Rock & Roll High School With Pete Ganbarg
Pure Tone Music
Season 5: New episodes arriving January 16th, 2026!Rock & Roll High School is an interview series that tells the story of contemporary music one artist at a time - in their own words.Hosted by Pete Ganbarg--------------------------------------About Pete:Pete Ganbarg has been doing major label A&R for over 35 years. He's a 2X Grammy award winning record producer as well as a member of the board of directors of the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Pete has held senior A&R positions at Atlantic, Arista, Epic and SBK/EMI and is currently the president of Pure Tone Music.As a music publisher, Pete operates Songs With A Pure Tone and Margetts Road Music, joint ventures currently in partnership with Warner Chappell Music. Songs published by Pure Tone include 2024's Grammy winning Record of the Year, "Flowers" by Miley Cyrus, the global #1 "Ordinary" by Alex Warren, as well as hits by Benson Boone, Justin Bieber, Maroon 5, Katy Perry, OneRepublic, Charli XCX, Lewis Capaldi, Ed Sheeran, Andy Grammer, Lizzo, Beyoncé, and more.Pete is the recipient of two Grammy Awards for his role as producer on the Original Broadway Cast Recording of Dear Evan Hansen and the Original Broadway Cast Recording of Jagged Little Pill. At Atlantic, among the artists and projects that Pete has overseen are twenty one pilots, Halestorm, Jason Mraz, Christina Perri, Melanie Martinez, Skillet, GAYLE, Brett Eldredge, Matchbox Twenty & Rob Thomas, Theory Of A Deadman, and Icona Pop; as well as the Original Broadway Cast Recordings of Hamilton, Mean Girls, Jagged Little Pill, Dear Evan Hansen, and the multi-platinum Billboard No. 1 soundtrack album The Greatest Showman.Pete began his A&R career in 1989 at SBK Records. In 1997, he joined Clive Davis at Arista Records, where, as Senior Director of A&R, he conceived and A&R’d Santana’s 30x platinum worldwide, nine-time GRAMMY-winning album, Supernatural. Additionally, Pete was named International Music Person Of The Year in 2023 by the music industry organization MUSEXPO.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Jun 19, 2025 • 1h 18min
Mark Farner (Grand Funk Railroad)
Our guest this week is a legendary singer songwriter and musician -powerhouse frontman of Grand Funk Railroad: Mark Farner. As one of the original driving forces behind the band, —Mark is the the voice of anthems like “We’re an American Band” and the epic “I’m Your Captain (Closer to Home),” which he also wrote. Other Grand Funk hits include Bad Time/Some Kind Of Wonderful and their #1 cover of Little Eva’s “The Locomotion.”But Mark’s journey goes beyond the stage. From blazing trails in the heyday of ’70s rock to mentoring emerging artists, and even embracing life as a dedicated farmer, Mark’s story is one of passion, resilience, and reinvention. Mark’s new album, his first full length release in nearly tow decades is “Closer To My Home” — which is available everywere now See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Jun 12, 2025 • 1h 7min
Little Anthony
Little Anthony helped define the sound of early rock and soul—and at the age of 84 years old, he's still going strong. In this revealing conversation, Anthony takes us through his extraordinary life and career—from doo-wop beginnings with The Imperials to stories of his best friends Frankie Lymon and Teddy Randzzo. From Vegas residencies to his Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction, hear firsthand how one of soul and pop’s most distinctive voices has endured and evolved over seven decades.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Jun 5, 2025 • 1h 3min
Jim Peterik (Survivor/Ides of March)
Jim Peterik wrote the book on songwriting. Literally. He's the co-author of Songwriting For Dummies, now in its 2nd edition. More famously — he’s also the author of some of the best known songs of the last 50 years, including “Eye Of The Tiger,” which Jim co-wrote with Frankie Sullivan, for their band Survivor. Jim and Frankie co-wrote 6 more Top 20 hits for Survivor before Jim left the band in 1996.Prior to Survivor, Jim was the main songwriter and lead singer of the band Ides Of March whose smash “Vehicle” made it all the way to #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the spring of 1970.Jim’s also written hit songs with .38 Special, Sammy Hagar and The Beach Boys and continues to make music and tour with many of his different band projects today — including Ides Of March, World Stage and Pride Of Lions.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
May 29, 2025 • 52min
John Hall (Orleans/No Nukes)
On this episode of Rock & Roll High School, John Hall—founding member of Orleans, No Nukes pioneer, and former U.S. Congressman—shares the stories behind hits like “Dance with Me” and “Still the One,” his journey from rock stardom to Washington, and his fight for clean energy. Hall reflects on working alongside legends like Janis Joplin, Bonnie Raitt, Jackson Browne, Bruce Springsteen, and Graham Nash, offering a unique perspective on the power of music to inspire change. It’s a compelling conversation at the crossroads of rock, activism, and public service.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
May 22, 2025 • 56min
William Bell
In this special episode of Rock & Roll High School, we sit down with the incomparable William Bell, a true icon of soul music and one of the original architects of the legendary Stax Records sound. From writing timeless classics like "You Don’t Miss Your Water" and"Born Under a Bad Sign", to mentoring generations of musicians and winning a Grammy decades into his career, William Bell’s journey is nothing short of extraordinary.Join us as he shares stories from the golden era of Memphis soul, talks candidly about the birth of Southern R&B, reflects on working alongside legends like Otis Redding and Booker T. & the MG’s, and discusses how he continues to evolve as an artist today. It's a deep dive into the legacy, resilience, and creativity of one of soul music’s most enduring voices.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
May 15, 2025 • 45min
Danny Kortchmar
For over 50 years, Danny "Kootch" Kortchmar has been rock music's secret weapon. As a guitarist and songwriter, he's collaborated with everyone from James Taylor, Carole King, and Jackson Browne to Jon Bon Jovi and Don Henley. Songs he's written include "All She Wants To Do Is Dance," "Somebody's Baby," "Dirty Laundry," and "Sunset Grill." His work as part of the sideman-supergroup The Immediate Family (with fellow superstar sidemen Leland Sklar, Russ Kunkel, Waddy Wachtel, and Steve Postell) can be seen in Denny Tedesco's documentary film of the same name.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
May 8, 2025 • 1h 18min
John Sebastian (The Lovin' Spoonful)
As the founder and frontman of The Lovin’ Spoonful, John Sebastian helped define the sound of the 1960s with classics like “Do You Believe in Magic,” “Daydream,” and “Summer in the City.” As a solo artist, he delivered a surprise acoustic set at Woodstock, wrote the #1 hit “Welcome Back” for Welcome Back, Kotter, and continued to craft songs that resonated across decades.A member of both the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame, John Sebastian stands among the greats—not just for his unforgettable songs, but for the heart and soul he brings to every note.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
May 1, 2025 • 1h 3min
Suzanne Vega
Celebrating the 40th anniversary of her self-titled debut album (which was released on May 1st, 1985), Suzanne Vega's latest album is "Flying With Angels," her first collection of all-new songs in over a decade. Emerging from New York City's folk-music scene of the early 1980's, Suzanne has become known worldwide for her detailed songwriting, incredible live performances and for creating memorable characters in her songs like the victim of child abuse in "Luka," the narrator observing her surroundings in "Tom's Diner," and the resident of an apartment being scoffed at by a poster of Marlene Dietrich ("Marlene On The Wall"). Suzanne is back on the road in support of her new album, with dates in the US and internationally all through 2025.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Apr 24, 2025 • 59min
George Thorogood
An all-new interview with iconic blues rocker George Thorogood. Known for his high energy boogie-blues sound, George is celebrating 50 years of making music in 2025. Putting his own unqiue spin on classic songs - like Move It On Over - Who Do You Love and One Bourbon One Scotch One Beer as well as crafting classic originals like I Drink Alone and Bad To The Bone, George’s music has introduced the sound of his heroes - Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley,, Howlin Wolf, John Lee Hooker and even Hank Williams - to an entire new generation of music fans. Backed by his band The Destroyers, “Lonesome” George continues to tour today, with dates in the US Canada and Australia and New Zealand all planned for 2025.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Apr 17, 2025 • 1h 26min
Narada Michael Walden
If you made a venn diagram and one circle included only musicians skilled and talented enough to jam and record with some of the greatest players of all time: Jaco Pastorius, Herbie Hancock, Jeff Beck, Allen Holdsworth, Pat Metheny, Billy Cobham. And the other circle included only hit record producers who have produced at least 9 Billboard Hot 100 #1 singles, there would only be one name overlapping both circles and that’s our guest this week: Narada Michael Walden. As a drummer, Narada has played with all of the above and more. As a lead performer, he’s releaed 13 solo albums. And as a producer, he’s created all time smashes like “I Wanna Dance With Somebody Who Loves Me” and “How Will I Know” for Whitney Houston; “Vision Of Love” for Mariah Carey and “Freeway of Love” and “I Knew You Were Waiting For Me” for Aretha Franklin. An absolutely fascinating career and a fantastic episode of our Rock & Roll High School podcast. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
