January 24, 1962, wasnโt just another cold Liverpool morning. It was the day four scruffy ladsโJohn Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Pete Bestโput their faith in a well-dressed, fast-talking record store manager named Brian Epstein. With a few strokes of a pen, they signed a management contract that would change the course of music…
January 16, 2025, marks the 45th anniversary of a moment that shook rock โnโ roll to its core and almost put Paul McCartney behind bars for seven years. The worldโs most famous bassistโBeatle, hitmaker, and knight-to-beโwas arrested at Tokyoโs Narita International Airport for smuggling nearly half a pound of marijuana. What couldโve been just another…
It was a cold January night in 1978 when the Sex Pistols walked onto the stage at San Franciscoโs Winterland Ballroom, readyโor perhaps unwillingโto make history. This wasnโt just a concert; it was the swan song of punkโs most volatile band. The Pistolsโ American tour had been a disaster wrapped in chaos: canceled shows, infighting,…
Claude Lemaire thinks Led Zeppelin is so seminal to hard rock, he chooses them twice for Episode 3. King Crimson also makes the cut.
By 1973, The Rolling Stones were the epitome of rock โnโ roll excessโa band that had transformed scandal into an art form. Their music was a siren call to the rebellious, their lifestyles a middle finger to the establishment. Yet, even they couldnโt charm their way past Japanโs stringent immigration policies. In late 1972, the…
On January 3, 1969, The Lulu Show was about as far from Jimi Hendrixโs usual stomping grounds as you could get. The show was a high-profile, family-friendly TV programโclean-cut, conservative, and far removed from the chaotic energy that defined Hendrixโs live shows. The producers of The Lulu Show likely envisioned a performance that would fit…
On December 31, 1970, as a damp London chill settled over the city, Paul McCartney made his way into the High Court of Justice. The man who once penned โYesterdayโ was now stepping into tomorrow with a heavy heart. In his hands, he carried a lawsuit that would dissolve The Beatles, a band that had…
More tips, stories, and wisdom from veteran musician Frank Doris based on his decades playing in bands. This time, it’s all about what to do if you’re stuck on a small stage.
In the early 1960s, as the world turned its gaze skyward, captivated by the dawn of the Space Age, a British instrumental piece named โTelstarโ emerged, encapsulating the eraโs spirit of innovation and exploration. Crafted by the enigmatic producer Joe Meek and performed by The Tornados, โTelstarโ not only mirrored the technological marvels of its…
On December 19, 1955, Carl Perkins stepped into Memphisโ Sun Studio with a song that would become a cornerstone of rock โnโ roll history. But like most great music moments, the creation of Blue Suede Shoes wasnโt so much a straight line as it was a tangled web of stories, late-night drives, and serendipitous inspiration.…
It was December 14, 1969, a cold Sunday night, but the stage at CBS Studio 50 was sizzling with energy. The Ed Sullivan Show, a revered institution in American television, had introduced countless icons to the worldโThe Beatles, Elvis Presley, The Supremes. That evening, five brothers from Gary, Indiana, became the latest in that storied…