Wax Museum Radio
Next broadcast January 24th Friday Night at midnight and Saturday night at 10pm on WRGG.
Hear Today In Rock and Roll History
Today In R&R History January 21st
Daily Rock and Roll History, Birthday and short music clips.
A year long, day by day look back at this date in Rock History in 3-5 minute segments. Now airing WRGG in Greencastle, PA, weekday mornings on KSRQ in Three River Falls, Minnesota, KIYU in Galena, Alaska
Craig Maher / Exo-X-Xeno Wax Museum Interview
Craig Maher from Exo-X-Xeno talking about the 2025 album "Luminous Voyage"
- Click picture to listen to the interview with Craig talking about the Exo-X-Xeno project with Yes members Billy Sherwood, Jay Shellen and Patrick Moraz.
Rock and Roll Birthdays
January 21st
- January 21st Birthday, Blues guitarist and singer Snooks Eaglin, born Ford Eaglin, Jr. in 1936 in New Orleans, Louisiana. He died from prostate cancer on February 18th, 2009 at the age of 72.
- January 21st Birthday, Rock and Roll deejay, actor, entertainer Wolfman Jack, born Robert Weston Smith in 1938 in Brooklyn, New York. He died of a heart attack on July 1st, 1995 at the age of 57.
- January 21st Birthday, Folk singer, actor Richie Havens, born in 1941 in Brooklyn, New York. He died on April 22nd, 2013 following a heart attack, aged 72.
- January 21st Birthday, Singer, songwriter and actor Mac Davis, born in Lubbock, Texas in 1942. He died on September 29th, 2020 at the age of 78.
- January 21st Birthday, Motown singer Edwin Starr, born in Nashville, Tennessee in 1942. Starr passed away on April 1st, 2003 after a heart attack at the age of 61.
- January 21st Birthday, Guitarist Chris Britton from The Troggs, born in Watford, Hertfordshire, England in 1944.
- January 21stBirthday, Drummer Jim Ibbotson from The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, born in 1947.
- January 21st Birthday, Status Quo drummer Peter Kircher, born in 1948 in Kent, England.
- January 21st Birthday, Rob Brill, drummer from the band Berlin, born in 1956.
- January 21st Birthday, The Kinsey Report bassist Kenneth Kinsey, born in 1963 in Gary, Indiana.
- January 21st Birthday, Singer Wendy James, from British Band Transvision Vamp, born in 1966 in London, England.
Nektar Wax Museum interview 4/11/25
Nektar interviewed on the second night of the 2025 "Mission To Mars" Tour
- Click image to hear the exclusive the Wax Museum interview with Nektar discussiing the current tour, future plans and group history.
Today In Rock and Roll History
January 21st
- January 21st, 1961 Del Shannon records his first single, “Runaway,” at Bell Sound Studios, New York with producer Harry Balk. Co-written by Shannon and keyboardist Max Crook, the record was released on February 27th and went to No. 1 on March 11th. Shannon would revisit the song and record a new version, released in America on August 16th, 1967, a recording produced by Andrew Loog Oldham that included British pianist Nicky Hopkins.
- January 21st, 1963 The Beatles made their third appearance on the Radio Luxembourg program The Friday Spectacular. The Beatles were interviewed by the host and played two tracks, “Please Please Me” and “Ask Me Why.”
- January 21st, 1964 Peter And Gordon record the Paul McCartney written, Lennon and McCartney credited tune “A World Without Love” at EMI Studios in London with producer Norman Newell. Released as the duo’s debut single on February 28thin Britain and on April 27th in the US. The record would top the UK singles chart in June and the US singles charts on June 27th.
- January 21st, 1965 Motown Records release the self-titled debut album by Four Tops. Songs on the album were either written by the Eddie Holland, Lamont Dozier and Brian Holland team, who also produced the record, or Ivy Jo Hunter and William “Mickey Stevenson. The group were augmented in the studio with backing singers The Andantes and Motown session musicians The Funk Brothers. “Four Tops” peaked at No. 63 on August 14th.
- January 21st, 1965 The Miracles record “Ooh Baby Baby” at Motown’s Hitsville USA Studio A in Detroit with Smokey Robinson producing. Robinson wrote the song with Pete Moore. Motown’s Funk Brothers band backed The Miracles on the recording and the arrangement features The Detroit Symphony Orchestra. The 45 went to No. 16 on the Pop Singles charts on May 8th, No. 4 R&B, after entering the charts in March.
- January 21st, 1965 Over three thousand screaming fans met The Rolling Stones and Roy Orbison at Sydney Airport when they arrived for a sixteen-date tour of Australia and New Zealand.
- January 21st, 1966 Decca Records in Britain release “Them Again,” the second album by Them. Featuring Van Morrison on vocals, the LP didn’t chart in the UK. Issued on Parrot Records in America in April “Them Again” reached No. 138 on May 14th.
- January 21st, 1967 The Monkees record “A Little Bit Me A Little Bit You” at RCA Victor Studios, Studio B in New York City with producer Jeff Barry. Written by Neil Diamond, whose “I’m A Believer” was already a huge hit, Diamond got the nod for the first Monkees single with Davy Jones on lead vocals. Playing on the session were Al Gorgoni, Hugh McCracken and Don Thomas on guitar, Stan Free on piano, Artie Butler on organ, Lou Mauro on bass, Thomas Cerone on tambourine and Herbie Lovelle on drums. The record was released on March 18th, entered the charts a week later and peaked at No. 2 on April 29th.
- January 21st, 1967 “The Wicked Pickett” album by Wilson Pickett enters the album charts following a December release on Atlantic Records. Co-produced at Muscle Shoals Studios by Rick Hall and Tom Dowd, session players on the LP include Charlie Chalmers, Chips Moman, Tommy Cogbill, Spooner Oldham and Roger Hawkins. The record hit No. 42 on March 25th and featured Pickett’s breakthrough single, “Mustang Sally.”
- January 21st, 1967 Bang Records release Neil Diamond’s “You Got To Me.” Written by Diamond and issued on the album “Just For You,” the single and the LP were co-produced by husband-and-wife duo Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich. “You Got To Me” entered the chart a week later and went to No. 18 on March 4th.
- January 21st, 1967 “(Turn On) The Music Machine by The Music Machine enters the album charts following a December 1966 release the Original Sound Records label. The LP featured two hits, “The People In Me” and “Talk Talk.” The record peaked at No. 76 on April 8th.
- January 21st, 1967 GNP Crescendo Records release “Mr. Farmer” by The Seeds on 45. Written by vocalist Sky Saxon and produced by Marcus Tybalt, the song was banned on many radio stations during the time of its release because of its alleged drug references. The record peaked at No. 86 on March 18th.
- January 21st, 1968 The Jimi Hendrix Experience records “All Along The Watchtower” at Olympic Studios in London. Dave Mason played an acoustic 12-string guitar on the track and the bass after Noel Redding clashed with Hendrix and walked out on the session although Hendrix would himself replace the bass part later. The song was released as a single on September 21st, 1968, two months before Dylan’s own version. Self-produced by Jimi Hendrix, sessions resumed again in June and ran through August 1968 at Olympic and at The Record Plant in New York City. “All Along the Watchtower” became Jimi Hendrix’ only Top Forty hit single, reaching No. 20 on October 19th.
- January 21st, 1969 The Beatles begin studio sessions for John Lennon's “Dig A Pony” at Apple Studios in London. Billy Preston played on the recordings. The version chosen for inclusion on the “Let It Be” album was played live on the roof of Apple on January 30th.
- January 21st, 1970 Atlantic Records release “Call Me” backed with “Son Of A Preacher Man” by Aretha Franklin on 45. The single was co-produced by Jerry Wexler, Tom Dowd and Arif Mardin. “Call Me” was an Aretha Franklin original, while “Son Of A Preacher Man” was a cover of the John Hurley, Ronnie Wilkins song, previously recorded by Dusty Springfield. The record charted for twelve weeks and peaked at No. 13 on April 4th.
- January 21st, 1972 T Rex release “Telegram Sam” on 45 in Britain. Three weeks later the single was the No. 1 song in the UK, the band’s third in England. T-Rex leader Marc Bolan wrote the song as an ode to his manager, Tony Secunda. “Telegram Sam” was Bolan’s nickname for his Secunda. Other people who show up in the song: “Jungle-face Jake” was Sid Walker, Secunda’s assistant and “Bobby” is Bob Dylan. Recorded at Rosenberg Studios in Copenhagen, Denmark in November 1971 and produced by Tony Visconti, the record features Howard Kaylan and Mark Volman of The Turtles on backing vocals. “Telegram Sam” entered the US singles charts in and peaked at No. 67 on May 13th.
- January 21st, 1972 Pink Floyd appeared at The Guildhall, Portsmouth, England, the first complete live performance of what became the “Dark Side of The Moon” album in its entirety.
- January 21st, 1972 Columbia Records release “Vahevella” (Va-hee-va-la) by Kenny Loggins and Jim Messina. Co-written by Daniel Loggins and Daniel Lottermoser, the record entered the charts on April 15th and reached No. 84.
- January 21st, 1975 Columbia Records release “Shining Star” by Earth, Wind and Fire on 45. It was the group’s seventh single and their first to crack the Top Twenty, produced by Maurice White and composed by White and fellow band members Larry Dunn and Philip Bailey, “Shining Star” reached No. 1 on May 24th.
- January 21st, 1976 Lifesong Records release “Shannon” by Henry Gross on 45. While touring with the Beach Boys in 1975, Gross visited Beach Boy Carl Wilson’s home in Los Angeles, who said he owned an Irish Setter called Shannon. By coincidence, so had Henry Gross and both animals had passed away. Gross wrote the song, inspired by the conversation. The record was a huge international hit, charting in Britain and Australia. Entering the charts in America in February the record reached No. 1 in Canada and New Zealand, No. 6 in the US, on June 5th.
- January 21st, 1978 “Touch And Gone” by Gary Wright enters the singles charts. Co-written by Wright and Richard Reicheg, the song was recorded during sessions for the “Touch And Gone” LP at Sound Lab in Hollywood and High Wave Studios in Los Angeles. The single peaked at No. 73 on February 4th.
- January 21st, 1978 A live version of “Shout It Out Loud” by Kiss enters the singles charts. The original studio version appeared on the band’s “Destroyer” LP and was issued as a single on March 1st, 1976. “Shout It Out Loud” was included on the “Alive II” album and was itself issued on 45 in October. The live version charted for fifteen weeks and peaked at No. 31 on May 1st.
- January 21st, 1978 “What A Wonderful World” by Art Garfunkel with James Taylor and Paul Simon enters the singles charts. The song was co-written by Lou Adler, Herb Alpert and Sam Cooke and was first released by Cooke in 1959. Produced by Phil Ramone, the new version spent fourteen weeks on the charts and peaked at No. 17 on March 18th.
- January 21st, 1984 Yes score their first and only No. 1 single in the US, “Owner Of A Lonely Heart.”
- January 21st, 1984 Mercury Records release the self-titled debut LP by Bon Jovi. The album was recorded at The Power Station in New York City with co-producers Tony Bonjiovi and Lance Quinn. Tony Bonjiovi was Jon Bon Jovi’s cousin. The record reached No. 43 on April 28th.
- January 21st, 1990 Squeeze became the debut band on MTV’s successful Unplugged program.
- January 21st, 1991 A&M Record release “The Soul Cages,” the fourth studio album by Sting. The LP was recorded from April through November 1990 at Studio Guillaume Tell in Paris, France and Villa Salviati in Migliarino, Italy. Ray Cooper and Manu Katche were among the studio musicians who played on the LP. A No. 1 record in England, the album reached No. 2 on March 23rd. The title track won the 1992 Grammy Award for Best Rock Song.
Miscellaneous January
- January 1959 Del Fi Records release “Fast Freight” backed with Big Baby Blues” by Arvee Allens on 45. Both instrumentals, the name was a pseudonym for Ritchie Valens, who wrote the songs. Rereleased later under his real name, it was Valens’ last single issued in his lifetime.
- January 1967 Verve Folkways Records release “More Than A New Discovery,” the first album by Laura Nyro. The LP was produced by Milton Okun from July through November 1966 at Bell Sound Studios in New York City. Verve reissued the tracks as “The First Songs” in 1969 on their Verve Forecast imprint and Columbia did the same in 1973, reissued with a new cover, when it peaked at No. 97 on March 24th.
- January 1968 CBS Records in Britain release “Come Out Fighting Genghis Smith,” the second album by Roy Harper. The LP was produced by Shel Talmy.
- January 1969 CBS Records in Britain release “Love Chronicles,” the second album by Al Stewart. The LP was co-produced by Roy Guest, John Wood and Al Stewart. Session musicians included Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones and four members of Fairport Convention, Simon Nicol, Richard Thompson, Martin Lamble and Ashley Hutchings.
- January 1971 Warner Brothers Records release the self-titled debut album by Little Feat. Produced by Russ Titelman, the LP didn’t chart. Little Feat were formed by guitarist Lowell George and keyboardist Bill Payne in Los Angeles in 1969.
- January 1972 Reprise Records release “The Spotlight Kid,” the sixth studio album by Captain Beefheart. The album was recorded in the Autumn of 1971 with Beefheart and Phil Schier co-producing.
- January 1972 Buddah Records release “City Of New Orleans” by songwriter Steve Goodman. Although Goodman’s version didn’t chart, two subsequent cover versions did. Arlo Guthrie and Willie Nelson both had hits with the song. Goodman received a posthumous Grammy award for best Country Song at the 27th Grammy Awards in 1985 for Nelson’s cover of the song.
- January 1973 Palladium Records release “Back In ‘72” by Bob Seger. The album contains the original studio version of one of Seger’s signature songs, “Turn the Page.”
- January 1974 Warner Brothers Records release “Sabbath, Bloody Sabbath” by Black Sabbath on 45. The single version of the song was edited to three minutes and thirty-three seconds from the album version that was nearly six minutes long.
- January 1974 Ardent Records release “Radio City,” the second album by Big Star. Down to the three-piece unit of Alex Chilton, Jody Stephens and Andy Hummel, former guitarist Chris Bell did contribute to the writing of a few songs on the LP before departing in late 1972. A few of the songs were completed by Chilton with session players. Sales were hampered by poor distribution of the album when Ardent’s parent company had disagreements with Columbia Records, who otherwise would have placed the album in stores.
- January 1975 Wilco Johnson’s band, Dr. Feelgood, release their first LP “Down The Jetty” on United Artists Records in Britain.
- January 1976 Mercury Records release “Johnny The Fox Meets Jimmy The Weed” by Thin Lizzy on 45. The song was co-written by Phil Lynott, Scott Gorham and Brian Downey. The track was produced by John Alcock from the band’s “Johnny The Fox” LP.
- January 1977 Private Stock Records release the eponymous first album by Blondie. Produced by Richard Gottehrer, the group bought back their contract with Private Stock and re-signed with Chrysalis Records, wrote re-released the album the following September.
- January 1981 Full Moon/Epic Records release “Outside” by Ambrosia as a single backed with the Eagles song “I Can’t Tell You Why” on the flip side. Both songs were featured in the 1980 Richard Donner film soundtrack Inside Moves. The record peaked at No. 102 in the US.
- January 1981 Sire Records release Talking Heads “Once In A Lifetime” on 45. Co-produced and written by the band and Brian Eno. It was the lead single from Talking Heads’ fourth studio album, “Remain In Light.” The LP went to No. 19 on December 6thbut the single never entered the Top One Hundred despite significant airplay on early MTV broadcasts. A live version released in 1986 peaked at No. 91.
The Paul Bielatowicz Band Wax Museum interview 4/11/25
The Paul Bielatowicz Band interviewed on their 2025 Spring Tour
- Click image to hear the exclusive the Wax Museum interview with The Paul Bielatowicz Band discussiing the current tour and future plans.
Music and conversation with Andy Tillison of The Tangent
Wax Museum interview May 2024
- Click image to hear The Wax Museum's Andy Tillison interview
This Week In Rock and Roll History
This Week In Rock and Roll History week of January 18th
This Week In Rock and Roll History is a weekly one hour look back at the songs, the artists, and the stories behind the music of the rock and roll era.
Jonas Reingold Interview
Jonas Reingold in The Wax Museum
Click image to hear Chris Palladino's Wax Museum Interview with Jonas Reingold
Carl Giammarese / The Buckinghams Interview
The Buckinghams Radio Show
Click image to hear Chris Palladino's interviews on WRGG with Carl Giammarese from The Buckinghams in 2022 and 2024
The Cool Song Of The Week
Cool Song Of The Week January 18th - The Barbarians
Cool songs from the Rock and Roll Era, Closet Classics and more.
Robert Fripp Radio Oz interview 7/25/85
King Crimson guitarist Radio Oz interview
- Click Fripp's image to hear the King Crimson guitarist, record producer, solo artist in this 1985 interview for the WARX Sunday night Radio Oz program. Fripp discusses his then current Guitar Craft courses, King Crimson stories, his start in the music business, and more.
Annie Haslam 2019 Wax Museum interview
Annie Haslam "In Words and Music"
- Click picture to hear Annie Haslam "In Words and Music". The iconic Renaissance singer talks at length about music, her life, and artwork for an exclusive interview in The Wax Museum.
Tommy James Wax Museum Interview January 2019
Tommy James
- Click picture to hear Tommy promoting all his planned 2019 activities; new album, Sirius XM radio show, touring, new movie, etc.
From the Radio Oz interview archives
Firesign Theatre interview 1980
- Click picture to listen to this archival interview with The Firesign Theatre recorded during their 1980 Fighting Clowns tour of the US for Radio Oz now available for purchase in the Firesign Theatre's "Fighting Clowns" of Hollywood" collection! Also check out this Tiny Ossman interview from 1995 -
Woody Lissauer Wax Museum Interview 2/22/20
Baltimore based Woody Lissauer steps up to the Wax Museum microphones for this in depth interview!
- Click picture to listen to the Wax Museum interview with Woody Lissauer and his latest album "Trouble The Water" with Barbara Ireland and Steve Caplan.
