Music

Professor of Rock

The ultimate rock music history podcast for fans of the greatest era of music. If you’ve ever wondered about the true stories behind your favorite songs, or wanted to hear directly from the legends who made them, Professor of Rock is your new go-to podcast. Hosted by music historian and superfan Adam Reader, this show brings the golden era of music back to life with exclusive interviews, behind-the-scenes stories, and deep dives into the songs that shaped our lives. This podcast uncovers how timeless tracks were made, the creative breakthroughs, the near-breakups, and the powerful moments that defined music history. Each episode is a masterclass in rock culture and nostalgia—whether it’s a chart-topping ‘80s anthem, a one-hit wonder with a wild backstory, or a candid conversation with the legends themselves. Hear the Stories. Relive the Music. Only on Professor of Rock.

Latest Episodes:

5 Unexpected Songs That Became Massive Money Makers – The Stories Behind the Hits Mar 13, 2025

Show notes

Some songs were always destined to make millions, usually through chart dominance and endless airplay. But sometimes, the biggest paydays come from the most unexpected places. Some songs have made their creators absolute fortunes in ways no one saw coming or could ever predict, including the artists themselves. Today we’re counting down five songs no one expected to win the lottery… including the story of one songwriter who unwittingly missed millions in royalties because he thought the song Happy Together was dumb and rejected a writing credit. And another that was a forgotten album cut by Devo until it hit pay dirt and now the author of it makes a million a year off it and it’s become the most played song in MTV history... even though the song has no actual music video! Their stories are coming up… NEXT on the Professor of Rock.

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How Jefferson Starship’s Jane Transformed Their Sound – Was It Inspired by Toto? Mar 12, 2025

Show notes

Up next, the hippie band Jefferson Airplane revolutionized 60s rock with a rebellious psychedelic spirit, but after a split, they changed when the decade ended. Transforming into a classic rock 70s outfit named Jefferson Starship with a more accessible sound starting with the hit song JANE. sung by newcomer Mickey Thomas. who share this insight along with band member David Frieberg who co-wrote the classic, turning Classic Rock radio upside down but didn’t they get some inspiration from Hold the Line by Toto. Find out next.

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Smokey Robinson on The Tears of a Clown – A Forgotten Song That Became a #1 Hit Mar 12, 2025

Show notes

Coming up next, an interview with an all-time legend who had 36 hits with his group and his solo career but only one of those songs hit #1 and it’s insane how it happened. Smokey Robinson and the Miracles with the Tears of a Clown! The eventual #1 hit was originally a forgotten album on an album. Nobody thought it was anything special… In fac,t Smoke Robinson and the Miracles released 7 albums over the next three years after the album with the forgotten song fell out of the charts… Then one day a lady who worked for their label in the UK chose that 3-year-forgotten album cut as a single in a place where the group had only a few hits… It soared to #1 and so it was released in America and it did the same thing. Becoming his only #1 hit and the only major hit featuring a basson. Up next, it's the story from the legend. along with stories of his hits Cruisin, Being With You, and Just To See Her!

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How a Misheard Lyric Inspired Stevie Nicks’ Edge of Seventeen – A Rock Anthem Mar 11, 2025

Show notes

Standing at the crossroads of her career, Stevie Nicks decided to walk away from one of the biggest bands on the planet which had just had 2 massive albums... to go solo. But it turned out to be an uphill battle. First of all, two tragedies would shake her to her very core. Stevie would try and ease into her solo career by releasing two duets with legendary rockers Tom Petty and Don Henley. But the real risk was when she put out Edge of Seventeen, the heaviest song of her career. Guitar-driven and explosive, the song came from a misheard word that Stevie misunderstood because of a thick Southern accent. But thank heavens for it because it would become a catchphrase… She also got other parts of the song from a menu…. It became a smash and proved she could make it on her own. Next on professor of rock.

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How Johnny Cash’s Cover of Hurt Won Over Trent Reznor and Redefined the Song Mar 10, 2025

Show notes

A cautionary tale is more than just a story—it’s a warning wrapped in a lesson. Today's songs spotlight the consequences of risky choices, showing exactly what can go wrong when someone ignores the red flags, turning life’s hard lessons into unforgettable lyrics and melodies that serve as a brutal wake-up call. Up next, Harry Chapin's Cats in the Cradle, a song that is the measuring stick for every father in the world. If you can listen to this one and not feel like a total loser you are doing well. It’s a song that was written by a legendary singer’s wife…he didn’t give it much credence when she showed him but a short time later when his wife found out he’d been cheating for years, he lost his marriage and his son for a time. When he turned his life around the song became a reality… Then there’s Hurt, a song that was covered by all-time legend Johnny Cash, and when the original artist Trent Reznor heard it… He hated it. His song was far too personal for someone else to cover it… But then he saw the music video and he released the song was no longer his. The stories are next on Professor of Rock.

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Revisiting the Top 10 Songs of 1969 – The Year’s Biggest Hits and Their Untold Stories Mar 08, 2025

Show notes

I gotta say this is one for the record books… One of the greatest collections of songs we’ve ever had on this show. Coming up I’m counting down the top 10 songs of 1969, a year so full of classics I could’ve done 5 different top 10s… Including a song that has become such a cultural singalong that we the fans have created our own lyrics to the chorus! Then another one that was the #1 song of the year Sugar Sugar, but decades later nobody knows who really sang it because it was an imaginary band! Then there’s the classic record by The Zombies where the main word in the title was misspelled and nobody caught it… so millions of sales and decades later it still hasn’t been fixed and then there is Creedence Clearwater Revival that had half a dozen songs hit #2, but never got to #1. You’ll be shocked… Next, we have many legends here with us to tell us the stories behind the greatest songs ever! on Professor of Rock.

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Why Pat Benatar Stopped Performing Hit Me with Your Best Shot – The Untold Story Mar 07, 2025

Show notes

Coming up next it’s one of the biggest songs in rock history: Hit Me With You Best Shot. Everybody knows it. It’s played at stadiums and arenas the world over…from pro sports to colleges to high schools… And it would become Pat Benatar's signature song… but recently the song has been banned… banned by the rocker that made it famous. She has said she’ll never play it again. What? Well, this story we covered briefly in a countdown, but ya gotta hear the whole story. It's pretty incredible. And to think it all came from a pillow fight!

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The 5 Greatest Debut Albums of the 70s – How They Changed Rock Forever Mar 06, 2025

Show notes

Coming up, we’re counting down the five best debut albums of the 70s. These are records that reshaped the sound of that glorious decade. Each one is a game-changer and an instant classic. One turned Lynyrd Skynyrd, a group of barroom brawlers into the kings of Southern swagger. Another by Black Sabbath introduced the world to a terrifying new sound, laying the foundation for the genre that millions of mothers would ban from their homes. The debut album by Boston was recorded in a basement, and it turned out to be one of the best-selling debut albums ever. And another by Van Halen redefined what was possible on guitar, leaving listeners’ jaws on the floor. Eddie even wrote a parody song making fun of punk and it ended up as one of the heaviest riffs ever. Each started a revolution in their own way. These records didn’t just introduce bands—they changed rock and roll forever. So stick around as we count ‘em down… NEXT on the Professor of Rock.

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Graham Nash on Teach Your Children – The Most Personal Story I’ve Ever Told Mar 05, 2025

Show notes

I’m going to do something a little different today. No teaser, no regular intro just a brief explanation of a very special episode of Professor of Rock… Do you remember back in the 80s they invented that term…. A very Special episode… It was kind of an advertising term that was used in promos that referred to an episode of a sitcom or drama series that deals with a difficult or controversial issue. These episodes usually had a brief message from the cast or like a title card that said viewer discretion advised… ya know just to let viewers know that the normally lighthearted show would have something potentially graphic or something that could be very personal or unsettling to some. Different Strokes had a few of them, like the one where Arnold and Kimberly hitchhike and are picked up by a bad guy and Arnold escapes and leads the police to arrest the man or I remember the one on WKRP in Cincinnati where the Staff at the station reacted to the real-life incident of that fatal Trampling that took place at the Who Concert… The story of Teach Your Children by Crosby Stills and Nash as told in my interview with Graham Nash.

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Eddie Money on Two Tickets to Paradise & Take Me Home Tonight – One of His Final Interviews Mar 04, 2025

Show notes

Coming up, one of the funniest interviews I’ve been involved with and it’s one of the last full-length interviews this famous rocker ever gave and it’s entertaining as hell! His name is Eddie Money and today he tells the story of both a 70s rock classic Two Tickets to Paradise and his big comeback song of the 80s Take Me Home Tonight. He was a poor kid from the other side of the tracks dating a rich girl. Her parents didn’t want her seeing him He wanted to take her somewhere special but didn’t have the money so he wrote her a song… It became a rock classic then about 8 years later his career hit the skids when He had a sensational idea for a song that paid tribute to the music of his youth so he pulled a '60s legend out of retirement and had her sing a duet with him…It became one of the biggest hits of the decade… The interview is next.

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