Today on my 20th Episode of Hidden History of Rock & Roll. I welcome an American musician and producer. He played the drums in the band Big Star from 1971, formed in Memphis, TN, until the band parted ways in 1975. Band members Alex Chilton of The Box Tops and Golden Smog on guitar, Andy Hummel on bass, Chris Bell on guitar and vocals, Jody Stephens on drums. He is the last surviving original member of the band. He performs and records with Luther Russell as Those Pretty Wrongs, their debut 7" was released in 2015 on Burger Records and their debut LP came out in 2016 on the Ardent Music Label. He also contributed to "The Student Becomes the Teacher" a 2018 song by The Lemon Twigs who have cited Big Star as being an influence. In 2019 he produced the LP Electric Power for Rock/power soul band The Reputations from Austin, TX. Big Star has been described as the quintessential American power pop band and one of the most mythic and influential cult acts in all of Rock & Roll. They drew influence from The Beatles and The Byrds, pioneering a style that foreshadowed the alternative rock of the 80's & 90's. According to Rolling Stone Magazine, Big Star created a seminal body of work that never stopped inspiring succeeding generations. Three of Big Star studio albums are included in Rolling Stone's lists of the "500 Greatest Albums of all Time". In May of 2025 he and the band were inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame to recognize its lasting legacy as a cornerstone of power pop and alternative rock. Please welcome to the show.....Jody Stephens.

Today I welcome a legend behind the scenes. He is a 50 plus year veteran in the Music Industry. What started out as helping friends with his station wagon early on, turned into a lifelong career. His client list consisted of so many incredible artists, Faces, The Eagles, Frank Zappa, Dave Mason, Keith Richards, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Yes, Crosby Stills & Nash, Neil Young, Fleetwood Mac, Steely Dan, Bob Dylan, John Fogerty, Jeff Lynne, Paul Simon, The Cars, Johnny Winter, Lenny Kravitz and Boz Scaggs. In 2016, he received the Parnelli Lifetime Achievement Award, honoring his many years of outstanding live production work for leading artists.

Today, we talk about his experiences with Faces, Keith Richards, Bob Dylan and his 38 years with Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers. Previously shared only on Tom Petty Radio's "The Breakdown with Mike Campbell" he now shares insights and Hidden Histories with the world on touring with these legendary artists. Don't miss our new and improved fan questions. Get your tissues ready and please welcome renowned tour manager Richard Fernandez.

Welcome to the 10th Annual Music Industry Reunion Podcast!

Happy New Year! It's 2026 and on today's podcast, we are doing things a little differently. Music industry icon, Jon Scott has been hosting The Music Industry Reunion Party for 10 years in Calabasas, Ca. This year brought together so many music industry legends, I decided this would be a great time to get some great stories in one episode. We hope you enjoy this new episode!

Paul "Lobster" Wells

Paul attented City University of New York when he discovered a passion for radio at the campus station. He soon headed for the SF Bay Area and attended Stanford University serving as Music Director of KZSU. He dubbed his Stanford show "The Lobster Box" adopting the tag as his radio name. He quickly garnered fans and accolades, shooting to the top as one of the West Coast's most popular radio personalities. He worked at KSAN, KSJO, KOME, KRQR, KLIV, KQAK and KUFX. In Los Angeles, he worked at KMET and KNAC. As Music Director and Assistant Program Director of KSJO in the late 70's, Paul was instrumental in breaking many new rock artists including, The Police, AC/DC and Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers.

Howie Hubberman

Howie grew up in Rochester, NY. He started managing local bands and owned a Vintage Guitar Shop at the early age of 19yrs old. He then moved to Los Angeles, Ca in 1978 and started working with a then little known band, Van Halen, but that didn't work out for him financially, so he went back to selling vintage guitars in a shop on Sunset Blvd with no name at all. Eventually he opened up "Guitars R Us". His career then took a turn when a friend, Tom Peterson, needed a manager and the rest as they say....is history!

Andy Gould

Andy has been in the music industry since he was 15 years old. In 1969, he worked at Chappell Music in London, he was a 'Tea Boy' for producer, George Martin and The Beatles! He was surrounded by some incredible artists. Next he made a big change and moved to New York to work for CBS Records. He went on to Co-Found Concrete Management & Marketing, one of the first bands he signed was Pantera, White Zombie (Rob Zombie), Linkin Park and Guns & Roses just to name a few. Later he founded Andy Gould Management. He has also produced a number of movies with Rob Zombie "House of 1000 Corpses" and "The Devil's Rejects".

Michael Abramson

Michael attended West Virginia University. He started out in the music industry as a lead singer for three different bands. After being on the road for 7 1/2 years and coming close to "making it", he decided to pivot and go into the other side of the industry. He was living in Flushing, NY at the time and was mentored by a friend at RCA Records. He was then sent to Cleveland, OH to do promotion with the local stations. He broke David Bowie, Styx, Waylon & Dolly. He also worked at Island Records and broke U2! Then went on to Chrysalis Records and broke Pat Benatar, Debbie Harry, Huey Lewis & the News and Robin Trower.

We hope you enjoy this special edition episode!

My next guest was born in Los Angeles, Ca, but grew up in a small town called "Coarsegold" near Yosemite, Ca. He was a drama major in college and began playing guitar professionally as a teenager, followed by a whirlwind travel experience through Europe in his twenties in a band called The Young Californian's. He became a member of the band, The Grass Roots in the 1960's, they appeared on numerous television shows as well as in the Doris Day movie, "With Six, you get Eggroll". He parted ways with The Band in 1970 but continued his passion and has released 10 solo albums up to the present day. Throughout his career not only has he worked in front of the camera but behind the scenes as well, he was a prop man, boom man, composer, grip & stand in. On camera, he appeared in such films as "Terri", "Mask" and "Heart Like a Wheel". His television credits include, "The Bernie Mac Show", "Eight is Enough" and "Quincy". He was then cast on the hit show "The Office" doing a parody of his life as a former rock star. He still loves performing today and has some terrific solo albums out, please welcome to the show....Creed Bratton!

Happy 75th Birthday to Tom Petty! 10/20/25

My next guest was born in San Diego, California. He is an American musician notable for being the founding bassist for Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers from 1976 to 1981. He returned to perform at the band's Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony and that reunion led to his return for the Summer 2002 tour. He was replacing the late great bassist, Howie Epstein. He then helped finish The Last DJ album and was present for all subsequent albums and tours. Aside from The Heartbreakers, he has played on albums by Kirstin Candy, Stevie Nicks, Del Shannon, Slobberbone and The Tremblers. He was also part of the original line-up of The Dirty Knobs, Mike Campbell's side project as well as Mike's band, The Blue Stingray's recording album 'Surf n' Burn' in 1997. Since the passing of Tom Petty, he has been actively involved in music, perforning with The Chris Torres Band, playing and producing with LA Edwards. Currently he is working on his solo album and producing with so many other musicians. Today we talk about Ron's musical experiences and the technical side of music, please welcome to the show....Ron Blair!!

Today I welcome an American singer, songwriter, organist and guitarist for a band originally called "13th Floor", soon after they became the well known band, "The Grass Roots". The band had three top 10 singles on the Billboard charts, "Sooner or Later", "Midnight Confessions" and "Let's Live for Today". He also attended the film school at UCLA alongside the future Doors members Jim Morrison and Ray Manzarek. He later transitioned into a successful band manager for successful Heavy Metal/Rock groups including Angel, Quiet Riot, Black & Blue, Faster Pussycat, L7, Faith No More, Rage Against the Machine, Deftones and many others. Please welcome to the show, Warren Entner!

Today we welcome a former chemist from The Bronx, NY, he studied at Columbia University, and left his career one day and decided to work in the music industry. He was an Artist Manager, Label Executive with Creation, Sr VP at Polydor/Polygram Records in NYC and worked with such bands as Rainbow, Scorpions, Pat Travers Band, Def Leppard, Bon Jovi, John (Cougar) Mellencamp, Big Country, Dexy's Midnight Runners, The Resurrection of KISS (without make-up & make-up back on), and Motorhead! He was also the man who formed the "Rock Dept" at Polygram. Today we are talking all about his time working with Bon Jovi! Where are all my Jersey Girls & Guys??? Did you ever wonder how Bon Jovi got their name and their start? He gives me the exclusive on all things Bon Jovi! I love learning about Music History and this is it!! I hope you enjoy this episode! Join me in welcoming a dear family friend and an incredible music industry executive as he shares these little known stories....Jerry Jaffe

Today I am interviewing someone who has had a multi-faceted career in the music industry! From an early age he had a desire to be a musician and follow in his cousin Jerry Heller's path in the music business, both of which he has been doing for the past 65 years. Gary was deeply involved in the music scene in Columbus, OH promoting concerts and playing at a thriving Country Rock Club. In the summer of 1969, he made a pivotal visit to his cousin Jerry in Hollywood, CA and that fueled his desire to return one day! Then in 1978 he got a chance to manage a music studio in Northridge, CA, there he got to work with Chaka Kahn & Rufus, Three Dog Night, The Knack and The Jacksons. In 1980 he was hired to be the Production Manager for the band Air Supply on their first American Tour. He then did two tours as Tour Manager for Lita Ford. Switching gears he went on to work for a Classical artist Richard Clayderman and Jazz fusion artist Jeff Lorber. In 1985 he started his own management company with the band Hurricane and Jimmy Z. In 1988 his career took another turn when he finally went to work with his cousin Jerry Heller. Jerry was managing Eric "Eazy E" Wright and the infamous West Coast Gangsta rap group NWA. Jerry was also the General Manager of Eazy's record label "Ruthless Records". Jerry brought Gary on to be the production manager for the upcoming US tour and he helped the group develop their staging, sound & lighting. Gary sets the record straight about the movie "Straight Outta Compton" and what really happened with Suge Knight and Eazy E. He is currently writing a book and working on a script of his Ruthless Record days. He still performs today with his bands, 'Cool Hand Ukes', 'Gary & the Grooves' and his newest, most favorite project 'Rhythym & Hues', a unique fusion of live music and performance art. You can find out more and check out his music schedule at Garyballen.com He has an incredible history in music, please welcome to the show Gary Ballen!