Janis Ian Interview
It’s always a resounding pleasure to talk to Janis Ian, for whose work I’ve had a deep love since my teenage years. Not only was she the first person I…
Vonda Shepard Interview
When American singer/songwriter/pianist Vonda Shepard became a household name in the 90s, thanks to Ally McBeal, I was an immediate convert – and discovered that she’d already made three albums, two…
Sam Brown Interview
I visited British singer/songwriter, Sam Brown, in Dorset to discuss a project with a difference – the album Number 8, made in spite of the singer’s almost total loss of…
Stoney & Meatloaf Feature
Stoney (singer Shaun Murphy) and Meatloaf (later styled Meat Loaf) were plucked, like so many talents in the 1970s, from the cast of Hair. They were signed to Motown subsidiary Rare…
Valerie Carter Feature
In the November 2022 issue of Record Collector (RC 537), I’ve contributed an extensive feature on the late singer/songwriter/backing vocalist, Valerie Carter, speaking to friends, family and collaborators and marking…
Wendy Waldman – The Main Refrain
Ugh. What was wrong with me up until about 2013? Every cutting of mine, from my first job around 1993 until 20 years later, leaves me cringing so intensely I…
Steve Swindells Interview
The great singer/songwriter/pianist, Steve Swindells, whose 1974 RCA album, Messages, is a personal favourite, spoke to me for Record Collector, Sept 2022 (RC #535), not only about being out in…
“Money From Heaven”: Boisdale Life magazine
One of the most entertaining music books of recent months (and a stunning feat of research) is Eamonn Forde’s Leaving The Building: The Lucrative Afterlife Of Music Estates (Omnibus Press). For a…
Beverly Craven/Judie Tzuke/Julia Fordham/Rumer Interview
A five-way, covid-era Zoom chat was arranged to herald the augmentation of Woman To Woman with the arrival of Rumer in 2022. I’ve followed the work of these four singer/songwriters…
Tori Amos Interview
My interest in Tori Amos stretches back to 1991 when EastWest were launching her in the UK. A friend at school said to me, “You know, you and I ARE…