Everything Fab Four
56 episodes - English - Latest episode: 3 months ago - ★★★★★ - 49 ratingsEverything Fab Four is a podcast from Wonderwall Communications and Salon focused on fun and intelligent stories about the enduring cultural influence of the Beatles.
No other band, or popular entity for that matter, has had the world-wide impact the Beatles have. They are part of our human fabric, they created music that still brings people together, and across continents and generations there are individual Beatles stories to tell. In each episode, renowned music historian, author, and Beatles scholar Kenneth Womack hosts a special guest to share theirs. Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/everythingfabfour/support
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Episodes
Episode 49 (Bonus): The Beatles' first Ed Sullivan performance, 60 years later
February 06, 2024 12:00 - 33 minutes - 30.2 MBTo celebrate the sixtieth anniversary of the Beatles’ first appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show, our guests revisit the evening that the Beatles graced their living rooms for the first time, on this special episode of Everything Fab Four. These Beatles lovers include Steven van Zandt from Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band, R&B singer Darlene Love, actor Billy Bob Thornton, and even one lucky audience member from that first Ed Sullivan performance. It's almost impossible to imagine what it wa...
Episode 48 (Bonus): Brian Ritchie of the Violent Femmes on how "My Sweet Lord" inspired him to play guitar
December 20, 2023 13:33 - 36 minutes - 33.1 MBBrian Ritchie, bassist for the folk punk band the Violent Femmes, joins host Kenneth Womack on this episode to chat about his first Beatles records and the 40th anniversary of the Femmes’ debut album. Ritchie co-founded the Violent Femmes with percussionist Victor DeLorenzo in 1981, and the duo were later joined by singer-songwriter Gordon Gano. Ritchie came up with band’s distinctive name on a whim, employing it during their early days playing in Milwaukee’s coffee houses. In August 1981, ...
Episode 47 (Bonus): Joan Baez on the Beatles' biggest thrill coming to America: "A Coca-Cola machine you didn't have to put any money in."
October 12, 2023 11:00 - 23 minutes - 21.6 MBOn this episode, Grammy Award-winning American singer-songwriter and activist Joan Baez joins host Ken Womack to share her memories of meeting the Beatles for the first time and witnessing their final live concert. Baez's time-eclipsing folk music often champions songs of protest and social justice. Over the years, she has recorded 30 albums in genres ranging from folk rock, pop and country to gospel music. As a performer, Baez has specialized in interpreting the work of other composers, r...
Episode 46: Sophie B. Hawkins on why fans still trust the Beatles: “They didn’t exploit us as an audience”
July 12, 2023 11:00 - 45 minutes - 41.4 MBSophie B. Hawkins, the Grammy-nominated American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and painter, joins host Kenneth Womack on the season five finale episode of “Everything Fab Four.” Hawkins started her Beatles journey as a kid with “Revolver,” and remembers playing along with tennis racket guitars and couch cushion drums. “Even as a non-musician, you can sing basically every part.” In this conversation, she digs deep into the unique ways Beatles fans come together through the music,...
Episode 45 (Bonus): How the Beatles really got booked on "The Ed Sullivan Show"
June 20, 2023 15:12 - 33 minutes - 30.6 MBThis week's guests are Margo Precht Speciale and Andrew Solt, who join host Kenneth Womack for a special episode devoted to celebrating the 75th anniversary of The Ed Sullivan Show and its lasting impact on American culture, including Beatles fandom. The granddaughter of Ed Sullivan, Precht is a documentary filmmaker, as well as a UCLA graduate with a degree in Sociology. Her latest project traces her grandfather’s life and work as a television pioneer who reigned as the medium’s longtime ...
Episode 44: The Boxmasters, Billy Bob Thornton and J.D. Andrew
June 13, 2023 11:00 - 43 minutes - 39.6 MBOn this episode, the Boxmasters — an American rock band comprised of Grammy Award-winning recording engineer J.D. Andrew and Academy Award-winning actor Billy Bob Thornton — join host Ken Womack for a spirited discussion of songwriting, recording, and what Thornton says is "the most difficult thing about being a Beatles fan." Formed in 2007, the Boxmasters have recorded a diverse catalog of music that touches on their shared love of the rock and roll of the 1960s. Listening to The Boxmaste...
Episode 43: Jazz guitarist Dan Wilson on urgency in "Eleanor Rigby" and what genius actually looks like
May 30, 2023 11:00 - 33 minutes - 30.5 MBKen Womack's guest this week is Grammy-nominated American jazz guitarist Dan Wilson. Hailing from Akron, Ohio, Wilson made his recording debut with pianist Joe McBride and performed to worldwide acclaim with Joey DeFrancesco and Christian McBride’s Tip City, eventually recording his debut as a band leader with "To Whom It May Concern" in 2012. Over the years, Wilson has shared the stage with a host of jazz greats including Eric Marienthal, Russell Malone, Les McCann, René Marie, Jeff Hamilto...
Episode 42: Madison Cunningham: "It's really hard to write a joyful song well"
May 16, 2023 11:00 - 40 minutes - 37 MBIn this episode, Ken Womack talks with Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Madison Cunningham. She made her recording debut in 2014 with the self-released gospel album “Authenticities,” which reflected her exploration of faith. In 2017, Cunningham joined the cast of American Public Media’s “Live from Here.” In 2019, she released her breakthrough LP "Who Are You Now," nominated for the Best Americana Album Grammy. Her 2020 EP, “Wednesday,” featured cover versions of songs by Tom Waits, Rad...
Episode 41: Ian Hunter of Mott the Hoople on the Beatles, playing with Ringo and how to follow a David Bowie hit
May 02, 2023 11:00 - 31 minutes - 29.1 MBLegendary singer-songwriter, author, and rock ‘n’ roll star Ian Hunter's illustrious career is now in its seventh decade. His rock ‘n’ roll life has long been marked by collaboration, from the golden age of Mott the Hoople to his fabled partnership with Mick Ronson and 21st-century renaissance with his crack backing combo, the Rant Band. Over the years, Hunter has enjoyed numerous chart successes, especially Mott the Hoople’s international hit “All the Young Dudes,” the David Bowie compositi...
Episode 40: With guest Barbara Feldon, Agent 99 on "Get Smart"
April 18, 2023 11:00 - 1 hour - 55.1 MBThis episode’s guest is Barbara Feldon, a model, author and actress best known for portraying “Agent 99” on the classic ‘60s sitcom “Get Smart.” Feldon was born Barbara Anne Hall in a suburb of Pittsburgh and studied drama at Carnegie Mellon University. Soon after, she departed for New York City to pursue a career in acting, where a stint as a showgirl led to her appearance on the game show, “The $64,000 Question,” where she took home the top prize for her knowledge of Shakespeare. The nex...
Episode 39: Kenny Loggins on the “electricity” of the Beatles and creating anthems for “Caddyshack,” “Footloose” and “Top Gun”
April 04, 2023 11:00 - 36 minutes - 33.5 MBOn this episode, host Kenneth Womack welcomes Grammy winner Kenny Loggins, whose songs have left a musical imprint on “the soundtrack of our lives.” Over the last four decades, his chart-topping songs have included “This Is It,” “I’m Alright,” “Footloose," “Danger Zone,” and so many more. “Danger Zone” was featured once again in Paramount’s “Top Gun: Maverick,” the biggest theatrical release of 2022, earning over $1.5B in box offices globally. “Danger Zone” earned over 1 million streams per...
Episode 38: Pattie Boyd on falling for George Harrison and why "you can't grasp" the intensity of Beatles fame
March 21, 2023 11:00 - 36 minutes - 33.5 MBPattie Boyd is an English model, photographer, and an eyewitness to key moments in rock ‘n’ roll history, particularly in terms of the lives and times of the former members of the Beatles, especially George Harrison. In 1962, Boyd began her modeling career, later appearing on the covers of Vogue and other leading magazines. In 1964, she met Harrison while working as an extra on the set of "A Hard Day’s Night." After moving in together at Harrison’s Kinfauns home in Esher, Boyd and Harrison m...
Episode 37: Hayley Orrantia on authenticity, inspiration and "Sgt. Pepper's"
December 20, 2022 12:00 - 39 minutes - 36.6 MBToday’s guest is Hayley Orrantia, an American singer and actress known for her role in the hit TV show "The Goldbergs." The show follows the hilarious and awkward lives of a colorful, suburban family in Jenkintown, Pennsylvania in the 1980s. Orrantia is a scene stealer as Erica, the eldest Goldberg sibling, who fans have watched transform from a socially awkward, nerdy high schooler to popular, college-aged beauty who drops out of school to form a band with her girlfriends. In film, Orrantia...
Episode 36: Dougie Payne of Travis on how, as a second-generation fan, the Beatles become "part of your DNA"
December 06, 2022 12:00 - 30 minutes - 27.8 MBIn this episode, bassist Dougie Payne of Travis joins host Kenneth Womack to talk about his Beatles influence, the 20th anniversary of "The Invisible Band" and why "everyone needs their own Mal Evans." The Scottish band, originally named Glass Onion after the famous “White Album” song, was formed in 1990 and later took its name from a character in the movie “Paris, Texas.” Payne learned to play bass and joined the band, also providing background vocals. Growing up, he says the Beatles were “...
Episode 35: Queen of Christmas Darlene Love on what the Beatles took from Black musicians, and what they gave back
November 22, 2022 12:00 - 43 minutes - 39.7 MBKen Womack's guest this week is Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member Darlene Love (born Darlene Wright). Best known for her holiday hit “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home),” in addition to her vocals on records by “girl group” The Crystals and her acting roles such as in the “Lethal Weapon” film series, Love's beginnings were modest, having started out singing in the Los Angeles church choir where her father was the pastor. She began working in 1962 with notorious producer Phil Spector (who’d gi...
Episode 34: May Pang opens up about John Lennon, the Beatles and her front-row seat to rock history
November 08, 2022 12:00 - 46 minutes - 31.7 MBMay Pang is a former music executive and an eyewitness to key moments in rock ‘n’ roll history, particularly in terms of the lives and times of the former members of the Beatles, especially John Lennon. After growing up in Spanish Harlem and Manhattan, Pang's early jobs included working as an old-school record-plugger and at Allen Klein’s management office, which represented Apple Records and three former Beatles: Lennon, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr. In December 1970, Pang was invited ...
Bonus Episode 33: How Klaus Voormann gave Revolver its signature look
November 01, 2022 11:00 - 22 minutes - 18.4 MBGerman artist, musician and record producer Klaus Voormann, former bassist for Manfred Mann, has played on a number of iconic recordings, from Carly Simon's "You're So Vain" to Lou Reed's "Transformer" album, and with many projects of the former members of the Beatles, whom Voorman has known since their Hamburg days. The one-time London roommate of George Harrison and Ringo Starr won a Grammy for designing the cover of their 1966 album "Revolver," which has just been reissued in a deluxe rem...
Episode 32: There are two musicians inside Peter Frampton: “There’s a studio me and a live me”
October 25, 2022 11:00 - 44 minutes - 30.6 MBThis week's guest is celebrated English guitarist, singer, and songwriter Peter Frampton. A musical prodigy, Frampton taught himself to play the guitar at age 7. Within the next few years, he mastered complex jazz, blues and rock riffs. He spent his pre-teen years performing with bands including George & The Dragons, a group that included fellow up-and-coming musician David Bowie. Eventually, Frampton caught the attention of the Rolling Stones’ Bill Wyman, and in 1967, under his mentorship, ...
Episode 31: The Bacon Brothers
October 11, 2022 11:00 - 43 minutes - 30.1 MBThis episode’s guests are the duo ensemble The Bacon Brothers — younger brother and veteran actor Kevin and his older sibling Michael, an award-winning composer. Since his breakout roles in the early 1980s, including a starring turn in “Footloose,” Kevin has been a star on the big and small screens. And Michael, a music professor at Lehman College, has enjoyed a long and celebrated career as an accomplished guitarist, keyboardist and cellist. Over the years, Michael has composed hundreds of ...
Episode 30: Shawn Colvin on writing her hit revenge song and the Beatles landmark that “knocked me dead”
September 27, 2022 11:00 - 34 minutes - 23.7 MBThis episode's guest is Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter and musician Shawn Colvin. A participant in Greenwich Villages' Fast Folk Collective in the early 1980s, Colvin cut her teeth in the Buddy Miller Band and toured with Suzanne Vega after singing back-up on Vega's 1987 hit "Luka." Her 1989 debut, "Steady On," won a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album. Her 1996 album "A Few Small Repairs" and its hit single "Sunny Came Home" rocketed her to mainstream commercial success, l...
Episode 29: Ken Burns on the genius of “Penny Lane” and why the Beatles are “etched in my hard drive”
September 13, 2022 11:00 - 40 minutes - 32.3 MBAmerican filmmaker Ken Burns is renowned for his documentary films and television series, many of which chronicle American history and culture, such as "The Civil War," "Baseball," "Jazz," and "Country Music." Burns's documentaries have earned two Academy Award nominations and have won several Emmy Awards, among other honors. His latest documentary is "The U.S. and the Holocaust," which premieres this month and was produced with longtime collaborators Lynn Novick and Sarah Botstein. But befo...
Episode 28: Heart's Ann Wilson on her epiphany about rock and gender roles: "I could be a girl, I could be Paul McCartney"
April 26, 2022 11:00 - 31 minutes - 25.5 MBIn this episode, host Ken Womack and powerhouse rocker Ann Wilson go deep into Beatles songs and their influence on her own work, the high school politics of fandom, and what the Beatles taught her about gender as a young rocker. Wilson rose to fame alongside her younger sister, guitarist Nancy Wilson, as lead vocalist in the rock band Heart, the first hard rock group fronted by women. In their heyday, Heart released numerous albums throughout the 1970s and 1980s, including "Dreamboat Annie"...
Special Episode: Inside "The Beatles: Get Back to Let It Be" at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
March 29, 2022 11:00 - 39 minutes - 31.5 MBToday’s special episode features our good friends from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland, Ohio, here to discuss their new exhibition, The Beatles: Get Back to Let It Be. Designed to serve as an immersive complement to Peter Jackson’s Get Back docuseries, the groundbreaking exhibition allows fans to experience The Beatles’ creative journey through original instruments, clothing, and handwritten lyrics used by The Beatles and seen in the film. Artifacts include items loa...
Episode 27: Colin Hay on his Beatles influence, Men at Work’s breakup and the truths of “Get Back”
March 08, 2022 12:00 - 46 minutes - 32.2 MBScottish-born musician, singer, songwriter, and actor Colin Hay first came to prominence as the lead vocalist of the Australian rock band Men at Work, which won the Best New Artist Grammy in 1983. Their big break came in August 1982, when Men at Work toured Canada and the US to promote their first LP Business as Usual, supporting Fleetwood Mac. That October, their song, "Who Can It Be Now?" reached No. 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100. In January 1983, they became the first Australian artists t...
Episode 26: Dave Mason of Traffic on Being Part of the 1960s London Rock Renaissance
February 08, 2022 12:00 - 33 minutes - 26.8 MBKenneth Womack's guest on this episode of “Everything Fab Four” is English singer/songwriter Dave Mason, who first found fame and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for his work with the rock band Traffic. He wrote and sang lead on Traffic’s 1968 single “Feelin Alright?” which also went on to become a hit for Joe Cocker and throughout the years has been covered by a wide range of artists, from the Jackson 5 to Widespread Panic. Over the course of his legendary career, Mason has...
Episode 25: Janis Ian on the Beatles, "Baby Shark" and the origins of "At Seventeen"
January 25, 2022 12:00 - 34 minutes - 27.5 MBSinger/songwriter Janis Ian started her music career as a folk prodigy, writing and recording “Society’s Child,” her groundbreaking 1966 song about an interracial couple, at age 14. She won a Grammy Award for her 1975 hit “At Seventeen” and the song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2008. Her new EP, “The Light at the End of the Line,” her first album of new material in 15 years, will be followed by her farewell North American tour this year. In this conversation, she and host Ken...
Episode 24: Rickie Lee Jones on John Lennon, Paul McCartney and the women in their songs
January 11, 2022 12:00 - 37 minutes - 30.2 MBOn this episode of "Everything Fab Four," host Kenneth Womack interviews the Duchess of Coolsville herself, two-time Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter Rickie Lee Jones. In their conversation, she breaks down the differences in how John Lennon and Paul McCartney wrote women in their songs, how to keep a creative body of work innovative, how the Beatles' map of songwriting influenced hers, and her 2021 memoir, "Last Chance Texaco." --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.c...
Episode 23: Weird Al's childhood promise: "Some day when I’m super rich I’m going to own every Beatles album"
December 14, 2021 12:00 - 33 minutes - 26.5 MB"Weird Al" Yankovic has come a long way since his days making music in his bedroom with an accordion and a "cheesy little cassette tape recorder" and submitting to the Dr. Demento Show. On this episode, he and Ken talk about how Al's songwriting process has become more elaborate over the years, the story behind why Paul McCartney vetoed his "Live and Let Die" parody, getting a cease and desist from George Harrison's lawyer, and his upcoming tour, which he hopes will be a "a super-spreader of...
Episode 22: Hayley Mills on a date with her favorite Beatle: “It was an unforgettable evening”
November 30, 2021 12:00 - 36 minutes - 28.9 MBEnglish actress Hayley Mills was a child screen prodigy. During her initial six-year run at Disney, she appeared in six films, including a career-making turn as twins in “The Parent Trap.” Her memoir “Forever Young” is out now. In this conversation with host Ken Womack, Mills recounts being a Beatles fan from the early days — including the time she went on a date with George Harrison — and now one of three generations of Beatles fans in her family. She also talks about what Walt Disney was l...
Episode 21: Margaret Cho on why "there were really about ten Beatles"
November 02, 2021 11:00 - 38 minutes - 30.9 MBMargaret Cho is a Grammy and Emmy Award nominated stand-up comedian, actress, and singer-songwriter. In this episode, she and host Ken Womack talk about her journey to becoming a comic, her gateway album into Beatles fandom, and why her favorite Beatle — of, she suggests, up to ten Beatles in total — would have been Brian Epstein. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/everythingfabfour/support
Episode 20: Ed Begley Jr. on how he helped "SNL" try to reunite the Beatles
October 19, 2021 11:00 - 32 minutes - 26.1 MBSeason 3 launches with actor and environmental activist Ed Begley Jr. (“Better Call Saul,” “Ghostbusters: Answer the Call,” “A Mighty Wind”). Our host Kenneth Womack sits down with Begley to talk about a night out with Harry Nilsson that led to dinner at the Dakota with John Lennon and Yoko Ono and how that led to Begley playing a role in the “Saturday Night Live” on-air campaign to try to reunite the Beatles; how he successfully helped bring the late George Harrison's legendary Rosewood Tel...
Episode 19: Richard Marx on Ringo's "stunning" skills and why Lionel Richie is "an angel in my life"
July 07, 2021 11:00 - 43 minutes - 29.9 MBRichard Marx's self-titled first album went triple platinum in 1987. Between then and 1994, he racked up 14 top 20 hits, including radio classics like "Endless Summer Nights" and "Right Here Waiting." The prolific songwriter and musical collaborator is also now an author — Stories to Tell, his candid and entertaining memoir about the art and business of music, is out now. In this episode of "Everything Fab Four," he and host Ken Womack talk about how Paul McCartney’s melodies influenced his ...
Episode 18: K. Flay on "Sgt. Pepper's" and her dynamic creative process
June 22, 2021 11:00 - 44 minutes - 30.9 MBGenre-defying singer/songwriter K. Flay was raised by parents who were “Beatles over Stones, one hundred percent,” and as a kid she was drawn to “acid trip Beatles-ness” songs. In this wide-ranging conversation with host Ken Womack about creativity and creation, K. Flay discusses why genre doesn’t matter, Baby Boomers, her approach to songwriting, collaborating with Tom Morello, and how the Beatles prepared us for playlist culture. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com...
Episode 17: Seeing rock history through photographer Ethan Russell’s lens
June 08, 2021 11:00 - 53 minutes - 36.9 MBEthan Russell is one of rock’s most influential photographers — and the only one to shoot album covers for the Beatles, The Who and The Rolling Stones, whose work he also chronicled as the band’s primary photographer from 1968-72, including their ill-fated Altamont show. Pete Townshend once called him “the civilized eye of an uncivilized art form — rock and roll.” Through his camera, Russell has had a front-row seat to many of rock’s great historical moments, including shooting the Beatles’ ...
Episode 16: Sananda Maitreya on why he’s “a Beatle for life”
May 18, 2021 11:00 - 39 minutes - 27.4 MBWhen Sananda Maitreya first heard the Beatles, he felt a spiritual awakening. The son of gospel singer Frances Howard wasn’t allowed to listen to music that wasn’t gospel until he was 15 years old, but the Beatles were so ubiquitous, he says, that they couldn’t be contained. When he first heard “She Loves You,” the American singer/songwriter (formerly known under the stage name Terence Trent D’Arby) who catapulted to fame with the number 1 hit “Wishing Well,” says the sound and look of the B...
Episode 15: Nancy Wilson on how the Beatles planted the seeds for Heart
May 04, 2021 11:00 - 36 minutes - 29.3 MBRock and Roll Hall of Famer Nancy Wilson rose to fame as the guitarist of Heart, the first hard rock band fronted by women. With hits like “Magic Man” and “Crazy On You” to “These Dreams” and “What About Love?” Wilson and her sister Ann, Heart’s lead singer, sold more than 35 million records and along the way, changed perceptions of who can lead a hard rock band. In this episode, Nancy and host Ken Womack talk about the early days of Heart, the songwriting craft behind some of their most ico...
Episode 14: Just Like Starting Over with Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr.
April 20, 2021 11:00 - 32 minutes - 25.9 MBMarilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr. made their names as members of the Grammy Award-winning group The Fifth Dimension. Together they’ve logged nearly six decades as pop music stalwarts, while also celebrating their golden wedding anniversary in 2019. And now the iconic duo is back with their first studio album in 30 years, "Blackbird: Lennon-McCartney Icons.” In their conversation with "Everything Fab Four" host Ken Womack, they talk about the British Invasion; covering songs by the Beatles, J...
Episode 13: John Roberts on "Let It Be" and how "Bob's Burgers" songs get made
April 06, 2021 11:00 - 31 minutes - 25.4 MBJohn Roberts is best known as the voice of Linda Belcher, doting matriarch of the beloved Fox animated sitcom "Bob’s Burgers," but he’s also a musician — you may have heard his new collaboration with Blondie’s Debbie Harry, "Lights Out." On this episode, he and host Ken Womack talk about the TV pilots Roberts has made that you haven’t seen yet, his upcoming musical releases, and which Beatle Linda Belcher would like the best. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/...
Episode 12: Kathy Valentine of the Go-Go's on the Beatles, her first musical relationship
March 23, 2021 11:00 - 30 minutes - 28.3 MBKathy Valentine made history as the bassist for the Go-Go’s, the first multiplatinum all-female band who wrote their own songs and played their own instruments to have a #1 album in the U.S. And her first relationship with music? Was with the Beatles. In this episode, Valentine and host Ken Womack talk about her Beatles and British influences, what she and fellow bass player Paul McCartney have in common, and her memoir, “All I Ever Wanted,” a deeply personal reflection on a life in rock. ...
Episode 11: Steven Van Zandt on paying "15 years of dues" with the E Street Band and playing live with Paul McCartney
March 09, 2021 12:00 - 36 minutes - 33.8 MBIn this episode, "Little" Steven Van Zandt and our host Ken Womack go deep into the guitarist/singer/songwriter/actor's legendary musical career and his own Beatles influences, from the Ed Sullivan Show to how dues-paying in New Jersey and Hamburg shaped these bands to the night they pulled the plug on Paul McCartney and Bruce Springsteen in Hyde Park. . Everything Fab Four's theme song is "Seize the Day," courtesy of Blac Rabbit: Follow them on Instagram @blacrabbit . Everything Fab Fo...
Episode 11: "Little Steven" Van Zandt on his Beatles tribute album, paying "15 years of dues" with the E Street Band and playing live with Paul McCartney
March 09, 2021 12:00 - 35 minutes - 28.4 MBIn this episode, "Little Steven" Van Zandt and our host Ken Womack go deep into the guitarist/singer/songwriter/actor's legendary musical career and his own Beatles influences, from the Ed Sullivan Show to how dues-paying in New Jersey and Hamburg shaped these bands to the night they pulled the plug on Paul McCartney and Bruce Springsteen in Hyde Park. . Everything Fab Four's theme song is "Seize the Day," courtesy of Blac Rabbit: Follow them on Instagram @blacrabbit . Everything Fab Fo...
Episode 11: "Little Steven" Van Zandt on paying "15 years of dues" with the E Street Band and playing live with Paul McCartney
March 09, 2021 12:00 - 36 minutes - 33.8 MBIn this episode, "Little Steven" Van Zandt and our host Ken Womack go deep into the guitarist/singer/songwriter/actor's legendary musical career and his own Beatles influences, from the Ed Sullivan Show to how dues-paying in New Jersey and Hamburg shaped these bands to the night they pulled the plug on Paul McCartney and Bruce Springsteen in Hyde Park. . Everything Fab Four's theme song is "Seize the Day," courtesy of Blac Rabbit: Follow them on Instagram @blacrabbit . Everything Fab Fo...
Episode 10: John Densmore on how the Doors and the Beatles were on parallel tracks
February 23, 2021 12:00 - 33 minutes - 26.6 MBThis week’s guest is drummer John Densmore, one of the founding members of the groundbreaking classic rock band The Doors. In a wide-ranging conversation with host Ken Womack, Densmore talks about the parallel tracks the Beatles and the Doors were on for the time they overlapped as bands, musical innovations the Beatles inspired the Doors to take, and how George Harrison talking about losing John Lennon helped him mourn Doors keyboardist Ray Manzarek. . Everything Fab Four's theme song is...
Episode 9: Patty Smyth on Abbey Road, Van Halen, and how motherhood shaped her career
February 09, 2021 12:00 - 36 minutes - 25.3 MB"I think Paul McCartney’s calling you": This week’s guest is singer/songwriter Patty Smyth, who rocketed to fame with her band band Scandal ("Goodbye to You," "The Warrior"), followed by her acclaimed solo career ("Sometimes Love Just Ain’t Enough"). This week, Smyth and host Ken Womack talk about the pivotal Beatles moments that shaped her life, how pregnancy and motherhood shaped her career, and how she almost joined Van Halen. . Everything Fab Four's theme song is "Seize the Day," court...
Episode 8: Dessa on the Beatles, the ins and outs of collaboration, and her "Come Together"-inspired song
December 29, 2020 12:00 - 33 minutes - 22.9 MBFrom an early age, singer/songwriter Dessa, the daughter of a classical guitar-playing father, seemed destined for music. In the final episode of season 1 of "Everything Fab Four," the Doomtree Collective member tells our host Kenneth Womack how the Beatles shaped her understanding of poetic license and creative possibility from childhood on. In this wide-ranging interview, they also dive deep into the ups and downs of creative collaboration, an exclusive clip of her "Come Together"-influenc...
Episode 7: "A musical punch in the face": Yes frontman Jon Anderson on how the Beatles changed pop, from revelation to revolution
December 22, 2020 12:00 - 30 minutes - 17.3 MBJon Anderson, co-founder and former lead singer of the legendary prog rock group Yes, has enjoyed a prolific career spanning over six decades, most recently with his 2019 album "1000 Hands." Though he had a band with his brother as a teen in 1962, they were largely focused on being the Everly Brothers or Elvis Presley — that is, until they heard "Love Me Do." The brothers traveled to see the Beatles play live in April, 1963, "and it was a revelation on many levels," Anderson tells Everything...
Episode 6: Stephanie Phillips on why we shouldn’t call the Beatles “geniuses”
December 01, 2020 12:00 - 37 minutes - 35.1 MBAuthor and musician Stephanie Phillips, who plays in the Black feminist punk band Big Joanie and whose writing has been featured in major outlets all over the world, grew up a music fan but for years had "a general disinterest" in the Beatles, due largely to the "sad dad army" of fans that she couldn't relate to as a young woman of color. “There wasn’t really much in the Beatles for me to latch onto,” Phillips tells host Ken Womack on "Everything Fab Four." “That was, I learned later, becaus...
Episode 6: Stephanie Phillips on why we shouldn’t call the Beatles geniuses
December 01, 2020 12:00 - 36 minutes - 21.1 MBAuthor and musician Stephanie Phillips, who plays in the Black feminist punk band Big Joanie and whose writing has been featured in major outlets all over the world, grew up a music fan but for years had "a general disinterest" in the Beatles, due largely to the "sad dad army" of fans that she couldn't relate to as a young woman of color. “There wasn’t really much in the Beatles for me to latch onto,” Phillips tells host Ken Womack on "Everything Fab Four." “That was, I learned later, becaus...
Episode 5: John Oates on Philly's Beatles backlash, the Hall & Oates origin story and living next to Hunter S. Thompson
November 17, 2020 12:00 - 33 minutes - 23.2 MBJohn Oates, best known as half of the iconic pop duo Hall & Oates, has played guitar alongside Darryl Hall for decades, co-writing hits like “Sara Smile,” “I Can’t Go for That (No Can Do)” and “Maneater.” He grew up in Philadelphia, and tells our host Ken Womack that when the Beatles first hit the U.S., his local radio stations wouldn't play their songs. “Being a teenager in Philadelphia I was right along with them. . . . To me the Beatles didn’t mean that much initially.” Eventually, thou...
"Rent" star Adam Pascal on the most dangerous Beatle, his favorite Fab Four song, and the future of Broadway
October 29, 2020 11:00 - 32 minutes - 30 MBBroadway star Adam Pascal is a serious Beatles fan — he even named his son Lennon. On this episode of "Everything Fab Four," host Kenneth Womack talks to the artist who originated the role of Roger in Broadway's "Rent" about what early Beatles music had in common with show tunes, how John Lennon brought an element of danger into the innocence, and even the brilliance of Barry Manilow. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app S...