Everything Fab Four

Latest Episodes:

Episode 16: Sananda Maitreya on why he's "a Beatle for life" May 18, 2021

Show notes

When Sananda Maitreya first heard the Beatles, he felt a spiritual awakening. The son of gospel singer Frances Howard wasn't allowed to listen to music that wasn't gospel until he was 15 years old, but the Beatles were so ubiquitous, he says, that they couldn't be contained. When he first heard "She Loves You," the American singer/songwriter (formerly known under the stage name Terence Trent D'Arby) who catapulted to fame with the number 1 hit "Wishing Well," says the sound and look of the Beatles were "so alien and yet so familiar at the same time that it was utterly captivating. Growing up in predominately Black culture at that particular time, the way the music seemed to fit so perfectly into the culture … It just felt like something ordained by God."

As a young man, Maitreya trained as a boxer, served in the U.S. Army where he was stationed in West Germany and worked as a band leader. Then in 1987 he released his debut solo record, "Introducing the Hardline," which netted him a Grammy Award for Best R&B Vocal Performance. His twelfth studio album, "Pandora's Playhouse," is out now.

On this episode of Everything Fab Four, Maitreya and host Ken Womack talk about all things Beatles, from Ringo's drumming to the birth of a white blues with "Hard's Day Night." Maitreya also takes a deep dive into his spiritual connections to John Lennon and Prince, and tells Ken the story of the time he and George Harrison had a mystical experience together.

Episode 15: Nancy Wilson on how the Beatles planted the seeds for Heart May 04, 2021

Show notes

Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Nancy Wilson rose to fame as the guitarist of Heart, the first hard rock band fronted by women. With hits like "Magic Man" and "Crazy On You" to "These Dreams" and "What About Love?" Wilson and her sister Ann, Heart's lead singer, sold more than 35 million records and along the way, changed perceptions of who can lead a hard rock band. In this episode, Nancy and host Ken Womack talk about the early days of Heart, the songwriting craft behind some of their most iconic tracks, her recent tribute to Eddie Van Halen, and how the Beatles inspired her to pick up a guitar — "We weren't looking to marry them or date them, we wanted to be them" — sparking the passion for rock and roll that would carry her through her storied career.

Episode 14: Just Like Starting Over with Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr. Apr 20, 2021

Show notes

Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr. made their names as members of the Grammy Award-winning group The Fifth Dimension. Together they've logged nearly six decades as pop music stalwarts, while also celebrating their golden wedding anniversary in 2019. And now the iconic duo is back with their first studio album in 30 years, "Blackbird: Lennon-McCartney Icons." In their conversation with "Everything Fab Four" host Ken Womack, they talk about the British Invasion; covering songs by the Beatles, John Lennon, and Paul McCartney; working with the Wrecking Crew; and their own storied history in pop music.

Episode 13: John Roberts on "Let It Be" and how "Bob's Burgers" songs get made Apr 06, 2021

Show notes

John Roberts is best known as the voice of Linda Belcher, doting matriarch of the beloved Fox animated sitcom "Bob's Burgers," but he's also a musician — you may have heard his new collaboration with Blondie's Debbie Harry, "Lights Out." On this episode, he and host Ken Womack talk about the TV pilots Roberts has made that you haven't seen yet, his upcoming musical releases, and which Beatle Linda Belcher would like the best.

Episode 12: Kathy Valentine of the Go-Go's on the Beatles, her first musical relationship Mar 23, 2021

Show notes

Kathy Valentine made history as the bassist for the Go-Go's, the first multiplatinum all-female band who wrote their own songs and played their own instruments to have a #1 album in the U.S. And her first relationship with music? Was with the Beatles. In this episode, Valentine and host Ken Womack talk about her Beatles and British influences, what she and fellow bass player Paul McCartney have in common, and her memoir, "All I Ever Wanted," a deeply personal reflection on a life in rock.

Episode 11: "Little Steven" Van Zandt on his Beatles tribute album, paying "15 years of dues" with the E Street Band and playing live with Paul McCartney Mar 09, 2021

Show notes

In this episode, "Little Steven" Van Zandt and our host Ken Womack go deep into the guitarist/singer/songwriter/actor's legendary musical career and his own Beatles influences, from the Ed Sullivan Show to how dues-paying in New Jersey and Hamburg shaped these bands to the night they pulled the plug on Paul McCartney and Bruce Springsteen in Hyde Park.

. Everything Fab Four's theme song is "Seize the Day," courtesy of Blac Rabbit: Follow them on Instagram @blacrabbit . Everything Fab Four is a WonderWall Communications production, distributed by Salon

Episode 10: John Densmore on how the Doors and the Beatles were on parallel tracks Feb 23, 2021

Show notes

This week's guest is drummer John Densmore, one of the founding members of the groundbreaking classic rock band The Doors. In a wide-ranging conversation with host Ken Womack, Densmore talks about the parallel tracks the Beatles and the Doors were on for the time they overlapped as bands, musical innovations the Beatles inspired the Doors to take, and how George Harrison talking about losing John Lennon helped him mourn Doors keyboardist Ray Manzarek. . Everything Fab Four's theme song is "Seize the Day," courtesy of Blac Rabbit: Follow them on Instagram @blacrabbit . A WonderWall Communications production, distributed by Salon

Episode 9: Patty Smyth on Abbey Road, Van Halen, and how motherhood shaped her career Feb 09, 2021

Show notes

"I think Paul McCartney's calling you": This week's guest is singer/songwriter Patty Smyth, who rocketed to fame with her band band Scandal ("Goodbye to You," "The Warrior"), followed by her acclaimed solo career ("Sometimes Love Just Ain't Enough"). This week, Smyth and host Ken Womack talk about the pivotal Beatles moments that shaped her life, how pregnancy and motherhood shaped her career, and how she almost joined Van Halen. . Everything Fab Four's theme song is "Seize the Day," courtesy of Blac Rabbit: Follow them on Instagram @blacrabbit . A WonderWall Communications production, distributed by Salon

Episode 8: Dessa on the Beatles, the ins and outs of collaboration, and her "Come Together"-inspired song Dec 29, 2020

Show notes

From an early age, singer/songwriter Dessa, the daughter of a classical guitar-playing father, seemed destined for music. In the final episode of season 1 of "Everything Fab Four," the Doomtree Collective member tells our host Kenneth Womack how the Beatles shaped her understanding of poetic license and creative possibility from childhood on. In this wide-ranging interview, they also dive deep into the ups and downs of creative collaboration, an exclusive clip of her "Come Together"-influenced song "Warsaw" and much more.

Episode 7: "A musical punch in the face": Yes frontman Jon Anderson on how the Beatles changed pop, from revelation to revolution Dec 22, 2020

Show notes

Jon Anderson, co-founder and former lead singer of the legendary prog rock group Yes, has enjoyed a prolific career spanning over six decades, most recently with his 2019 album "1000 Hands." Though he had a band with his brother as a teen in 1962, they were largely focused on being the Everly Brothers or Elvis Presley — that is, until they heard "Love Me Do." The brothers traveled to see the Beatles play live in April, 1963, "and it was a revelation on many levels," Anderson tells Everything Fab Four host Kenneth Womack. On this episode, go deep with Anderson and Womack into how the Beatles shaped pop music throughout the '60s, and discover the very specific musical reason why Anderson believes the band is beloved all around the world.

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