Warm Classic Rock Interviews with Famous Music Legends of the '60s '70s '80s - A BREATH OF FRESH AIR

A Breath of Fresh Air loves the music and the musicians of the 60's 70's and 80's. And, if you’re a fan of 80’s music, you’re likely a huge fan of English new wave band, SPANDAU BALLET. The group was inspired by London’s post-punk underground dance scene and became one of the most successful groups of the New Romantic era. We meet lead singer TONY HADLEY who tells us all about his time with the band, why he left it and we check in with some of his latest music that he's taking on tour.

My next guest has been dubbed “The First Lady of Roots Music” for albums that touch on her wide-ranging influences. On her latest excursion, MARIA MULDAUR teamed up with an unknown New Orleans street-band. The singer has had a long and storied career but is known around the world for that one particular song about a camel. You know the one I'm talking about, don’t you? We check in with Maria to hear all about how 'Midnight at the Oasis' came to be. You could be pretty surprised to learn the real story!

This week's listener's choice finds us chatting with one of Australia’s consummate hippies and most beloved musicians, RICHARD CLAPTON. The uber cool Richard joins us to walk us through his long career and regales us with stories of his past and present and his hopes for the future. If you don't know Richard Clapton's music, this interview will shine a lot of light on the man and the songs he's popularised over many years.

Do you have an artist you’d like to hear from? Just send me a message [email protected] and I’ll do my best to get your favourite 60’s, 70’s or 80’s artist onto the show to chat with them. If you like, you'd be welcome to join me to say hi too!

Hope you enjoy the show. If you do, perhaps you'd consider subscribing? Or maybe you could share it with some of your friends? You might even like to leave me a review/rating on the platform you're listening to it on. I'd be sooooo grateful!

Till next week then,

Warm regards

Sandy

DIRE STRAITS filled giant stadiums around the world and sold hundreds of millions of records. Throughout the eighties they were one of the biggest bands on the planet. Their classic songs - 'Sultans of Swing', 'Romeo and Juliet', 'Money for Nothing', 'Brothers In Arms' - formed the soundtrack of a generation and live on today: still racking up sales, still being played on the radio on every continent.

This week we devote the entire episode of A Breath of Fresh Air to Dire Straits’ founding member and bassist, JOHN ILLSLEY who shares the story of one of the greatest live acts in rock history. Starting with his own unlikely beginnings in Middle England, he recounts the band's rise from humble origins in London's spit-and-sawdust pubs to the best-known venues in the world, the working man's clubs to Madison Square Garden, gigging with wild punk bands to the Live Aid stage at Wembley. From loading in their own equipment down beer chutes of London clubs to playing for seven million people on their final 1992 tour, he paints the expanding insanity of their global conquest, in a tale thick with unlikely characters, wild highs and inescapable downs. More than that, he describes the relationship that came through it all, which he values above any platinum disc.

Until, ultimately, the shattering demands of touring on a global scale and living life in the spotlight took their inevitable toll.

During our interview, John recounts stories about meeting and working with his great friend Mark Knopfler. He walks us through some of the band’s best known tracks, telling us how they came to be and discusses his latest solo album, simply called 8. He also details his newly released autobiography ‘My Life in Dire Straits’.

It’s a fascinating chat. One that will keep you glued to hear more.

Is there someone you'd like to hear featured on A Breath of Fresh Air? If so, please get in touch with me through the website, www.abreathoffreshair.com.au and let me know who you'd like me to find for you. It would be my pleasure to bring your favourite artist onto the show.

And, if you like what you hear, could you possibly subscribe to the podcast and/or leave me a review/rating?

It would really mean a lot to me.

I hope you enjoy this week's episode. Please let me know if you do.

Warm regards

Sandy

Let's head to Sweden to meet that country’s most famous songwriter and guitarist, best known for his work playing with the smash hit group, ABBA. In our interview from Stockholm, JANNE SCHAFFER talks of his experience building his own guitar in school when he was just 12 years old. He tells us stories of how his disapproving father came to a gig one night to haul him off the stage and how he had to continue practicing and playing in secret. He talks about how he formed a friendship with ABBA’s Benny Andersson and how it was, in part, his efforts that brought Agnetha and Anni-Frid into the group. Janne has a great story to tell that also includes hanging out and recording with artists like Bob Marley and Johnny Nash.
Do you remember Canadian band, THE FIVE MAN ELECTRICAL BAND? Perhaps not the name but definitely that 1971 anti-establishment song 'Signs' which made it to the top of the charts all over the world. The group featured guitarist/vocalist Les Emmerson who sadly passed away recently as a result of Covid 19. The band was originally known as The Staccatos and this week current members Steve Hollingworth and Mike Crepin tell us about not only that song, but about their other hits and their resurgence in popularity, partly due to their recent efforts to raise awareness about climate change.

We also catch up with Nashville singer-songwriter KELLY LANG whose dad was the road manager for country legend Conway Twitty. Kelly regales us with stories about performing with Sir Barry Gibb, Ronnie Milsap, Loretta Lynn and her dear friend, the late Olivia Newton John. Kelly's also married to county superstar T.G SHEPPARD and tells us what life is like working and living with him.

Is there someone you'd like to hear from? A musician from the 60s, 70s or 80s who you'd like me to interview? All you have to do is get in touch through my website www.abreathoffreshair.com.au or send me a message directly [email protected] and I'll be happy to follow up for you.

For more information about Janne Schaffer check his website https://www.janneschaffer.se/

To learn more about The Five Man Electrical Band head for https://www.fivemanelectricalband.ca/

And to check out all things Kelly Lang https://www.kellylang.net/singer

I hope you enjoy this week's show!

The history of the iconic rock band CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL (CCR) spans from humble beginnings to their rise to fame and eventual breakup. Best known for a string of top chart hits, CCR has left a lasting impact on the music scene, inspiring fans and musicians alike. Throughout their journey, the band faced numerous challenges and internal conflicts, contributing to the bittersweet nature of their legacy. Even so, the band's music, characterised by its blend of southern rock and roll influences, remains cherished and celebrated today, demonstrating their enduring influence in the music world.

During a chat with founder and drummer, DOUG 'COSMO' CLIFFORD, we talk about the success of Credence Clearwater Revival (CCR), originally formed in 1958 and achieving success only after a decade of playing together. The band reached its peak in the early 1970s with fourteen consecutive top ten singles and five consecutive top ten albums. CCR didn't sound like anything else at the time, and Cosmo credits their success to the roots of rock and roll.

Comprised of John Fogerty, Tom Fogerty, Stu Cook, and Doug Cosmo Clifford, CCR weathered several name changes before experiencing their meteoric rise in popularity. Cosmo and I discuss various turning points, triumphs, and challenges the band faced during their time together, painting a vivid picture of CCR's incredible journey and what lay behind many of their evergreen hits.

Doug Clifford reflects on the band's career and the difficulties they faced due to internal conflict. Tom Fogerty and Stu Cook had a strained relationship with lead singer John Fogerty due to his poor business acumen. The band ultimately disbanded when John gave the ultimatum that he would only sing one third of the songs and the other members would have to do the other two thirds.

After Creedence Clearwater Revival disbanded, Tom and Stu started a production company and a remote recording vehicle and rented it out to other bands. They later formed Credence Clearwater Revisited, but had to change the name because John was not a part of it.

Despite John suing them, they still won and the whole ordeal was a waste of money. He talks about how the fans were the biggest winners in the end, because they were still able to listen to the band's music.

He also mentions how the death of Tom Fogerty in 1990 put an end to the hope of the band reuniting for one last show. Doug wishes he had done things differently, such as getting an entertainment lawyer and a manager to help mend the tensions between Tom and John. He concludes by recommending the book A Song For Everyone: The Story of Credence Clearwater Revival as the best one so far for the band, as it focuses more on the positives than the negatives.

"Music, for me, has always been medicine". - Doug Cosmo Clifford

00:01:05 - Doug Cosmo Clifford's Background,
Sandy and Doug discuss his new album, "California Gold," and his record label. Doug shares how he came up with the album and how he got Bobby Whitlock to join him. He also talks about how he and Bobby wrote the songs together.
00:18:22 - Credence Clearwater Revival's History, Sandy and Doug discuss the band's history.
00:21:01 - Credence Clearwater Revival's Beginnings, Doug shares the story of how Tom Fogerty brought them into the studio to record a demo
00:22:15 - Getting Started

00:27:25 - Woodstock Festival
00:31:00 - Staying Sober, CCR's success was largely due to the fact that they were sober while other bands were high on drugs.

00:33:00 - Drumming, Cosmo is considered one of the world's best drummers, and his technique involved using martial arts techniques with his wrist to get power.
00:39:35 - The End of CCR
00:41:40 - Overcoming Challenges
00:48:30 - The End of an Era

00:49:28 - Band Legacy

Would you like to suggest a guest for this show?

Contact me through the website https://www.abreathoffreshair.com.au

To learn more about Doug Clifford https://dougcosmoclifford.com/

Wanna know how Steely Dan's Jeff 'Skunk' Baxter became a missile defence expert? Take a listen to this week's episode.

Best-known for his work with Steely Dan and the Doobie Brothers, JEFF "SKUNK" BAXTER's versatility and technique as a soloist made him a hugely in-demand session guitarist from the '70s on. Jeff (who still refuses to disclose the origins of his nickname) landed his first recording gig in 1969 with the psychedelic pop group Ultimate Spinach.

In 1972, he began his association with Steely Dan, playing on their debut album, Can't Buy a Thrill.

Following 1974's Pretzel Logic, Jeff moved on to the Doobie Brothers, debuting later that year on What Once Were Vices Are Now Habits and continuing on for several more albums through 1978.

During the mid-'70s, he also began to expand his session work, going on to work with the likes of Dolly Parton, Barbra Streisand, Rod Stewart, Bryan Adams, Ringo Starr, Carly Simon, Donna Summer, Joni Mitchell, Rick Nelson among many others.

Jeff's general interest in technology led him into production, most notably helming several albums for hard rockers Nazareth.

He also developed an interest in military hardware and weapons systems and was hired in 2001 by the Bush administration as a defence analyst, also serving as a consultant to several U.S. congressmen (whilst continuing his music career).

I hope you'll join me as I sit down and chat with the world-renowned guitarist to explore his incredible journey in music. From early beginnings at the age of five, to the legendary bands he's played with, and his journey to launching his first solo album, "Speed of Heat", this episode of A Breath of Fresh Air is riveting.

Jeff shares about the intimacy of the guitar, his first band that was "way too nuts and way too much fun," and the secrets to his enduring success.

We go behind the scenes of the iconic songwriting duo of Donald Fagan and Walter Becker, and learn how they made their mark in the music industry.

Jeff walks us through his life and times. It's an incredible story about one helluva talented man.

For more information about Jeff 'Skunk' Baxter check out his website https://www.jeffskunkbaxter.com/

If you'd like to request a guest get in touch with me through my website here

I hope you enjoy this week's show.