This Monday, October 5th, 2026, The History of Rock and Roll is back with another Rock Music Spotlight, taking us across the Atlantic for music and stories from the 1950s, 60s, and 70s.
We’ll travel from the American roots of rock and roll to Liverpool, London, and New York City, exploring the artists, songs, and musical movements that connected the US and UK during three remarkable decades of popular music.
We’ll begin in Liverpool with musician Clark Gilmour, whose repertoire reaches from the rock and roll pioneers who inspired The Beatles to the Fab Four’s earliest Quarrymen days, Hamburg performances, BBC sessions, studio years, and later solo careers.
Along the way, we’ll celebrate music from Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly, Elvis Presley, Little Richard, Carl Perkins, Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones, The Kinks, Gerry & The Pacemakers, The Searchers, and many more. Clark will also take us inside Liverpool’s continuing Beatles tradition and his involvement with International Beatleweek.
Then we’ll head to London with journalist and historian Keith Badman for a look at the British rock scene and the extraordinary artists who emerged from the UK. We’ll talk Beatles, Queen, and other British performers while exploring the music and culture that made London one of the centers of the rock world during the 1960s and 70s.
Finally, we’ll cross back to New York City with author Mitchell Cohen and his new book, Wake Me, Shake Me: New York City, the ’60s & the Pop-Rock Youthquake.
We’ll explore a city where folk, R&B, rock and roll, blues, girl groups, and Brill Building pop collided to create an extraordinary musical era. From Bob Dylan and Simon & Garfunkel to The Lovin’ Spoonful, The Rascals, The Blues Project, Vanilla Fudge, The Shangri-Las, Laura Nyro, Bobby Darin, and Dion, New York had a sound and energy all its own.
Mark your calendars as we travel through three decades of American and British rock music history.
Don’t miss it!
Guest(s) for our show:
Date: Monday, October 5th, 2026
🎸 Clark Gilmour
Originally from Glasgow and now based in Liverpool, Clark Gilmour is a singer and musician with an extensive repertoire rooted in The Beatles and the rock and roll music that inspired them.
His performances journey from The Quarrymen and the Beatles’ early days in Hamburg through their famous recordings and into the solo careers of John, Paul, George, and Ringo.
Clark specializes not only in the familiar hits but also in rarities and lesser-heard material from the Decca audition, BBC sessions, B-sides, album tracks, and Anthology outtakes.
His repertoire also embraces the Beatles’ musical roots, including Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly, Elvis Presley, Little Richard, and Carl Perkins, along with Bob Dylan and British groups including The Rolling Stones, The Kinks, Gerry & The Pacemakers, and The Searchers.
Clark has portrayed John Lennon in Beatles tribute productions since 2009, including Them Beatles, Beatlemania, and The Magic of The Beatles. He has also performed as a stand-in with The Cavern Club Beatles and is involved in organizing International Beatleweek in Liverpool.
🇬🇧 Keith Badman
Keith Badman is a London-based journalist, author, and music historian whose research has documented some of the most important artists and events in British popular music.
Keith joins us to explore the history of rock music in London and the wider British music scene, including stories surrounding The Beatles, Queen, and other major UK artists.
We’ll look back at a period when Britain became one of the creative centers of popular music and British artists transformed rock on both sides of the Atlantic.
📚 Mitchell Cohen
New York author and music historian Mitchell Cohen joins us to discuss his new book, Wake Me, Shake Me: New York City, the ’60s & the Pop-Rock Youthquake, an exploration of the extraordinary musical world that developed in New York during the 1960s.
It was a city where folk music, R&B, blues, rock and roll, girl groups, and the songwriters of the Brill Building existed side by side and constantly influenced one another.
Mitchell will take us into that scene through artists including The Lovin’ Spoonful, The Rascals, The Blues Project, Vanilla Fudge, The Shangri-Las, Simon & Garfunkel, Laura Nyro, Bob Dylan, Bobby Darin, and Dion, revealing how New York became one of the defining centers of the 1960s pop-rock revolution.
Rock Music Spotlight – From the US to the UK
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