I Never Thought It Would Happen

For a bonus episode of his podcast, Chris welcomes Travis frontman Fran Healy. Emerging from Glasgow in the mid 90s, and now in their fourth decade together, Travis were inspirational to a number of like-minded British guitar bands like Coldplay, Snow Patrol and Keane.

Travis 2nd album, 1999's 'The Man Who', was a became a huge hit globally, fuelled by the unstoppable single 'Why Does It Always Rain On Me?'. And when the heavens opened as the band launched into that track at Glastonbury in 1999 the band found themselves plastered across newspapers and news reports, which then pushed the album to the top of the charts. But the band have also had their setbacks, not least when drummer Neil Primrose broke his neck in a freak accident... and yet, he was back behind his drum kit within 5 months. 

It's a great story, and a great listen.

Joining Chris is Mark Knopfler, the revered singer-songwriter and a masterful guitar player, with a totally distinctive sound and style. Always fascinated with music, Mark worked as a junior reporter and studied English before finally realising his long held dream of finding the right band. That band was Dire Straits, whose ascent was remarkable with their 5th studio album 'Brothers In Arms' becoming a global juggernaut eventually selling over 30 million copies. But after several gruelling world tours and the almost impossible task of topping their best loved album the band splintered.

But since 1995, Mark's kept busy with a steady stream of solo albums, soundtrack work and collaborations with like-minded artists like Bob Dylan, Emmylou Harris and Chet Atkins.

Joining Chris for this episode is legendary PR man Alan Edwards. During his 45 years working in the music industry he's worked with the likes of David Bowie, The Rolling Stones, The Spice Girls, Michael Jackson, The Stranglers, Blondie, Paul McCartney and Amy Winehouse.

Alan began his career under the tutelage of another music PR legend, Keith Altham, whose clients included Jimi Hendrix, The Who, The Beach Boys and Marc Bolan. As such, Edwards has so many amazing stories to share and is seriously great company. He's also just released his autobiography which is a must-read for any music fan.

Joining Chris today is songwriter Guy Chambers, best known for his work co-writing hits like 'Millennium', 'Angels', 'Let Me Entertain You' and 'Rock DJ' with Robbie Williams. 

Having graduated from The Guildhall School Of Music, Guy went straight to work with Julian Cope, then joined The Waterboys before moving onto World Party. And alongside his hugely successful run of hits with Robbie, Guy has also written for and with James Blunt, Texas, Mel C, Diana Ross, Kylie, Rufus Wainright, Jamie Cullum and Katie Melua. His track record has made him one of Britain's most successful and in-demand songwriters. 

Chris is joined by Scottish vocalist Eddi Reader for this episode, to chat about her fascinating career in music. From busking around Europe, to singing backing vocals for artists as diverse as Gang of Four, Eurythmics and Alison Moyet to finding fame - and having a number one single - with Fairground Attraction. But the band's success was fleeting and they splintered after just one album.

But Fairground Attraction have reformed to pick up from where they left off in 1989, and the two discuss the advantages a musician has being older and wiser. The conversation also covers Bob Dylan, appearing on Top Of The Pops and the artists Eddi cites as inspiring.

Chris' guest in this episode is Leeds born singer songwriter Corinne Bailey Rae. Though Corinne appeared to have success straight away with her first single, 'Like A Star', she'd already been through the painful process of having her first band fall apart - the punky 3 piece Helen she'd formed with friends. 

But a change in musical direction - partly inspired by work at a jazz club - yielded immediate success from 2005 onwards. And Corinne's enjoyed a remarkable career including a string of hit singles and albums, Grammy and Mobo awards, a tour with John Legend and a performance with Herbie Hancock at The White House.

In this episode, Chris welcomes rapidly rising rock star Wolfgang Van Halen. Now fronting his own band, Mammoth, Wolfie made his stage debut at 16 playing bass alongside his dad Eddie and uncle Alec in the legendary rock band Van Halen. 

Like his dad, Wolfie started his musical journey playing drums, before also picking up the guitar and bass. For his two albums with Mammoth, Wolfie is not only the songwriter, but also sings and plays everything you hear. He's not only an outrageously talented musician but a very nice bloke to boot - a couple of things he's taken from his main inspiration, Dave Grohl.

Chris Difford is joined in this episode by Sharleen Spiteri, the lead singer of the Glasgow band Texas, who've blended pop, rock and soul with huge success since their breakout single 'I Don't Want A Lover' back in 1989.

The band have since enjoyed an incredible run of hit singles and number one albums, but have also overcome an 8 year hiatus and the shocking brain aneurysm of guitarist Ally McErlaine. But with a triumphant Glastonbury appearance in 2023, and a new album recorded at the legendary Muscle Shoals studio, Texas are still very much a force to be reckoned with.

With Chris Difford for another episode of his podcast is Jack Cochrane, frontman for the  West Lothian four-piece, The Snuts, a guitar driven act citing The Arctic Monkeys and The Libertines as influences. 

The band formed at school in 2015, with a single 'Glasgow' appearing in 2016, and since then, Jack and his band have enjoyed a remarkable and rapid ride to success with their 2021 debut album 'W.L.' hitting the number one slot in 2021. Over the last 8 years they've proven a hard working and prolific act, with an ever expanding and devoted fanbase. Their latest album 'Millennials' has received rave reviews - something that's all the sweeter as The Snuts walked away from their major label record deal and released it on their own record label instead. 

Singer-songwriter Gabrielle joins Chris to discuss her career as a music maker. The London born singer was a huge music fan growing up, loving the music she heard on the radio and TV from acts like Wham, Haircut 100, Duran Duran and Adam And The Ants. And she was also exposed to the records of Barry White, Motown, Michael Jackson and Bobby Womack which her mum played.

This broad love of music would make Gabrielle an artist who could touch a diverse audience, something that became evident when her very first single, 1991's 'Dreams', went to number one in the UK. Since then she's proven to be a distinctive musician with an incredible string of hit singles and albums, has toured with Al Green and even got a co-write with Bob Dylan.