Rare & Scratchy Rock 'N Roll Podcast

This is the second episode in our two-part series saluting the final 45 years in the six-decade career of one of the most prolific recording artists in rock, pop, country, and even religious music history. Continuing from where we left off in 1971 on part one of our two-part Glen Campbell rockumentary (Rare & Scratchy Rock ' Roll_065), we’ll cover every single he placed on the rock, pop, and country charts, as well as the original versions of those songs that inspired his hit remakes.

This is part one of a two-part series saluting the six-decade career of Glen Campbell. When his initial 45s failed to click, he became an acclaimed session guitarist for nearly a decade. He’s ranked with the greatest guitarists of all time, yet he reportedly couldn’t read a note of music. In this episode, we’ll cover his career from the late 1950’s through the early 1970s, including some extremely rare 45s, along with every hit single he placed on the rock, pop, and country charts.

This episode spotlights 40 lost hits that we found from 1963. These include top 40 tunes AM/FM/satellite stations and subscription streaming music sources no longer play by major artists such as Ray Charles, Connie Francis, Elvis Presley, Bobby Darin, Roy Orbison, Gene Pitney, Sam Cooke, Mary Wells, and Chubby Checker, just to name a few.

We’re counting down the 30 greatest girls groups of the 1950s. These young women were pioneers in a male dominated industry, and we’ll show you how they helped bring a new sophistication to popular music. Join us as we spotlight every female vocal group to achieve a charted pop, rock, and/or rhythm and blues hit single during the 1950s. There were 28 such acts. And we’ll add in two selected non-hit female aggregations who were significant to the evolving girls group sound.

This is the third in our podcast trilogy covering the careers of Simon & Garfunkel. This presentation traces Paul Simon’s evolution from a teen rocker in the 1950s to a sophisticated and successful solo musical story teller in the 1970s and subsequent decades. It includes all of his hit singles as well as his failed 45s that should have charted, but didn’t – all in chronological order, along with the original versions or hit remakes by other artists. I t’s our salute to Paul Simon.

This is the second in our podcast trilogy covering the careers of Simon & Garfunkel. This presentation traces Art Garfunkel’s trajectory from a teen idol wannabe in the 1950s to a successful song stylist in the 1970s. It includes all of his singles as well as his failed 45s that should have charted, but didn’t – all in chronological order, along with the original versions by other artists.

This is the first of three consecutive episodes spotlighting the careers of Simon & Garfunkel, who became counter-culture as well as rock and roll icons in 1960s, as they transformed into one of the most successful duos in music history. Their first hit happened in 1957. They reached international stardom eight years later in 1965 when a record producer electrified one of their acoustic recordings and created a #1 hit. We’ll spotlight all of their hit singles in chronological order.

This episode spotlights a 1970s group known for their marvelous melodies and exquisite harmonies. They also exemplified the so called, “power pop” music style that took off after the group disbanded. We’ll focus on their lead singer who went on to another two decades of solo successes, including hits that he either performed or composed for other artists that were included in major Hollywood films. They're the Raspberries, and their lead singer and primary songwriter, Eric Carmen.

This episode spotlights the Association, one of the most popular so-called “sunshine pop” groups of the 1960s. Earlier in their career, they might also have been the first act to coin the term, “folk rock,” as their sound evolved. Best known for their love songs, one of their most famous ballads was somewhat off-key. Another one of their trademark tunes is ranked as the second most played song of the twentieth century.

This edition of "Rare & Scratchy Rock 'N Roll" spotlights one of the most dynamic stars in rock and roll history – Mitch Ryder. His live shows and his recordings emanated pure energy. Most of his hits (many with his backing band – the Detroit Wheels) – were blistering re-makes of other singers’ originals – often combined into medleys. He injected them with a power that excited audiences and a unique sound that sold millions of 45s and 33s.

This episode features Johnny Rivers – a talented singer, songwriter, producer, and record company owner who made a career primarily by re-doing rhythm and blues, country, rockabilly, and rock hits that were previously done by other artists. Ironically, his only #1 hit single was one he wrote and recorded first before anyone else. We’ll sample all of his hit singles along with the originals he covered that were first done by other artists.

This episode features our choice of the top 50 love songs of the 1950s, along with some selected extras from those years that also had affairs on the pop and rock charts. We’ll hear from Johnny Mathis, Nat King Cole, Pat Boone, Frank Sinatra, Perry Como, Doris Day, the Penguins, Dion & The Belmonts, the Platters, Sam Cooke, the Moonglows, Paul Anka, Frankie Avalon, Dean Martin, Elvis Presley, and many, many others.

This episode spotlights the first white band to popularize rock & roll. Their trademark tune is one of the candidates for the designation of the first rock and roll record. It became the first number one rock and roll hit ever on the pop charts, inspired a Hollywood movie of the same name, was featured a generation later in a famed film, and was the initial theme for an iconic network television comedy series.

This episode salutes Tom Petty, a member of the Rock & Roll Hall of fame and one of the most successful rock stars in the world over the course of five decades beginning in the 1970s. We’ve collected all his hit singles along with chart data about the hit albums that generated them, with an emphasis on the special stories behind the songs.

This episode spotlights John Denver, a singer/songwriter/actor/political activist who was one the world’s best-selling performers of the 1970s. His career spanned the late 1960s through his untimely death in 1997. Hear his story and sample all of his single-released recordings here.