Rock & Roll High School With Pete Ganbarg

Richard Gottehrer is one of the most influential figures in the history of popular music—but unless you're a serious student of music history, you may not know his name.

Over the course of an extraordinary career spanning more than six decades, Richard has reinvented himself time and again -- as a hit songwriter, recording artist, record executive, producer, and digital pioneer. So much so that we had to split this episode int...

Richard Gottehrer is one of the most influential figures in the history of popular music—but unless you're a serious student of music history, there's a good chance you've never heard his name.

Over the course of an extraordinary career spanning more than six decades, Richard has reinvented himself time and again -- as a hit songwriter, recording artist, record executive, producer, and digital pioneer. So much so that we had t...

Jim Messina has had one of the most remarkable and influential careers in American music.

As a member (and producer) of Buffalo Springfield, he helped shape one of the defining bands of the late 1960s before going on to form Poco, where he became one of the architects of the country rock movement. He later teamed with Kenny Loggins to create Loggins & Messina, one of the most successful and beloved duos of the 1970s, producing a...

Howard Jones helped define the sound of the 1980s by proving that synthesizers could be every bit as expressive and emotionally resonant as guitars or pianos.

Classically trained as a pianist before embracing the emerging world of electronic music, Howard exploded onto the international stage with a remarkable string of hit singles, including "New Song," "What Is Love?," "Things Can Only Get Better," "Like to Get to Know You Well," ...

Colin Hay is one of those rare artists whose career has unfolded in two remarkable acts.

As the lead singer, guitarist, and principal songwriter of Men at Work, Hay helped create some of the defining songs of the early MTV era, including "Who Can It Be Now?," "Down Under," "Overkill," "It's a Mistake," and "Be Good Johnny." The band's landmark debut album, Business As Usual, spent an extraordinary fifteen consecutive weeks at N...

This week on Rock & Roll High School, we're joined by rock & roll pioneer Gary U.S. Bonds.

Long before the British Invasion, Gary U.S. Bonds was one of the defining voices of early rock & roll. Bursting onto the charts with classics like "New Orleans," "Quarter to Three," "School Is Out," and "Dear Lady Twist," he became one of the biggest hitmakers of the early 1960s, helping bridge the worlds of rhythm & blues and ...

Legendary guitarist, producer, author, music historian, and cultural curator Lenny Kaye joins us this week on Rock & Roll High School.

For more than five decades, Lenny has occupied a singular place in popular music. As the longtime guitarist and closest musical collaborator of Patti Smith, he helped shape the sound of one of rock's most influential artists and has remained by her side since the earliest days of the Patti Smith ...

Vernon Reid has spent more than four decades pushing the boundaries of what rock music can be.

Best known as the founder, guitarist, and primary songwriter of the groundbreaking band Living Colour, Reid helped redefine hard rock in the late 1980s by fusing rock, metal, funk, jazz, punk, and hip-hop into a sound that was entirely their own. Living Colour's debut album Vivid became a cultural phenomenon, powered by the Grammy-winning ...

Few artists have lived as many lives in music as Judy Collins.

Emerging from the folk revival of the early 1960s, Judy became one of the era's defining voices, recording timeless interpretations of songs by artists such as Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Randy Newman, and Leonard Cohen, while helping introduce many of them to a wider audience. Her recording of Joni Mitchell's "Both Sides Now" became a signature hit, and her career has sin...

Bobby Colomby has had an absolutely fascinating career in music.

Growing up in Manhattan, Bobby's older brothers were deeply entrenched in the city's thriving jazz scene: one was best friends with Miles Davis, while the other managed Thelonious Monk. That love of jazz rubbed off on Bobby, who, as drummer and co-founder, alongside his friends Al Kooper and Steve Katz, helped create one of the first bands to successfully blend jazz a...

When Jonathan Cain joined Journey in 1980, the band was already successful. But with Cain’s arrival, Journey evolved into something even bigger: one of the defining melodic rock bands of all time.

As keyboardist and co-songwriter, Cain helped create some of the most enduring songs in popular music history — including “Don’t Stop Believin’,” “Open Arms,” “Separate Ways,” and...

When people talk about the great American bands of the 1970s, The Doobie Brothers are always part of the conversation. Across more than five decades, the band has navigated multiple eras, lineups, and styles—moving seamlessly between biker bar rock, California harmony pop, blue-eyed soul, and FM radio classics while remaining one of the most enduring touring and recording acts in rock history.

At the center of that story from ...

For more than four decades, "Weird Al" Yankovic has done something almost nobody else in popular music has ever pulled off: he built a lasting career out of parody, satire, and sheer musical precision — while becoming one of the most beloved entertainers in pop culture history.

From early homemade recordings and cult radio exposure on The Dr. Demento Show to Grammy wins, platinum albums, MTV domination, and sold...

Everlast has had one of the most unconventional career arcs in modern music—from his early days as a teenager with Ice-T’s Rhyme Syndicate to mainstream success with House of Pain and their iconic hit Jump Around.

After a near-fatal heart episode, he reinvented himself with the deeply personal Whitey Ford Sings the Blues, which went 2X Platinum and features the breakout single What It's Like. He later won a Grammy...

Few figures in the history of Southern music operated as both insider and architect the way Alan Walden did.

Best known as the co-founder (with his brother Phil) of Capricorn Records and manager (and music publisher) of both Lynyrd Skynyrd and Otis Redding, Alan helped build the infrastructure behind what became known as Southern rock—long before it had a name. Alongside his brother, he was at the center of a movement that ble...

This week, we continue our Southern Rock trilogy with Don Barnes of .38 Special.

As the co-founder, lead singer, and chief songwriter behind .38 Special, Don helped define a sound that brought Southern rock squarely into the mainstream—melding muscle, melody, and undeniable hooks. With a string of hits like “Hold On Loosely,” “Caught Up in You,” and “Rockin’ Into the Night,” ...

Few artists embody the spirit, resilience, and evolution of Southern rock quite like Henry Paul.

A founding member of Outlaws and later the driving force behind Blackhawk, Henry’s career bridges two distinct eras of American music—each rooted in storytelling, musicianship, and a deep sense of place. From the triple-guitar attack of the "Florida Guitar Army" that helped define the Outlaws’ sound in th...

Few producers in the history of modern music have shaped records—and artists—the way Don Was has.

From his early days as a hitmaking artist with Was (Not Was) to becoming one of the most trusted producers in the business, Don’s fingerprints are on an extraordinary range of iconic recordings. But beyond the credits, what defines him is his philosophy: serve the song, honor the artist, and know when not to interfere.

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