Wax Museum Radio
Next broadcast January 17th Friday Night at midnight and Saturday night at 10pm on WRGG.
Hear Today In Rock and Roll History
Today In R&R History January 15th
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 15th
- January 15th Birthday, Chicago blues guitarist Earl Hooker, born in Quitman County, Mississippi in 1930. Hooker played slide guitar with Sonny Boy Williamson II, Junior Wells and John Lee Hooker and fronted his own bands. Hooker passed away April 21st, 1970 of tuberculosis at the age of 40.
- January 15th Birthday, Singer, songwriter Captain Beefheart, born Don Van Vliet in 1941 in Glendale, California. He died on December 17th, 2010 with complications from multiple sclerosis at the age of 69.
- January 15th Birthday, “Montego Bay” singer, songwriter Bobby Bloom, born in Brooklyn, New York in 1946.
- January 15th Birthday, Original lead vocalist for Lynyrd Skynyrd, Ronnie Van Zant, born in 1948 in Jacksonville, Florida. Van Zant died in the band’s plane crash on October 20th, 1977.
- January 15th Birthday, Cellist Melvyn Gale, from The Electric Light Orchestra, born in London, England in 1952.
- January 15th Birthday, Boris Blank of Swiss electronica band Yello, born in Zurich, Switzerland in 1952.
- January 15th Birthday, Marillion bassist Peter Trewavas, born in1959 in Middlesbrough, England.
- January 15th Birthday, Guitarist Damian O’Neill from The Undertones, born in 1961 in Derry, Northern Ireland.
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 15th
- January 15th, 1958 Elvis Presley records “Hard Headed Woman” at Radio Recorders in Hollywood. Written by Claude Demetrius, RCA Victor Records released the song on June 10thas both a 45 and 78 rpm single. “Hard Headed Woman” became the first Rock ‘n’ Roll single to earn the Gold Record designation for sales of a million copies. The record peaked at No. 2 on July 21st.
- January 15th, 1965 at Columbia Recording Studios, New York City, Bob Dylan records “Mr. Tambourine Man” and five other songs for his next album “Bringing It All Back Home” with producer Tom Wilson.
- January 15th, 1965 The Kinks “Tired of Waiting For You” is released on 45 in Britain, with a US release to follow on February 17th. Written by guitarist Ray Davies, the track was recorded with producer Shel Talmy in late August 1964 at Pye Studios (No. 2), London, with a guitar overdub later at IBC Studios, London on the 29th of December. The single reached No. 1 in Britain, No. 6 in America. On the same day, The Kinks four song EP “Kinksize Hits” is released in Britain, compiling the singles “You Really Got Me” and “All Day And All Of The Night” with their respective B-sides.
- January 15th, 1965 Decca Records in Britain release the second studio album by The Rolling Stones’ “Rolling Stones No. 2.” Sessions for the LP were recorded at Chess Studios in Chicago, Illinois, Regent Sound in London, England and RCA in Hollywood, California from June through November 1964 with producer Andrew Loog Oldham. The album featured three Mick Jagger/Keith Richards compositions. The rest were American R&B and Blues covers. Jack Nitzsche and Ian Stewart both played keyboards on the sessions. The record peaked at No. 1 in Britain.
- January 15th, 1966 Smash Records release “My Ship Is Comin’ In” by The Walker Brothers on 45. Written by Joey Brooks and produced by Johnny Franz, the record peaked at No. 63 on February 19th.
- January 15th, 1966 Boom Records release “Hide And Seek” by The Sheep on 45. The Sheep were The Strangeloves’ songwriters Bob Feldman, Jerry Goldstein and Richard Gottehrer in another Australian-themed disguise. The single reached No. 58.
- January 15th, 1966 Columbia Records released the Gary Usher produced “The Notorious Byrd Brothers,” the fifth album by The Byrds. The record reached No. 47 in America on March 30th, but was a much bigger hit in Britain, where it hit No. 12 on the album charts.
- January 15th, 1967 “December’s Children,” the third album by The Rolling Stones, earned a Gold Record for a million copies sold. On the same day, pressured by CBS television censors, The Rolling Stones sang “Let’s Spend Some TimeTogether” on The Ed Sullivan Show.
- January 15th, 1970 Atlantic Records release “Back In The USA” by the MC 5. The album was produced by Jon Landau. Recorded at GM Studios, East Detroit, Michigan, it was the MC 5’s first studio album following their live debut LP, “Kick Out The Jams.” “Back In The USA” reached No. 137 on March 21st.
- January 15th, 1970 Atlantic Records release the “A Brand New Me” album by Dusty Springfield. The songs were co-written and produced by Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff at Sigma Sound Studios in Philadelphia. The LP peaked at No. 107 on April 4th.
- January 15th, 1971 A&M Records release “For All We Know” by the Carpenters. The song was written for the 1970 film Lovers and Other Strangers by Fred Karlin, Robb Wilson (Robb Royer) and Arthur James (Jimmy Griffin) and originally performed by Larry Meredith. The record entered the charts in February and reached No. 3 on March 13th.
- January 15th, 1971 Liberty Records release the double album “Hooker “N Heat” by John Lee Hooker and Canned Heat. The album reached No. 73 on April 3rd.
- January 15th, 1971 Chase record the song “Get It On.” Bill Chase was already a well-established lead trumpet player when he formed his own band. He recruited three other veteran trumpet players and vocalist Terry Richards, backed them with a rock rhythm section and created a band which merged both jazz and rock styles. Other songs on the album were recorded in Chicago in November and early December 1970 and released on April 27th. The single entered the charts in May spent thirteen weeks on the singles charts and peaked at No. 24 on July 31st.
- January 15th, 1971 Mercury Records in Britain release “Holy Holy” backed with “Black Country Rock” by David Bowie on 45. Both songs were written by Bowie. The A-side lists the song as a “Blue Mink Production.” “Black Country Rock” was produced by Tony Visconti. “Holy Holy” was issued as a stand-alone single, recorded in November 1970. Bowie rerecorded the song and issued it as the B-side of “Diamond Dogs” in 1974.
- January 15th, 1971 Epic Records release the live LP “Deliverin’,” by Poco. Recorded just after Jim Messina left the group in October 1970, at the Boston Music Hall and at Felt Forum in New York City. The record peaked at No. 26 on February 27th.
- January 15th, 1972 “Cheer” by Baton Rough, Louisiana band Potliquor enters the singles charts. The song was written by George Ratzlaff and the record produced by Jim Brown. The 45 entered the charts in February and peaked at No. 65 on March 18th.
- January 15th, 1972 Elektra Records release “Everything I Own” by Bread on 45. The song was written by David Gates, who sang lead, played violin, bass and guitar, Larry Knechtel played guitar, piano and keyboards, with Mike Botts on drums and James Griffith on guitar and backing vocals. “Everything I Own” entered the singles charts two weeks later and peaked No. 5 on March 5th.
- January 15th, 1972 With the “Madman Across The Water” LP and the single “Levon” still in the American record charts, Elton John begins recording his new LP “Honky Chateau” at Chateau d’Herouville Studio in France. New band guitarist Davey Johnstone plays on the record with drummer Nigel Olsson and bassist Dee Murray. Electric violin parts by Jean Luc-Ponty were taped for two songs. Basic tracks for the album were finished on January 23rd with additional overdubs back in England that included a tap-dancing sequence by Bonzo Dog Band member “Legs” Larry Smith, percussion by Ray Cooper and ARP synthesizer by David Hentschel. DJM Records in Britain released “Honky Chateau” on May 19th, 1972 as Elton John’s fifth studio album. The album reached No. 2 in England. In the US, “Honky Chateau” charted for over a year, sixty-one weeks and peaked at No. 1 on July 15th, the first of seven consecutive No. 1 albums by Elton John in America. The LP featured the hits “Rocket Man” and “Honky Cat.”
- January 15th, 1972 “American Pie” by Don McLean is the No. 1 record in the US.
- January 15th, 1972 Traffic’s “Rock and Roll Stew (part one)” enters the singles charts. The song was co-written by bassist Ric Grech and drummer Jim Gordon, both making their only appearance on a Traffic album. Lead vocals on the song were performed by Traffic drummer Jim Capaldi. The record peaked at No. 93 a week later.
- January 15th, 1973 Dunhill Records release “Ain’t No Woman (Like The One I’ve Got)” by the Four Tops on 45. The song was co-written by Dennis Lambert and Brian Potter. The record spent fifteen weeks on the charts and peaked at No. 4 on April 7th.
- January 15th, 1977 “A Rock And Roll Alternative,” the fifth studio album The Atlanta Rhythm Section, enters the album charts. Released in December by Polydor Records, the album featured the band’s biggest hit, “So in to You.” The record peaked at No. 11 on May 21st.
- January 15th, 1981 Albion Records in Britain release “Stands For Decibels,” the debut album by The dB’s. Formed in New York City in 1978, band members included singer and guitarist Chris Stamey, singer and guitarist Peter Holsapple, bassist Gene Holder and drummer Will Rigby. All four were from the Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Critically, the band is considered a link between 1970’s power pop and new wave music.
- January 15th, 1982 The Police kicked off the North American leg of their one hundred and nineteen date Ghost In The Machine world tour in Boston, Massachusetts, supported by The Go-Go’s.
- January 15th, 1991 Capitol Records released “Maybe I’m Amazed” on 45 by Paul McCartney. The song was written and produced by Paul McCartney for his first solo LP in 1970. A popular album track, the song had never been issued as a single. Backed with “Band On The Run,” the B-side featured a spoken word intro by McCartney that was exclusive to this pressing.
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 11th
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 11th - The Peanut Butter Conspiracy
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.
