Shows / Professor of Rock
Professor of Rock
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…
Episodes
- Professor of Rock
Talk Talk’s “It’s My Life”: A Brilliant Hit from a Reclusive Genius
Coming up, we are about to discuss one of the catchiest songs of the 80s. It's My Life by Talk Talk. One that makes the hair on your neck stand on end. But it…
- Professor of Rock
Christmas Special: How “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” Became a Multi-Decade #1 Hit
MERRY CHRISTMAS! Professor of Rock is celebrating with another stellar classic from the vault. The in-depth story of one of the biggest selling singles of all…
- Professor of Rock
Christmas Eve Special: Johnny Mathis on “Chances Are” and His Timeless Christmas Classics
Merry Christmas Eve from Professor for Rock! Today, we revisit an absolute POR classic; a special gift for you from our friend the 3rd biggest selling male…
- Professor of Rock
Rick Beato Unplugged: A Deep Dive with Professor of Rock
A few weeks ago, I told you that I had a special gift for you this Christmas, and it’s a few days early. The most requested video in the history of my channel…
- Professor of Rock
The Greatest Forgotten Hits of the ’70s and ’80s
Coming up, it’s time to resurrect some of the greatest hits of the 70s and 80s that were actually huge hits in their time but have been somewhat forgotten in…
- Professor of Rock
The Rise and Fall of Blondie: 7 Hits, Then Silence
Coming up, one of the most perplexing disappearing acts in rock history. Blondie with Debbie Harry defined the late 70s and early 80s and was the face of the…
- Professor of Rock
When Weird Al Said No: Sacred Songs He Refused to Skewer
So what happens when Weird Al, the world's most famous musical comedian—a guy who's made a career out of roasting rock’s biggest acts—completely snubs you? Or…
- Professor of Rock
The Story Behind “Stacy’s Mom” by Fountains of Wayne – The One-Hit They Hated
Coming up a famously cerebral band that many think is one of the greatest ever, but they only had one radio hit, and guess what, they HATE IT. They Loathe It…
- Professor of Rock
David Crosby Unfiltered: The Byrds, CSN, and the Interview That Went Off the Rails
I shared a video a few months back about the legendary rockstar who walked out of my interview to go eat a burrito. Well, today I have that uncut rollercoaster…
- Professor of Rock
Hidden Stories of 10 Underrated ’80s Hits by Women of Rock & Pop
Coming up… a riveting leap back to the ‘80s to celebrate 10 phenomenal songs that don’t get the credit they deserve from some of the greatest female voices…
- Professor of Rock
Top 10 Underrated Rock Tracks of ’79: The Songs That Deserved More
Sometimes the biggest songs never got their due on the charts. Today we're counting down the Top 10 tracks from 1979 that should have been massive hits but…
- Professor of Rock
The Bizarre True Story Behind “Indian Reservation” by Paul Revere and the Raiders
Coming up next the most insane story of a hit song in the annals of insane stories of hit songs. A famous songwriter John D Loudermilk was allegedly kidnapped…
- Professor of Rock
One and Done: 8 Rock Artists Who Lost It All After One Hit
They had the talent. They had the songs. They had their shot at superstardom. But for these artists, something went off the rails… Dead wrong at exactly the…
- Professor of Rock
How “Crazy on You” Launched Heart: Full Interview with Ann Wilson
Coming up next… You’ve seen pieces of this interview over the years but here is the uncut full length version with one of the greatest rock vocalists in…
- Professor of Rock
How Prince Turned a Favor Into a Funk Anthem—and a Feud
Coming up next, the legendary Prince who wrote a throwaway song that he gave to his bandmate's solo project. He wrote it quickly, without thought, as a favor…
- Professor of Rock
FROM THE VAULT: How Wham! Created the Holiday Classic "Last Christmas" Amid a Charity Challenge
Coming up, This group was on a tear to start the decade. Wham! starring legend George Michael and his pal Andrew Ridgely were on top of the world. but George…
- Professor of Rock
Countdown: 10 Most Surprising One-Year Wonders of 1985
You know how much I love the stories of the great one-hit wonders of the rock era. Well, today we're starting off a new countdown series on the channel, and…
- Professor of Rock
Alanis, Lauryn Hill, Goo Goo Dolls & the Wildest Stories Behind ’90s Rock Anthems
We have another year-end countdown today, and this one is packed with songs that have stood the test of time, including a broke rockstar Johnny Rzenik who had…
- Professor of Rock
How Led Zeppelin Outsold Everyone Without Radio Hits – The ‘Fool in the Rain’ Story
Coming up next… The Final Single from the hardest-hitting, most epic rock band in history, Led Zeppelin. The song? Fool in the Rain. For a decade, Zeppelin…
- Professor of Rock
Rock’s Most Unbelievable Christmas Songs: From Elvis’s Sabotage to Springsteen’s Bootleg
Merry Christmas a little early, everyone! Today I’ve got a once-in-a-year countdown for you that I know will put a smile on your face… For this episode, we’re…
- Professor of Rock
The Wild Story Behind Van Halen’s ‘Finish What Ya Started’ with Sammy Hagar
Coming up, one of the funniest song stories I’ve come across. Sammy Hagar was in the middle of an intimate moment with his then-wife. Ya, they were in the…
- Professor of Rock
Tom Petty’s Right-Hand Man: Mike Campbell on ‘Free Fallin’, ‘Refugee’ & ‘Boys of Summer
Coming up a special full-length uncut interview with one of the great unheralded guitar heroes of rock history. One of my favorites, but not only that, he’s a…
- Professor of Rock
Vanished Without a Trace: True Stories of Missing Rock Stars
Oh man, coming up on today, we're getting into a topic that we’ve never covered before. It’s the stories of musicians who vanished from public without a trace…
- Professor of Rock
Top 10 Hits from 1957: The Year That Launched Rock ’n’ Roll
Coming up, the fantastic stories from the creme of the crop from a pivotal year in the formation of the Rock Era: 1957. Including a classic hit we all sing…
- Professor of Rock
How .38 Special Quietly Became One of the Biggest Hitmakers of the ’80s
Coming up next… sometimes you have to ask, is there any justice in the world? Today I’ve got an interview with Don Barnes, one of the coolest singers of the…
- Professor of Rock
The Untold Saga of “St. Elmo’s Fire” and John Parr’s Incredible Comeback
Coming up next a story you won’t believe. Talk about an ordeal. Today’s guest, John Parr, has a massive #1 hit in 1985 that is still huge today. It was the…
- Professor of Rock
Unlikely Rock Origins: Darlene Love, Dave Grohl, Nikki Sixx & the Songs That Made Them
Coming up, we’re going all in on the most unlikely origin stories for some seriously legendary bands and artists. I think you're going to really dig this…
- Professor of Rock
Black SABBATH Friday: How Black Sabbath’s "Paranoid" Accidentally Became a Heavy Metal Anthem
When today’s legendary band came out, they were unlike anything anyone had ever heard back in… Black Sabbath! Their music was hardcore and at first, they…
Professor of RockPODCAST ONLY EXCLUSIVE: Paul Shaffer on SNL, Letterman & Life in Rock N Roll
In this exclusive podcast-only episode, the Professor of Rock sits down for an unfiltered, full-length conversation with the one and only Paul…
- Professor of Rock
Professor of Rock’s Holy Grail: The Complete Sting Interview
STRAIGHT UP. If there was just one Video or interview That I’ve done in the history of my channel that I would want my viewers to see. Just one. that I could…
- Professor of Rock
Top 10 Underrated Songs of 1984 That Deserved to Be Hits
Today, we're counting down the Top 10 Songs from 1984 That Deserved BETTER! We play them all the time, but somehow they missed the Top 40, and Most are better…
- Professor of Rock
FROM THE VAULT: Why Pat Benatar Refuses to Sing “Hit Me With Your Best Shot” Anymore
Pat Benatar has something of an adversarial relationship with one of her biggest songs… the Top Ten 10 hit “Hit Me With Your Best Shot.” It broke her career…
- Professor of Rock
Smashing Pumpkins, Oasis & No Doubt: Top 10 Songs of 1996
I can’t believe I initially stopped doing these yearly countdowns at 1994 because today’s yearly top 10 is truly great. These 10 songs were certainly…
- Professor of Rock
The Best of David Lee Roth Solo: Mountain Climbs, Covers & Comebacks
Today, we're diving into the solo career of one of rock's most over-the-top frontmen, David Lee Roth. After leaving Van Halen, one of the mightiest rock bands…
- Professor of Rock
The Curse of the Grammys: How Winning Best New Artist Destroyed Careers
Coming up, we’re turning back the clock to the days when the Grammys actually mattered… But for today’s bands, maybe that’s not such a good thing. Because if…
- Professor of Rock
How Phil Collins Turned Heartache into Hits: From “Easy Lover” to Iconic Anthems
Today’s featured artist, Phil Collins is a favorite. And he may well be the greatest hit machine of any decade. In fact he was such a prolific hit machine at…
- Professor of Rock
FROM THE VAULT: The Turbulent Story of Sweet and Their 70s Hit Ballroom Blitz
If there was ever a cautionary tale about a rock group making a deal with the devil to hit the big time, it would be the story of the rise and fall of SWEET. A…
- Professor of Rock
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…
- Professor of Rock
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…
- Professor of Rock
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…
- Professor of Rock
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…
- Professor of Rock
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…
- Professor of Rock
How Alice Cooper Inspired Punk, Shock Rock, and a Rock Renaissance
I’m excited to share today’s interview. He’s had 11 Top 40 hits, sold over 55 million albums, and is one of only a few artists in history with a Top 50 album…
- Professor of Rock
FROM THE VAULT: The Shocking Story of 'I Touch Myself': Written by Men, Sung by a Rock Icon, and Still Debated
FROM THE VAULT: The controversial song about female self-love… was written by a dude? Ha ha. It's I Touch Myself by the Divinyls. This story is almost too good…
- Professor of Rock
Electric Light Orchestra’s Greatest Albums and the Birth of “Mr. Blue Sky”
Today, we're diving into one of the most innovative and enjoyable bands to listen to in rock history…it’s a group that blended symphonic grandeur with pure pop…
- Professor of Rock
Songs That Almost Didn’t Happen: Pearl Jam, Tom Petty, Weezer & a Vanished Hit
I ended this series a few months ago because I didn’t think there were any great top 40 songs after 1994. Well, after months of reflection, I admit I was…
- Professor of Rock
The Underrated Rise of Triumph: Canada’s Other Power Trio
Today we are telling the story of the other Canadian power trio that originated in the 70s. And their name isn't Rush. It's Triumph and they maybe the most…
- Professor of Rock
The Greatest Women’s Power Ballads: Total Eclipse, Roxette & More
I’m pretty sure this episode is going to blow your mind. Today, we’re counting down the biggest female power ballads of all time. And some of these are serious…
- Professor of Rock
Huey Lewis on the Stories Behind ‘Hip to Be Square,’ ‘Stuck With You,’ and More (Full Interview)
Coming up next Ya know I’ve interviewed over 800 Famous musicians over my career and I have to say today’s guest is my favorite He’s my favorite person in the…
- Professor of Rock
How Jason Mraz’s Forgotten Song “I’m Yours” Took Over the World
Coming up, an interview with Jason Mraz, one of the nicest guys in music... about one of the catchiest singalong hits of the last 30 years: I'm Yours. The song…
- Professor of Rock
The Best Songs That Never Hit the Top 40: Led Zeppelin, James Taylor, Eagles & More
It’s our latest “Fell Short the Top 40” countdown. And this might be one of the strongest years we’ve done so far. These are tracks that should’ve dominated…
- Professor of Rock
FROM THE VAULT: The Lesson In This 1971 Rock Anthem
Coming up... this song was written to be part of a rock opera that legendary guitarist Pete Townshend of the Who wanted to make into a film but he couldn’t get…
- Professor of Rock
Rock Career Killers: From Creed to Peter Frampton’s Movie Meltdown
Coming up, the infamous side of fame, where sketchy artistic moves, bad behavior, deceit, and out-of-control egos create career killers. We’ll tell the story…
- Professor of Rock
The Controversial History Behind Pink Floyd’s Greatest Hit
Today, we have the story of what I believe is the greatest protest song of the last 50 years, Pink Floyd's Another Brick in the Wall Part 2. And the back story…
- Professor of Rock
How Richard Marx Proved Everyone Wrong and Became a Pop Hit Machine
Coming up, it's the story of Richard Marx, a Chicago kid who grew up in recording studios watching his jingle-writing father work. For years, he stayed in the…
- Professor of Rock
The Strangest Feats in Rock: Loudest Show, Longest Tour Day & a 1,000-Person Band
Today, we're returning for round three of the Strangest Feats in Rock. And this time we're going bigger than ever before with a seriously supersized episode…
- Professor of Rock
Interview with LOBO: The Soft Rock Legend Behind “Me and You and a Dog Named Boo”
Coming up next, an interview with an artist who had a bunch of hits in the 70s, with several that will take you back to a simpler time! and are as 70s as it…
- Professor of Rock
Professor of Rock’s Top 10 Favorite Songs of All Time
Coming up, I’m finally doing it. My personal top 10 song of all time. 10 songs that were pivotal in shaping and changing the life of a small-town boy from…
- Professor of Rock
FROM THE VAULT: How Bob Seger’s “Night Moves” Turned Heartbreak Into a Breakthrough Hit
Bob Seger had been a regional sensation for over a decade but when it was all said and done he had only had one hit in 15 years and by 1976 it had been 8 years…
- Professor of Rock
Top 10 Underrated Songs of 1986: AC/DC, Paul Simon, Van Halen & More
Today we're counting down 10 killer classics from a special year in the 80s that were snubbed by mainstream radio. I’m talking about massive songs from some of…