Today’s story is one of the saddest in rock history. Creedence Clearwater Revival was a band that had as much potential as any who ever recorded a song… They were like a powerful Comet of Rock blazing so fast and bright they just as quickly imploded. CCR had an incredible 14 huge hits in a little over 2 years. They were on a Beatles-like trajectory. In fact, they outdid the Beatles in terms of hits before the demise of the Fab Four. They could compete with anyone, with John Fogerty, a lead singer with a raspy voice and a sound that redefined rock. But sibling rivalry, arguments in the band, and the battle for creative control decimated the band. Today’s massive hit Have You Ever Seen the Rain tells their story best. A classic of the rock canon, it also proved prophetic, predicting the collapse of this band, but only John Fogerty knew what it meant, and then some fans caught on… What a waste. Had the band held on, they may have been the biggest rock band in US history. Up next, it’s one of the great what-ifs of rock and roll on POR.

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On this day in 1985, Live Aid made music history.

To mark the anniversary of perhaps the most iconic concert ever staged—simultaneously in London and Philadelphia—we’re revisiting one of Adam’s all-time favorite episodes: an unforgettable interview with Thomas Dolby.

Thomas was on stage that day, performing with none other than David Bowie. His firsthand stories bring you right into the heart of Live Aid.

Don't miss this one—it's a musical time capsule you’ll want to experience again.

FROM THE VAULT: My favorite thing in the world is when I do an interview that Leaves me Speechless. Where it blows my mind like "Did that really just happen?" Well this is one those interviews, from an 80s new wave virtuoso named Thomas Dolby….A true renaissance man who was discovered by legendary producer Mutt Lange when he was busking on the street. He would go onto help revolutionize the future.. he was the secret sauce behind huge 80s records by everyone from Def Leppard to Foreigner. Today he tells us about getting the call to play keyboards with David Bowie at Live Aid and how they rehearsed an exact setlist and then Bowie changed the Opening song seconds before they walked on stage. He got play Heroes in front of 100s of millions of people. We also hear how Michael Jackson invited him to his house right after Thriller and asked him to write him a song This is a can’t miss next on Professor of Rock.

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Coming up, it’s an episode that isn’t for the faint of heart. Today, we’re getting spooky as we explore the most cursed songs of the rock era and beyond. There are some really unbelievable stories here. One song, Kashmir, was born deep in the desert, built around an ancient-sounding riff. And it terrified Jimmy Page because he thought he was possessed when he was writing it. There’s also the killer karaoke track My Way that had to be banned because performing it led to a series of homicides. Another song, The Number of the Beast, put an entire recording studio on the fritz… making all the equipment malfunction. And then afterwards, the producer was so unsettled he crashed into a bus full of nuns. For real. You won’t believe how much the damages cost. From floating books and flying silverware to a jinxed song by The Who that foreshadowed the death of two band members… we’ve got a lot to cover. Don’t watch this one with the lights off. It’s the cursed songs countdown… NEXT on the Professor of Rock.

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Coming up next, its 2 of the 3 principles of one of Rock’s Greatest trios on a few of the greatest songs of the 80s. And some all-time Myths are busted in this episode, include the oft reported story that the drummer hated one of the bands’ biggest hits… It’s a TOTAL LIE. He didn’t hate it, in fact, he says the song had a perfect demo one that the band tried to recreate hundreds of times. But in the end, they just overdubbed the drum part over the original 7 year old demo. Then there’s the hit song that has the most complex baseline of it’s time that would be impossible for a mere mortal to sing and play at the same time, luckily this bands singer was up to the task. Then there’s the song that is the most eloquent, simple singer ever recorded, where one of rock’s greatest lyricists drafted a nonsensical song with made-up words… and then the song that had a word that you couldn’t rhyme with anything.. You’ll have to hear what they finally did. It’s all next on Professor of Rock.

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Up next, Nuno Bettencourt, who may have taken over as the GOAT of all guitarists, tells the story of Extreme's biggest hit, More Than Words… Nuno and Extreme were hard rock and could outplay just about anyone in their day, but it was a heartfelt ballad that took them to the top of the charts. It’s the story of a song the label didn’t want to release, and this guitar hero nearly quit the band in protest! More Than Words sounded more like a singer-songwriter classic than a hard rock showstopper and didn’t sound like anything on the radio, but Extreme fought for it. And they were right as it became one of the biggest songs of its time. But it got so big later on the band began to resent it, even refusing to play it on a big tour with Aerosmith until Steven Tyler wrote them a scathing message that forced them to add it back into their set. It’s the story of a classic from a guitar legend next on Professor of Rock.

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Coming up, we’re counting down the most distinctive, unique, one-of-a-kind voices of the rock era: “Female singer edition.” The list includes Alanis Morissette, a Canadian pop princess who burned her past to the ground and turned the ashes into one of rock’s most fearless records. There’s also a rock siren, Dolores O'Riordan, who started out quieter than a mouse. In fact, when she auditioned for a band, 9 guys mocked her appearance until she opened her mouth and blew them to the moon. Then there’s Stevie Nicks, the songstress who wrote the song Gypsy that was in part inspired by her best friend, and she married her friend’s husband! And we’ve also got Mazzy Star's Hope Sandoval, who intentionally sabotaged her entire career because she was getting too famous. Stick around as we pay tribute to the most distinctive female singers and the songs that made them timeless, NEXT on the Professor of Rock.

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On July 8, 1954, Elvis Presley's debut single, “That’s All Right,” was played for the first time on Memphis radio, marking a pivotal moment in his career and the beginning of a musical revolution. Just three years later, in 1957, his hit “(Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear” reached No. 1 on the Billboard charts, further cementing his status as the King of Rock 'n' Roll.

Enjoy this POR classic from 2022 celebrating the one and only King of Rock 'n' Roll—Elvis Presley.

FROM THE VAULT: In the mid-50s, a school-teacher, and a former dishwasher repairman collaborated on writing a song allegedly inspired by the suicide note of a despondent man that was included in an article published by the Miami Herald. It would turn out to be for the King of Rock and Roll Elvis Presley… The song? Heartbreak Hotel. In fact the schoolteacher named Mae Axton vowed to Elvis that she would write his first #1 million seller and she did. Although Presley’s label RCA thought the song was a disaster. They hated it and predicated it would fail. It went to #1 for 7 weeks and was the biggest song of the years. Years later the school teacher who wrote it, would have a song Hoyt Axton who would write a #1 hit for Three Dog Night called Joy to the World making them the only mother and son to do so in history. Over the years the writing of Heartbreak Hotel from a newspaper article has become a mystery. Curiously, there is no evidence of such an incident in the public records of the State of Florida, nor is there any proof of a news article that was published on the alleged suicide by the Miami Herald. It’s the conflicting and mystifying story of the first #1 pop song by the King of Rock ’N Roll…NEXT on Professor of Rock.

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Coming up, we're telling the story of 11 songs that truly defined one of the most pivotal years in the Rock Era, starting with The Beatles, a band so big they controlled the top 5 spots on the charts, a record that no one has ever come close to. Plus, there was the songwriter Wayne Cochran who told an epic and sad story behind what inspired his massive hit Last Kiss that moved everyone who heard it. Then, decades later, everyone found it was a total lie. Then there was the Do Wah Diddy Diddy that the lead singer of Manfred Mann thought was downright silly... with made-up words, he refused to sing it until his manager forced him to, and even then he sang it as a total joke… It became one of the biggest songs ever, and the silly words became part of the pop vernacular. There was The Animals' House of the Rising Sun that has made tens of millions in royalties but remains unpaid because no one knows who the hell wrote the song. Plus, there’s Marvin Gaye who wrote Dancing in the Street, a song he knew was a smash, but he gave it to his secretary Martha Reeves, who made it an all-time smash. Our countdown of the Top 11 Songs of a special year is NEXT on Professor of Rock!

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COMING UP next, the Bee Gees were the biggest band of the 70s with 8 #1 hits in under 4 years… they were everywhere until they weren’t. What a difference a few months make. One month they were on top of the world, a few months later, they couldn’t get radio to play their music. They had to hide out… in fact, in the early 80s, the Bee Gees wrote for other people because their brand was extinct. They disappeared from the charts for 10 years. Then, at the end of the 80s, the Bee Gees made one of the biggest comebacks ever. They had a #1 in the UK a year earlier and then blew up the American charts again with a smash that put them back in the game, You Win Again... and they’ve never looked back. The band that beat astronomical odds to go from hero to zero to hero again. It's the greatest perseverance story in music up next on Professor of Rock.

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In music, trends come and go, chart-toppers rise and fall—but every once in a while, an artist or a band does something that is completely untouchable. I’m talking about milestones that will never be shattered. For today’s episode, we’re tipping our hat to the Guinness Book of World Records and counting down the Top 10 greatest music records That Will Never Be Broken. From the Elton John that sold a record 33 million copies and was only performed one time… when it was recorded, and Elton it didn’t make a dime off it... to The Dark Side of the Moon that spent almost 20 years on the charts, to The Beatles who had 20 #1 hits in just 6 years, to Frank Sinatra, the only artist to have a hit song in 7 different decades. These are the most awesome feats ever. Get ready to have your mind blown… NEXT on the Professor of Rock. 

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