Rock & Roll High School With Pete Ganbarg

Warner Music Group

Rock & Roll High School is an interview series that spotlights some of the most important figures in the history of contemporary music. Interviews by Pete Ganbarg, President of A&R at Atlantic Records.

About Pete Ganbarg:

Pete Ganbarg is President of A&R for Atlantic Records as well as President of ATCO Records, a division of Atlantic. He joined the Atlantic Records Group as Executive Vice President of A&R in late 2008. A 30+ year A&R veteran and member of the board of directors of the Songwriters Hall of Fame, Ganbarg has also held senior A&R positions at Arista, Epic, and SBK/EMI. As a publisher, Ganbarg operates Songs With A Pure Tone and Margetts Road Music, joint ventures currently in partnership with Warner Chappell Music. Songs published by Ganbarg include hits by Miley Cyrus, Justin Bieber, Maroon 5, Katy Perry, OneRepublic, Lewis Capaldi, Ed Sheeran, Andy Grammer, Lizzo, Beyoncé, and more.

Ganbarg is the recipient of two GRAMMY Awards for his role as producer on the Original Broadway Cast Recording of Dear Evan Hansen and the Original Broadway Cast Recording of Jagged Little Pill. At Atlantic, among the artists and projects that Ganbarg has overseen are GAYLE, twenty one pilots, Halestorm, Jason Mraz, Christina Perri, Melanie Martinez, Skillet, Brett Eldredge, Matchbox Twenty & Rob Thomas, Theory Of A Deadman, and Icona Pop; as well as the Original Broadway Cast Recordings of Hamilton, Mean Girls, Jagged Little Pill, Dear Evan Hansen, and the multi-platinum Billboard No. 1 soundtrack album The Greatest Showman, the latter two of which he also co-produced. Ganbarg began his A&R career in 1989 at SBK Records. In 1997, he joined Clive Davis at Arista Records, where, as Senior Director of A&R, he conceived and A&R’d Santana’s 30x platinum worldwide, nine-time GRAMMY-winning album, Supernatural.

Additionally, he was recently named International Music Person Of The Year for 2023 by the music industry organization MUSEXPO.

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Coming This Week: Bryan Adams

Coming This Week: Bryan Adams

Ahead of our exclusive interview with Bryan Adams, coming this Thursday, Bryan tells us about his amazing history working with the legendary Tina Turner. Tune in Thursday for the entire episode.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Episodes

Paul Williams is one of the most beloved and respected music creators in the world today; a lyricist and composer who has won an Oscar Award, three Grammy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, an Ivor Novello International Award and earned induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, Williams’ timeless classics range from “We’ve Only Just Begun”, “You and Me Against the World” and “The Rainbow Connection” to "Touch" and "Beyond" on Daft Punk’s chart-topping Album of the Year, Random Access Memories on which he also performed, receiving a Grammy as Featured Artist. As President and Chairman of the Board of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP), he is also a leading spokesman for music creators in the digital age. In addition to music creators’ rights, Paul is also passionate about recovery, and works tirelessly to destigmatize alcoholism and addiction. Sober 33 years, his humorous observations of life, love, and creativity, augmented by the education and knowledge he gained through his studies and certification from UCLA as a Certified Drug Rehabilitation Counselor, has been shared in a best-selling book co-written by Tracey Jackson, entitled Gratitude and Trust: Six Affirmations That Will Change Your Life. While publicly lauded for his work as a songwriter, author and actor, most recently for his role with Billy Bob Thornton in Goliath, Paul predicts he’ll be remembered for playing Little Enos in the Smokey and the Bandit trilogy and for his lyrics to “The Love Boat” theme. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jason Mraz is a two-time Grammy award winning singer/songwriter, winner of the esteemed Hal David Starlight Award from the Songwriters Hall Of Fame and owner of his own organic home farming organization, Mraz Family Farms. Having sold over 13 million album equivalents, Jason is celebrating the 15th anniversary of his 2008 album We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things, recently reissued as a deluxe 2 vinyl set. He also founded the nonprofit Jason Mraz Foundation, which has a mission of shining for inclusive arts education, food security and the advancement of equality. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Danny Goldberg, President of Gold Village Entertainment, has worked in the music business as a personal manager, record company president, public relations man and journalist since the late 1960s. Goldberg began his career as a music journalist writing for among others Rolling Stone and Billboard Magazine. He later formed and co-owned Modern Records (Stevie Nicks), the artist management firm Gold Mountain Entertainment (Nirvana, Hole, Sonic Youth, Bonnie Raitt, The Allman Brothers, and more), and independent label Artemis Records. He served as President of Atlantic Records and Chairman of Warner Bros. Records, as CEO of Air America Radio and Chair of the ACLU of Southern California.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Miles Copeland, founder of I.R.S. Records, BTM (British Talent Management), Illegal Records, Deptford Fun City Records, New Bristol Records, and Copeland International Arts (C.I.A.). He has worked with The Police, Sting, Berlin, Dead Kennedys, The Cramps, The Go-Gos, Squeeze, R.E.M., The Alarm, and The Bangles, among others.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Doc McGhee is a pioneer in the entertainment industry, overseeing the legendary careers of Bon Jovi, Mötley Crüe, and Skid Row. Managing the world-famous band KISS for over two decades, Doc reunited the band for their sold-out ‘96-‘97 Alive Worldwide Tour. With products ranging from coffins, to comic books, to skateboards, to pinball machines, it’s hard to find a product today without KISS on it. Doc has had an amazing history rebranding acts such as Darius Rucker, who he led into being a country sensation, where he revolutionized the way we see country stars today by breaking through various genre and racial stereotypes. Doc has played a key role in the development, execution, and filming of live events that include the Moscow Music Peace Festival, the first stadium rock show in Russia, which was aired worldwide as a top-rated pay-per- view event. As an entrepreneur, he created and ran the entertainment division of Home Shopping Network for five years, was a co-owner of the LA KISS Football team. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Steve Lillywhite

Steve Lillywhite

Steve Lillywhite, CBE is a legendary English five-time Grammy Award winning record producer. Since he began his career in 1977, Lillywhite has collaborated with a variety of musicians including U2, The Killers, The Rolling Stones, Dave Matthews Band, Peter Gabriel, Talking Heads, Morrissey, The Pogues, David Byrne, XTC, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Simple Minds, The Psychedelic Furs, Beady Eye, Phish, The Counting Crows & Thirty Seconds To Mars. He has won numerous awards including the Producer of The Year Grammy & Commander of the Order of The British Empire (CBE) in 2012 for his contributions to music.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Bob Gruen is one of the most respected rock and roll photographers of all time. His iconic images— including John Lennon wearing a New York City t-shirt (1974), Led Zeppelin standing in front of their airplane and Sid Vicious eating a hot dog (in the permanent collection of the National Portrait Gallery, London)—have appeared worldwide in every form, from magazine covers, posters, T-shirts and even postage stamps. He is the author of 15 books including "Rock Seen, John Lennon: The New York Years", "Green Day: Photographs by Bob Gruen" and a new autobiography "Right Place, Right Time."See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A vital force behind the sound of some of rock’s most powerful female artists, like Tina Turner & Pat Benatar among others, singer/songwriter Holly Knight’s iconic musical imprint is woven into the very fabric of the MTV generation. Throughout the 1980s, she composed anthems including "Better Be Good To Me, "The Best," "Love is A Battlefield," and many others that have become the soundtrack for millions of people’s lives, and created and crafted empowering odes to independence, liberation, and equality. In 2013, Holly was inducted into the Songwriters Hall Of Fame.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Felix Cavaliere

Felix Cavaliere

A founding member of The Rascals (AKA The Young Rascals), Felix is an inductee of the Songwriters, Rock and Roll, Hammond, Hit Parade, and Musicians halls of fame. Playing organ and piano with The Rascals, he frequently collaborated with bandmate Eddie Brigati to write some of the band’s most successful songs, such as “How Can I Be Sure?,” “I’ve Been Too Lonely Too Long,” “A Beautiful Morning,” and “Groovin’.” The band had 3 #1 Billboard Hot 100 hits including “Good Lovin’,” a song that the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame has included on its list of the 500 songs that shaped Rock & Roll. Their Civil Rights anthem “People Got To Be Free” became their final No. 1 track in both the U.S. and Canada. Felix went on to release six solo albums, be a touring member of Ringo Starr’s third All-Starr Band, perform with Billy Joel, record an album with Steve Cropper, and starred in a heralded Broadway musical revue, Once Upon A Dream, in 2013. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ranked among Rolling Stone’s 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time and named The World’s Greatest Living Guitar Player by Mojo magazine, Steve is a founding member of Booker T. & the M.G.’s, the Mar-Keys, and the Blues Brothers. As a songwriter, he’s co-written some of the biggest songs of all time including Wilson Pickett’s “In the Midnight Hour,” Eddie Floyd’s “Knock on Wood,” and Otis Redding’s “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay.” Over his celebrated career, Steve has worked with Sam & Dave, Stevie Wonder, Carla Thomas, Neil Young, Rod Stewart, José Feliciano, Jeff Beck, Johnny Cash, Ringo Starr, George Harrison, John Lennon, Tom Petty, and countless others. In 1992, Steve (as part of Booker T. & the M.G.’s) was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and in 2005, he was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

One of the few solo artists from the 1960’s to have co-written nearly all of his songs and created his own original sound, Lou Christie’s chart-topping, multi-million selling career as a songwriter, recording artist and performer started at the tender age of 18. He co-wrote and released his first Gold record, 1962’s “The Gypsy Cried”, followed quickly by “Two Faces Have I”, a Top 5 pop hit in 1963, transforming him into a national teen idol. In 1966, Christie forever embedded himself and his trademark high-falsetto voice into America’s consciousness with “Lightnin’ Strikes”, a platinum-plus single which hit the top of the Billboard pop charts as well as the UK Top 20 and remains a radio and streaming staple today. More hits followed including 1966’s controversial “Rhapsody In The Rain” and 1969’s Top 10 “I’m Gonna Make You Mine”. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Bryan Adams has the reputation of being one the most exciting live musicians in the world. His energetic vocals and stage presence have proven to entertain for over 40 years. With 17 studio albums, and four new studio albums in 2022 (including, Grammy Nominee “So Happy It Hurts” and “Pretty Woman – The Musical”), his song writing has garnered him numerous awards and accolades including three Academy Award nominations, five Golden Globe nominations, a Grammy Award and 20 Juno Awards.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Coming This Week: Bryan Adams

Coming This Week: Bryan Adams

Ahead of our exclusive interview with Bryan Adams, coming this Thursday, Bryan tells us about his amazing history working with the legendary Tina Turner. Tune in Thursday for the entire episode.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jeff "Skunk" Baxter

Jeff "Skunk" Baxter

Jeff “Skunk” Baxter has been called ‘the most interesting man in music’ by NPR and it’s not hard to figure out why. A virtuoso guitar player and member of the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame, Skunk is a founding member of the iconic Steely Dan, and later joined The Doobie Brothers, bringing his friend Michael McDonald into the band as their new lead singer, leading to the height of their commercial success. His playing on songs like “Rikki Don’t Lose That Number” and “What A Fool Believes” are just two stellar examples of his work with those groups. As an in-demand session player, Jeff’s guitar work can be heard all over all-time iconic classics like the solos on Donna Summer’s “Bad Girls” & “Hot Stuff;” Dolly Parton’s “9 To 5” and classics by Eric Clapton, Rod Stewart and Joni Mitchell. On top of all that, Jeff is also a ballistic missile defense specialist and a counter-terrorism expert who works as a consultant for the US Department of Defense - shattering the stereotype of your typical Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame guitar player.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Justin Hayward (Moody Blues)

Justin Hayward (Moody Blues)

Justin Hayward’s voice has been heard the world over. Known principally as the vocalist, lead guitarist and composer for the innovating and trail blazing band Moody Blues, Justin Hayward is an enduring talent that has helped to define the times in which he worked. Over the last forty-five years the band has sold over seventy million albums and in 2018 they were inducted into the legendary Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

An exclusive never-before-heard interview with legendary songwriter, producer and recording artist, Lamont Dozier, one of the primary architects of the Motown Sound, one-third of Holland-Dozier-Holland and responsible for writing and producing over 54 #1 hits for The Supremes, The Four Tops, Marvin Gaye, Smokey Robinson, The Temptations and a host of others. Inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame (from which he received the 2009 Johnny Mercer Award), he was named Best New Male Pop Vocalist from Billboard and earned a GRAMMY Award, a Golden Globe Award, a Brit Award, Britain’s distinguished Ivor Novello honor and an Oscar nomination for the song, “Two Hearts,” his collaboration with Phil Collins for the soundtrack for Buster. In 2007, Lamont received the prestigious Thornton Legacy Award from USC, where he served as an Artist in Residence professor for the Popular Music program through the distinguished Thornton School of Music, which has established the highly sought after “Lamont Dozier Scholarship” in perpetuity.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ann Wilson (Heart)

Ann Wilson (Heart)

For this first episode of Season 3, we are joined by Ann Wilson. Known the world over as a founder and the lead singer-songwriter of the barrier-breaking band Heart, she is widely praised among the greatest singers in the history of rock. Her extraordinarily powerful voice has been sending chills down her audience’s collective spine for over five decades, earning record sales of more than $35 million, an induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and a Grammy Lifetime Achievement award. “Barracuda,” “Crazy On You,” and “Magic Man” are among the many songs she’s written that now reside in the pantheon of rock’s greatest hits. This past year, Ann sang with Disturbed’s front man David Draiman on the duet, “Don’t Tell Me" from their recently released Divisive album, and lent her voice to Dolly Parton’s forthcoming rock record. From Dreamboat Annie to Disturbed, to Dolly Parton and beyond, Ann Wilson defies genre. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Season 3 Coming Soon

Season 3 Coming Soon

Coming Soon: The music podcast that goes one on one with legends of contemporary music is back with Season 3. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Dave Stewart (Eurythmics)

Dave Stewart (Eurythmics)

This week, for our Season 2 finale, we are joined by award-winning singer, songwriter, musician, producer, innovator and Eurythmics co-founder Dave Stewart. Newly inducted into both the Songwriters and Rock and Roll Halls of Fame, Dave talks about how he learned to play guitar while recovering from a soccer injury as a child, living and working with Annie Lennox at the start of their career, and the accidental creation of the opening for their hit “Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This).” Dave also shares the stories about creating and recording the iconic “Sisters Are Doin It For Themselves” with Aretha Franklin, co-writing and co-producing Tom Petty’s “Don’t Come Around Here No More,” his long-time friendships with Mick Jagger and Jimmy Iovine and more.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

GRAMMY-Award winning producer, manager, and recording artist Peter Asher joins this week to share stories from his remarkable 50+ year career in music. Starting out as half of the duo Peter & Gordon and armed with a new song from his sister’s boyfriend Paul McCartney, “A World Without Love” became a worldwide #1 hit before Peter turned 21. Later as the head of A&R at The Beatles’ label Apple Records, Peter’s first signing was James Taylor who he later produced and managed. Peter would also go on to produce and manage Linda Ronstadt, win 3 Grammy Awards (including twice for Producer of the Year) and in 2015 was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for services to the British music industry.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.