American actress Charmian Carr passed away in mid-September of 2016 and the posting of this 1998 interview with Ian Keenan serves as a tribute to her. It is also a great reminder of the movie role that made her famous - "Liesl Von Trapp" in the movie classic "The Sound of Music".
An American Guitar Legend and judged by many as one of the most talented guitarists of all time: James Burton. A member of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame since 2001 he has played with many of "The Greats" but most famously with Ricky Nelson and Elvis Presley. He has great memories of them both as you'll hear.
Many remember Australian singer/songwriter Kevin Johnson for just one song. It's not that he hasn't had success with other songs, it's just that one of his songs goes down in history as one of the most covered songs EVER written by an Australian. In the USA a major hit for Mac Davis whilst in Australia and the UK it was Kevin who made it famous.
For a time during the 1970's in Australia it appeared that John Paul Young could do no wrong. Hit after hit came easily with the help of producers/songwriters Harry Vanda and George Young. You can hear some of Harry's recollections here but DON'T miss any of JPY's own hit stories of the time. Especially interesting is the tale behind his very first chart success.
The stories on the career of Australian supergroup INXS are numerous. Many were told in the TV mini-series "Never Tear Us Apart". You may have read even more of those stories in books and magazines articles on the band, but there's bound to be some you've missed in Ian Keenan's interview with INXS founder Tim Farriss.
How easy is growing up in the glare of the spotlight? Rabid fans and the never ending demands of media and management - how difficult is that for a child to deal with? Leif Garrett was just 16 when he had his first hit record and much younger when his acting career got underway with the movie "Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice".
British singer/songwriter Jona Lewie had his first international success out front of Terry Dactyl and the Dinosaurs, but it was his solo career that really put him on the map. The iconic "You'll Always Find Me In The Kitchen at Parties" was followed by "Stop The Cavalry" and you'll still hear it's bugle intro played on UK radio each Christmas. Enjoy Jona Lewie's hit stories!
Far too often our heroes are lost to us suddenly. Jon English was just 66 years old when surgery complications took his life in March of 2016. The Australian singer/songwriter was best known downunder but thanks to his role in a 70's TV mini series called "Against The Wind", the theme song "Six Ribbons" (which he helped write), gave him a degree of international fame.
Not a lot of people are lucky enough to live to the age of 90. Even fewer get to leave behind a catalogue of work that will stand the test of time. Sir George Martin accomplished both. He was the record producer behind The Beatles and a gentleman in every sense of the word. His hit stories are compulsive listening.
There are plenty of great rock and roll bands but not many have created a new genre. Status Quo are acclaimed as the kings of "boogie rock". In the 70's they were distinctive for their denim, their singers' long blonde hair AND for their music. They've broken so many British chart records over the years that Francis Rossi almost gets embarrassed by it!
