Rockonteurs with Gary Kemp and Guy Pratt

In this week’s episode Gary and Guy welcome Sir Tim Rice, a legendary EGOT winner with a 50 year career under his belt, and collaborations with everyone from Rick Wakeman and Abba to Elton John, Freddie Mercury and Elvis. Tim’s best known for his work with Andrew Lloyd Webber, providing the lyrics to the Webber’s music. The duo have co-written a string of musical theatre blockbusters, starting with Joseph And The Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat (1968), followed 2 year later by the pioneering rock opera, Jesus Christ Superstar, featuring Ian Gillan on the recorded version. There followed among many other stage hits including Evita, Chess and The Lion King.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Rockonteurs, Gary and Guy are joined by legendary label boss Alan McGee. The founder of Creation Records and the man who brought us The Jesus And May Chain, Primal Scream, My Bloody Valentine…oh and Oasis. In a fascinating conversation, Alan discusses the influence of 70s rock and glam, making of the game-changing "Screamadelica" album, and the life-changing night in Glasgow where he saw Oasis completely by chance. He's also refreshingly candid about the part pure luck and chancing it can play in success, and why you should never sign a band during a big weekend out.Rockonteurs is produced by Ian Callaghan for Gimme Sugar Productions. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Patrick Leonard, a renowned songwriter and producer, shines a light on his illustrious career, particularly his extensive work with Madonna on iconic albums. He shares behind-the-scenes stories about the evolution of music production, from analog to digital techniques. Leonard humorously recounts the challenges of early equipment, like the Mellotron, while detailing unexpected collaborations with giants like Michael Jackson and Leonard Cohen. The art of collaboration comes alive as he discusses the spontaneous nature of songwriting and the emotional depth in creating timeless hits.

Joining Gary and Guy in this episode is Zombie and solo artist Colin Blunstone. With a long, illustrious and incredible career, there's much to discuss. From forming The Zombies with school pals, to rapid success with "She's Not There" to an equally quick descent into obscurity, despite the Zombies second album, "Odessey And Oracle" being rated as one of Rolling Stones top 100 albums, and Paul Weller's favourite. For Colin, what followed was a stint in insurance, a brief career under a pseudonym, then a fully-fledged solo career and finally a return to The Zombies who were rewarded with an induction into The Rock 'n Roll Hall Of Fame in 2019. More fascinating stories shared in Rockonteurs.Produced by Ian Callaghan for Gimme Sugar Limited Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on Rockonteurs we speak to the wonderful Peter Hook. Peter is one of those musicians that really deserves about 4 episodes as he’s had so many incredible chapters, but we’ll try and cover off as much of his journey as we can. From Joy Division, to New Order, the Hacienda to his band ‘Peter Hook and the Light’. This is an open, honest and heartfelt conversation about falling in love with music, falling out of love with your band mates, and the continued drive and desire to play the music you created. We discuss Unknown Pleasures, Closer, Ian Curtis, Regret, and Hooky’s live dates for 2022 among other topics. He is an epic storyteller. Produced by Ben Jones for Gimme Sugar Limited. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on Rockonteurs, Gary and Guy chat to a titan of music broadcasting, Bob Harris.It’s a fascinating discussion on his remarkable career in radio and TV that takes us from being a John Peel protégé to Radio 1, from his love of country music to The Old Grey Whistle Test and the eclectic artists that show beamed into our lives in the 70’s.Bob is a natural storyteller and this episode features encounters with Elton John, John Lennon, The Eagles and even a life or death moment as he get attacked by some punks back in the day.The Old Grey Whistle Test is 50 years old this week, so there is no guest better than Whispering Bob. Produced by Ben Jones for Gimme Sugar Productions. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on Rockonteurs, Guy and Gary chat to musician, producer, bassist (obviously) and founding member of The Stranglers, JJ Burnel!It’s a fascinating chat that takes us from ice-cream vans in Surrey to punk pubs in London. We discuss the massive success of the band with hits like Peaches, Golden Brown and No More Heroes through to the new album Dark Matters (out now) and the recent passing of Dave Greenfield who died from Covid in 2020 but who is very much part of this new record. Stories of fights with Sex Pistols, gigs with The Ramones and naked centrefolds, this episode has it all. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Out today Gary and Guy chat to the excellent Steven Wilson.Singer, songwriter, producer, remixer, and founder of the band Porcupine Tree, Steven is a hugely talented artist and we’re delighted to welcome him to Rockonteurs.He has worked with so many artists from Elton, Roxy Music, Black Sabbath, Jethro Tull, Tears for Fears and many more.It’s another fascinating journey through music connections, shared experiences and a passion for a wide range of songs.Enjoy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on Rockonteurs, Guy and Gary are joined by musician, songwriter and founder of Supergrass, Gaz Coombes.Gaz has been making music since he was a lad and started Supergrass in 1993. They exploded in the mid 90’s with Britpop anthems like ‘Alright’, ‘Caught By The Fuzz’ and ‘Sun Hits the Sky’.Gaz has also enjoyed a successful solo career with albums like ‘Matador’.In this episode Gaz talks to Guy and Gary about his early introduction to music, the huge hits of the 1990’s and how Steven Spielberg almost made a TV show about the band!‘In It For The Money’ is out now remastered and expanded, plus is available on vinyl for the very first time! Supergrass play the Isle of Wight Festival in September. This episode of Rockonteurs was recorded before the passing of Charlie Watts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joining the Rockonteurs this week is Jethro Tull frontman, bandleader, song-writer and mainstay Ian Anderson. In a deep dive into Ian's career, Gary, Guy and Ian discuss how Jethro Tull grew out of the British blues boom to become one of the leading progressive rock bands, delivering huge selling concept albums like Aqualung and Thick As A Brick. The conversation also covers how and why such a strikingly unique band managed to conquer America (when many of their fellow British acts failed) and the iconic flute as part of the rock band. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.