Johnny Maraca's Rockin' Time Machine » Podcasts

My latest iTunes podcast. Elvis Presley popularized the mix of country and R&B but Bill Haley was there first. Source material: Unsung Heroes of Rock and Roll, by Nick Tosches. Below, Elvis visits with Haley during Bill’s European tour.

My latest iTunes podcast. Chuck Berry and my favorite rock and roll song of all time…and the tune that helped me become Johnny Maraca when Sean Anderson and The Black Holes called me up to the stage. Go Johnny Go, … Continue reading →

Legendary DJ Alan Freed introduces white kids to African American R&B.

Reference material:

 Big Beat Heat by John A. Jackson. Continue reading →

My new iTunes podcast episode (free to listen and subscribe). The radio host tells the young rocker that the “folk music” scene has been looking for something new and he could be it. Country radio and fans weren’t so sure. … Continue reading →

My new podcast: In 1956, Elvis responds to an old fart of a newspaper critic who doesn’t get why Presley appeals to the younger folks, in an interview with TV Guide.

My new podcast: Big Joe said he just sang the blues for years and eventually they called it rock and roll. Research material: The Chitlin’ Circuit and the Road to Rock ‘n Roll, by Preston Lauterbach (and a nod to … Continue reading →

My new podcast: Big Joe said he just sang the blues for years and eventually they called it rock and roll. Research material: The Chitlin’ Circuit and the Road to Rock ‘n Roll, by Preston Lauterbach (and a nod to … Continue reading →

Sister Rosetta Tharpe is going into the rock and roll hall of fame in April. Long overdue. Research material: Shout Sister Shout, by Gayle F. Wald.

My new podcast…Jerry Lee Lewis recording Great Balls of Fire and getting into a heated, alcohol-fueled debate over the religious implications of the song. Singing it would be a sin, says The Killer! Research material includes the prose of the … Continue reading →

a time traveling trip through rock and roll history with bios, stories and unique insights from Johnny Maraca, host of the radio show, Johnny Maraca's Rock & Roll Riot.