson as the Psycho Sisters, who were releasing an album 20 years in the making, "Up On the Chair, Beatrice".  The duos great senses of humor and love for the project made this one of the most entertaining interviews that we've ever done at VVN Music. Album: "Up On The Chair, Beatrice" by the Psycho Sisters Album: "Drifted: In The Beginning & Beyond" - Continental Drifters   Audacity Trial Membership: AudibleTrial.com/VVN

The VVN Music Podcast Episode 4 with Guest Ted Kalo of the Music First Coalition. If you listen to any episode of the VVN Music Podcast, this is the one. Veteran music artists are looking at a future where they could receive no income for the music that they've recorded.  Currently, most of these musicians are paid when one of their recordings is sold but, as we transition from sales of music to streaming, that revenue could go away. Currently, most major on-line services do not pay royalties to the performers for any record made before February of 1972.  AM and FM radio stations pay no royalties no matter when the music was recorded.  The Music First Coalition is spearheading legislation currently in congress to do away with these inequities.  00:00 - Introduction 00:55 - Interview with Ted Kalo of the Music First Coalition.  To write your congressperson, go to musicfirst-coalition.rallycongress.com/17671/support-fair-play-fair-pay-act/ 30:25 - The top records of June 29, 1963