On this episode of Vinyl Vibes, Jack is joined by Mike Rudd, founder of Spectrum. Mike grew up in Christchurch New Zealand, finding a talent for singing early on. He would join his first major group in 1964, The Chants R&B. After becoming popular around New Zealand, the group moved to Australia in 1966. Soon after their arrival, the band would split leaving Mike without a group. Luckily he came to join Ross Wilson's Party Machine as bass player, despite never having played bass before. It was while in this group Mike was inspired greatly by the songwriting craftsmanship of Ross Wilson. After leaving Party Machine in 1969, Mike had the idea to create his own group around his own songs. This band would become Spectrum, and the first song he would write would be called "I'll Be Gone". This would become Spectrum's first single and would reach number one in Australia in 1971. It would be the group's biggest hit, and today remains an icon in Oz rock. 1972 would see the beginnings of pub rock with events like The Sunbury Pop Festival taking place. Much of Spectrum’s music was multidimensional and arguably intellectual, a very different sound to the straight forward rock and roll that groups such as Billy Thorpe and the Aztecs were finding popularity with at the time. This lead to Mike forming Spectrum's alter ego, The Indelible Murtceps. This band was devised by Mike to connect with the mainstream pub rock audiences. The band's fourth album would be credited to The Indelible Murtceps and Spectrum. It was called Testimonial and would come out in July 1973 just after the band broke up. It would be the band's last album for over 20 years until the band went back into the studio in 1999 to record their album Spill. The band recorded their latest album, No Thinking, in 2004. Today Spectrum is still available for gigs and Mike is also gigging with his band The Indelibles.  Jack zoomed Mike to talk about his early music beginnings, his first professional band The Chant's R&B, his time in Ross Wilson's Party Machine, how Ross Wilson inspired Mike, the writing and recording of Spectrums hit "I'll be Gone", the "I'll be Gone" music video, the innovativeness of the group's first album Spectrum Part One, the first rock double album in Australia Milesago, his memories of playing the Sunbury Pop Festival, the formation of the band's alter ego The Indelible Murtceps, the differences in recording as the Indelible Murtceps, the band's fourth album Testimonial, the band's two recent albums, and his work today with The Indelibles.  "After we had demoed it for the first time unsuccessfully, it had been rejected by EMI. Then we somehow found ourselves in the studio with Howard Gable...and recording...I wrote two songs "Launching Place" part one and part two - first part was an instrumental and the second part was the angry sounding song...so we recorded those...well, I look back on it now and think Howard was clearly unimpressed so he said 'have you got any other songs?', so I said 'we've got this one'...and when we played "I'll be Gone" he said "that's the one". - Mike Rudd on this episode of Vinyl Vibes talking about recording Spectrum's number one hit "I'll Be Gone" Episode Hosted and Produced by Jack Hodgins 

On this episode of Vinyl Vibes, Jack is joined by Jay Aston, founding member of Bucks Fizz. Jay was born into a theatrical and talented family, solidifying her skills in music and dance at an early age. In 1981, Jay auditioned to be part of a group called Buck Fizz, a group put together to perform at the year's upcoming Eurovision. She got the gig and the band would win the 1981 Eurovision contest with their song "Making Your Mind Up". As a single, it would be a worldwide smash hit, reaching number one in the UK and number six in Australia. Determined to not allow the group to be one-hit wonders, producer Andy Hill would go on to write "The Land of Make Believe" and "My Camera Never Lies" bringing the group two succeeding number one hits in a row. The group would come to an end 1984 after a near fatal bus crash involving the band.  Jay remained in music, and since 2009 has been performing with The Fizz, a spin-off of the original group Bucks Fizz. The Fizz have released five albums with the most recent being Everything Under the Sun in 2022. Jack discuses with Jay Aston her early beginnings, growing up in a talented family, her early music work, how she came to auditioned for Bucks Fizz, her memory of winning the 1981 Eurovision, the recording of "Making Your Mind Up", the continued success the group had during '82 and '83, the production work of Andy Hill, the album tracks of the band, her memories of playing on Top of The Pops, the band's the near fatal  bus crash, Jay's work post Bucks Fizz, and her work today with The Fizz. "Cheryl and I could not agree on the skirt length and she went, "oh alright then, we'll come on with the long skirts and you can have the mini-skirts" - I thought that would get us more points - "and we'll rip them off in the middle" and I went yeah! That's a great idea!"  - Jay Aston on this episode of Vinyl Vibes talking about the iconic skirt rip in Buck Fizz's 1981 Eurovision performance Episode Hosted and Produced by Jack Hodgins 

On this episode of Vinyl Vibes, Jack is joined by Gary Talley, lead guitarist of The Box Tops. Gary joined a group called The Devilles in 1966. Soon after joining the group the band's manager organised a recording session. For the session the band were given a song called The Letter. Despite being the band first single It would become a number one hit in the US and a number four hit in Australia. More recently the song was voted number 372 on Rolling Stone's list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time". The band would follow up with Cry Like A Baby whichwould reach number 2 in the US. The bands song "Choo Choo Train", their fourth single, would be featured in the 2019 film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. The band's last bonafide hit would be "Soul Deep" which would be a top ten hit in Australia. After disbanding in 1970, Gary remained in music and in 1996 the group reformed and today are still on the road. The band's latest album Tear Off! came out in 1998.  Today Gary is still playing with the Box Tops and recently has made three gospel albums with his 97 year old mother Nita.  Jack Zoomed Gary to talk about his early music beginnings, the impact the likes of Elvis and the Beatles had on him, his time in the band In Crowd, how he came to join The Devilles, his early memories of frontman Alex Chilton, how the band came to record The Letter, the success of The Letter, his memories of playing alongside the Beach Boys and The Doors, having Choo Choo Train in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, his thoughts on the film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, the groups work into the later '60s, the band's reformation in the '90s, the bands album Tear Off!, and the Box Tops' music work today.  "We were on a Beach Boys tour...I was back in my hotel room alone on my birthday after the gig and I was thinking "well you know turned 21"...and somebody knocks on the door and I open the door and its our bass player Bill with Dennis, Carl and Al Jardine. The Beach Boys, they had a birthday cake with candles lit...and they sang happy birthday to me". - Gary Talley talking about a Beach Boys tour he did with the Box Tops on this episode of Vinyl Vibes Episode Hosted and Produced by Jack Hodgins

In this episode of Vinyl Vibes, Jack is joined by Les Gock, guitarist of Hush. Les grew up in Sydney amongst the music of the late ’60s such of that of Jimi Hendrix. In 1972, after performing with his high school band at a talent show, he was asked to join Hush. Originally from the UK, the band's lead singer, Keith Lamb, was aware of the music scene in England at the time and so Hush would become the first glam rock band in Australia. Les would become chief songwriter for the band, and would soon write the band's first single "Get The Feeling". It would be a top 40 hit. The band would follow up with their first album Aloud 'n' Live in December 1973. Over the next year, 1974, the band would release two successful albums Get Rocked! in June and C'mon We're Taking Over in December. 1975 would bring the band to their hight of fame with the top ten hits "Bony Moronie" (A Number 4 hit in Australia) and "Glad All Over” (A Number 8 hit in Australia). Despite this success, it would not be till 1977 the band would follow up with another album. This album would be called Touché and would be the band's last. The album also marked a shift a way from their glam rock sound. Soon after this album, the band would come to an end and Les would go to have a successful career in writing commercial jingles. Today Les is playing in a charity group called The Interceptors and has recently gotten back into his love for painting.  Jack discuss with Les Gock in the interview his early musical beginnings, the impact that late '60s music such as Jimi Hendrix had on him, his first band in high school, how he came to join Hush, the writing of Hush's first single "Get The Feeling", the recording of the bands first album Aloud and Live, how Get Rocked! came to be, the band's performance on the 2nd episode of Countdown, the covering of  "Glad All Over” and "Bony Moronie", the success the band had in 1975, the band's last album Touché, andLes' work post Hush. "Everything that we did on stage, everything that we were about, was about having a great time, it was about having fun. We didn't go out to change the world, we weren't protesting against Vietnam...we were just writing songs about coming together and having a great time" - Les Gock talking about what Hush was about on this episode of Vinyl Vibes  Episode Hosted and Produced by Jack Hodgins

In this episode of Vinyl Vibes, Jack is joined by George T. Babbitt, the original drummer of The Ventures. George grew up amongst '50s rock and roll like that of the Everly Brothers. In 1958 Don Wilson and Bob Bogle formed the Versatones. They needed a drummer and Don's sister recommended her neighbour, the then 17 year old George Babbitt. It was 1959 by this stage, and George would join as the band's first ever drummer. The group would soon call themselves The Ventures. George would play live with the group throughout the year playing songs such as "Apache" and "Perfidia". It was while George was in the group, The Ventures would perform their version of "Walk Don't Run". One Sunday evening in 1959, the group would record their first single "The Real McCoy" on the A-side and "Cookies and Coke" on the B-side. Due to George being too young to play clubs, soon after recording the single, George left The Ventures early 1960. A few months later in June 1960, The Ventures would release "Walk Don't Run" and it would go number 2 in the US. Along with The Shadows in the UK, they would begin the instrumental music craze of the early '60s, inspiring a generation of musicians. George was still in high school when all this happened, and gave up music after leaving The Ventures. He went on to join the United States Airforce in 1965, and would have a successful career, eventually becoming a general. He would reunite with The Ventures live on stage in 1998 for a performance of "Walk Don't Run" with the United States Air Force Band. Today George is retired, but still plays on his electric drum kit for fun.  Jack phoned George to discuss his early musical beginnings, the impact rock and roll had on him, being a teenager during the rock and roll era, how he came to play the drums, how he came to join The Ventures, the songs he played with The Ventures, the live gigs he played with them during 1959, the development of "Walk Don't Run", how The Ventures came to find their name, the recording of the group's first single, why he left the group, his work with the air force, and his 1998 reunion with The Ventures.  "I was introduced to them by Don's sister, Jackie. She lived next door to my parents which, of course, at the time is where I lived too. Bob and Don had gotten the idea that they wanted to be professional musicians and they wanted to be doing that soon, no more waiting around...They asked me - Jackie recommend the kid next door - so I took my drums over to Jackie's, and Don and Bob got their six-string guitars out - there was no bass at that point - and we played for a while, and they asked me to play."  - George Babbitt on this episode of Vinyl Vibes talking about joining The Ventures.  The website for Vinyl Vibes. If you like this content let us know by leaving a review or subscribing.

In this episode of Vinyl Vibes, Jack is joined by John Bois, bass player of The Dingoes. John grew up in Melbourne amongst the music of the '60s and would join his first professional band The New Dream in 1970. On John's arrival in the band, New Dream's sound changed to bubblegum pop having top-40 hits such as Soft Delights and The Groupie. In 1972 John would leave the band to joinCountry Radio. It was here John played with future fellow Dingoe's member Kerryn Tolhurst. After having the hit "Gypsy Queen", Kerryn would leave Country Radio to form The Dingoes in 1973. John would soon follow, joining as the bass player for The Dingoes. The band's first single, "Way Out West", would become their signature song and today remains a classic amongst Oz rock. After performing at the 1975 Sunbury Pop Festival, the band received a phone call which would lead to them being managed by Rolling Stones' tour manager Peter Rudge. The band relocated to the United States in 1976. The band would record two albums in the United States, "Five Times The Sun" in 1977 and "Orphans of The Storm" in 1979. They did not manage to break into the US music market. The band would come to an end in 1979.  After the Dingoes, John became a high school teacher. In 2012 he wrote a book about his time in The Dingoes called The Dingoes Lament. In 2016 he returned to music making his first solo album, Tassie Wolf. His most recent album came out in 2022 and is called Work of Art.  Jack Zoomed John to talk about his early musical beginnings, the impact group's like The Easybeats had on him, his time in The New Dream, his work with Country Radio, the influence Country Radio had later on The Dingoes, the formation of The Dingoes, the recording of the band's first album, the writing of Way Out West, Playing at Sunbury '74 & '75, how the band came to relocate to the United States, the recording of albums Five Times The Sun and Orphans of The Storm, the disbandment of the Dingoes, and John's more recent music such as his 2022 album Work of Art.  "Everything we listened to in the '50s and '60s pretty much was from England or America. It got so bad the only way you could get a record on radio was to cover an American song that had already been made. It was almost not believed that Australians could create their own stuff like with the Easys (Easybeats), we had something to do with it...it just stopped happening, people just said we are going to write our own stuff and we are going to talk about what we know." - John Bois on this episode of Vinyl Vibes talking about Australia finding its own sound Episode Hosted and Produced by Jack Hodgins

In this episode of Vinyl Vibes, Jack is joined by Dodie Stevens, '50s music star and singer of Pink Shoe Laces. Dodie has been singing her whole life. She recorded for the first time at age 8 in 1954 with a song called "Merry-Go Merry-Go Round". After making many appearances on TV throughout her young life, her big break came in 1958 when she performed on the TV show Strictly Informal. It was on this show she was discovered by Crystalette Records president, Carl Burns. He contacted Dodie's parents through the TV station and said he was interested in recording her. All he needed was the right song that the then 11 year old Dodie could sing. After some time, Carl Burns called and said he found the perfect song for Dodie. It was called Pink Shoe Laces. She would record the song in late 1958 hitting the charts early in 1959. The song would peak at number 3 in the US and and number 2 in Australia. With her third single Five Pennies, now signed to Dot Records, Dodie's music direction changed to covering standards of the '40s. A music change she now says was detrimental. In 1963 Dodie would leave the music scene to get married and have a baby. She returned to music three years later in 1966. She would go on to have an extensive career as a backing singer working with the likes of Sérgio Mendes and Brasil '77, Loretta Lynn and Boz Scaggs. Today Dodie is still performing, now alongside her daughter Stephanie. Her most recent music output was her 2019 album Affirmasong: The Game Of Life, an album of motivational songs. Jack phoned Dodie to talk about her early musical beginnings, the impact Judy Garland had on her, her first recording at age 8 in 1954, her TV performances in the mid '50s, how she came to be discovered by Carl Burns, the recording and success of Pink Shoe Laces, the follow-up single Yes-Sir-Ee, how fame impacted her, her 1959 tour of Australia with The Champs, Her music work into the early '60s, her work as a backing singer, her live music work today with her daughter Stephanie, and her recent album Affirmasong.  "Because I had been trained since I was so young, I had a very mature voice and the songs that I gravitated towards were songs like Judy Garland and they had meaningful messages...so when I heard Pink Shoe Laces...lyrically it was beyond novelty, it was ridiculous...no I didn't like the song...but I'm very proud of it...to this day I am very proud of it." - Dodie Stevens on this episode of Vinyl Vibes talking about singing Pink Shoe Laces Episode Hosted and Produced by Jack Hodgins

In this episode of Vinyl Vibes Jack is joined by Tony Hazzard, a legendary songwriter from the '60s. Tony grew up in Liverpool in post-war Britain. His earliest exposer to music include listening to war time records such as "Run Rabbit Run" but it was rock and rollers like Buddy Holly that captured Tony the most early on. Tony started writing songs while at  Durham University. One of his early works was a song called "You Won't Be Leaving". This song would break Tony into the music world when it was recorded as a single by Hermin's Hermits in 1966. After this song however for the next year Tony went through writers block. It was not until he wrote "Ha Ha Said The Clown", a hit for Manfred Mann in 1967, that his writers block was gone for good. Other hits that would follow for Tony would be Listen to Me as recorded by the Hollies and Fox on the Run as recorded by Manfred Mann.   More recently in 2021 Tony released his Selected Lyricsbook featuring lyrics throughout his long time in music. In 2022 Tony's latest album came out, Demonstration, an album that features remixed versions of his songs from his first solo album Tony hazard sings Tony hazard.  Jack Zoomed Tony to discuss his early musical beginnings, the war time records he heard in his early childhood, hearing early rock and roll records on Radio Luxembourg, his early songwriting at Durham University, how he came to be a professional songwriter, the writing of his first hit "You Won't be Leaving", how he overcame his writers block with "Ha Ha Said the Clown", the lyrical brilliance of "Fox on The Run", his work with The Hollies, his book "selected Lyrics" and his recent album Demonstration.  "I had a hit with 'You Won't Be Leaving' with Herman's Hermits and then I couldn't write anything for a year...I remember going to a meeting...I think I played three songs and he (Gerry Bron - song publisher) didn't like any of them so I stood up and said 'theres no point in playing the fourth', he said 'no, play it' and it was "Ha Ha Said The Clown" and a big grin came on his face and said its a hit" - Tony Hazzard on this episode of Vinyl Vibes talking about his hit song Ha Ha Said The Clown Episode Hosted and Produced by Jack Hodgins

In this episode of Vinyl Vibes, Jack is joined by John Hood, founding member of Sid Rumpo. John has been fascinated with the blues since 1964. This interest was sparked by the Rolling Stones, most notably their classic "The Little Red Rooster". At age 15 John got his first guitar and over the next three years would learn to play. In 1967 John would join his first band My Grandfather's Blues. This group, now called The Jellyroll Bakers, would come to an end in 1969. John spent the majority of 1971 working at 78 Records before Sid Rumpo was formed in November 1971 in Perth. Over the course of 1972 the band would become quite popular in Perth. They would win the 1972 state final of Hoadley's Battle of the Sounds and as a result make their way to Melbourne. Sid Rumpo would perform at the iconic 1973 Sunbury Pop Festival and are featured on the triple LP set brought out by Mushroom records featuring live recordings from the festival. In August 1973 John would leave the group. Eight months later Sid Rumpo would record their first album "First Offence" without John. The album would reach 33 on the albums chart in Australia.  John has remained in music and more recently has released over dozen solo albums. He has written two books, his first "For The Love Of Music: The Life and Times of a West Australian Bluesman": is about his own musical journey. His second book "Immersed In Blues: A Musical Journey": is about his journey in blues and his thoughts on the blues.  Jack talked to John via phone about his early musical beginnings, the impact The Rolling Stones had on him, his journey in discovering the origins of the blues in the pre-internet days, his journey learning guitar and harmonica, his time in The Jellyroll Bakers, the formation of Sid Rumpo, how the name Sid Rumpo came to be, the writing of the band's early songs, the bands time playing in Perth, the bands winning of Hoadley's Battle of the Sounds, the band's time in Melbourne, the band's performance at the 1973 Sunbury Pop Festival, why he left Sid Rumpo, his two books and his more recent music work.  "I hate to be frivolous but I was hardly there. We played on the Saturday afternoon and when we finished I listened to Matt Taylor and then I went back to Rob Sunbury's farm that his parents owned...I just didn't like Sunbury. It was all dirty filthy people boozed out of their minds so I just didn't enjoy it- I liked playing- but I didn't like the festival." - John Hood on this episode of Vinyl Vibes talking about the 1973 Sunbury Pop Festival Episode Hosted and Produced by Jack Hodgins

In this episode of Vinyl Vibes, Jack is joined by Les Hall, guitarist of '60s Newcastle band The Velvet Underground. Les grew up in Maitland joining his first band The Cavemen when he was still in high school. At a time when The Beatles were king, Les learned to play guitar by looking at photos of George Harrison in magazines. Les would make the move to Newcastle in 1968 to join The Velvet Underground. Their early setlist would consist of songs such as Light My Fire by The Doors and Tin Soldier by The Small Faces. They become know for their live performances most notably by front band Steve Phillipson who would light his bomber jacket on fire when the band performed Fire by Jimi Hendrix. The band would go on to record one single in 1970 with a cover of Jefferson Airplane's "Somebody to Love" on the A-side and a cover of Love's "She Comes in Colors" on the B-side. After being told by Easybeat, Stevie Wright, they would sound better with another guitarist, they were joined by future AC/DC member Malcom Young on guitar. In 1972 the band started backing Ted Mulry playing songs such as "Falling in Love again". The band would eventually split with Les and drummer, Herm Kovac, joining forces with Ted Mulry forming Ted Mulry Gang (TMG). Malcom Young would go on his own path eventually forming AC/DC in 1973. What started off as a Newcastle band turned into two of the biggest groups in OZ rock.  TMG would go on to be one of Australia's biggest bands in the mid '70s with songs such as "Jump In My Car". AC/DC would go on to become one of the biggest bands in the world. Today Les still plays with Ted Mulry Gang. Jack talked with Les live in the studio about his time in his first band The Cavemen, how he came to join The Velvet Underground, the Newcastle music scene in the '60s, the setlist the band played early on, the live gigs with Steve Phillipson, the recording of the bands first and only single, how Malcom Young came to join the band, memories of playing with Malcom Young, and how the band came to come to form into TMG.  "As we were walking out (of the Young residence), heard the noise coming from the bedroom and walked in and there was a big old wardrobe...Malcom slid one of the doors open and said 'that's just Angus'. He was in there playing with -he had an SG-he was playing along to Led Zeppelin on this little record player...We went to walk out and their father walked into the room and...we shook hands, his father pointed to the Wardrobe and said 'he's the one, he's the one'. - Les Hall on this episode of Vinyl Vibes talking about Angus Young Episode Hosted and Produced by Jack Hodgins

In this episode of Vinyl Vibes, Jack is joined by John Bisset, founding member & organist of Fraternity. Fraternity are best known as being the band Bon Scott was lead vocalist of before his AC/DC days.   John grew up in New Zealand listening to the likes of The Shadows and The Beatles. He formed his first group The Shadracks while still in High School playing songs by the likes of The Ventures and The Shadows. He joined motown group, The Action in 1966 and the group left for Sydney, Australia. It was with this group John gave up guitar to play organ. In 1968, John turned up to play a gig with The Action and was told the band no longer existed. Luckily, the organist in Levi Smiths Clefs left at the same time and John soon joined. After recording an album the group, he and other members of the Clefs left to form Fraternity in 1970. Fraternity recorded their first single  "Why Did It Have to Be Me" in October 1970. During the recording the bands album Livestock, In early 1971 Bon Scott joined as lead vocalist. In 1971 the group won Hoadley's Battle of the Sounds, winning a trip to the UK. After the release of the group's second album Flaming Galah and a disastrous trip to the UK, John left Fraternity in early 1973. Bon Scott would remain in the newly re-named Fang till 1973's end when the group returned from the UK. In September 1974 he would join AC/DC.   Jack called John to talk about his early musical beginnings, his first group The Shadracks, the impact the Beatles had on him, his time in his group The Mods, why he and The Action moved to Australia, his time playing the Hawaiian Eye nightclub with The Action, why he started playing organ, how he came to join Levi Smith's Clefs, the recording of The Empty Monkey album, the formation of Fraternity, the recording of Livestock, the arrival of Bon Scott as lead vocalist, Bon's first performances with Fraternity, the recording of Flaming Galah, the bands trip to the UK, John's music work with his band Dimond Cutter in the '80s, and his recent music output.   "He (Bon) was on another dimension as a singer...we played at this night club called Burties...I did the best organ solo I've ever done that night and the crowd was just packed...all of Bon Scott's Melbourne fanbase were there...in my whole music career that night at Burties when Bon first appeared in front of a Melbourne audience, that was the best night of my life playing in a band" - John Bisset on this episode of Vinyl Vibes talking about Bon's first appearance with the band in Melbourne Episode Hosted and Produced by Jack Hodgins To hear the full on-demand version of this program, go to https://www.2nurfm.com.au/shows/vinyl-vibes The website for Vinyl Vibes.  If you like this content, we'd love to hear from you. 

In this episode of Vinyl Vibes, Jack is joined by Dave Burgess, founding member and guitarist of The Champs. Dave recorded for the first time at the age of 17 in 1953 and by 1957 had his first top-ten hit, I'm Available which was made a hit by singer Margie Rayburn. However it is an instrumental song he helped write that he is most remembered for. Dave wrote a song called Train To Nowhere after hearing Bill Justis'"Raunchy". His label liked the song and so in December 1957 he went into Gold Star Studios to record it. After finishing the song, he was told he needed a B-Side for the single. Within moments Dave and the studio musicians he gathered started jamming what would become "Tequila". Within one take the song was recorded and Dave and the session musicians, together became known as The Champs.  By Late March 1958, it was the B-side, "Tequila" that had reached number one on the billboard top 100. By April 1958 the band were playing on The Ed Sullivan Show and by April, American Bandstand. For the song, the band received the first ever grammy award for "Best Rhythm and Blues Performance". "Tequila" has gone down as one of the best tracks of the rock and roll era and one of the most recognised instrumentals of all time.  The band would go on to have other minor hits such as "El Rancho Rock", "Too Much Tequila" and "Limbo Rock" before coming to an end in 1965. Dave has stayed in music since that time producing for the likes of Gene Vincent and Don McLean. In 2020 Dave revitalised The Champs and released the album Tequila Party,the first brand new Champs' album since 1962.  Jack Zoomed Dave to discuss his early beginnings, his first recordings at 17 in the early '50s, his song I'm Available, how "Tequila" came to be, the guitar and amp he used on the recording of "Tequila", his memories of playing on The Ed Sullivan Show, his touring of Australia with the Champs in the '60s, his opinions on AI's usage on music, The Champs album cover of "Go Champs, Go", the break up of The Champs, how the new album Tequila Party came to be, and what's next for Dave.  "They said that's great Dave but we need a B-Side. I said, 'give us a few minutes', so I started playing this riff on the guitar and Danny (Flores) started playing this guitar solo...Buddy Bruce came up with the bridge, I got the idea of Danny to say tequila on it, he always had this whisky voice and was always carrying around this flask of tequila with him." - Dave Burgess on this episode of Vinyl Vibes talking about how The Champs' big 1958 hit Tequila came to be Episode Hosted and Produced by Jack Hodgins

In this episode of Vinyl Vibes, Jack is joined by Gil Matthews, drummer of  Billy Thorpe and the Aztecs. Gil could read drum music before he could even read English. By the time he was 11, his drumming took him on a six-month tour of the US. After being in various band in the '60s, Gil became the in-house producer and engineer at Havoc Records in early 1970. In 1971, the recently signed Billy Thorpe and the Aztecs came into Havoc Studios to record The Dawn Song. Gil played drums, produced and engineered the track for the group. He would become the groups full-time drummer soon after.  In late January 1972 the band with Gil on drums would perform to an audience of 35,000 people at the Sunbury Pop Festival. The festival has gone down as Australia's Woodstock. The band's setlist was recorded and released as a double album called Aztecs Live! At Sunbury. The groups next single would be "Most People I Know Think I'm Crazy". Gil produced the single experimenting with many innovative studio techniques. His work on the song paid off and the song is now an Australia rock classic reaching number two on the charts at the time in 1972. The band came to an end originally in 1974 after the release of their album More Arse Then Class.  Since then Gil has remained in music and more recently has founded his label Aztec Records. With His fully analogue studio, his label specialises in reissuing Australian music from the '60s and '70s.   Jack talked to GIl via phone about his early beginnings, his early drumming work along side Buddy Rich, his early work with Havoc Records, the recording process of The Dawn Song, his production work on Most People I Know, analog tape recording techniques he used with the band, the bands performance at the Sunbury Pop Festival in 1972, the band's 1974 album More Arse Then Class, and his work today with his label Aztec Records.   "It is Australia's Woodstock...Sunbury was like the top of the tree, people came all over Australia...kids and dogs and people, smoking dope all over the place -you know diving in the creek out of the tree, girls topless - some naked- the younger generation just let their hair down and wanted to go and hear music" - Gil Matthews on this episode of Vinyl Vibes talking about the 1972 Sunbury Festival Episode Hosted and Produced by Jack Hodgins

In this episode of Vinyl Vibes, Jack is joined by David Fenton, lead singer of The Vapors. Dave saw his first concert when he was Ten. It was The Beatles performing at the the Gaumont Cinema in in August 1963. He was hooked on music from this point onwards and got his first guitar in the same year. He started playing in various acoustic bands during his teenage years such as Magician and Ano Bunny. After doing a law degree in 1978, he formed his first electric group, The Vapors. The group were discovered by Jam Bassist, Bruce Foxton in 1979 and the group were soon playing alongside the Jam. In the same year the band were signed to United Artists. They released their first single "Prisoners" to no charting success in late 1979. In January 1980, with the release of their second single the band would top the charts. Dave had written a song in late 1977/early 1978 called "Turning Japanese". Although written before their first single, the group held off on recording it for their first single and went with the less successful "Prisoners" instead. Recording with Jam producer, Vic Coppersmith-Heaven, the song took shape in the studio. The single would go to number 1 in Australia and number 3 in the UK.  The band would go on to have two albums before disbanding in 1981. David would go back to being a lawyer after the band. After retiring, he got the band back together in 2016 and they released their first album in over 30 years in 2020, it is called Togetherand has 12 original songs written by Dave and the band.  Jack Zoomed David to talk about his early musical beginnings, seeing the Beatles in 1963, his first guitar at age ten, his first bands Magician and Ano Bunny, his time studying law, the formation of the Vapors in 1978, the band's first gig at The Lakers Club, the band getting discovered by Jam bassist Bruce Foxton, his memories of playing alongside the Jam, the band's signage to United Artists, the writing of the band's first single 'Prisoners', the recording and success of 'Turning Japanese', The Vapors 1980 tour of Australia, playing on Countdown, the bands first tour of the US, the band's second album Magnets, the disbandment of the band in 1981, their reformation in 2016 and their newest album 2020's Together.  "The lead guitar solo for example, rather then getting one dirty sound and playing it on one guitar, he made me and Ed sit opposite each other playing the same thing -playing the solo- with a clean sound and we did it six times, so there's twelve tracks of lead guitar...it sounded really big and powerful because they were on top of each other" - David Fenton on this episode of Vinyl Vibes talking about the recording process (with the producer Vic Coppersmith-Heaven) on the bands number one hit 'Turning Japanese' Episode Hosted and Produced by Jack Hodgins

In this episode of Vinyl Vibes, Jack is again joined by Keith Hopwood, rhythm guitarist of Herman's Hermits. When Keith was 18 he wrote his first ever song, 'Don't try to Hurt Me'. It would end up as an album track on the first Herman's Hermits album in 1965. This would begin his journey in songwriting. Since Jack's last interview with Keith, two EPs have been released by Keith. Freedom Calls Chapter One in May 2023 and Freedom Calls Chapter Two in September 2023. In this episode Keith talks about his new EPs and Herman's Hermits B-sides and album tracks.  Herman's Hermits are known for their hits "I'm into Something Good", "Mrs. Brown, You've Got a Lovely Daughter" and "No Milk Today". To hear Kieth discuss these big hits go to Jack's first interview with Keith here. Jack Zoomed Keith to talk about the making of his Freedom Calls EPs, Keith's first song he ever wrote 'Don't Try To Hurt Me', how reverb was achieved in the '60s, the group's Ed Sullivan Show performance, the group's first US tour in May 1965, his thoughts on The Beatles new song Now And Then, the time he almost met Elvis, the story of the Herman's Hermits stay in Las Vegas, and the band's 1966 Australian tour. "We had done a very long tour in the states and the last date was Hawaii, so we're in Hawaii but we've finished the tour and Elvis is in Hawaii filming Blue Hawaii, I don't know who spoke to who but look were both here  'can we meet him?"... so they said yeah sure." - Keith Hopwood on this episode of Vinyl Vibes talking about the band's chance to meet Elvis Episode Hosted and Produced by Jack Hodgins

In this episode of  Vinyl Vibes Jack talks with Mark Holden, the carnation kid, an Australian '70s pop artist. Mark grew up Listening to the likes of Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell and so he began to write many folk inspired songs during his teenage years. Appearing on shows such as Adelaide Today, Mark would be discovered by the shows host Ernie Sigley. Through Sigley, Mark would make appearances in Sydney and soon come into contact with John Bromall. Bromall would soon get Mark signed to a EMI recording contract.  In 1975 Mark would be signed to EMI and would release his first album Dawn in Darkness. The album was a commercial flop selling a mere two thousand copies. EMI kept their faith in Mark despite this and in April 1976 Mark got a call from Colin Petersen, former Bee Gee drummer, then A&R for EMI. He told  Mark he needed to record a song called "Never Gonna Fall in Love Again", a song recorded by Eric Carmen that had not yet come out in Australia. Mark did so with Colin producing the song and it was Marks first pop hit reaching number 13 on the Kent music charts. His next hit " I Wanna Make You my Lady" would come in September 1976 after ABBA manager, Stig Anderson, gave Mark the song. After a performance of the song on Countdown in a white suit with a red carnation, Mark would become known as the carnation kid. He would go to have other hits in the '70s such as "Last Romance" and "Reach Out for the One Who Loves You".  By the tail end of the ‘70s Mark believed his pop career was coming to an end and made  his way to the United States in 1980. He would find success in the US as a songwriter in the mid ‘80s writing "Lady Soul" for The Temptations. Mark has remained in music throughout the years and today is working on the production side of things.  "I was in the lift going to The Logies and in the lift was Stig Anderson...manager of ABBA, and I had the length of an elevator ride to hassle him. I said 'Hi I'm Mark Holden, I've got this hit...have you got any songs' and he followed up and sent me a bunch of songs and one of the songs was a song in Swedish, the translation was "I'm Gonna Make You An Angel"...I re-wrote the English lyrics and 'I Wanna Make You My Lady' Was Born." - Mark Holden on this episode of Vinyl Vibes talking about how his hit "I Wanna Make You My Lady" came to be Episode Hosted and Produced by Jack Hodgins

In this episode of Vinyl Vibes Jack talks with Les Hall, founding member and guitarist of Ted Mulry Gang. Les grew up in Maitland during the '50s and early '60s. After playing piano at the insistence of his father, he was inspired to start playing guitar due to George Harrison of The Beatles. In 1964 he would see the Beatles live when they came down under on their world tour. Four years later in 1968 he joined a Newcastle band called The Velvet Underground. It was through this band, in the early '70s, he came to meet and play backing for Ted Mulry. After backing Ted for a little while, Ted Mulry Gang (TMG) was formed in 1972 with Les on guitar, Ted on vocals/bass and Herman Kovacs on drums. In 1974 the band would sign to Albert Productions and release their first album Here We Are in November of that year. After a failed first single, at the insistence of a Newcastle Radio DJ, the band released Jump In My Car, an album track off their first album. It would go to number one for six weeks and would become an Aussie classic. The band would go on to have 4 more top ten singles and after six albums would disband in 1986. More recently, Les has got the band back together and have released a brand new single and their first album in over 30 years. Jack zoomed Les to talk about his early years growing in Maitland, how he came to start playing the guitar, his memories of seeing the Beatles live in 1964, how he came to join Newcastle band the Velvet Underground in 1968, the formation of TMG, the recording of the bands first album Here We Are, the writing of Jump In My Car, the guitar and amp used on the Jump in My Car recording, the production work of Ted Albert, how songs such as Darktown Strutters' Ball and Jamaica Rum came to be, his work post TMG, the re-formation of TMG and the band's new single and album.  "It happened at Collaroy Plateau, I was in the bedroom, I'd just listened to a Faces' song called 'Stay With Me', which I really love the feel of, its a really Stonesy feel actually and I was listening to that, that finished and I was fiddling on the guitar and I came up with this riff and I went out to Ted who was in the lounge room watching TV and I said "hey, listen to this" and I played it, he went and got his bass and he followed and we came up with the thing that ended up as Jump In My Car." - Les Hall on this episode of Vinyl Vibes talking about how TMG's hit Jump In My Car was written Episode Hosted and Produced by Jack Hodgins

In this episode of Vinyl Vibes, Jack is joined by Tony Currenti, an early AC/DC session drummer. Tony grew up in Sicily in the '50s and early '60s listening to local Sicilian artists as well as Elvis and The Beatles. In 1967 he and his family immigrated to Australia where his love for the drums would soon flourish. He started playing drums in local bands around the Sydney area. First he played in a church band before forming a band called Inheritance. This group was signed to EMI and would release a single on the label. In 1971 Tony would meet Harry Vanda and George Young for the first time. As a member of Jackie Christian & Flight, Tony would play drums on a Vanda and Young production for the first time on the band's 1974 single "The Last Time I Go to Baltimore". After recording some tracks one night for the group, George Young asked Tony to stay back and record with Young's younger brothers' band AC/DC.  Over the next few nights Tony would play drums on eight songs with AC/DC for their debut album High Voltage. Seven of these songs would be featured on the album. The final song, not on the album, also called High Voltage would be AC/DC's first top ten single. Tony was asked to join the band twice but had to knock them back both times due to his Italian passport. After AC/DC, he continued to record with Vanda and Young with his drumming being featured on Stevie Wright's "Evie Part 3" and John Paul Young's "Yesterdays Hero". He lost contact with Vanda and Young in 1976 and after three years of playing in various local bands, he would open his own pizza shop in 1979.  Jack phoned Tony to talk about his early childhood in Sicily, the songs on the radio in Sicily growing up, his journey to Australia in 1967, his early days playing in local Sydney bands such as in Inheritance, how Inheritance came to sign to EMI, his meeting of Harry Vanda and George Young, working with Vanda and Young in the studio with Jackie Christian & Flight, how he came to play with AC/DC, why he chose not to join AC/DC, the recording of High Voltage, his drumming with JPY and Stevie Wright, his pizza shop which he opened in 1979 and his music work today.  "We finished at a 11 o'clock and George (Young) said 'midnight my two brothers are coming with their band, would you like to hang around to record some songs'?. I had no idea what to expect but at midnight Bon Scott walked into the studio and he was so happy to see me." - Tony Currenti on this episode of Vinyl Vibes talking about the recording of AC/DC's album High Voltage Episode Hosted and Produced by Jack Hodgins

In this episode of Vinyl Vibes, Jack is joined by Peggy Seeger, a folk music icon. Peggy grew up in a musical family with her mother Ruth being a modernist composer and her father Charles being a musicologist. The music she grew up with would be greatly made up of the blues and folk music recordings collected by Alan Lomax. One of the artists she listened to growing up was Leadbelly, whom she would meet in 1942 when he visited her house with Alan Lomax.  She would record her first album Folksongs of Courting and Complaint in 1955 and It would be the beginning to a long career in music. In 1957 she would inspire Ewan MacColl to write The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face and the year after Peggy would write her first song The Ballad Of Springhill. A highlight of Peggy's time in music includes her song I'm Gonna be an Engineer. The song was released in 1979 and begun Peggy's journey into feminism. More recent work from her includes the song (which Peggy's calls one of her best) "The Mother" off her 1996 album An Odd Collection  and her brand new album The First Farewell which came out in 2021.  Jack zoomed Peggy to discuss her early childhood, what it was like growing up in a musical family, the blues and folk music she grew up listening to, meeting Leadbelly in 1942, the beauty in not having music at your finger tips in the pre-internet days, her opinion on rock and roll when it started in 1955, the recording of her first album, the writing of I'm Gonna be an Engineer, her journey into feminism, the writing of The Ballad of Springhill, her song "The Mother" and her new album The First Farewell. "I was in the middle of doing the accounts and Ewan MacColl was upstairs writing a script for a theatrical show we put on every year and he came down stairs and he said 'this script needs a women's song, so would you please write a women's song', I'm in the middle of doing the accounts for god sakes and I wasn't very pleased at that...I dashed that song off literally in two hours." - Peggy Seeger on this episode of Vinyl Vibes talking about how her song "I'm Gonna be an Engineer" came to be  Episode Hosted and Produced by Jack Hodgins

In this episode of Vinyl Vibes, Jack is joined by Andy Anderson, lead singer of The Missing Links. Andy grew up during the '50s and early '60s in New Zealand. He was exposed to rock and roll for the first time when he heard Little Richard's "Can't Believe You Wanna Leave" over the radio. He would soon start playing drums and playing in various local bands such as being the drummer for The Corvairs. During his teenage years he was greatly impacted by The Beatles. Andy would get to see the fab-four live on their 1964 world tour when they played Wellington Town Hall in June of that year.  Soon after Andy would travel via plane to Sydney Australia. In 1965 he would join a band called the Missing Links in what would become their second lineup. The band would sign to Philips Records and release their first single "You're Drivin' Me Insane" in August 1965. The single was hard-hitting and ahead of its time as It was released before fellow hard-hitting groups such as The Who and The Troggs had conquered the music world. The singles  "Wild About You" and "H'tuom Tuhs" would follow in September and October respectively. Their sought after self-titled album recorded without a producer in a cramp studio would come out in December 1965. Before their break up in August 1966 the band would release an EP called Links Unchained in April 1966.  Andy remained in music for sometime after the break up of the band but would undertake a successful acting career soon after. He has since returned to music and on Half a Cow Records released his latest album, Andersongs, in 2017. "The second show...you had the seats behind the Beatles...and Ringo Starr, I was right behind him literally like three steps and I knew he had been sick, he couldn't do some of the shows in Sydney and I'm siting there going 'fall off that stool, yes fall out of that stool, I know your songs just fall off that stool" ha ha...they were just an amazing band" - Andy Anderson on this episode of Vinyl Vibes talking about seeing the Beatles' 23 June 1964 concert at Wellington Town Hall Episode Hosted and Produced by Jack Hodgins

In this episode of Vinyl Vibes, Jack is joined by Rick Pointon, a '60s and '70s Newcastle music legend. Rick spent his first ten years of life in England before becoming a Ten-Pound Pom in 1956 when he and his family moved to Australia. His moving to Australia also marked the beginning of rock and roll with Buddy Holly and Bill Haley being early influences. However, it was Hank Marvin of the Shadows that inspired Rick to buy his first guitar in 1962. Rick would soon join his first band the Mystery Men. The band would go through many name changes such as The Others before becoming known as The Second Thoughts in 1966. The group would record a single in the same year with producer Nat Kipner with its A-side being Run Back Home and its B-side being The World Keeps Going Round. The single would be recorded in the same studio and with the same producer as that of the Bee Gees Spicks And Specks single.  After being in a few other groups during the alter '60s and early '70s, in 1974 Rick would form Benny and The Jets. This group would become popular around the Newcastle area playing '50s inspired rock and roll. The group would have number one singles locally in Newcastle and release a locally popular album called Hey Rock And Roll. The band would find some nationally recognition charting on the Kent Music Charts. After music, Rick went on to have a career in radio. More recently Rick has written a book about his time in music and the Newcastle music scene during the '60s and '70s. Its called "Hey Rock 'N' and Roll" and is available locally in book chains around Newcastle.  Jack phoned Rick to discuss his time growing up in England, hearing Bill Haley for the first time, why The Shadows impacted his generation greatly, how he came to join his first group The Mystery Men, the impact hearing The Beatles for the first time had on him, what it was like playing local gigs back in the early '60s, his memories of supporting the likes of The Bee Gees and Easybeats, the recording of The Second Thoughts single, the formation of Bennie and The Jets, what it was like playing The Starr Hotel back in the '70s, the Record store he owned in the '70s, the recording of various Bennie and The Jets songs, how Rick's book "Hey Rock 'n' Roll" came to be, and his love for vinyl records.  "There we were playing on Nobbys Beach in forty degree heat in suits and ties, I mean ridiculous...but that's what it was. Whatever The Beatles and British Invasion bands did, that's what we did," - Rick Pointon on this episode of Vinyl Vibes talking about playing in the Others in the mid '60s Episode Hosted and Produced by Jack Hodgins

In this episode of Vinyl Vibes, Jack is joined by xf Lizotte, owner of Newcastle's own Lizotte's Restaurant. Brian grew up in the United States during the '60s. His childhood music memories include hearing the sounds of Crosby, Stills And Nash as well as the Doobie Brothers. In 1970, Brian and his family moved to Australia. His interest in food began to flourish and thus at the end of his high school year did his Diploma in Catering and Hotel Management. Completing this diploma in 1984, he would travel Europe to hone in on his cooking skills. On his return to Australia he had the opportunity to work in the kitchen of Rhinoceros Studios in Sydney. This recording studio was part owned by INXS at the time and so Brian would mix with some of Australia's biggest music stars at the time including Midnight Oil and Ian Moss.  In 1989 he would start his own catering company called More Then a Morsel Catering. This catering company was a pioneer in the field as it was the first to specialise in national music tours. His clients would include The Beach Boys, Frank Sinatra, Billy Joel, Elton John and U2. After More Then a Morsel Catering, Brian would start opening his own restaurants. One he opened in 2009 was Live n Cookin' @ Lizotte's Newcastlein New Lambton. At the time of this interview Brian was looking for a buyer for the restaurant but has since found one and so it will be a part of the community for years to come. Jack phone Brian to talk about his memories growing up during the '60s in the United States, the music he grew up listening to, his love of vinyl records, how he came to decide to do cooking as a career, how he came to work at Rhinoceros Studios, his memories of catering for INXS, his memories of hearing classic albums at Rhinoceros Studios before they were released, how More Then a Morsel Catering came to be, his memories of catering for Frank Sinatra in the early '90s, his time as the personal chef for the Beach Boys on their 1992 national tour, the innovations of More Then a Morsel Catering, the 1998 Face 2 Face tour of Billy Joel and Elton John, his other catering work with the likes of U2 and Madonna, and how Lizottes Newcastle came to be.  "(Sinatra) was still drinking his chivas regal, he would have a good scotch and they would have to help him get up onto the stage...even though I did feed him, it was only a tuna fish salad sandwich and he always traveled with his Campbells' chicken and rice soup..mixed with Evian Water and then put into Royal Doulton  china...it was a weird era ha ha" - Sinatra Lizotte on this episode of Vinyl Vibes talking about catering for Frank Sinatra while on national tour of Australia  Episode Hosted and Produced by Jack Hodgins

In this episode of Vinyl Vibes, Jack is joined by Mitchel Eaton, owner of Newcastle's own Hiss And Crackle Records. In recent years, vinyl records have seen a resurgence, leading to a big return of the local record shop.  Owner of Hiss and Crackle, Mitch got into music at a young age listening to his dad's music such Jimi Hendrix and Tamam Shud. Mitch has been a part of the music sales industry for most of his life, working at JB HI-FI for 18 years. Mitch decided to take the leap and open his own record store in May 2019. The store has become an important part of the vinyl record and music scene in Newcastle. Jack phoned Mitch to talk about his early music beginnings with artists like Jimi Hendrix, his time at JB HI-FI, why young people are connecting with vinyl so much, the return of independent local record stores, vinyl turntables, how to look after your vinyl, how the store came to be, the reasons why CDs are not doing as well as vinyl now, The Rolling Stones recent album, the local Newcastle music scene, his tips on how to be a successful local band in Newcastle, and what's next for the store.  "I think with the independence side of it, you get to craft your own store, so it's like an extension of yourself." - Mitchel Eaton on this episode of vinyl vibes discussing the benefits of independent local record store.  Episode Hosted and Produced by Jack Hodgins

In this episode of Vinyl Vibes, Jack is joined by Graham Russell, co-founder of Air Supply. Since Graham was z kid, all he wanted to be was a songwriter. Growing up amongst Beatlemania in 1960s UK, the music of the Beatles inspired him greatly. On the other side of the world in Australia, Russell Hitchcock was also inspired by the Beatles. Russell and Graham would meet on the set of a production of Jesus Christ Superstar in 1975, and together would form Air Supply. It was their love of The Beatles that brought them together.  Their first single "Love and Other Bruises" would come out in 1976 and would be a top ten hit in Australia. A few years later, they would find international success with their song "Lost in Love" which in 1980, would go to number 3 on the Billboard Top 100. This would be the beginning of a string of hits they would have in the US. Other US hits for the group would be "All Out Of Love" (Number 2 on the Billboard Top 100) , "Every Woman in the World" (Number 5 on the Billboard Top 100) and "Making Love Out of Nothing at All" (Number 2 on the Billboard Top 100). The band has been touring non-stop since 1975 and in December 2022 released a new single, "Be Tough". Graham is currently working on a book about his life leading up to Air Supply's worldwide success and the band plans to return down under in 2024. Jack zoomed Graham to discuss his early music beginnings, the impact the Beatles had on him, his time in his first band Union Blues, his moving to Australia in 1968, meeting Russell Hitchcock in 1975, the band's first single "Love and Other Bruises", playing on Countdown, why "Lost in Love" brought the band worldwide success, touring China and Vietnam at a time when most bands did not, the writing of "All Out of Love", music videos and MTV, the group's new single "Be Tough", Graham's upcoming book, and when the band is coming to Australia to play again.  "(Russell) would sing one take for pretty much everything in those days, he just did it, nobody said to him 'ah, I want you to go up in the end and hold that note' - he just did it . . . he just used intuition, and just went with the flow and I think that's what became part of the song, part of the record, that energy and the freedom was inherent in the song." - Graham Russell on this episode of Vinyl Vibes talking about Russell Hitchcock's singing on All Out Of Love Episode Hosted and Produced by Jack Hodgins

In this episode of Vinyl Vibes, Jack is joined by Keith Potger, founding member of The Seekers. In the late 1950s Keith was in a group called The Trinamics and Athol Guy was in a group called The Ramblers. They would come together to form The Escorts. By 1962 the band was called The Seekers and they were looking for a female lead singer and thus Judith Durham became part of the group. By 1963, the group had done their first album Introducing The Seekers. This was the beginning to the iconic line-up of Keith on lead guitar, Athol Guy on double bass, Bruce Woodley on rhythm guitar and Judith Durham on lead vocals. The group would sail to the UK in March 1964, and by year's end had their first number one hit "I'll Never Find Another You". This would make The Seekers Australia's biggest music group at the time. They would go on to have other hits such as "A World of Our Own" (Number two hit in Australia and Number 3 in the UK), "The Carnival Is Over" (Number one hit in Australia and the UK) and "Georgy Girl" (Number one in Australia and Number 3 in the UK). The Seekers broke up in 1968 but would reform many times in the succeeding decades.  More recently, Keith has released three solo albums, Secrets of the Heart (2004),  Sunday (2007), and Smile Now (2010), and is currently working on a new album. As a solo artist, Keith is still touring.  Jack zoomed Keith to discuss his early music beginnings, the music of his childhood in Sri Lanka, his memories of his early years in Australia, the impact that rock and roll and doo-wop had on him, his time in The Trinamics, the formation of The Seekers, the recording of the band's first album Introducing The Seekers, his time at the ABC, the groups trip to the UK via ship, the over-night success the group had in the UK, the recording of "I'll Never Find Another You", Keith's iconic 12-string sound, the group's performance on The Ed Sullivan Show, Tom Springfield's production work with the group, the group's 1965 tour of Australia, why "The Carnival is Over" is Keith's favourite Seekers song, Keith's solo work, and upcoming music projects.  That was a three-hour session, we had to record the main song and the B-side in one session, and Judith was living with her sister at the time in London and she slept in - we were all at the studio - let's say it was 10 o'clock in the morning - and we were sort of wondering 'Its 9:30 now! We're supposed to be warming up for the session!' and we had to ring a taxi and Judith was really upset because she didn't want us to spend money on the taxi - 'Oh no, I'll catch the train,' and we said 'No, bugger that, you'll get a taxi!' - Keith Potger on this episode of Vinyl Vibes talking about the recording session for I'll Never Find Another You Episode Hosted and Produced by Jack Hodgins

In this episode of Vinyl Vibes, Jack is joined by Jack Casady, bass player and founding member of Jefferson Airplane. Coming to age during the onset of rock and roll, Jack Casady was initially inspired by the likes of Carl Perkins and Gene Vincent. He would form his first band in the late '50s, The Triumphs with Jorma Kaukonen. Jorma would become a life-long friend of Jack's. By 1965 Jefferson Airplane had been formed in San Francisco with Jorma on Guitar. Jack was in college and had recently started playing bass. In September of that year, original bass player, Bob Harvey left the group and Jack was asked by Jorma to join. The band's first album Jefferson Airplane Takes Off would come out in 1966. In 1967 the iconic Grace Slick would join the band and bring with her the songs "White Rabbit" and "Somebody to Love". These songs, along with the band's album Surrealistic Pillow would go down to be some of the most iconic music made during the '60s. For his work with the band, Jack was inducted into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996. Jack would play bass on every album the band made till the group broke up in 1972. After this, Jack focused more on his and Jorma's musical project, Hot Tuna. Today the pair are still touring as Hot Tuna with the band undertaking a 2023 tour called Electric Hot Tuna’s Last Waltz. Jack is also busy running bass workshops through the Fur Peace Ranch. Jack Hodgins zoomed Jack Casady to discuss his early musical beginnings, the music in Washington in his early days, his time playing in The Triumphs, his time in college, how he came to join Jefferson Airplane, the recording of the band's first album Jefferson Airplane Takes Off, the group's early gigs, the musical greatness of "White Rabbit", the recording of Surrealistic Pillow, the group's iconic lead singer Grace Slick, his work with his band Hot Tuna, the group's upcoming tour and the bass workshops he is running. "Grace (Slick) is really a wonderful pianist and she does really interesting structures, she has her classical background too, and I think that's why in a lot of her compositions you hear a lot of very interesting chordal structures and the way she overlaps the song and the story she is talking about . . . because she has such a unique world view, as it were, and she puts that into a story line in her song, and I think that's why she was so unique, she wasn't trying to be a pop artist." - Jack Casady on this episode of vinyl vibes talking about Jefferson Airplane vocalist Grace Slick Episode Hosted and Produced by Jack Hodgins

In this episode of Vinyl Vibes, Jack is joined by Normie Rowe, the biggest music star of 1960s Australia. Norm grew up listening to the likes of Col Joye and Ray Charles. All he wanted to be growing up was a singer. He made his first live performance at the age of 14 and was soon playing at lots of local rock and roll dances. In 1965 Norm would release his first single "It Ain't Necessarily So" which would be the first in a string of eight top-ten hits in a row for Norm. The biggest selling record of the '60s in Australia was Norm's double A-side " In this episode of Vinyl Vibes, Jack is joined by Normie Rowe, the biggest music star of 1960s Australia. Norm grew up listening to the likes of Col Joye and Ray Charles. All he wanted to be growing up was a singer. He made his first live performance at the age of 14 and was soon playing at lots of local rock and roll dances. In 1965 Norm would release his first single "It Ain't Necessarily So" which would be the first in a string of eight top-ten hits in a row for Norm. The biggest selling record of the '60s in Australia was Norm's double A-side "Que Sera Sera" and "Shakin' All Over" which came out in September 1965. It sold 80,000 copies. In 1966 Norm would go to the UK to make a music career over there. This success was cut short however when in early 1968, Norm would be drafted to serve in the Vietnam War. His service would put a halt to his string of hits and leave him with PTSD when he returned home to Australia in February 1970.  Norm has remained performing since then and is still making music. He wrote about his life in music in his 2013 autobiography called Normie Rowe - Normie, The Normie Rowe Story.Norm's most recent music work has included his 2016 album Missing in Action which tells his story in being a Vietnam Veteran. His most recent single came out in 2019 and was a cover 1927's "Compulsory Hero". Jack phoned Norm to discuss his early musical beginnings, the impact Ray Charles and Col Joye had on him, his first live performance at the age of 14, his long-time band The Playboys, the recording of his first single "It Ain't Necessarily So", his memories of recording with tape, how his biggest single "Que Sera Sera" came to be, his time recording in the UK with session musicians like Jimmy Page, his service in Vietnam, his PTSD, and his more recent music work such as his most recent single "Compulsory Hero". "I would love to be able to say that ("Que Sera Sera") was my reimagionation but it wasn't. It was a group in America called The High Keys..and I fell in love with this song straight a way and when I had it - I had in my possession- and I played it incessantly for two years before I even recorded "It Ain't Necessarily So"." - Normie Rowe on this episode of Vinyl Vibes talking about how his biggest single "Que Sera Sera" came to be

In this episode of Vinyl Vibes, Jack is joined by Peter Staples, bass player and founding member of The Troggs. In 1964 Peter joined a group that contained Reg Presley (vocals), Ronnie Bond (drums) and Chris Britton (guitar), and they would soon be named The Troggs. In 1966 the band would record a song written by Chip Taylor called "Wild Thing". The song would be a number 2 hit in the UK and a number 1 hit in the US. It is also one of the most recognised songs ever written.   The group would follow with singles such as "With a Girl Like You" (Number 1-hit in the UK) and "Love Is All Around" (Number 5-hit in the UK). The latter was famously covered by Wet Wet Wet in 1994 and became one of the best selling singles in the UK.  Pete left the Troggs in 1969 and would for many years not be in the music world. More recently he has come back to write and record original songs with singer Karen-Ana. He has also authored two books: his first,Wild Thing A Rocky Road, was written on his time in The Troggs; his second book is about the music history of his local town and is called Andover - A Musical History. Jack phoned Pete to discuss his early musical influences, his first band The Senators, how he came to meet Chris Britton, his time in Ten Feet Five, how he came to join The Troggs, the recording of Wild Thing, how the iconic solo in Wild Thing came to be, the iconic hook on "With a Girl Like You", the success the band had during '66 & '67, the writing of  "Love Is All Around", why Pete left the group in 1969, Pete's solo work and his recent two books.  "On the original demo, the recording engineer, he sort of had his hands cupped together and he was blowing though it making that sort of noise . . . so Colin, that's the musical director, he went down the road and went to this music shop and he said 'Can I have an ocarina please?' and the person said 'What key do you want it in?', he said 'I didn't know they came in different keys!' . . . he brought the ocarina back . . . and all he wanted to find was three notes that he could do this solo . . . he actually taped up most of the holes in the ocarina and just left three there and he played the ocarina with just three holes there." - Pete Staples on this episode of Vinyl Vibes talking about how the solo in Wild Thing came to be played with an ocarina and not a guitar Episode Hosted and Produced by Jack Hodgins

In this episode of Vinyl Vibes, Jack is joined by Alan Warner, original guitarist and founding member of The Foundations. In 1966 Alan put an ad in a music magazine looking to play in a reggae/soul group. He found a group called ''The Ramongs''. At the time, the group had two lead singers, Ramong Morrison and Clem Curtis. After Ramong Morrison left the group, the band needed a name change. Alan was the one who came up with the idea to call the band The Foundations. The band's first single, "Baby, Now That I've Found You", would be a number-one hit in the UK, but it is the group's 1968 hit "Build Me Up Buttercup" that they are best remembered today for. After three top ten hits in the UK, The Foundations would break up in 1971.  Alan would remain in music and play in various bands, such as Pluto, in the following decades. Today he tours as The Foundations Featuring Alan Warner. Jack Zoomed Alan to discuss his early musical influences, his time in bands such as The Skeletones and The Trekkers, how he came to join The Ramongs in 1966, how he came up with the name The Foundations, how the band came to record music, the recording of their number one hit "Baby, Now That I've Found You", recording techniques of the '60s, the success the band had after "Baby, Now That I've Found You", playing on Top of The Pops, the band's US tour in 1968, how "Build Me Up, Buttercup" came to be, and Alan's work today as The Foundations Featuring Alan Warner. "Apparently David Essex turned (Build Me Up Buttercup) down because David Essex was a bit more of a rock type of singer . . . so the song was offered to us. He (Tony Macaulay) started playing it, we thought 'oh that's great!' but I turned around and said, 'Trouble is, it's got baby in it again' - build me up - butter cup - Baby - every song we done has got baby in it' - Alan Warner on this episode of Vinyl Vibes talking about being presented with Build Me Up Buttercup for the first time Episode Hosted and Produced by Jack Hodgins

In this episode of Vinyl Vibes, Jack is joined by Ian Peewee Wilson, founding member of The Dellttones. Peewee formed the Delltones in 1958 along with Noel Widerberg, Warren Lucas, and Brian Perkins. After being discovered by radio DJ, Bob Rodgers, the group were quickly singing backing for artists like Johnny O'Keefe. Their first single, Why, would come out in 1959 and would reach number 15 on the Sydney charts. This release made the group a part of the first wave of Australian rock and roll. In 1962, "Get a Little Dirt on Your Hands" would bring another hit, but it also marked a sad turning point for the group when, two weeks after its release, founding member Noel Widerberg was killed in a car accident. The band would continue with Colin Loughnan taking over Noel's duties. In 1963, they would release what would become their biggest hit, "Come A Little Bit Closer". After some success during the surf craze, the band would find less success in the later '60s. However, in the 1980s, the band would make a big come back with their 1984 album Bop Til Ya Drop.  Peewee has been with the band the entire time up until the group's last tour in 2016. He wrote about his time in the band in his 2013 autobiography Come A Little Bit Closer. Jack phoned Peewee to discuss his early musical beginnings, the formation of the Delltones, the group's first gig, the first wave of Australian rock and roll, how the band got to record and be Johnny O'Keefe's backing band, the recording of the group's first single Why, the passing of Noel Widerberg, the group's biggest hit "Come A Little Bit Closer", TV's role in making music successful in Australia, the surf music craze of the early '60s, the impact of The Beatles, the group's 1984 come back, and his 2013 book.  "We didn't have any machines to do that for the reverb, in our case we were using the -in Festival's case - they were using the women's toilet, we would run a line down to the ladies' toilet . . . there was a sheet of plate glass up against the wall with a microphone . . . there was a microphone and a speaker in there, and all it would do is cut through the speaker and come back through the microphone and pick up the reverb that was in the room." - Peewee on this episode of Vinyl Vibes talking about how they got reverb on "Come A Little Bit Closer" in late 1962 Episode Hosted and Produced by Jack Hodgins

In this episode of Vinyl Vibes, Jack is joined by Tim Gaze, legendary Australian guitarist. Tim joined his first band Stonehenge in 1968 at the age of 14. After a year or so as their guitarist, Tim made a bold move and auditioned for Tamam Shud. He would prove to be successful and would join the band at the age of 16 in late 1969.Tamam Shud would be Tim's first major band and he is featured as a lead guitarist on the the group's second album The Goolutionites and the Real People. After six months in the group, Tim left in mid 1970 to form progressive rock group, Kahvas Jute. The band would only do one album which was called Wide Open and came out in 1971. After leaving Kahvas Jute, Tim would return to play in Tamam Shud till their break up in 1972.  By 1973 Tim joined another group called Ariel. Tim would co-write many of the songs on the groups debut album, A Strange Fantastic Dream. The groups single  "Jamaican Farewell"  would win an ARIA award for single of the year. He remained with the group till April 1974. He would then tour with The Stevie Wright Band for the reminder of 1974. Following this he would be a touring guitarist for John Paul Young and the Allstars in 1975.  More recently In 2020, Tim completed his doctoral studies in Creative Industries and is now moving back to his roots in songwriting and performing. To support Tim you can head to his Patreon. Tim also offers one on one guitar lessons which you can find more about here. Jack phoned Tim to discuss his early musical beginnings, his first guitar he got when he was 11, his first band Stonehenge, how he came to join Tamam Shud in 1969, what it was like playing with musicians many years his senior, his early gigs with band, the recording of the album The Goolutionites and the Real People,  the formation of  Kahvas Jute, his time in Ariel, the creativity of A Strange Fantastic Dream, the ARIA award wining song "Jamaican Farewell", his time playing in The Stevie Wright Band and with John Paul Young and the Allstars, his recent PhD graduation, his guitar lessons, and more recent music projects.  "Those guys were about ten years older then I was, so here were these guys drinking whisky and playin' poker and stuff and I'm going "what are they doin'?"...that band was a little bit more out of my depth..but when I think about the guys that were in that band and I think about them now, mate I have a lot of respect for all of them because they kind of, I was a bit of a loose cannon, and they kinda put up with me a little bit but they also tried to wise me up" - Tim Gaze on this episode of Vinyl Vibes talking about playing in JPY's Allstars band in 1975 Episode Hosted and Produced by Jack Hodgins

In this episode of Vinyl Vibes, Jack is joined by Steve Bingham, former bass player of The Foundations. When Steve was 12 his sister took him to see a local band called The Strollers. This would be the first time Steve would see a bass and is the moment he fell in love with the bass sound. By 1969 Steve had formed a group called Misty. The band would release a single called Hot Cinnamon but it would not experience commercial success. The band would record an album in the same time called "Here Again" however the album would be shelved and not released until 2022 when after five decades of not being heard was released by Grapefruit Records. Steve's big break would come when he was asked to join the successful band The Foundations (know for their song Build Me Up Buttercup). He would join in late 1969 at a time when the band were not experiencing as much commercial success as they previously had in 1967 and 1968. He would be featured as bass player on the band's single "I'm Gonna Be a Rich Man". The band would break up in 1971.  After The Foundations, Steve would do a lot of work as a session bass player throughout the early '70s. One of his greatest works from this time is his bass playing on Colin Blunstone's 1972 album Ennismore. In 1974 Steve would play alongside ex-faces member Ronnie Lane on his debut solo album Anymore for Anymore - an album said to be Ronnie Lane's best work post-Faces. Today Steve is still playing bass with his band Slim Chance and with Geno Washington & the Ram Jam Band.  Jack phoned Steve to discuss his early musical beginnings, the impact Little Richard had on him, seeing bass for the first time when seeing local band The Strollers, the formation of Misty in 1969, his time in Misty, the bands album "Here Again", how he got to join The Foundations, the recording of "I'm Gonna Be a Rich Man", his memories of playing live with The Foundations, the break up of The Foundations, his session work during the early '70s, his work with Colin Blunstone, the recording of Ronnie Lane's Anymore for Anymore, the 1974 tour Ronnie Lane's Passing Show, and his recent work with Geno Washington & the Ram Jam Band. "Another thing the Foundations were doing was, which I applaud them for, when I joined them, they were moving away from the pop stuff, it turned out to not be a great career move in all honesty but they were trying to sort of expand their musical horizons if you like and I was all for that" - Steve Bingham on this episode of Vinyl Vibes talking about the musical direction of the Foundations' later work Episode Hosted and Produced by Jack Hodgins

In this episode of Vinyl Vibes, Jack is joined by Larry Van Kriedt, original bass player of AC/DC. Larry grew up in San Francisco during the '60s, being exposed to music as diverse as west-coast jazz to Jimi Hendrix. He is the son of jazz legend, David Van Kriedt which increased his exposure to music. In 1969, at age 15, he and his family moved to Australia. It was here in Sydney, Australia, shortly after his arrival, he met a young Angus Young. After showing Angus his Gibson guitar, Angus invited Larry over to his house for a jam session. The next day Larry was taken to the Young household and here he met Malcom Young for the first time. Angus and Larry would become good friends.  A few years later in late 1973, Larry was asked to join a new band that had just been formed by Malcom Young. It would soon become known as AC/DC. On December 31 1973, the band performed their first ever live show with lead singer Dave Evans, drummer Colin Burgess, lead guitarist Angus Young, rhythm guitarist Malcom Young and Larry on bass. Larry would record three tracks while a member of AC/DC. The songs were "Can I Sit Next to You Girl" (the group's first single), "Rockin in the Parlour" and another track which Larry could not recall the name of. Larry left the group in early 1974.  Since AC/DC, Larry has stayed in music playing in bands such as Non Stop Dancers and Afram. More recently Larry founded his business Jazzbacks in 2002 and released his first solo album"Finally"in 2021.  Jack zoomed Larry to talk about his early musical beginnings, his father David Van Kriedt, the impact Jimi Hendrix had on him, when he started playing bass, growing up in San Francisco during the '60s, coming to Australia in 1969, meeting Angus Young for the first time, how he came to join AC/DC, the recording of AC/DC tracks "Can I Sit Next to You Girl" and "Rockin' in the Parlour", the band's first gig in late 1973, why he left the band in 1974, his time in bands like Non-stop Dancers, his recent solo album, his business Jazzbacks, and his upcoming music work. "I could see these other kids after their school, in their uniforms...and there's this one kid, one day brought his guitar with him and he was on the other side of this small kinda path - there were a few guys there, a couple of girls - he was showing off and dancing around like Chuck Berry or something - It was Angus Young." - Larry Van Kriedt on this episode of Vinyl Vibes talking about meeting Angus Young for the first time Episode Hosted and Produced by Jack Hodgins

In this episode of Vinyl Vibes, Jack is joined by Dick St. Nicklaus, possibly the greatest disco star you haven't heard.  You are probably more familiar with Dick as the drummer of The Kingsmen (known for their hit song "Louie, Louie"). This is a position he has had with the band since late 1963. The band took two breaks during its time in music, one during the psychedelic rock era of the late '60s and one during the disco era of the '70s. During the break the band had during the disco era, Dick released two disco-pop albums under the name Dick St. Nicklaus. They were Magic in 1979 and Sweet and Dandy in 1980. In this episode Jack discusses at length with Dick his 1979 album Magic.  The album went to number one in Japan but was never released in the US. This makes Dick's album possibly one of the greatest what-ifs in Disco.  Jack phoned dick to discuss how his album Magic came to be, the writing process, his initial thoughts on disco, the recording process of the music, the album track by track, his fellow members of the Kingsmen thoughts on the album, why the album never came out in the US despite being number one in Japan, and some upcoming music work by him. "The problem with record companies, in those days anyway...record companies were run by A&R people and I have never met an A&R person - and I'm telling you I've met a lot of them because I've worked for a lot of different labels - that I've never met one that wasn't a person who was musician who tired to make it but they couldn't...they throw everything up against the wall and then whatever hits they take credit for. They don't have an ear and my manager had arguments with them and it wasn't the album they wanted to put out, they were putting other stuff out and they couldn't sell it to MCA (records) because I was already released in Japan and they didn't want to release it in the states" - Dick St Nicklaus on this episode of Vinyl Vibes telling why his hit album in Japan never came out in the USA To check out Jack's interview with Dick about his time in The Kinsmen you can find it here. Episode Hosted and Produced by Jack Hodgins

In this episode of Vinyl Vibes, Jack is joined by Bob Spencer, former guitarist of Skyhooks & The Angels. Bob joined his first band Finch in 1973. After recording and playing with the band for a few years, he left the group in 1977 to join Skyhooks on guitar. This was just after the departure of original Skyhooks guitarist Red Symons. The first single to feature Bob on guitar was the band's iconic track "Party to End All Parties". He would play with the group on the 100th episode of Countdown and would be on their classic album Guilty Until Proven Insane. After therelease of the commercially unsuccessful Hot for the Orient album, Skyhooks came to an end in 1980.  Bob would remain in music on the production side of things until in 1986 he joined The Angels on guitar to replace John Brewster. He would become a co-writer on a lot of material for the band over the next few years. He would also be on the band's hit album Howling which had the hit single "We Gotta Get Out of This Place". He was in the band till he departed in 1992.  More recently Bob released his solo album  "Saints and Murderers" in 2017 and is currently offering one on one guitar lessons.  Jack zoomed Bob to discuss his early musical beginnings, his time in Finch, how he came to join Skyhooks, the recording of "Party to End All Parties", the 100th episode of Countdown performance, the group's tours of '77, the greatness of Guilty Until Proven Insane, why the band broke up in 1980, Bob's production work of the early 1980s, how he came to join The Angels, the recording of Howling, why the band decided to cover "We Gotta get Out of This Place", why their version of "We Gotta get Out of This Place" worked so well, his solo album and his guitar teaching work.  "I had seen every successful Australian band, I'd seen Billy Thorpe, I'd seen Sherbet a number of times- we had played with Sherbet a number of times- Jeff St John, Stevie wright - what ever the big bands were at the time -I'd seen them all - I hadn't seen anything like Skyhooks. The first gig that I saw was under the harbour bridge...and I was completely gobsmacked" - Bob Spencer on this episode of Vinyl Vibes talking about seeing Skyhooks for the first time in concert  Episode Hosted and Produced by Jack Hodgins

In this episode of Vinyl Vibes, Jack is joined by Kevin Johnson, an Australian musical icon. After getting the first guitar, Kevin joined his first band The Candymen in his late teens. This was also when he started writing songs. By the mid '60s, Kevin's work as a songwriter got the notice of Col Joye who signed Kevin to his publishing company in 1966. In 1967 Kevin moved to the music capital of Australia at the time, Sydney. It was during this time he released his first singles including his song "Woman You Took My Life" which was later covered by Tom Jones.  His first big hit came in 1971 with his self-penned song  "Bonnie Please Don't Go". It would reach No. 12 in Melbourne, No. 2 in Sydney, and No. 15 on the Go-Set National Top 60. However following this success he would not release music again for another two years. It was this two year hiatus that inspired him to write the song that would become his biggest hit; "Rock and Roll I Gave You all the Best Years of My Life". In 1973 the song would go to number four on the national charts and is now an Australian musical icon.  Kevin is still doing music with his most recent album "The Devil Found Work" coming out in 2019. In 2023 he released his first novel "Deep Decisions" and a new complication album also in the same year on Vinyl and CD called The Classics. Jack Zoomed Kevin to discuss his early musical beginnings, his time in The Candymen, when he started writing songs, how he came to be discovered by Col Joye, his early singles made in Sydney in 1967, how it felt having "Woman You Took My Life" covered by Tom Jones, the success of "Bonnie Please Don't Go", the writing process of "Rock and Roll I Gave You all the Best Years of My Life", his albums throughout his time in music, his recent album "The Devil Found Work", his 2023 novel "Deep Decisions", and upcoming musical projects in the works.    "We were living in Dee Why in Sydney at the time... we had two children by that stage -Shane and Scott who I later wrote songs about later on - they were playing with the kids  next door and to get away from them I use to go out and write in the store room at the back which had all the tools for the maintenance guys...so I was out there with shovels and picks and whatever else and that's where I finished rock and roll off, in the gardening store room" - Kevin Johnson on this episode of vinyl vibes talking about the writing process of his biggest hit "Rock and Roll I Gave You all the Best Years of My Life" Episode Hosted and Produced by Jack Hodgins

In this episode of Vinyl Vibes, Jack is joined by Kerry Jacobson, drummer of Dragon. Kerry join Dragon in 1976 after the passing of original drummer Neil Storey. He joined just as the band began recording their third album Sunshine. Get that Jive would be Kerry's first single with the group and it would be their biggest hit at that point in 1977 reaching number 13 on the charts. However the group would have a bigger hit in late 1977 with the release of April Sun In Cuba. The song would become an Australian musical icon but would only reach number two at the time due to Wings song "Mull of Kintyre" holding the number one spot for weeks on end.  After a disastrous tour of the US in late 1978, on the band returning to Australia, the bands song "Are You Old Enough?" had reached number one in Australia, their only number one hit in Australia. Marc Hunter was fired from the group soon after and the band released a commercially unsuccessful album called Power Play in 1979. The group would go on hiatus till 1982 where Kerry would join them on drums for their hit song "Rain". This would be the last song Kerry would be featured on before leaving the group in 1983.  Kerry has stayed in music playing with the likes of Ian Moss and Mondo Rock. Over the lockdown era, he formed a new group called The Filthy Animals.  Jack phoned Kerry to discuss his early musical beginnings growing up in New Zealand, his early bands, the difference in music scenes between New Zealand and Australia in the mid '70s, how he came to join Dragon, the recording of the groups album Sunshine, the groups early gigs, how April Sun In Cuba came to be, the success of the song, the front cover of the groups album Running Free, the groups US tour of 1978, the groups only number one  "Are You Old Enough?", the groups hiatus in the early '80s, the reformation of the group in 1982, the bands big hit "Rain", his music work post Dragon and his new band The Filthy Animals.  "Thats pretty special that that song is still around but yeah it gives a nice feeling particularly walking into a super market and here I am buying milk and April Sun In Cuba comes on...sometimes you have to pinch yourself" - Kerry Jacobson on this episode of Vinyl Vibes talking about the long levity of the groups big hit April Sun In Cuba  Episode Hosted and Produced by Jack Hodgins To hear the full on-demand version of this program, go to https://www.2nurfm.com.au/shows/vinyl-vibes

In this episode of Vinyl Vibes, Jack is joined by Terry Gibbs, one of the last people left from the big band era of the 1940s. Terry was born in 1924 and at the time of this interview is 98 years old going on 99. One of Terry's early musical achievements came in 1936 at the age of 12 when he won the Major Bowes Amateur Hour Contest marking the start of a very long successful career in music. Coming to age during the late '30s and early '40s, big band music was king for Terry with artists like Benny Goodman inspiring him massively. When he turned 18 in 1942, Terry would serve in World War Two. After the war came to an end, he began to play professionally. In 1946 Terry recorded music for the first time in his life when he recorded a few sides with Aaron Sachs’s Quintet. Throughout the '40s he would tour with the likes of Chubby Jackson, Buddy Rich and Woody Herman. in 1949 Terry's song Peaches was recorded by Nat King Cole and it came out on a 78RPM record at the time.  In 1951, he joined the Benny Goodman Sextet and he would record with Goodman. Settling in Los Angeles in 1957, he formed his big band known as "The Dream Band" in 1959. In the 1970s Terry did some session work for Phil Spector on albums such as Death of a Ladies' Man (Leonard Cohen) and Rock 'n' Roll (John Lennon).  Terry released his autobiography in 2003 called  "Good Vibes: A life In Jazz". More recently Terry has released his most recent studio album in 2023 called The Terry Gibbs Songbook.  Jack phoned Terry to discuss his early musical beginnings, the Major Bowes Amateur Hour Contest he won when he was 12, the big band music that was popular when he was a teenager in the late '30s and early '40s, his service in WW2, his first time recording music in 1946, how Nat King Cole came to record a song Terry wrote, his work throughout the '40s, his work with Benny Goodman, his work as a session musician for Phil Spector, his more recent albums and his autobiography. "We were on tour with Woody Herman's band..we did a tour of about a few months and after the show this is when he (Nat King Cole) had the trio - he was playing more then he was singing- and so after one of the places we played, the thing was over and everybody was getting dressed in the bathrooms...and I just went over to the piano and I started doodling this song that I wrote...and Nat Cole came over and he said 'What is that your playing Terry?' and I said 'Its a new song that I wrote" - 'can you play that again, I'd like to hear it?' - and I so I played it again and he picked it up immediately and then he said "Do you mind if I record it?" - Terry Gibbs on this episode of Vinyl Vibes talking about how Nat King Cole came to record his song 'Peaches' in 1949  Episode Hosted and Produced by Jack Hodgins

In this episode of Vinyl Vibes, Jack is joined by Paul Marshall, a former lead singer of The Strawberry Alarm Clock. In 1967 the band had a number one in the US with their song  "Incense and Peppermints". Paul would join the band in 1969 after the departure of singer and guitarist Jimmy Pitman. He would become an important component of the band, becoming their main songwriter on Alarm Clock singles "California Day" and "Girl from the City". In 1970 the band made an appearance in the film Beyond the Valley of the Dolls in which songs written by Paul were on its soundtrack. After touring the south throughout 1970 and 1971 with Lynyrd Skynyrd (then an unknown band), the Alarm Clock were without a recording contract and had different views on the musical direction of the band. Due to these reasons the band disbanded in 1971.  Paul would stay in music after The Alarm Clock. Into the '80s, Paul wrote songs for the likes of Juice Newton and Patty Loveless. More recently he has been a long-time member of I See Hawks in L.A.   Jack zoomed Paul to discuss his early musical beginnings, his early musical memories listening to his grand parent's 78 record collection, the impact artists such as The Everly Brothers had on him, his early work in bands, how he came to join The Strawberry Alarm Clock in 1969, the writing and recording of songs such as  "California Day" and "Girl from the City", his memories of playing live in the Alarm Clock, why the band came to an end in 1971, his songwriting work in the '80s and his recent work with I See Hawks in L.A. "So I had been fired from this band and was wondering what I was going to do next and I was visiting my girlfriends brother, I was over at his house - he was in an apartment- and across the hall there was a party going on. I walked across the hall, cos you could do that, you could walk into a party in 1969, I walked into the party and the party was raging...I started talking to a few people and I sat down on the couch and a guy was sitting next to me and in the middle of our conversation he said "I got a real problem", I said "wants your problem?", he said "I got a band and were suppose to go on the road in two weeks and our lead singer just quit - do you know anybody who can sing lead?" - I said "well yes, I can"...I became The Strawberry Alarm Clock's lead singer" - Paul Marshall on this episode of Vinyl Vibes talking about how he came to join The Strawberry Alarm Clock Episode Hosted and Produced by Jack Hodgins

In this episode of Vinyl Vibes, Jack is joined by Jim Valley, a former guitarist of Paul Revere and The Raiders. After playing in bands like the Viceroys and The Good Times, Jim joined Paul Revere and The Raiders in 1966. Upon entering the band, they quickly began recording their album The Spirit of '67. More recently the album cover and songs (of which Jim is featured on) Hungry and Good Thing were featured in the 2019 film Once Upon a Time In Hollywood. He remained in the band until 1967 when he left the group due to the band not having recorded any of his own original songs. He signed to Dunhill Records and recorded an album which reminds unreleased to this day, however did get a single out at the time called "Try, Try, Try", a song originally intended for the Raiders. More recently Jim has released three solo studio albums since 2020 with his most recent being Toward the Sacred in 2023. Jack phoned Jim to discuss his early musical beginnings, the writing of his first song Casandra, his time in local bands such as the Viceroys and The Goodtimes, his memories of seeing Paul Revere and The Raiders for the first time, how he came to join Paul Revere and The Raiders, the recording processes on the group's album The Spirit of '67, his opinions on the 2019 film Once Upon a Time In Hollywood (of which the band's music is on the soundtrack), why he left the group, his work with Dunhill Records, his work into the '80s with Rainbow Planet, and his solo music work today including his 2023 album Toward the Sacred. "I got to see it (Once Upon A Time In Hollywood), I was in Las Vagus doing a documentary for someone who was trying to do a Paul Revere and The Raiders documentary but anyway in that movie for like three, four, five seconds they show a part of The Spirit of '67 album where they just show the part with Paul Revere and myself and I went "Wow! I am on the big screen!" - Jim Valley on this episode of Vinyl Vibes talking about having music and the album cover which he is feature on from Paul Revere and The Raiders in the 2019 movie Once Upon A Time In Hollywood Episode Hosted and Produced by Jack Hodgins

In this episode of Vinyl Vibes, Jack is joined by Kim Lynch, original bass player and founding member of The Loved Ones. Growing up Kim listened to the likes of Buddy Holly and Ray Charles as well as a lot of Jazz records. As a Tuba player he joined his first band, The Red Onion Jazz Band in 1960. The band also included Gerry Humphrys and Ian Clyne. With Kim on bass, Gerry on vocals and Ian on organ, the band left Red Onion Jazz Band to form The Loved Ones in October 1965. The group soon signed to W&G record's and released their first single in May 1966. The single was the group's song The Loved One and would reach number nine on The Australian charts. The song has become an Australian musical icon with APRA listing the song at number 6 on their Top 30 Australian songs of all time list. The group would have another four top 20 hits in a row before Kim left the band in May 1967. In October 1967, after his departure, the group's cult classic album Magic Box came out. Kim, since then, has been involved in the art world and has been developing his art over the last five decades.  You can find Kim's recent art prints on his website.  Jack phoned Kim to discuss his early musical beginnings, his memories of growing up in Melbourne, why rock and roll music had such an impact on the baby boomer generation, the impact jazz music had on him, the formation of The Loved Ones, The groups first gig, the recording and writing of The Loved One, the success of the single, the musical greatness of Ian Clyne, the groups single Ever Lovin' Man, why the band chose to cover Blue Berryhill, the groups work into 1967, the album cover of the groups album Magic Box, and Kim's art work post Loved Ones.     "I seem to remember letting go of the guitar and going clap clap and then playing the next bit and then going clap clap...it was pretty much live...we would go to gigs and play it live and do exactly the same thing" Kim Lynch on this episode of Vinyl Vibes talking about the recording process of their iconic song The Loved One Episode Hosted and Produced by Jack Hodgins

In this episode of Vinyl Vibes, Jack is joined by Bosco Bosanac bass player of The Atlantics. Bosco and his family migrated to Australia in the late '40s. Growing up during the era of rock and roll it was bands like the Shadows and The Ventures that inspired Bosco greatly. On bass Bosco along with Peter Hood on drums and guitarists Theo Penglis and Eddy Matzenik formed an instrumental garage band in 1961. They soon decided to call themselves The Atlantics. In 1963 the band would be signed to CBS Records. They would release their first single Moon Man in February 1963. It was not a massive hit but created enough attention to ensure CBS would still record them. Their second single, released in July 1963, Bombora would be a number one hit in Australia. It would also be a hit worldwide making The Atlantics Australia's first internationally recognised music group. By 1964 the band would leave the surf sound behind and their popularity faded with the surf scene. By 1967 the band were no longer an instrumental group and were producing records with vocals such as their cult classic song "Come On". By 1970 the band stopped performing regularly for many years.   More recently in 2023, the band released their latest studio album "Still Making Waves". Bosco is still with the group after 60 years since their formation in 1963.  Jack phoned Bosco to discuss his early musical beginnings, his memories of migrating to Australia in the late '40s, the impact bands like the Shadows and Ventures had on him, the formation of the Atlantics in 1961, how the group decided on the name The Atlantics, how the group got signed to CBS Records, the recording of Moon Man and Bombora, the studio processes of the early '60s, what it was like having a number one hit in 1963, the bands innovative fourth single "War Of The Worlds", the groups work into the later '60s, the groups more recent work such as their latest album Still Making Waves.  "Jim and Peter were gonna go out one day...I think they were going to go to the royal easter show and then they had to lob it out because of the rain..and they stayed home and knocked off Bombora in about ten minutes or half an hour, so it didn't take them long. Peter had a part of a song and Jim had another part of another song and they put it together and Voilà you got Bombora"  - Bosco Bosanac on this episode of Vinyl Vibes talking about the writing of the bands number one hit Bombora  Episode Hosted and Produced by Jack Hodgins

In this episode of Vinyl Vibes, Jack is joined by Tom Austin, drummer of The Royal Teens. The Royal Teens were formed in New Jersey in 1956 with Tom on Drums, Bob Gaudio on piano, Billy Dalton on guitar, and Billy Crandall on saxophone. In 1957 Tom and Bob Gaudio were driving down the street in Tom's brand new Ford Fairlane 500 when they saw two girls exit a candy store wearing cut-off shorts. They had just written an instrumental and it needed a name. In that moment Tom coined the term "Short Shorts" and suggest that be the title to the newly written instrumental. Tom wrote lyrics to the song and "Short Shorts" became the bands first single and biggest hit reaching number 3 on the billboard top 100 in 1958. The group went from playing local dances to touring with the likes of Buddy Holly and Jerry Lee Lewis. The band continued to make music through the '50s before disbanding in 1960.  The band have in more recent times reformed with Tom being the only original member still touring with the group. 65 years after their formation, in 2021 the band released their latest single Journey Down the Jersey shore. Other then music, Tom has written many books. He co-wrote Charlie Calello's memoir Another Season - A Jersey Boy's Journey with the Four Seasons and Beyond and has written two books on The Riviera, an iconic former New York restaurant, they are called: Bridge To The Riviera & Bill Miller's Riviera.  Tom is also an artist and you can view his paintings on his website.  Jack phoned Tom to discuss his early musical beginnings, his memories of seeing the likes of Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr. playing at the Riviera, the formation of the Royal Teens, the writing and recording of "Short Shorts", his memories of touring with artists like Buddy Holly and Bill Haley & His Comets, Royal Teens songs such as Big Named Button and Leotards, the disbandment of the band in 1960, the group's work today, how the groups 2021 single Party Down The Jersey Shore came to be and Toms work as an author and artist.  "I said lets call it Short Shorts, he (Bob Gaudio) said 'is that what they call those things?'', I said 'I don't know what they call them but we can call them short shorts'...the word short shorts was non--existent, we coined that word" - Tom Austin on this episode of Vinyl Vibes talking about how the groups hit 'Short Shorts' came to be Episode Hosted and Produced by Jack Hodgins

In this episode of Vinyl Vibes, Jack is joined by Rick Buckler drummer of The Jam. Rick grew up in a working class family and so few records were owned by the family. Radio and album swapping at school is what exposed Rick to music in his early days. This included music such as The Kinks and Jimi Hendrix. The Jam formed in 1972 and during it's hit days consisted of Paul Weller on vocals/guitar, Bruce Foxton on bass and Rick on drums. The group recorded their first album "In the City" in 1977 and would over the next five years have four number one singles and four top ten albums in the UK. The group are best known for their songs such as "That's Entertainment" and "Town Called Malice". Today Rick writes on his time in the band in his books such as"The Jam: 1982"and "That's Entertainment: My Life in The Jam". He is also currently doing an Q&A tour around the UK in support of his most recent book.  Jack zoomed Rick to discuss his early musical beginnings, growing up in a working class family, the impact that the likes of The Kinks and Jimi Hendrix had on him growing up, the formation of The Jam, seeing the Sex Pistols for the first time, the group's 1977 tour of the USA, the recording of their album In The City, their song English Rose, the focus on their music for their fourth album Setting Sons, the break up of the band in 1982, Rick's new book "The Jam: 1982", and his current Q&A tour around the UK.  "When it came to putting songs together, they came together quite quickly or not at all. If something wasn't working we'd know straight away that it wasn't working...we'd made this sort of effort that each album was going to be different to the last one, we didn't really want to rest on our morals and do the same old same old."  - Rick Buckler on this episode of vinyl vibes Episode Hosted and Produced by Jack Hodgins

In this episode of Vinyl Vibes, Jack is joined by Richard Gower, lead singer of Racey. Growing up amongst the music of The Rollings Stones and The Beatles, Richard got into music at a young age. Having performed in bands since he was a teenager, he formed a band called Alive And Kicking in the mid '70s. Becoming popular around the local London pub circuit, the group were soon discovered by the well known Mickie Most. The group were signed to Most's record label Rak Records and Alive and Kicking soon became known as Racey. They would have two massive hits "Some Girls" and "Lay Your Love on Me". The group would be active till 1985. Since then Richard has become the CEO ofJam Mountain Music and is still performing here and there today. Jack called Richard to discuss his early musical beginnings, how the early 60's British records impacted him, his first bands as a teenager, the formation of Alive And Kicking, how the band came to be discovered by Mickie Most, the recording and success of songs like "Some Girls" and "Lay Your Love on Me", the group's later work, and his work today withJam Mountain Music.  “Mickie (most) came along and said I got a song that's a hit record -he said "I want you to listen to the demo and tell me what you think" and the song was "Lay Your Love on Me". We listened to the demo and thought "there is no way we could record that song" - an ultra pop song like that because we were not that kind of band" - Richard Gower on this episode of vinyl vibes talking about how the group's hit "Lay Your Love On Me" came to be. Episode Hosted and Produced by Jack Hodgins

In this episode of Vinyl Vibes, Jack is joined by Terry Buzzy Johnson, a longtime member of The Flamingos. Terry got into music at a young age being the neighbour of The Orioles' Sonny Til and The Swallows' Earl Hurley. In 1954 Terry formed his first group, The Whispers. It was with this group he recorded and wrote music for the first time. In 1955 the group released two singles "Fool Heart" and "Are You Sorry?" both of which Terry wrote and sang lead on. In late 1956 Terry was invited to join the Flamingos. It is his time with the Flamingos is most well known for due to their 1959 hit "I Only Have Eyes for You". The song would reach number 11 on the billboard 100 and more recently was voted in at 158 on Rolling Stone Magazine's list of "500 Greatest songs of All Time". After his initial time with the group, throughout the '60s he did music work for the likes of Smokey Robinson. In 2001, Terry was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of The Flamingos and as of 2023 is still recording and performing after almost 70 years in the music field.     Jack called Terry to discuss his early musical beginnings, how early doo-wop records impacted him, the forming of his first group the Whispers, his memories of recording for the first time in 1955, how he came to join the Flamingos in late 1956, how flamingo classics such as  "The Ladder of Love" and "Lovers Never Say Goodbye" came to be, how the group got signed to End Records, how the group's big hit "I Only Have Eyes for You" came to be, the group's work following the success of "I Only Have Eyes for You" and Terry's music work today.  “I had a habit of playing the guitar on my chest and laying down in the bed and was trying to find some chords and I fell asleep - and this is the truth- I was dreaming and I couldn't see anything, I heard this music -it was ethereal- I just got chills talking about it right now...I heard this music, I heard the structure of the harmonies, I heard what the bridge would sound like - I woke up and my hands were on the guitar and where ever my hands went to is what I heard in my dream, so I knew god had given me this -this was a gift from god" - Terry Buzzy Johnson on this episode of Vinyl Vibes talking about how the song "I Only Have Eyes for You" came to be. Episode Hosted and Produced by Jack Hodgins

In this episode of Vinyl Vibes, Jack is joined by Colin Petersen, the original drummer of the Bee Gees. Growing up in Kingaroy, Queensland, Colin had his first bit of fame at the age of ten when he was in the 1956 movie Smiley. This movie was followed by two more: The Scamp in 1957 and A Cry from the Streets in 1958. By the end of his career in the movies, Colin was 12 and Rock and Roll was becoming popular with the likes of Little Richard and Jerry Lee Lewis inspiring Colin greatly. He started playing drums while at the  Humpybong State School, and it is here where he first met the Gibb brothers. He would join the Bee Gees as their drummer in 1966 and would go on to be featured on Bee Gees albums Bee Gees 1st, Horizontal, Idea, Odessa and Cucumber Castle. Colin's drumming can be heard on famous Bee Gees tracks such as "New York Mining Disaster 1941",  "To Love Somebody",  "Massachusetts" and "I Started a Joke". He left the group in 1969. Today Colin is involved with The Best of The Bee Gees, one of the world's leading Bee Gees tribute bands.  Jack called Colin to discuss his early musical beginnings, how the music of the likes of Little Richard and Jerry Lee Lewis impacted him, his career in the 1950s as a child actor, how he got into playing the drums, how he became a member of the Bee Gees in 1966, the writing of "New York Mining Disaster", the musical direction of the group's first album Bee Gees 1st, how the Beatles inspired the group, the writing of "Massachusetts", the group's playing on the Ed Sullivan show, his work on the Bee Gees album Idea, and his work today with The Best of The Bee Gees.  “We were in New York, we were a part to fly out to LA at the brake of dawn but Morris (Gibb) wants to go out and party before we leave New York and Vince is up for it and so am I and Dick Ashley our roadie, but Robin and Barry say 'Oh we got this idea for a song and it think we'll stay home, you guys go out and have a good time' So we all arrived back at like two in the morning something like that and Robin and Barry are still up....and they sung us this song." - Colin Petersen on this episode of Vinyl Vibes talking about the writing of Bee Gees hit Massachusetts Episode Hosted and Produced by Jack Hodgins

In this episode of Vinyl Vibes, Jack is joined by Nancy Nevins, the lead singer of Sweetwater. Nancy got into singing and music at a young age when she realised she had a good voice. In 1967 she heard a group called Jay Walker and The Pedestriansplaying in a coffeeshop window and she started singing with them what would become the groups most known song, a rendition of traditional song  "Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child". She was asked to join the group and in June 1967 the group would change its name to Sweetwater after going to the Monterey International Pop Festival. Throughout 1968 the band would perform alongside the likes of The Doors and The Animals. The band were soon signed to Reprise Records and released their self-titled debut album in December 1968. A massive break for the band came in 1969 when on August 15th they were the first band to play the famous Woodstock festival. 400,000 people were in attendance.  Nancy would be in a almost fatal car accident in December 1969 would leave her with a major head injury. During her recovery she also suffered damage to her vocal cords which would make her have to undertake six surgeries to fix. Her last music release was in 1975 and was her self titled solo album. Since then Nancy has played with Sweetwater in reunions and has been an English teacher for over 30 years.  Jack Zoomed Nancy to discuss her early musical beginnings, the impact the likes of Pat Boone and Aretha Franklin had on her, her early music work, the day she saw  Jay Walker and The Pedestrians playing int eh coffeeshop window, the Monterey International Pop Festival, how the band got its name Sweetwater, the recording of their first album, the bands performance at Woodstock in 1969, the car accident Nancy went through, her music work since the accident and her work today as an English teacher.  “We were really restless around the holiday inn going "we gotta get to the gig", so we finally said lets just jump in the cars and drive there, now our equipment was already there and our roadie was already there so all we had to do was get the artists, so we are driving down this one lane country road and there's cars coming the other way...so someone had this great idea about going into a farm house and calling for helicopters" - Nancy Nevins - on this episode of Vinyl Vibes talking about how the band got flown into play Woodstock Episode Hosted and Produced by Jack Hodgins

In this episode of Vinyl Vibes, Jack is joined by Charlie McCoy, a legendary nashville session musician who has been in the music field since in the late 1950s. Charlie began his musical journey when in 1949, at the age of 8 he bought his first harmonica for 50 cents out of a comic book. He has been playing the instrument for over 74 years. After trying to make it as a performer, Charlie discovered it was session work that would be his calling after witnessing the recording process of Brenda Lee's 1959 hit "Sweet Nothin's". Charlie's big break as a session musician came in 1961 when he played harmonica on Roy Orbison's "Candy Man", a top 40 hit. Throughout the 1960s Charlie would play with the likes of Bob Dylan on albums such as Highway 61 Revisited and Blonde on Blonde, he would play on 13 albums by Elvis, and played bass harmonica on Simon and Garfunkel's "The Boxer". Charlie has released a total of 46 solo studio albums with his most recent being 2022's "Charlie Goes Brazil". He also received a Grammy in 1972 for his solo album "The Real McCoy" making Charlie a well established solo musician in his own right. In 2017 Charlies released his autobiography: Fifty Cents and a Box Top: The Creative Life of Nashville Session Musician Charlie McCoy. Jack Zoomed Charlie to discuss his early musical beginnings, how he came to to get his first harmonica, his early music work in the late 1950s, the "Sweet Nothin's" recording session, his memories of recording with Roy Orbison, playing lead guitar on Bob Dylan's Desolation Row and trumpet on "Rainy Day Woman", his memories of recording with Elvis, what his thoughts are on the new Elvis movie, his recording work with Paul Simon, his solo albums and his new album "Charlie Goes Brazil". “Elvis walked in the door, he went right up to everyone and shook our hands and said "Thank you for helping me" and that kind of set the mood you know, alright -this guy's alright - he's very cool -and after that movie track, Scotty (Moore) talked him into keeping me..and I ended up on thirteen albums with him" - Charlie on this episode of vinyl talking about recording with Elvis for the first time on his soundtrack Harum Scarum Episode Hosted and Produced by Jack Hodgins

In this episode of Vinyl Vibes, Jack is joined by John Kosh, a legendary album cover designer who has been in the field since in the 1960s.Kosh was the art director of Art & Artists magazine when he was discovered by John Lennon in 1968. Lennon was a fan of the magazine and wanted some of his music content to be featured in the magazine. It was through this that Kosh was hired by The Beatles to work as art director at their now famous Apple Records. It was here the Kosh would design the album covers to Beatle albums Abbey Road and Let It Be. He also would work on other Apple Record artists album and single designs such as Mary Hopkin’s Postcard, Billy Preston’s That’s The Way God Planned It, and John Lennon's War is Over campaign. In the 1970s Kosh would move to LA and his output would include designing The Eagles' Hotel California album cover, Linda Ronstadt's Simple Dreams album cover (which would win Kosh a Grammy in 1977), and the album cover to ELO's Out of The Blue. Today Kosh I still working and has designed over 400 album covers over the last 50 years. Currently Kosh is working on a book about America’s National Parks with photographer, Andy Katz which will be released at the end of 2023. There is also an upcoming documentary in the works on Kosh's time in design.  Jack Zoomed Kosh to discuss his early beginnings, his early memories of what album covers looked like when he was a kid, his time as  art director at Art & Artists magazine, how he came to meet John Lennon, what Apple Records was like to work at, the process in designing the Abbey Road Album cover, how he would have made the Everest idea (the original plan for the Abbey Road album cover) work, the Beatles 1969 rooftop performance of which Kosh was at, the Let it Be album cover, his work with the Eagles, how he made the album to Simple Dreams by Linda Ronstadt, the designing of ELO's logo and Out of the Blue album cover, and his upcoming book and documentary.  “There was a horrendous deadline, the guys had been working in the studios and finishing it and polishing it and I think the photo session was on Wednesday and I had to deliver art on Friday...choose the pictures, slap it together and get it out, not realising that it would become the most parodied icon of all time" - Kosh on this episode of Vinyl Vibes talking about how The Beatles' Abbey Road album cover came to be Episode Hosted and Produced by Jack Hodgins