That time back in 1985 when Roger Glover told me about the reunited Deep Purple’s first jam session

By Steve Newton I did my second interview with Deep Purple bassist Roger Glover back in March of 1985, when the band’s Mark II lineup–composed of him, guitarist Ritchie Blackmore, singer Ian Gillan, keyboardist Jon Lord, and drummer Ian Paice–had reunited to record the Perfect Strangers album and embark on a sold-out world tour. At … Continue reading That time back in 1985 when Roger Glover told me about the reunited Deep Purple’s first jam session

That time I asked Alex Van Halen how much longer he expected Van Halen to keep on rocking

By Steve Newton Back in August of 1995 I interviewed Alex Van Halen, legendary skin-basher for Van Halen, while the band was touring behind its Bruce Fairbairn-produced Balance album. That tour had been dubbed “The Ambulance Tour” by Eddie, due to his hip problems and Alex rupturing three vertebrae in his neck. So as the … Continue reading That time I asked Alex Van Halen how much longer he expected Van Halen to keep on rocking

That time blues legend John Mayall told me why he handles his own gear and never uses roadies

By Steve Newton I did the second of my three interviews with British blues great John Mayall back in May of 1990, when he was heading to Vancouver for a show with his band the Bluesbreakers. He was touring to promote his latest album, A Sense of Place, which featured slide-guitar ace Sonny Landreth on … Continue reading That time blues legend John Mayall told me why he handles his own gear and never uses roadies

That time I told Tom Cochrane that I didn’t think his new “Life is a Highway” song sounded like him

By Steve Newton Tom Cochrane turned 70 the other day–on May 14, 2023–so to celebrate I digitized my third interview with him, from October 17, 1991. That was less than a month after he released the single “Life Is a Highway”, which became a massive hit. But as I pointed out to Tom about a … Continue reading That time I told Tom Cochrane that I didn’t think his new “Life is a Highway” song sounded like him

That time Geddy Lee called me up and I asked if he had fond recollections of Rush’s early days

By Steve Newton Back in the spring of ’97 I did my first interview with Geddy Lee of Rush. He called me up from the band’s office in Toronto and I congratulated him on the birth of his new daughter. Then I mentioned that the band was re-releasing its seventies catalog, and asked him if … Continue reading That time Geddy Lee called me up and I asked if he had fond recollections of Rush’s early days

That time Steve Stevens told me that Van Halen producer Ted Templeman helped him keep his sanity on Atomic Playboys

By Steve Newton Ted Templeman is one of the most successful rock-music producers in America. You could say that he is to the United States what Bruce Fairbairn was to Canada. Templeman was at the controls for such stellar albums as Montrose‘s self-titled debut, the Doobie Brothers‘ The Captain and Me, Van Morrison’s Tupelo Honey, … Continue reading That time Steve Stevens told me that Van Halen producer Ted Templeman helped him keep his sanity on Atomic Playboys

Before he morphed into Reignwolf I asked teenaged guitarist Jordan Cook how he got into the blues

By Steve Newton Back in November of 2001 I interviewed an 18-year-old guitarist from Saskatoon named Jordan Cook. Nowadays Cook is making sizeable waves in the blues-rock world as rowdy, sweat-soaked performer Reignwolf, but back in ’01 he was just touring around Canada with two teenage bandmates trying to make a name for himself. Near … Continue reading Before he morphed into Reignwolf I asked teenaged guitarist Jordan Cook how he got into the blues

That time Rick Wartell told me that Trouble was going over really well with the thrash-loving Pantera fans

By Steve Newton Back in October of 1992 I interviewed Trouble founder and guitarist Rick Wartell when the Chicago hard-rock quintet was touring with Pantera and heading to Vancouver for a show at the Commodore Ballroom. At the start of the conversation I mentioned how much I liked his band’s current album, Manic Frustration, and … Continue reading That time Rick Wartell told me that Trouble was going over really well with the thrash-loving Pantera fans

That time I called up 18-year-old Derek Trucks just before he headed out on tour with Joe Satriani

By Steve Newton I did my first interview with slide-guitar legend Derek Trucks in March of 1998, when he was still just 18 years old. I called him up at his home in Jacksonville, Florida, the day before he was due in Texas to kick off a tour with Joe Satriani. He mentioned the possibility … Continue reading That time I called up 18-year-old Derek Trucks just before he headed out on tour with Joe Satriani

Jeff Healey jamming with Stevie Ray Vaughan is total blues-rock heaven

By Steve Newton I feel very blessed that my role as a music writer has allowed me to interview some of the most talented guitar players of all time. And the feeling gets more pronounced when I realize how lucky I was to chat to some of the ones that left us way too soon, … Continue reading Jeff Healey jamming with Stevie Ray Vaughan is total blues-rock heaven

That time Tony Iommi told me that he didn’t think Ozzy Osbourne needed to record Sabbath tunes for his live album

By Steve Newton Back in January of 1984 I did my first interview with Tony Iommi, while Black Sabbath was touring behind its Born Again album. Fourteen months earlier Sabbath’s former frontman, Ozzy Osbourne, had released a double live album, Speak of the Devil, which hit stores just two months before Sabbath’s own double live … Continue reading That time Tony Iommi told me that he didn’t think Ozzy Osbourne needed to record Sabbath tunes for his live album

That time Night Ranger’s Jack Blades called me up from ZZ Top’s Eliminator tour with fresh memories of scorpion hell

By Steve Newton Night Ranger bassist-vocalist and main songwriter Jack Blades called me up from a truck stop in New Mexico back on January 13, 1984. At the time–two months before the band released its big hit “Sister Christian”–Night Ranger was opening for ZZ Top on the hugely successful Eliminator Tour, with sold-out shows all … Continue reading That time Night Ranger’s Jack Blades called me up from ZZ Top’s Eliminator tour with fresh memories of scorpion hell

That time Roger Glover called and told me that Rainbow was finished, it was time for Deep Purple (again)

By Steve Newton I did my first interview with Roger Glover back in August of 1984, two months after the release of his solo album Mask. He called me up from a “kitchen” in Vermont, and told me that he was recording an album there. At first I thought it might be another LP by … Continue reading That time Roger Glover called and told me that Rainbow was finished, it was time for Deep Purple (again)