Actor, director and singer - you can't say that James Darren is untalented! You might know him as Moondoggie in the "Gidget" movie, others will recall his role as Dr Tony Newman in the TV series "Time Tunnel", or maybe you can still sing along to his 60's hit "Goodbye Cruel World"? There's even something for Star Trek fans in this interview.
Originally when Irene Cara was cast in the movie the movie "Fame" it was in the role of a dancer. When the movie's producers heard her voice they changed the role to that of a singer. The two singles from the movie were both nominated for an Academy Award! The title song became the first of TWO Oscar winning movie themes for Irene Cara.
When it comes to discussions about Australia's greatest guitarists Ian Moss of Cold Chisel is always one of the first names mentioned. As well as his work with the legendary Chisel, "Mossy" has had a very successful solo career. The hit stories behind his best known solo chart-toppers feature in this interview with Ian Keenan.
Just being the daughter of Frank Sinatra is a claim to fame, but Nancy Sinatra is much more than just her father's daughter. She discusses her acting career which saw her as Elvis Presley's leading lady and we discover how her long term musical collaboration with Lee Hazlewood came about.
Not every record producer plays such an important role in the process as Shel Talmy. Shel was behind the mixing desk for some of the most important hits to come out of Britain in the 60's. The Kinks, The Who and The Easybeats all owe him a great deal. Plus there was another Australian band which had a hit produced by Shel Talmy.
There has been a lot of one-hit-wonders in the history of the Top 40. Few of those one-offs have had the impact of Percy Sledge's great claim to fame. You might be surprised however that he gave most of the royalties to a couple of friends in a great act of generosity ..... but at the time he didn't know how generous he was being.
This is an interview from earlier in the career of Michael Buble. He had just achieved his first major album success in Australia and also had a successful movie theme to his credit. Michael explains the important roles played in his career by his grandfather, a former Canadian Prime Minister and a world famous record producer.
He's a big man in rock in more ways than one! The first Meat Loaf album, "Bat Out Of Hell", appeared to make him an overnight success however it certainly wasn't overnight in the making. You might be surprised how long it actually took to make. Ian Keenan was definitely surprised by Meat Loaf's reaction to the term "rock opera"!
He's one of Australia's most famous rock'n'rollers. Ross Wilson fronted the legendary Daddy Cool in the early 70's, produced the ground-breaking Skyhooks albums later in the 70's and then in the 80's returned to the concert stage as the singer for Mondo Rock. Here he shares memories which include a great fan story from his time with Mondo Rock.
English singer/songwriter/record producer Rod Argent is one of the great survivors. Starting out as keyboardist with The Zombies in the 60's, Rod then formed the band Argent in the 70's before beginning a solo career. The musical importance of The Zombies was recognised in 2014 when a plaque was unveiled at the site of their first rehearsal.
