Steve and Johnnie

Steve King and Johnnie Putman may not have music in this show, but that won’t stop them from talking about it!

Our first guest Ron Romero is the CEO and Founder of the Illinois Rock & Roll Museum on Route 66. He joins Steve and Johnnie to talk about the Hall of Fame induction ceremony where they will be the presenters of the Founder’s Choice Award Recipient. They also talk about many of the inductees and performers as well as the global reach that the museum has.

There’s this thing called the Fest for Beatles Fans and our resident Beatle-ologist and author Wally Podrazik takes us on the long and winding road behind the big events at the Fest and some of the musicians that collaborated with The Beatles back in the day.

Our tech guru and Director of Educational Technology at the Keck School of Medicine of USC Patrick Crispen returns with a fresh tech news update on all things AI, ChatGPT and the big Google security breach resulting in a new voice phishing scam. Plus, Patrick answers listener questions including a big one regarding the yearly release of new iPhones and whether buying one right now is a good idea.

Many of other things along the way including fake tour dates, potentially fake music groups, rice pudding and a special guest: news anchor Sylvia Snowden!

While most of Chicago was enjoying Lollapalooza, Johnnie Putman and Steve King had a big turn out of their own! After a brief hiccup, Him n’ Her are back and ready to grace your ears with their auditory presence.

Ron Onesti, CEO of Onesti Entertainment is our first guest on the show and we learn of the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations‘ (COPOMIAO) efforts to get the late legend Connie Francis inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Being the first woman to top the Billboard singles chart back in 1960 with “Everybody’s Somebody’s Fool”, it’s been long overdue.

We are then graced with the physical presence of our two favorite experts, Patrick Crispen and Tom Appel for the rare crossover appearance!

With the Educational Director of Technology at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, we cover some social media blues as we analyze the fall of television. As younger generations grow increasingly reliant on their handheld computers for information, entertainment and education, Patrick looks at one of Youtube’s new AI age protection safeguards to brace for the future. Plus, with the Crispens in Chicago, they had to take in some of the finest in entertainment and delectable deliciousness.

With the Publisher of Consumer Guide Automotive and Host of the Car Stuff Podcast, we cover the usual new test drives and bewildering numbers of recalls. Plus, with the rise in electric vehicles and heavy reliance on computers, both Tom and Patrick share their outlook for the automotive industry as more and more vehicles become “software defined” relying on ‘over the air’ updates for regular maintenance.

Sports Between the Sheets returns to look at the week’s latest news in baseball with our late night news anchor and sports master, Gabe Salgado. If you struggled or missed a detail in Patrick’s tech updates, you can follow along at The Steve and Johnnie show blog!

Steve King and Johnnie Putman are taking flight with some exciting topics including, but not limited to new fantastic new movies and all things photography, both good and bad. We start off with news anchor Ron Brown’s review of the new Superman movie and ask the big question: is it suitable for 9 year olds?

The great Chicago photographer Barry Butler is in studio to share some of his latest stories photographing magnificent sailboats, majestic lightning storms and marvelous dogs at dawn. We also learn of his mission to preserve the Chicago Harbor Lighthouse and we get some updates on some of his published and upcoming materials featuring his striking photography.

Gino Salomone is the Entertainment Reporter for Fox 6 in Milwaukee, and a great friend of the show, but we learn he was a great friend of Leslie Nielsen, whom would surely be having a gas knowing the new Naked Gun movie is a hit and an homage to the late comedy legend. Plus, we get Gino’s take on the news following CBS’ decision to cancel The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.

Our favorite Director of Educational Technology of USC, Patrick Crispen checks in with the latest on questionable AI implementation from big tech companies such as Facebook’s impending update that may pry into your phone’s entire gallery, Delta’s use of AI in ticket pricing and a big hack on anyone who may have applied at McDonald’s and gone through their AI chatbot. All that and more on his segment, but as always, you can follow along with Patrick’s handy show notes.

Along with a tribute to the late Connie Francis, there are plenty of shenanigans along the way!

Johnnie Putman and Steve King take you on a journey back in time and surely you’ll feel like a kid again as we flashback with our friends!

Our first guest Alice Selke rejoins the show in time for her 107th birthday and together, we explore her history, her youth and some of her family’s history in the Hoffman Estates Fire Department along with some records she may or may not have grown up with.

Aaron Bearden is our next guest and he is the Owner of Instant Replay Sports in Panama City, Florida and a living encyclopedia of all things sports collectibles. We learn about the surprising value in some classic cards and his efforts to educate collectors in the form of good old fashioned television.

We then throwback to the Disco Demolition Night that took place 46 years ago with Chicago’s very own Vince Lawrence, record producer and one of the early pioneers in Chicago’s iconic house music scene. He takes us back to working in the disco scene on that infamous night and we analyze the destructive effects of that night on disco music and the culture of black and LGBTQ communities, much of which is covered in a new documentary called “Move Ya Body: The Birth of House.”

Our last guest, Tom Appel is Publisher of Consumer Guide Automotive and Host of the Car Stuff Podcast touches on some of his latest test drives, listener questions on gas types and old engines, big recall numbers for Ford and why a car being too quiet is a bad thing.

With shoutouts, highlights out of the Windy City Smokeout and getting up to a whole lot of nothing with our News Director Ryan Burrow, it’s another show to remember.

Steve King and Johnnie Putman ring in the second half of 2025 with some special auditory treats while down in Panama City Beach!

Tracy Mick returns to share some covers and her own original songs taking shape from her life story in Florida and the tough part about being our own worst critic as a musical artist.

We then pay tribute to the late great Bobby Sherman, recently passing at the age of 81, with an old interview of Steve and Johnnie’s in which her excitement could barely be contained!

Patrick Crispen, Director of Educational Technology at the Keck School of Medicine at USC shares the latest in tech, hacks and cyber news. The Supreme Court did something good and preserved the USF, which keeps telecommunication services affordable, we get the scoop on new tech revealed at Apple’s WWDC and Amazon launches Project Kuiper.

Plenty of other treats along the way including our gripes with NYT’s 100 Best Movies of the 21st Century and spreading the word on Bruce Springsteen’s massive music drop.

Singer, actor and teen heartthrob Bobby Sherman died on June 24th at age 81. In the 60s and early 70s, he appeared in countless television series and recorded over 100 songs, including hits like “Julie, Do You Love Me” and “Easy Come, Easy Go.” In this July 2000 clip, he talked to WGN Radio’s Steve King and Johnnie Putman ahead of a concert in Chicago to take them behind the early days when he met Micky Dolenz of ‘The Monkees‘ and his days on “Shindig.”

Johnnie Putman and Steve King return broadcasting in Panama City Beach after a two week hiatus, with good reasons, for a massive show sure to keep you cool and entertained!

Cary Baker, Journalist and Author of Down On The Corner: Adventures In Busking & Street Music stops by to tell us about a book signing event on July 8 at The Book Cellar in Lincoln Square and helps us follow the music with how the art of busking shaped his life.

Neal James is a new musically talented friend down in Panama City Beach and he shows off some great guitar and vocals in the studio and we learn a little about the man behind the music!

Patrick Crispen, Director of Educational Technology at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, makes a quick stop to cover what is considered to be the largest data breach in history with over 16 billion passwords leaked on the web. We learn all of the details of this massive hack and Patrick turns our attention to haveibeenpwned.com where you can find out if your emails have been compromised. Of course, everything is laid out in Patrick’s handy show notes.

Consumer Guide Automotive’s Publisher Tom Appel eventually glitches his way onto the show and gives the scoop on his latest test drives and we take a ton of listener questions. Plus, Steve shares his brother Lee’s difficult driving decision that comes for us all.

Plenty of other things along the way for you to sink your jaws into, so tune in below and be sure to head over to the Steve and Johnnie show blog for even more bonus stuff!

Steve King and Johnnie Putman offer their two cents and close out a very musical May with a little blues celebration!

Guitarist and Chicago’s very own Dave Specter stops by the studio for a special appearance to talk about his new album LIVE at SPACE! Performed at the venue SPACE in Evanston, we learn a little bit about the venue itself, his take on the modern blues crowd and some of his heroes that influenced his style.

Lynn Orman, Founder of Women of the Blues checks in to shine a spotlight on some of the huge names headlining the Chicago Blues Fest, including Bobby Rush, Nellie “Tiger” Travis, Mavis Staples and so many more!

We shift gears to car talk with Tom Appel, Publisher at Consumer Guide Automotive for the usual updates on recalls and test drives, plus some news on a Kia price bump and discontinuation of some Porsche models. We also introduce Tom to a new friend and automotive genius with the ability to convert a v6 engine to a v8!

Plenty of other treats along the way including but not limited to goats, Mrs. Robinson and our news director Ryan Burrow learns that June comes after May!

Johnnie Putman and Steve King have all of your favorites for this packed show! Racing, routers and a pair of talented musicians are just some of the things crammed in!

Our own Dane Neal stopped by before he covered the Indy 500 to share some of the traditions, superstitions and expectations all racing fans should have.

The big stars of the show were Josh Solomon and Erika Brett, the front half of The Empty Pockets! We always get more tales from their shows, early inspirations and we share some new music, both recorded and live in the studio!

After jamming out, we take a long deep dive into WIFI routers with Patrick Crispen, Director of Educational Technology at the Keck School of Medicine of USC. For those who might struggle following along for the router specific segment, Patrick’s show notes are the perfect companion for your brain to stay wired in.

We close out the show with some of Gabe Salgado’s latest sports analysis for Sports Between the Sheets, this time looking at the controversial move in football known as the “tush push”. Plus, we continue our spotlight on Celiac Disease Awareness Month!

Steve King and Johnnie Putman bring some more musical mayhem, along with the usual tales from back in the day, car stuff and tasty treats!

Suzy Bogguss is the first guest and she is quite the busy bee with lots to talk about! She is one of the inductees at the Illinois Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum on Route 66 this September, she has a fantastic cookbook, and she has a brand new movie called “Everything Fun You Could Possibly Do in Aledo“, Illinois” coming in June!

Next up is a familiar voice for WGN-TV fan with the great Steve Sanders and he tells us what he’s been up to with his musical tribe known as The Mixaphors and why exactly they are called that!

Tom Appel, Publisher of Consumer Guide Automotive and the Car Stuff Podcast has the latest car recalls, test drives and answering your questions!

Last, but not least, our news anchor Gabe Salgado returns with a lengthy segment of Sports between the Sheets! Plus, another sugary gluten-free Johnnie snack that will cleanse your palette!