Icon Fetch

Ruthann Friedman wrote “Windy,” which became a #1 smash for the Association in 1967. With it, she became only the third woman to write a number one hit on the Billboard charts. This led to Constant Companion, considered by many to be a great lost folk classic, released in 1970. But, that album never took off and Friedman chose to settle down and raise a family instead. Now, some 40 years later – she’s back with a new album, Chinatown. We talk the inspiration behind “Windy,” what got her out of retirement, and what David Crosby had on the wall of his house that upset his mother.

Davina & the Vagabonds inject a fresh approach to a very classic style of music, a mix of blues & New Orleans-style jazz. The Minneapolis band has just released a brand new record called Sunshine (read our review) , and we mean record, it is available on vinyl as well as CD & mp3. We talk with leader Davina Sowers about her love of vintage music and how it gets infused in her songs. She also tells us how Reece’s Peanut Butter Cups influenced the song “I Try to Be Good,” and how everyone, even Britney Spears, should cover a Fats Waller song.

Singer / songwriter Seth Walker has perfected his own unique blend of blues, soul & folk over his last few records. His eighth album, Sky Still Blue, continues in that vein, proving that people can actually still put together an entire record of good tunes. He talks about moving to New Orleans, turning up the volume on the guitars on this album, writing songs with country legend Gary Nicholson.

He played a major role in shaping one of the biggest selling albums of all-time, Rumours. Ken Caillat co-produced the classic Fleetwood Mac album with Richard Dashut. We know the stories of how the band members were breaking up, but what about creating the songs? Caillat gathers his recollections of the year spent in the studio in Making Rumours – the Inside Story of the Classic Fleetwood Mac Album from Wiley Publishing. Incidentally, Caillat is still working – recently helping to guide the career of his daughter, Colbie Caillat to several successful albums. He tells us the unbelievable stories behind many of the great songs on Rumours, and the advice he gave his daughter before she entered the music business.

Tommy James of the Shondells was our very first interview on Icon Fetch. Now, 209 shows later, he returns with an extensive talk about the stories behind some of his biggest hits: The unbelievable tale of his rise to fame with “Hanky Panky,” the party classic “Mony Mony,” the bubblegum confection of “I Think We’re Alone Now,” the psychedelic “Crimson & Clover,” the anti-war “Sweet Cherry Wine,” and the heavenly “Crystal Blue Persuasion.” He also updates on his book Me the Mob and the Music and how it’s going to be turned into a major motion picture.

In the mid Sixties, the charts were dominated by bands from the British Invasion – the Beatles, Herman’s Hermits, the Rolling Stones. Yet, a few artists from America were still able to break through – the Beach Boys & Motown artists for example. Then, there was Gary Lewis & the Playboys, who became the first American band to have their first seven singles hit the Top 10. In fact, in May of 1965 – Gary & band were the only act from America in the entire Top 10.

Once again Gary is back on the road as part of the Happy Together tour which is coming to a city near you. Gary tells us the story behind his great hits like “This Diamond Ring,” “She’s Just My Style,” and “Everybody Loves a Clown.” Plus, he talks about getting discovered at Disney World by producer “Snuff” Garrett, and playing Hulabaloo with his dad, singing a Beatles song.

In the mid Sixties, Mitch Ryder was rarity – a white guy who successfully captured the essence of R&B but who could rock as well. He was also one of the few American artists who gave those four lads from over the big pond a run for their money on the charts. “Jenny Take a Ride,” “Devil With the Blue Dress,” and “Sock it to Me Baby” were just three examples of this unique sound. Now, Mitch is back on the road as part of the Happy Together tour which is coming to a city near you. He also wrote his autobiography (which we reviewed here). Mitch talks about how music was not his first career choice, about seeing James Brown in concert and how it changed his life, and getting a visit from the Stones during the recording of his first hit song.

He’s been called the Godfather of British blues – John Mayall – and he’s been at it more than 50 years. His Bluesbreakers band acted as a launching pad for some of the greatest musicians of all time – Eric Clapton, Peter Green, and Mick Taylor all spent time honing their chops in his band. Mayall, who has never stopped touring and assembling stellar bands, is back with his first new studio record in five years, A Special Life on Forty Below Records. He’s released somewhere in the ballpark of 60 albums, but this one is still full of vitality. We talk the recording of his new record, how he first got interested in the blues, and what made The Bluesbreakers with Eric Clapton so special.

The Jersey Boys was first a successful Broadway musical and now a Clint-Eastwood-directed motion picture, based on the life and music of the Four Seasons. Almost all of the band’s hits were co-written by Seasons’ member Bob Gaudio, who had a big hand in bringing this story to the stage and screen, as well as assembling the accompanying soundtrack. Icon Fetch talks with the New Jersey native about where the idea for the Broadway musical came from. Also, he tells us the story behind the Four Seasons’ first number one hit, “Sherry,” how he recorded “Short Shorts” when he was only 15, and what it was like to work with Barbara Streisand and Neil Diamond on the smash hit “You Don’t Bring Me Flowers.”

In the Mid 1960’s there was no bigger band in the Dayton area than Sonny Flaharty and the Mark V. Whether playing to rabid crowds at the Diamond Club or packing the house at Wamplers Ballerarina, the band was the top in town. They were best known for their song “Hey Conductor” – that piece of fuzzed out psychedelia made it to #1 in the Dayton area. It got picked up for national distribution and was tabbed by Billboard magazine as a Breakout Hit, until some strange circumstances derailed the song.

Sonny Flaharty stopped by our studios to talk about that song, and so much more. Did you know that he’s in the Rockabilly Hall of Fame? That he was signed to many major labels, including Epic, Decca, Warner Bros, and RCA? That his band opened for the Rolling Stones on their first tour of America and shared a dressing room with them? Or that Sonny’s early band the Young Americans, were courted by the same producers that made Hang On Sloopy a smash for the McCoys. If you’ve heard of Sonny Flaharty, get ready for a trip down memory lane. If you haven’t, get ready for some great stories.