I like the comedy with my Rock 'n Roll. Hall of Fame'r Ricky Byrd, delivers brilliantly on both counts. Great stories of his heroes in both worlds. Watching them as a kid on Ed Sullivan, to sharing jokes and cokes at The Pines Hotel coffee shop with Freddie Roman, Dick Capri, and Mal Z Lawrence, to sharing a stage with Stevie Wonder, Joe Walsh, Billie Joe Armstrong, Paul McCartney, and Ringo Starr, all at the same time. Full circle.

I met Ricky Byrd back in the daze… when we were both in a daze… I was booking the Rock’ N Roll Café on Bleecker Street. Ricky was already a rockstar, center stage lead guitarist with Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, playing those iconic riffs in the great MTV Music Video Days. Ricky has recorded, toured, and/or has performed with Roger Daltrey, Ian Hunter, Southside Johnny, Mavis Staples, Brian Wilson, Alice Cooper, Paul Shaffer, Smokey Robinson, and so many others, but we got stories about the above mentioned. As we did about Don Rickles, Frank Gorshen, Ron Wood, Keith Richards, Peter O'Toole, My Favorite Year, Hurricane Sandy, Robert Plant, getting sober, recovery, recovery music groups, recovery coaching, and counseling, creating and making music which supports the cause, and, rocks like hell. Following his solo albums, Lifer and Clean Getaway, his Sobering Times just dropped wide and has already garnered two hits on Little Steven's Underground Garage and one Coolest Song in The World. To get a signed copy of the CD and some Byrd swag and for all things Ricky

https://www.rickybyrd.com/

In 2017, he received the Drug-Free Heroes Award, the Faces, and Voices 2019 Voice of Recovery Award, and the 2019 Italian American of Distinction Award, presented by Governor Cuomo. So very proud of this rockin' pal.

Basically an old Borscht Belt Jew at heart, this RockBoy is all about making music, helping people get sober, reading Dorothy Parker, laughing at Phil Rosenthal, and Entenmann's chocolate anything.

As a sober woman in recovery, Ricky’s plight, his passion, his stories, and his hair, are close to my heart. We now party like it’s 1869. My kinda fun.

Ricky Byrd on Game Changers with Vicki Abelson

Wed, 5/5/21, 5 pm PT, 8 pm ET

Streamed Live on my Facebook

Replay here:

https://bit.ly/3tp6PwT

All BROADcasts, as podcasts, also available on

iTunes apple.co/2dj8ld3

Stitcher bit.ly/2h3R1fla

tunein bit.ly/2gGeItj

Also on iHeartRadio, SoundCloud, Voox, OwlTail, Backtracks, PlayerFM, Himalaya, Podchaser, and Listen Notes

Thanks to Rick Smolke of Quik Impressions, the best printers, printing, the best people people-ing. quikimpressions.com

Nicole Venables,of Ruby Begonia Hair Studio Beauty and Products, for tresses like the stars she coifs, and regular people, like me. I love my hair, and I love Nicole. http://www.rubybegoniahairstudio.com/

Blue Microphones and Kevin Walt