My Rock Moment

Latest Episodes:

Elvis Before the Legend: Scotty Moore & the Rock And Roll Detective® Sep 24, 2026

Show notes

What was Elvis Presley really like before he became Elvis?

On this episode of My Rock Moment, we're joined by Jim Berkenstadt, the Rock And Roll Detective®, to talk about his new book, Elvis Presley: Conversations with Scotty Moore. Scotty Moore was there from the very beginning, standing beside Elvis at Sun Records as they recorded “That’s All Right” and helped create a sound that changed popular music.

Through Scotty’s firsthand recollections, Jim takes us inside those early days with the Blue Moon Boys, from their first rehearsals and the Louisiana Hayride to the frenzy that followed Elvis as his fame exploded. We talk about the musicians behind the sound, the early recording sessions, Elvis’s relationship with Colonel Tom Parker, the band’s decision to walk away, and what happened when Scotty returned after Elvis’s time in the Army.

We also get into Elvis’s Hollywood years, his complicated relationship with the music he was recording for films, and the question Scotty kept asking him: did he really want to be a singer or an actor?

The book offers a rare perspective on Elvis through someone who knew him before the legend took over. I was honored to contribute an endorsement to the back of the book, and Jim and I talk about some of the stories and discoveries that make it such a fascinating read.

And there’s a Spotify playlist to go along with the book, featuring the music behind the story.

If you love Elvis, Sun Records and the early days of rock ’n’ roll, this is a conversation you won’t want to miss.

Links to Jim Berkenstadt, Rock And Roll Detective® :

https://rockandrolldetective.com

Buy the Book: Elvis Presley: Conversations with Scotty Moore

Spotify Playlist: Elvis Presley: Conversations with Scotty Moore

Find other books by the Rock And Roll Detective® HERE

Songs in this episode:

Elvis - Blue Suede Shoes

Elvis - That's All Right

Elvis - G.I. Blues

Elvis - Jailhouse Rock

Elvis - I'm Left, You're Right, She's Gone

For more information on My Rock Moment, visit www.myrockmoment.com

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Director Alison Ellwood: Behind the Scenes of Culture Club, the Eagles and More Sep 03, 2026

Show notes

Acclaimed documentary filmmaker Alison Ellwood has spent years uncovering the stories behind some of music’s most fascinating artists and scenes, from the Eagles and the Go-Go’s to Laurel Canyon and San Francisco. Her latest film, Boy George & Culture Club, takes us behind the colorful image of one of the most iconic bands of the 1980s and into the complicated stories that unfolded behind the scenes.

We talk about the love affair between Boy George and Jon Moss that inspired the music, George’s struggles with drug abuse, the secrets within the band, and the fallout surrounding their missed opportunity to perform at Live Aid.

Alison also revisits the Eagles, including the tensions that were still very much alive when she made her documentary, and the idealism, creativity and community that defined San Francisco’s music scene in the ’60s. She shares what she’s really looking for when she sits down with an artist and how she gets beyond the answers they’ve given a hundred times before.

It’s a fascinating conversation about music, fame, relationships and the stories hiding beneath the surface.

Boy George & Culture Club is available on Amazon and Apple TV.

Songs in this episode:

Culture Club - Karma Chameleon

Culture Club - Miss Me Blind

Moby Grape - Omaha

Cyndi Lauper - She Bop

Culture Club - Church of the Poison Mind

For more information on My Rock Moment, visit www.myrockmoment.com

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If These Walls Could Rock: The Story of LA's Famed Sunset Marquis Hotel Aug 13, 2026

Show notes

For more than 60 years, the Sunset Marquis has been far more than just a hotel. Hidden behind its unassuming gates just off the Sunset Strip, it became a sanctuary for some of the biggest names in music—a place where artists could escape the spotlight, create, recover, celebrate, and occasionally indulge in a little rock 'n' roll debauchery.

In this episode of My Rock Moment, Amanda sits down with Craig Williams and Tyler Measom, the directors of the new documentary If These Walls Could Rock, opening in theaters and on streaming August 14.

Craig's connection to the story began more than a decade ago when he co-authored If These Walls Could Rock with hotel owner Mark Rosenthal. Together with Tyler, he has now brought the extraordinary history of the Sunset Marquis to the screen.

Amanda and the directors discuss how a hotel inspired by the Garden of Allah became one of the music industry's best-kept secrets, why generations of artists—from Bruce Springsteen, Ringo Starr, Slash, Dave Grohl, Roger Daltrey, Cyndi Lauper and many more—considered it a home away from home, and why privacy, discretion, and trust became the hotel's greatest currency.

They also dive into some of the documentary's most memorable stories, including Bruce Springsteen's chance encounter with Ron Kovic that would ultimately influence Born in the U.S.A., the remarkable father-son story of George and Mark Rosenthal that forms the emotional heart of the film, the challenge of separating rock mythology from reality, and some of the incredible stories that never made the final cut.

Links for more info on the film:

www.ifthesewallscouldrock.com

Find the book:

If These Walls Could Rock Book

Songs in this episode:

Ozzy Osbourne - No More Tears

Guns N' Roses - Paradise City

The Black Crowes - Remedy

Bruce Springsteen - Born in the U.S.A.

For more information on My Rock Moment, visit www.myrockmoment.com

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Blues Guitarist Will Johns: Born Into Rock, Saved by the Blues Jul 30, 2026

Show notes

British blues guitarist, singer-songwriter and Blues Hall of Fame inductee Will Johns has just released his sixth studio album, On Top of the World, and this September he'll publish his deeply personal memoir, Bluesdaddy: Born into Noise, Raised on Chaos and Saved by the Blues.

The title says it all.

Will was born into one of rock music's most legendary families. He's the son of famed producer and engineer Andy Johns, whose work can be heard on classic albums by Led Zeppelin and The Rolling Stones. His uncle is legendary producer and engineer Glyn Johns. His mother is Paula Boyd, making him the nephew of Pattie Boyd and Jenny Boyd. That also meant that George Harrison, Eric Clapton and even Mick Fleetwood were family. In fact, Eric wasn't just one of the greatest guitarists in history—he was Uncle Eric, and the man who inspired Will to play guitar.

But Bluesdaddy isn't a story about celebrity. It's a story about growing up surrounded by brilliance and addiction, fame and dysfunction, and ultimately finding salvation through the blues.

Today, Will has built an impressive legacy of his own. He's been nominated for Best Original Blues Song at the British Blues Awards three years in a row, was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in Chicago in 2025, is currently touring with The Cream of Clapton Band, and this September he'll also perform at Eric Clapton's Crossroads Guitar Festival in Texas.

In our conversation, we talk about what it was really like growing up inside one of rock's most famous families and finding his own voice as an artist.

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