The Greatest Female Rock Voices You’ve Never Heard
I really enjoyed this one. Today we're counting down 9 of the greatest female hidden gems in rock history. Songs that seriously deserve the spotlight... including the heartbreaking tale of Eva Cassidy, one of the greatest voices of her generation who was virtually unknown while she was alive. She died at just 33 years old—with only a handful of songs recorded that were paid for by her aunt. The labels flat our rejected her because they didn’t know how to market her multifaceted style, but her posthumously released recordings have since sold over 12 million copies including a song that she covered that has somehow surpassed the Legendary original! We also have the incredible story of Nicolette Larson, a backup singer who found her career-launching Top 10 hit "Lotta Love" on a random cassette tape lying on the floor of Neil Young's car. He didn’t want it and just handed it to her and said "it's yours.". Plus The Primitives who broke up but then a sleazy label allowed a blockbuster movie to use their hit Crash and record a bunch of new instruments into the classic track without involving the band…crazy stories. Let’s get into it.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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The Wild Origins of Rock’s Greatest Hits: Elvis, The Platters & a 12-Year-Old Star
Coming up, it was the year rock n’ roll dominated the airwaves, and pop culture, and those who were desperately trying to control the status quo thought the world was coming to an end. These stories are crazy…you had a legendary lyricist who wrote Elvis Presley's hit Don't Be Cruel and All Shook Up which became some of the biggest hits of all time, and sold it for a couple of bucks.. then One of the most elegantly performed classics ever, The Great Pretender, by the Platters and was written on a commode during a break.. then there was the song written by a teacher and refrigerator repairman that gave Elvis his first #1 hit. Heartbreak Hotel. Plus Frankie Lymon who sang a love song that he never made a penny from, instead a notorious mobster took credit for the song and finally the scary song Tonight You Belong to Me that has begun one of the most famous urban legends ever where young sisters were threatened by a man with a knife to record one of the creepiest song ever and then when one refused, tragedy struck but is the story true?See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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How Jimmy Buffett Turned “Margaritaville” Into a Billion-Dollar Empire
Today we're telling the story of Jimmy Buffett, a singer-songwriter who spent years bouncing around the Southern US struggling to find his voice… before he invented an entire lifestyle brand built on relaxation and escapism. This Alabama-raised dreamer crafted a sound he called "Gulf & Western," mixing down home storytelling with Caribbean rhythms and beach-town philosophy that turned him into something more than a musician. This Jimmy’s laid-back melodies and tales of coastal living created a fantasy world that millions wanted to live in. Buffett went from a struggling songwriter to the leader of an army of "Parrotheads" who turned his concerts into parties and his brand into an empire. It's a journey from dive bars to billion-dollar businesses from a song that all the big wigs said was a terrible idea to launching a whole new way of life on our latest edition of Short and Sweet. Let's get into it.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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The Untold Stories Behind Rock’s Most Iconic Band Logos
Remember back in the day when we used to draw band names and logos on our trapper keepers, and binders or school tablets? Well these logos, these symbols were more than just doodles. They were declarations of our rock identity. And man, we've uncovered some wild tales today as we count down the best ever. And these stories will blow your mind, like the Nirvana logo that's shrouded in mystery—no one can figure out who sketched it. whether it was swiped from the sign of a seedy gentleman’s club? Or a jab at frontman Axl Rose? Plus the same band’s logo was so low on the priority list they paid a measly fifteen bucks to a typesetter to create it, instructing him to just use whatever font was already loaded in his machine and it became legendary. Then there's the emblem known as "The Lick" that was faxed over to the Rolling Stones' label, but The fax was so distorted they had to redraw it which changed it... but the change was kept a secret for decades. Plus the most famous rock band ever The Beatles with the most iconic logo didn’t actually put it on any of their album cover until over a decade after they broke up. And then they didn’t even copyright it until 30 years after they formed their band... and they’ve made more from licensing their logo than their music. Let’s do it!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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This Song TOPS Greatest 1-Hit Wonder Lists ALL THE TIME... But It Was NEVER a Hit!
Today’s song Forever Young by Alphaville is a classic that every 80s kid knows by heart… But here’s the kicker… some know it as a slow methodical ballad and some know it as an up-tempo anthem. That’s because the song was released in 2 iterations, and depending on how and when you heard it, one of those versions is your memory of it. And the other crazy thing is that, even though it’s one of the most well-known songs of the 80s and it’s been used dozens of times in film and television, it was not actually a hit. Not in America. In fact, it was released 7 different times, and not one of those times did it become a hit, though we all swear it was. But when it hit #1 across the sea, the band didn’t even know how to play their instruments. Up next the story of a classic that was a disaster until the band’s engineer accidentally slowed the tempo down. Let’s do it...See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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.
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