Records & Rockstars

Somehow, I had never been to Las Vegas. Then along came the opportunity to talk to Carlos Santana, September 3, 2010,when I got to the Hard Rock Hotel with guitar in hand—a black Gibson SG, knowing that the SG was the model of guitar Carlos had long ago played, and it’s truly one of the classic models (also associated with Angus Young of AC/DC and Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath). Carlos happily autographed it for use in an auction event I would later stage to benefit music therapy services in Canada. I thanked Carlos for coming and congratulated him on the imminent release of Guitar Heaven: The Greatest Guitar Classics of All Time, featuring guest performances by everyone from Joe Cocker to Chris Cornell, Scott Weiland and more. This is that. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Is that a pocket full of kryptonite or are you just happy to see me? This time, the third in a recurring series we call “Performances”, and what a performer he is! A guitarist whose talents and hits would land him on the cover of Rolling Stone (Jan 1993), and on stages all over North America to this day. Joining Jeff Woods in-studio, solo, for a chat and impassioned acoustic performances, it's Spin Doctors guitarist Eric Schenkman. We're going back to a select session from March 2019 at Wild Woods Blue Studio, from which we've pulled out set-ups and stories, preceding three killer performances including two spirited originals: Who Shot John, and Agent Orange Blues (guess who that's about!?), and one classic cover: Statesboro Blues, in a loving nod to the Allman Brothers and the Blind Willie McTell song of 1928. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Here's another in a recurring series of special episodes, Records & Rockstars Performances, taking you back to select sessions, as we pull out songs and set ups and stories to go with, as delivered at Wild Woods Blue, this time starring Jeff's special guest, from Toronto and playing left-handed, it's Delyn Grey with two stellar performances of original songs. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

From Jeff's personal archives, it's all things Rolling Stones, with one-on-one conversations with Mick Jagger and Keith Richards in Toronto (1998), talking about the Stones in concert (including playing Russia for the first time), Ronnie Wood in New York (2010) talking about art and music, playing guitar and playing bass, and Jeff Beck (Toronto 2010), with the story about how he "auditioned", so to speak, for the Stones before they ended up acquiring Ronnie. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Not one but two tall drinks of water, as Gregory Childs and his wife bring along crack guitarist Jonathan Billings and band, to Wild Woods Blue to play a couple new songs, and one long ago made famous by Waylon and Willie, plus Greg opens up to Jeff about the who, what, when, where, why and how of his need to write and sing and play. Sometimes a school-teacher's doubt is just the thing a kid needs to fire up his soul and sing his heart out! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

With fans like David Bowie and Bob Dylan and Robert Plant, and close friends that included Chris Cornell, Jeff Buckley was an artists revered the world over for his unique talent. In the 1990’s Jeff got signed to Columbia Records, and made an album called GRACE, that can only be called essential. And then suddenly without warning in May 1997 Jeff Buckley was gone. At the time of his death, he had been working on a batch of new songs that, with a little help from his friends and Jeff’s mother, saw the light of day about a year after his passing. That’s when I had the good fortune to speak to Mary Guibert, about her son and his music and the final day of his life. And, the family affair continues, with my conversation with Jimi Hendrix's sister, Janie, about the life and times of the greatest rock guitarist in history. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

My Special Guests mini-series, this time featuring Jimmy Page and Robert Plant. Excerpts from one of my favourite chats with Robert, from 2002, and bits of 2 conversations from 2015 with Jimmy Page, about all things Led Zeppelin. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This is a first in a recurring series of special episodes featuring past guests, and how it works is we go back to those original sessions, and pull out a bit of Jeff's introduction, along with the artists song set ups and stories, followed by the live performances they delivered at Wild Woods Blue. Hence the name "Performances", and this time starring Miss Emily. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

So many reasons to do this show for you. Including the fact that of the thousands of concerts and shows I've seen none were more engaging visually and sonically, than Beatles Love - starring Cirque de Soleil. That and that fact that within the 384 pages of my first book, Radio, Records and Rockstars, there are 398 mentions of Beatles. Not simply by me, but by the vast majority of artists featured in the conversations in the book, who themselves had fallen, and many hard, under the influence of The Beatles. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

He's a winning combination of Jujutsu black-belt and soul singing prowess, with an affinity for Black Crowes, Keith Richards, and Tina Turner, and he brings a new single plus a another original and plays both plus a classic cover, inside of a 57 minute special, as Nelson Sobral from Toronto, with the ever-worldly percussionist Kunle, join Jeff at Wild Woods Blue Studio for conversation and performance. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

1974 the year in rock is in the spotlight this time, for the first of a four part recurring theme, this time featuring nothing but albums out in the first 3 months of '74. Everyone from a Toronto trio, to the mutual admiration club that included Dylan, Joni Mitchell, and Lightfoot, plus what a future Whitesnake singer was doing, the first #1 from the Doobie Bros, and a wise warning from a famous Frank. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Where would the bands we love have gotten were it not for their determination and tenacity -- their persistence and their perseverance? For that matter, where would any of us be. But they're the rockstars who made the records we love, so they get an episode. There's a million stories of perseverance. Here's a handful in a theme we'll come back to when the wind blows just right. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This is the story of rock's ultimate supergroup which happened by way of a happy accident. Warner Bros. Records’ International Department had asked that George Harrison come up with a B-side for “This Is Love,” a single from his Cloud Nine album. What happened next, was all of this. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Police "plundered it mercilessly", as Stewart Copeland put it best, the music Bob Marley would call “a joyful sound to make the world go ‘round”. And when Bob left Jamaica for London, to make records with Chris Blackwell, everyone who was anyone was taking notice and suddenly under the influence, particularly in the so-called New Wave era. And so let's dig in to some of the best examples of bands who combined rock 'n' reggae, and not just in the second half of the seventies with Dire Straits and Mick and Keith, and 10cc, but back to the early seventies when a certain Simon delivered pure Caribbean groove, and Clapton shot the sheriff, and more. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A companion to the previous 2 episodes, here comes the 3rd of 3 parts paying tribute to music icons gone in 2023. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The 2nd of Jeff's 3 part tribute to the artists and industry legends gone in 2023. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

If you're like us, it really hits/hurts when another of the artists you grew up listening to, passes. It helps to take a minute to acknowledge and celebrate their contributions, as Jeff brings you the first of 3 parts paying tribute to the artists and industry legends gone in 2023. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Here comes the conclusion of a four part recurring theme, featuring the Classic albums of 1973! A selection of the best albums in rock, from Oct/Nov/Dec '73. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Every album ever made has both first and final cuts. Here's the second of a 2 parter about the latter - select killer closing cuts and stories to go with, plus guess who Robert Plant looked to for advice, when Jimmy Page invited him to become the singer for Led Zeppelin? It was another British rock star, who tells us that story. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Sequencing as it's known, was and still is for many, and important part of the record making process. The mood and the tempo of the different songs, has an affect on the listener. So sequencing becomes an opportunity to enhance the experience. Sequencing defines the relationship between each song. An obvious way to begin is to lead with your best foot. As they say, you only get one chance to make a first impression. And then you can build from there. And build anticipation. Or tension. And the album becomes a journey. Which to many is one of the things that about collecting and enjoying albums that really matters. You can group together songs that will sustain a vibe. You can dramatically change the vibe, again, by changing the mood or the tempo. And every album be it a single or a double or for that matter a triple, has a final cut. Here comes some killer closers now. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.