There has been a lot of one-hit-wonders in the history of the Top 40. Few of those one-offs have had the impact of Percy Sledge's great claim to fame. You might be surprised however that he gave most of the royalties to a couple of friends in a great act of generosity ..... but at the time he didn't know how generous he was being.
This is an interview from earlier in the career of Michael Buble. He had just achieved his first major album success in Australia and also had a successful movie theme to his credit. Michael explains the important roles played in his career by his grandfather, a former Canadian Prime Minister and a world famous record producer.
He's a big man in rock in more ways than one! The first Meat Loaf album, "Bat Out Of Hell", appeared to make him an overnight success however it certainly wasn't overnight in the making. You might be surprised how long it actually took to make. Ian Keenan was definitely surprised by Meat Loaf's reaction to the term "rock opera"!
There has been a number of very successful "family bands" in the past, particularly out of the USA. The Osmonds, The Jackson Five and Pointer Sisters immediately come to mind along with Sister Sledge. Kathy Sledge recounts the history of the group and has the stories behind most of their hits including "We Are Family", "Frankie" and "He's The Greatest Dancer".
In the 60's one of the USA's most prolific songwriting teams was that of Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich. In this extensive interview you'll hear how they wrote some of the greatest hits of the era and worked with some of the greats. Neil Diamond and legendary producer Phil Spector were some of their closest colleagues and Ellie Greenwich told some revealing stories about both.
Here's a singer who's family really supported her. Taylor Dayne tells Ian Keenan that her Dad actually financed the recording of her first single plus relives the excitement of the time she met the original artist behind one of her biggest hits. Taylor Dayne also has a great story regarding how her stage name came about.
One of the "late greats" claimed by cancer is Lee Hazlewood. Lee died in 2007 and this interview was recorded in 2004, before his diagnosis. Lee had plans for a comeback which included a new album with Nancy Sinatra. That's discussed as well as his amazing output in the 50's and 60's. By the way there's a Nancy Sinatra interview here on hitstories.net.
You will be amazed to hear how much money Canadian singer/songwriter Alannah Myles made out of her debut album......the most successful debut album in Canadian history! Alannah has some great stories about the way she lied to get gigs early in her career, how Elvis Presley fans inspired one of her greatest hits plus there's a great tale of when she met Tina Arena.
Did you know that NONE of the hit-making Walker Brothers were actually born with the surname Walker? The late John Walker tells how and why the group's name came about, plus reveals the hit stories behind their well-remembered songs. It's also an interesting reason why they broke up and then reformed for one last hit in the 70's.
How many rock stars can you name from a policing background? To be honest most meet the police AFTER they become rock stars! In the case of Eddie Money he left his job as a New York Policeman to record the hits "Baby Hold On" and "Take Me Home Tonight". He has some funny stories plus the details of the stage musical he's written.
