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:

How Shambala Became the Ultimate Feel-Good Anthem of the 70s May 02, 2024

Show notes

Coming up….the story of an enchanted land, where joy fills the air, and troubles fade away in the rain… A place where everyone is happy and kind, and the light of the human spirit shines brightly for all to share. The song title, Shambala, is over 5000 years old and it was recorded at the same time by two different artists who released them at the same time, Three Dog Night and BW Stevenson… see who won the battle on the charts. With an exceptional vocal by Cory Wells with incredible backups by Chuck Negron and Danny Hutton...Let’s travel together on the road to this mythical paradise that inspired a timeless ‘feel good’ classic that is illegal not to sing along to! …NEXT on Professor of Rock.

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Moonlight Feels Right: The 70s Classic Born From a Romantic Rejection May 01, 2024

Show notes

A hopeless romantic named Bruce Blackman asked a beautiful young woman on a date several times and was rejected. Finally, on the third request, she said yes… The date went pretty well and Bruce turned the experience into one of the most famous one-hit wonders of the 70s, a song called Moonlight Feels Right by his band Starbuck. But the story behind it is just as good. Up next Bruce Blackman tells us how actor Gene Hackman, an epic Marimba solo, and an accidental laugh in the chorus came to epitomize this classic…. And how Bruce had to rush to get the song recorded as Lynyrd Skynyrd was kicking him out of the studio... And how the song led to a marriage proposal, and if she said yes… Next on Professor of Rock.

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Hard to Handle: The 1990 Hit That Set the Stage for Grunge Apr 30, 2024

Show notes

From 1989 to 1990 Rock on Mainstream radio was dying… Boy Bands and sugary pop was taking over… History says that Nirvana came in and saved it… But the truth is that Chris Robinson, who I am interviewing next, and his band The Black Crowes revitalized rock a full 2 years before Nirvana or Pearl Jam. They did it with a B-Side Cover song from the 60s… Hard to Handle was originally sung by Otis Redding. The Crowes hardened it up and the song and their album Shake Your Money Maker reignited rock and roll…AND BLEW AWAY THE WANNABEES setting the stage for grunge ... THE STORY IS NEXT on Professor of Rock.

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The Story Behind American Woman and the Battle Over Guess Who’s Name Apr 29, 2024

Show notes

Today, we’re returning to a new show on this channel… One that has us diving deep into the catalogs of the greatest bands of all time, and telling their stories via five essential tracks. But this time around we’ve got a twist for you. Instead of just following the band, we’re following the careers of two iconic musicians, Burton Cummings and Randy Bachman, who epitomized the band The Guess Who… including how they came up with the smash hit American Woman on the spot while playing a show. And how Randy’s BTO throwaway track You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet was written just to tease his brother, but then became one of the greatest “singalongs” of all time. Most importantly we’ll get into how the Guess Who’s name was taken from the Cummings and Bachman… and tell you how Burton is taking the so-called nuclear option to snuff out them out… next on Professor of Rock.

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The Mystery Behind The Cars' Drive: A Frontman’s Best Song Given Away Apr 27, 2024

Show notes

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Evil Woman: The Revenge Song Jeff Lynne Wrote in Minutes Apr 26, 2024

Show notes

One of rock’s definitive frontmen, Jeff Lynne of Electric Light Orchestra, was the victim of a serial cheater. Jeff was smitten by this seductress but she made his life a living hell in her path of destruction. So naturally he got even by writing a song about it... He called it Evil Woman. Only he felt it was just filler… after all, he’d written in just a few minutes. In fact Jeff would say Evil Woman was the fastest song he ever wrote and part of the music was from a song he’d written earlier called Nightider that he played backwards. In the end Evil Woman became ELO’s first major hit and one of his favorites. The story is next on Professor of Rock.

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Singing Out of His Range Made Love Hurts a 70s Rock Classic Apr 25, 2024

Show notes

Coming up….the story of one of the first power ballads: Love Hurts. This one originated during a stormy time for The Everly Brothers, one the most prolific sibling acts in recorded music history. GET THIS... Love Hurts was covered DOZENS OF times by some huge artists but It was NEVER a hit until the Scottish rookie band Nazareth recorded the definitive version. And even then, it struggled to find an audience before blowing up around the globe. We’re going to talk about how this Love Hurts finally got its due, and…and how Nazareth with the spectacular lead vocals of Dan McCafferty was erroneously pronounced DEAD after one of the most notorious plane crashes of the Rock Era. But in the end… it was fake news….the story of this 70s hard rock classic is NEXT on Professor of Rock.

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Cutting Crew's 1987 Dominance: What Happened After Their Smash Success? Apr 24, 2024

Show notes

Coming up, Cutting Crew ruled 1987 with 3 big hits from their album Broadcast… (I Just) Died in You Arms, I’ve Been in Love Before, and One For the Mockingbird. And then by the next year, they were gone… Never to be heard from again. It’s quite perplexing because they had everything going for them to last a decade or more, the looks, the songs, the style... Up next lead singer Nick Van Eede tells the story of a wondrous period when Cutting Crew topped the charts with a platinum album, a #1 single, and 2 other big hits that put them in the running… Find out what happened to them next on Professor of Rock.

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How a Dad Joke Gave the Bellamy Brothers a #1 Hit in the 70s Apr 23, 2024

Show notes

Coming up… an interview with Howard and David Bellamy, aka the Bellamy Brothers… They’re a band that had 10 #1 hits and a top 10 hit in three straight decades on one chart and had one of the biggest #1 hits of the 70s on the pop charts with a song that Neil Diamond’s roadie wrote… “Let Your Love Flow.” Neil didn’t do the song and then it was passed over by others until the Bellamys stepped in and made it a standard. And then they followed it up with another huge hit: “If I Said You Have a Beautiful Body Would You Hold It Against Me.” That one’s essentially a dad joke, but because of its title, everyone still remembers it. Coming up on Professor of Rock.

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Full Moon Fever: How Tom Petty Defied Rejection to Create a Classic Apr 23, 2024

Show notes

Coming up, an interview with one of the greatest guitarists of the rock era, Mike Campbell, from Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, a band that ruled the landscape for over 4 decades. Mike tells the story of Full Moon Fever, an album that he helped write and produce with 2 other legends that they were sure would be a smash… Unfortunately, their label had no such belief. In fact, the album was flat-out rejected. But that didn’t stop another major record label from signing a secret contract with Tom Petty. And it turns out the label was dead wrong as Full Moon Fever became Petty’s biggest seller ever and churned out 3 #1 hits, including today’s feature Running Down a Dream. But this was during the time when Compact Discs were replacing records and tapes so the singer. Ever a traditionalist, Tom left a little message for the CD buyers. Also, the amazing solo fell out in one take... A great interview is coming up next on Professor of Rock.

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