Best Don Letts Podcasts (2024)

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070: Bruce Hornsby 48:41

2+ y ago48:41

48:41

Bruce Hornsby, legendary pianist, singer, and songwriter, discusses his humble beginnings in a Grateful Dead cover band and his graduation to a Doobie Brothers acolyte to his mega breakthrough with “The Way It Is” to his time as an actual member of the Grateful Dead and his resurgence, resonating first with hip-hop artists like 2Pac, and more recen…

1
069: Cindy Blackman Santana 50:08

2+ y ago50:08

50:08

Cindy Blackman Santana discusses her journey as a drummer, from the NYC jazz scene, to Lenny Kravitz’s band, to performing with her husband, Carlos Santana.

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068: Kira Roessler of Black Flag 56:32

2+ y ago56:32

56:32

Kira Roessler played bass in Black Flag for two years, during which time the legendary hardcore band put out seven(!) records. Now, at the age of 60, she's an Emmy- and Oscar-winning dialogue editor and promoting her self-titled solo debut. In this interview she discusses her new album, being in a band with Henry Rollins and Greg Ginn, as well as b…

1
067: Arooj Aftab 33:45

2+ y ago33:45

33:45

Arooj Aftab began getting notice with a viral cover of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” more than 15 years ago, but with two Grammy nominations, she has finally arrived (and quit her day job at Genius.com). Her 2021 “Vulture Prince” album is a stunning work that frequently reaches transcendence. In this wide ranging interview, she discusses playing Whi…

1
066: Bruce Sudano 26:51

3y ago26:51

26:51

Bruce Sudano has written songs that have been sung by Michael Jackson, Dolly Parton, and his late wife, Donna Summer. He discusses coming up in Brooklyn and being taken under the wing of Tommy James, and meeting Donna Summer, writing "Bad Girls" and appearing on the album cover as a police officer. He also plays a stripped down version of that song…

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065: José González 37:45

3y ago37:45

37:45

José González discusses his life in music, beginning with his tenure as a bassist in a hardcore band, through his time with Junip, and up to his latest release, "Local Valley." He also shares his views on secular humanism and how he was able to be more productive with lyric writing.

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064: Colin Blunstone of the Zombies 53:30

3y ago53:30

53:30

Colin Blunstone began his career in music as a teenager with the Zombies. After a run of successful singles in the 1960s the group broke up, but not before releasing their masterpiece, “Odessey and Oracle,” featuring the mega-hit “Time of the Season.” A Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, Colin and Rod Argent reformed the Zombies at the turn of the cent…

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063: Don Letts 42:35

3y ago42:35

42:35

Don Letts provides an important lesson in the fact that even if you don’t play an instrument, you can still be a part of the music industry, and not just on the business side either. He got his start as a DJ, and is widely credited for introducing reggae into the burgeoning punk rock scene in London in the 1970s, but he doesn’t want all of that cre…

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062: Butch Vig of Garbage 29:40

3y ago29:40

29:40

You know Butch Vig as the drummer and producer of Garbage, or you know him as the producer of genre-defining albums from Nirvana and Smashing Pumpkins, but there is more to him than that. He has been working with most of the people he makes music with for more than 30 years. The new Garbage album, No Gods No Masters, is out now.…

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061: Sly and Robbie—Sly Dunbar 49:30

3+ y ago49:30

49:30

If you’ve heard any reggae music in your entire life then you’ve heard Sly Dunbar’s drumming, or at the very least, his influence. As one half of Sly and Robbie, he says he’s probably played on a million songs. Sly and Robbie got their start as the rhythm section for Peter Tosh in 1976, and after touring with him for a number of years started Taxi,…

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060: Anna Bulbrook 52:21

3+ y ago52:21

52:21

Anna Bulbrook began studying violin at 4. She quit at 21, but a gig with Kanye West changed that. She helped found the Airborne Toxic Event the next week.

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059: Hailu Mergia 48:03

3+ y ago48:03

48:03

Hailu Mergia is a master accordionist and veteran bandleader, arranger, and keyboardist, originally from Ethiopia. He became famous in his homeland in the 1970s, playing with the Walias Band and the Dahlak Band. In the 1980s he defected to the US and did not play in public for decades. But all of that changed recently!…

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058: Margo Nahas and Jay Vigon 39:41

3+ y ago39:41

39:41

Margo Nahas and Jay Vigon are partners in life, love, and business, and have designed classic album covers by iconic acts like Prince, Van Halen, Fleetwood Mac, and Stevie Wonder.

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057: Kamilah Marshall 50:34

3+ y ago50:34

50:34

Kamilah Marshall is a seasoned Broadway performer whose credits include Rent, Lion King, and Hairspray. From there, she toured with Bette Midler, Matthew Morrison from Glee, and is currently a backup singer for Taylor Swift.

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056: Huey Lewis 59:57

3+ y ago59:57

59:57

Huey Lewis discusses his meteoric rise to fame in the 1980s, his struggles with Ménière’s disease, and everything in between (clothes shopping with Phil Lynott of Thin Lizzy, soccer with Ozzy, etc.) in this wide ranging interview.

1
055: Steven Wilson 46:41

3+ y ago46:41

46:41

Steven Wilson has been a part of more than a dozen musical projects and/or bands, most notably Porcupine Tree. After 10 studio albums, they broke up in 2009. Wilson released his sixth solo album, The Future Bites, earlier this year, and he still involves himself in collaborative endeavors, including a podcast called The Album Years, which he co-hos…

1
054: Lady A 50:38

3+ y ago50:38

50:38

Lady A (the Seattle-based singer) discusses her life in music, and her ongoing legal battle with Lady A (the Nashville-based trio who formerly called themselves Lady Antebellum).

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053: This is the Kit —Kate Stables 52:21

3+ y ago52:21

52:21

Kate Stables of This is the Kit discusses her new album, Off Off On, having fun with words, touring with the National, and turning her daughter on to Lizzo.

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052: AJR—Jack and Ryan Metzger 41:28

3+ y ago41:28

41:28

AJR are three brothers—Adam, Jack, and Ryan Metzger—who began their music career on New York City streets, where they busked daily for hours at a time. The two brothers who take part in this interview—Ryan and Jack—say that years of trying to get people’s attention off the streets was formative to their work ethic and the constant need to one-up th…

1
051: Gavin Rossdale of Bush 39:14

4y ago39:14

39:14

Gavin Rossdale had tracked all of the songs on what would become Bush’s multiplatinum debut, but he was still painting dentist’s offices. In this wide-ranging interview, he talks sudden (and enduring) success, his favorite Gwen Stefani tunes, and more.

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050: Lee "Scratch" Perry 33:36

4y ago33:36

33:36

Lee "Scratch" Perry on working with Bob Marley, inventing dub, and a lifetime of being "the Upsetter."

1
049: The Go! Team 57:45

4y ago57:45

57:45

Ian Parton and Ninja of the Go! Team talk about how to turn a solo kitchen recording project into an energetic live ensemble that stays together for nearly 20 years.

1
048: Joe Wong (The Trap Set) 44:14

4y ago44:14

44:14

Joe Wong talks to Pat Healy on hosting The Trap Set podcast, creating his solo debut, "Nite Creatures," and scoring for shows like Russian Doll and Master of None. Visit musicismylifepod.com and save $100 on a Berklee Online course.

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047: Molly Tuttle 34:07

4y ago34:07

34:07

Molly Tuttle’s brand new … but i’d rather be with you is a collection of seemingly disparate cover songs—running the gamut from Rancid to the Grateful Dead—that got the singer through tough times in her life. She recorded the album as a coronavirus lockdown project because everybody else is currently going through tough times of their own. She talk…

1
046: Sadie Dupuis of Speedy Ortiz and SAD13 46:49

4y ago46:49

46:49

Sadie Dupuis of Speedy Ortiz on the eve of releasing Haunted Painting, her second album under the SAD13 moniker, discusses her life in music, words, and math. Math? Yes, math!

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045: Martha Reeves 51:12

4y ago51:12

51:12

Summer’s here and the time is right for taking time to appreciate the legendary Martha Reeves, of “Dancing in the Street” fame! Along with her backing singers, the Vandellas, Martha Reeves recorded other mega Motown hits, including “Jimmy Mack,” “Nowhere to Run,” and “Love is Like a Heatwave.” She speaks to Pat Healy about the climate of social cha…

1
Bass Culture: Paul Gilroy (part two) 59:47

4y ago59:47

59:47

“Culture lives culture moves culture changes. It mutates. It’s restless.“ In this 2-part episode revered historian and academic Paul Gilroy reflects on his scholarly work as a translator as well as the many nuisances of Black British identity. Gilroy also reflects on his personal experience of growing up Black in Britain and his passion for music, …

1
044: Janet Billig Rich 42:17

4y ago42:17

42:17

Janet Billig Rich became interested in music when she first saw the Replacements. After taking in about 100 shows she went on to sell merch at indie rock shows, intern at Caroline Records, and then move on up to manage acts like Nirvana, Hole, and Dinosaur Jr. She's now a music supervisor, clearing rights for Broadway shows like Rock of Ages, as we…

1
Bass Culture: Paul Gilroy (part one) 59:20

4y ago59:20

59:20

In this 2-part episode revered historian and academic Paul Gilroy reflects on his scholarly work as a translator as well as the many nuisances of Black British identity. Gilroy also reflects on his personal experience of growing up Black in Britain and his passion for music, providing much insight into the widening gap between reggae with the risin…

1
Bass Culture: Ras Kwame 59:29

4y ago59:29

59:29

Respected radio broadcaster Ras Kwame shares the experiences that shaped him from co-running a record shop and music production to the rave culture scenes of acid house, jungle, soul and hip-hop. Twitter/Instagram/Facebook: @basscultureduk basscultureduk.com Interviews conducted by Mykaell Riley. Recorded by Matthew Brown. Co-produced by Sara El Ha…

1
043: Vanessa Carlton 37:17

4y ago37:17

37:17

Vanessa Carlton speaks candidly about the seedy underbelly of the music industry, and why followups to “A Thousand Miles” were more successful than the men on her team wanted her to believe. She discusses how her latest album, Love Is An Art, is a new beginning for her and how eager she is to tour, once touring is something people are allowed to do…

1
Bass Culture: Rodney P 1:04:16

4+ y ago1:04:16

1:04:16

"Coxsone is a traditional Jamaican sound that play Jamaican music and dub... and a sound like Saxon was a young English sound that kinda represented different. It was more emcees and a different kind of energy - more ragga-docious." MC veteran Rodney P reminisces on sound systems highlighting the continuity between traditional sound systems into wh…

1
Bass Culture: Janet Kay 59:34

4+ y ago59:34

59:34

In this honest and reflective podcast the lovers rock legend shares her experiences of arriving in the industry as a young budding singer and the many ambivalent twists and turns of the music industry. Twitter/Instagram/Facebook: @basscultureduk basscultureduk.com Interviews conducted by Mykaell Riley. Recorded by Matthew Brown. Co-produced by Sara…

1
Bass Culture: Dennis Bovell 59:40

4+ y ago59:40

59:40

This episode reflects on Dennis Bovell's music career as a bassist, and later record producer, as well as reflecting on running his Sufferer sound system which sometimes caused tensions between police during these dances. Part of our Bass Culture podcast series. Twitter/Instagram/Facebook: @basscultureduk basscultureduk.com Interviews conducted by …

1
Bass Culture: Linton Kwesi Johnson 57:22

4+ y ago57:22

57:22

"We could identify what the concrete jungle was over here living in these housing estates... Brixton was a ghetto back in those days" In this enlightening and frank podcast Linton Kwesi Johnson reflects on his upbringing and the beginning of his journey as a renowned and pioneering dub poet. Twitter/Instagram/Facebook: @basscultureduk bassculturedu…

1
Bass Culture: Don Letts 59:17

4+ y ago59:17

59:17

In this podcast Don Letts considers his time as a DJ at the Roxy during the rising of punk-music in the UK. He also delves into his involvement with BAD (Big Audio Dynamite) and his cinematic approach to making music. Twitter/Instagram/Facebook: @basscultureduk basscultureduk.com Interviews conducted by Mykaell Riley. Recorded by Matthew Brown. Co-…

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042: Sam Hales of Jungle Giants 48:07

4+ y ago48:07

48:07

Sam Hales is the songwriter, singer, guitarist, multi-instrumentalist, and now the producer of most of Jungle Giants’ music. They have released three albums and two EPs, and for the first EP, Sam worked two jobs, one at a convenience store, the other at McDonald’s, just to make the money to fund the recording. He and the other members, Ceshira Aitk…

1
040: Lisa Loeb 34:02

4+ y ago34:02

34:02

Lisa Loeb shares how her parents encouraged her and her siblings' musical development, but cautioned them against going into the music industry. But now they are all musicians. She also shares how she wrote her mega-smash, “Stay (I Missed You)” while studying at Berklee. Her latest album, A Simple Trick to Happiness, is out now. Visit musicismylife…

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039: M. Ward 34:17

4+ y ago34:17

34:17

Matt Ward discusses how a closeted $25 guitar and a Beatles book started him on a journey that led him to his latest album, Migration Stories. He also discusses collaborating with Zooey Deschanel in She & Him, songwriting, and how it might be nice if you called him m'lord. Visit musicismylifepod.com now.…

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038: Black Belt Eagle Scout 42:47

4+ y ago42:47

42:47

Katherine Paul discusses Black Belt Eagle Scout, her youth on the Swinomish reservation, her fondness for her Radical Indigenous Queer Feminist T-shirt, how working as a booker at a club helped her get a deal with Saddle Creek, and more. Visit musicismylifepod.com now.

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037: Ron Pope 42:06

4+ y ago42:06

42:06

Ron Pope wrote "A Drop in the Ocean," a mammoth hit that he had no idea would resonate with an audience so much. Then he wrote "One Grain of Sand" and enjoyed similar astronomical success. He talks to Pat Healy about triumphs and tribulations with major labels and streaming services, as well as Brooklyn Basement Records, the label he founded with h…

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036: Spider Stacy of The Pogues 37:46

4+ y ago37:46

37:46

1
035: Andy Stack of Wye Oak and Joyero 44:56

4+ y ago44:56

44:56

5+ y ago57:10

57:10

TJ Connelly is an entrepreneur, music curator, and creative technologist, best known for his work as the DJ at Fenway Park for the 2018 World Series Champs, the Boston Red Sox. He's also known for his work at Gillette Stadium, where he's the DJ for the home games of the 2019 Super Bowl champs, the New England Patriots. He has also DJed for the Bost…

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