By Steven P. Wheeler For 12 years, from 1968-1980, Led Zeppelin dominated the rock world with an unparalleled blend of brutal thundering power and shimmering acoustic beauty, an intoxicating balance of darkness and light. From their explosive self-titled debut to their final and most diverse studio album In Through the Out Door (released 40 years …
By Steven P. Wheeler In the Spring of 1978, my 14-year-old self was sitting on the piano bench in the family living room with the Sunday Calendar section of the Los Angeles Times in hand, my Sunday ritual prior to this internet thing. As always I skipped to the Pop Music section to see what …
By Steven P. Wheeler Today, on the 38th anniversary of the release of Stevie Nicks’ classic solo debut Bella Donna, it seemed like a good time to go back to the original tape of my lengthy conversation with one of rock’s most captivating performers and mysterious figures and share this time-capsule interview that took place …
When it comes to the greatest rock bands of all-time, there are only a handful of groups that can truly be considered. One of them is most assuredly Pink Floyd, a band that would have been largely forgotten after the mental breakdown of their original leader Syd Barrett in 1967 if the band’s bassist Roger …
By Steven P. Wheeler Today, we celebrate the 77th birthday of one of rock’s most influential figures. As the founder, lead vocalist and lead guitarist of the seminal Sixties’ band The Byrds, Roger McGuinn helped bring together the polar opposite musical camps of folk and rock, and his place in the annals of music history …
By Steven P. Wheeler 1994. Grunge rock had broken into the mainstream only a few years earlier with the major label success of Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Alice in Chains and Nirvana, after its cultish flowering in the Pacific Northwest. A plaid-covered hybrid of Seventies-styled sludge rock and punk abrasion, the media and recording industry couldn’t …
Possibly the earliest photograph of Jim Morrison’s grave, taken by his close friend Frank Lisciandro, only days after Jim’s untimely passing on July 3, 1971.
By Steven P. Wheeler Back in May of 1994, I sat down with one of rock’s biggest stars of the era and a true legend today, John Mellencamp, to discuss his then-current album Dance Naked, which was released 25 years ago today, June 21. Featuring the hit single, a cover of Van Morrison’s classic “Wild …
By Steven P. Wheeler On what would have been his 78th birthday today, June 15, I’m remembering the late great singer-songwriter Harry Nilsson. A few months before his untimely death in January of 1994, I was fortunate enough to interview this Grammy-winning musical enigma. Sadly, it was one of the final two interviews Nilsson ever …
By Steven P. Wheeler Today, June 11, marks the 50th anniversary of the release of the late David Bowie’s 1969 hit, “Space Oddity.” To celebrate, I’ve gone back through the tapes of my 1995 interview with the rock legend. Hope you enjoy this refreshed take on this special man (see “class act, gentleman”), who is …