CooperTalk

Steve Cooper talks with musician Derry Grehan. Derry is best known for being lead guitarist for the band Honeymoon Suite. He is their primary songwriter and is responsible for their huge hit New Girl Now. The band hails from Canada where they still headline festivals and play to sold-out arenas. They have recorded seven studio albums over their career and are currently working on a new one. In 2015 Derry received three SOCAN Classic Awards based on his songs New Girl Now, Burning in Love and What Does It Take having been played more than 100,000 times each on Canadian radio.

Steve Cooper talks with musician Kathy Valentine. Kathy is best known as the bassist for the band The Go-Go's. She co-wrote the hit songs Vacation and Head Over Heels that were on the band's second and third albums. She has also played in the bands The BlueBonnets and The Delphines and recorded a solo album.

Steve Cooper talks with drummer Simon Phillips. Simon is best known for being Toto's drummer from 1993 until 2009. He was the drummer for The Who during the band's American reunion tour in 1989 and played on Pete Townshend's Empty Glass album. To date he has toured and recorded with many bands and artists, including: Mick Jagger, Jeff Beck, Jack Bruce, Peter Gabriel, Joe Satriani, Tears for Fears, Judas Priest, Roxy Music, Michael Schenker, Nik Kershaw, Phd., Al DiMeola, 801, Russ Ballard, Robert Palmer, Stanley Clarke, The Pretenders, Jon Anderson, Whitesnake and Dave Gilmour... to name but a few.

Steve Cooper talks with musician John Ford Coley. John is most revered as half of the Grammy nominated duo England Dan and John Ford Coley. With double platinum and gold records behind him he has shared the stage with many of the music industry’s famous hit makers. Some of those include: Elton John, Heart, Fleetwood Mac, Chicago, Carole King, Bread, Loggins and Messina, Led Zepplin, Carly Simon, Bill Cosby, Steve Miller Band, Randy Bachman, Jesse Colin Young, Air Supply, Ambrosia, Poco, Terry Sylvester (formerly of the Hollies), Orleans, Lou Gramm and Gordon Lightfoot, Dan Hill and Stephen Bishop, to name a few. He's also hosted The Midnight Special and co-hosted The Mike Douglas Show and appeared on The Tonight Show, Merv Griffin, David Soul and Friends, Dinah, American Bandstand, Hollywood Squares (A Special Rock Edition), Make Me Laugh, Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert, Prime Time Country, and the Trinity Broadcasting Network. Currently he still records and tours the country.

Steve Cooper talks with actor Saundra Santiago. Saundra is best known for her role as Gina Calabrese on the iconic television show Miami Vice. She made her Broadway debut in Arthur Miller's 1st Tony award nominated revival of A View from the Bridge as Catherine opposite Tony LoBianco. She has continued to move in and out of theatre and TV, being seen in CBS's Person of Interest and the short lived series The Unusuals. She had a recurring role in the 1st season of FX's Damages starring Glenn Close and played the recurring role of Carlotta Vega on ABC's One Life to Live. She also portrayed twins, Jeannie Cusamano and Joan on David Chase's critically acclaimed HBO series, The Sopranos. In between TV gigs, such as Law and Order, Blue Bloods, True Detective, Snowfall, Gotham, Madam Secretary and Gang Related she has done several films, including Spike Lee's, 25th Hour and Hallmark's Meddling Mom.

Steve Cooper talks with musician Stu Cook. Stu is best known for being bassist and one of the founding members of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame band, Creedence Clearwater Revival. CCR has sold 28 million albums and their numerous hits include Suzie Q, Bad Moon Rising, Who'll Stop the Rain, Proud Mary, Fortunate Son, Born on the Bayou, Have You Ever Seen the Rain and Down on the Corner. The band broke up in 1972. In 1995 Stu formed Creedence Clearwater Revisited with original CCR drummer Doug Clifford and they have been touring ever since.

Steve Cooper talks with musician Jim McCarty. Jim is best known for being the drummer and one of the founders of Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees The Yardbirds. Besides performing and recording with the Yardbirds, he has played with Together, Renaissance, Shoot, Illusion, the Yardbirds reunion band Box of Frogs, Stairway, the British Invasion All-Stars, and Pilgrim, as well as under his own name and as the Jim McCarty Band. Since 1992 he has been playing with the reformed The Yardbirds.

Steve Cooper talks with musician Robert Berry. Robert came into the spotlight in 1988, when he teamed with Keith Emerson and Carl Palmer (of Emerson, Lake & Palmer fame) and formed the band 3. They recorded one album, The Power of Three and disbanded in 1989 after a successful tour supporting the album. In 2015, him and Emerson signed with Frontier Records and began working on a follow-up to The Power of Three as 3.2. The project was shelved following Emerson's death in March 2016, but Robert would finish the project himself and release it in 2018 under the 3.2 moniker as The Rules Have changed. He has also played in bands such as Hush, Alliance and Ambrosia and currently is with the Greg Kihn Band.

Steve Cooper talks with musician Martin Barre. Martin is best known for being lead guitarist for the legendary band Jethro Tull. He was with Tull for 43 years and his sound and playing having been a major factor in their success. Album sales have exceeded 60 million units and they continue to be played worldwide, representing an important part of classic rock history. His guitar playing has earned him a high level of respect and recognition; he was voted 25th best solo ever in the USA and 20th best solo ever in the UK for his playing on Aqualung. His playing on the album Crest of a Knave earned him a Grammy award in 1988. As well as numerous Jethro Tull albums, Martin has worked with many other artists including Paul McCartney, Phil Collins, Gary Moore, Jo Bonamassa and Chris Thompson and has shared a stage with such legends as Hendrix, Fleetwood Mac, Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin. He has also recorded many solo albums his latest being Roads Less Traveled which has garnered critical acclaim.

Steve Cooper talks with guitarist Jim Babjak. Jim is best known for being lead guitarist for The Smithereens. The Smithereens are a band out of New Jersey that has recorded 11 studio albums and are known for their hits such as Only a Memory, A Girl Like You, Blood and Roses, Behind the Wall of Sleep and many more. Their television credits include Saturday Night Live, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, MTV's Unplugged, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Uncle Floyd Show, CBS's This Morning, The Dennis Miller Show, and The Arsenio Hall Show. In 2017 their lead singer Pat DiNizio passed away but they are still touring, switching out lead singers Marshall Crenshaw and Gin Blossom's Robin Wilson.