If you were listening to pop and rock music from the late ‘70s to the early ‘90s, you undoubtedly heard John Waite. He hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1984 with “Missing You” behind massive radio play and a boost from heavy MTV rotation. He also reached No. 1 in 1989 as a member of rock supergroup Bad English with the song “When I See You Smile” (penned by legendary songwriter Dianne Warren). John was making great music in the ‘70s with the rock band The Babys, known best for their albums Head First (1979) and Union Jack (1980). 

John is the seventh Behind the Setlist episode released but was the first to record an interview (as a pilot in 2021 to test our idea of having a podcast). When Jay introduced John as “vaccinated and caffeinated,” he was speaking at a time when vaccinations were new and the pandemic was still raging. You'll also hear some musical interludes that we don't usually insert into interview segments. We eventually got Behind the Setlist off the ground and are thrilled to release this incredible conversation with this accomplished and (arguably) under-appreciated storyteller, songwriter and singer. 

In 2022, John is touring with the U.S. with Rick Springfield and Men at Work through Sept. 3rd before a run of dates in the Netherlands in the second half of September. He returns to the U.S. with dates in Edwardsville, IL on Nov. 3rd and 4th and runs through the Northeast before ending up in Cincinnati on Nov. 20th. 

Links:

Billboard's podcast page

Glenn Peoples @theglennpeoples

Jay Gilbert (Label Logic)

John Waite's home page

John Waite's page at setlist.fm

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