Ricky Ross Meets BBC Radio Scotland

Singer-songwriter, Norman Blake, has been making music with his band Teenage Fanclub for over 30 years. He shares stories from his career with Ricky Ross, revisiting songs from their back catalogue of eleven studio albums and discussing how his writing has evolved.
Norman describes the Glasgow music scene from those early days, the band's relationship with Alan McGee from Creation Records, Teenage Fanclub's American success, their musical influences and how everything comes back to The Beatles.

Kim Wilde enjoyed more chart hits than any other British female solo artist of the 1980s. In this extended conversation, she describes her love of pop music and growing up in a musical family. She shares the stories from her 40-year music career including working with her dad and brother, Marty and Ricky Wilde. Kim talks about appearing on Top Of The Pops when she was 18 years old with Kids In America, being on tour with Michael Jackson and David Bowie, her own journey into song-writing and why she gave it all up for gardening.

It's 50 years since Nils Lofgren released his debut album with Grin. As well as a successful solo career Nils is also a member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band. At the age of 19 he played guitar and piano on Neil Young's After The Goldrush album before becoming a member of Crazy Horse. He also co-wrote some songs with Lou Reed. Ricky Ross talks to Nils about his career, songs and being one of the most in demand American rock musicians.

Paul McCartney celebrates his late wife's photography and their love of Scotland in this conversation with Ricky Ross. The Linda McCartney Retrospective was shown in the UK for the first time at the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum in 2019 when this interview was recorded. Paul describes how their family home in Argyll and the people from Campbeltown, inspired this exhibition. Featuring some of Paul's most-loved songs that were written about Linda and the rest of his family.
Linda McCartney became a professional photographer in the mid-1960s, known for her portraits of Jimi Hendrix, The Rolling Stones, and The Beatles. In 1968 she was the first female photographer whose work was featured on the front of Rolling Stone magazine, with a portrait of Eric Clapton. She later became the first person to have been photographed and shot the cover of Rolling Stone. Following her marriage to Paul McCartney in 1969, Linda’s photographs became more intimate and emotional, exploring the natural world, family life and social commentary.

Ricky Ross presents an extended interview with the successful artist who has been performing for over sixty years with The Staple Singers. Mavis Staples talks about her friendship with Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan, Prince and Martin Luther King. In this special programme Mavis describes her career as a gospel & soul singer and a civil rights activist. This conversation was recording during Mavis' first ever trip to Glasgow during Celtic Connections in January 2011.

Steve Cropper was guitarist with the Stax Records house band Booker T & The M.G.'s where he was behind their own hits Green Onions and Time Is Tight. He also co-wrote and produced '(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay' with Otis Redding, 'Knock on Wood' with Eddie Floyd and 'In the Midnight Hour' with Wilson Pickett. Steve Cropper is also mentioned by name, "Play it Steve!" in Sam & Dave's hit 'Soul Man'. He was also a member of the Blues Brothers band and is considered to be one of the greatest guitarists of all time.
In this extended interview with Ricky Ross from his Nashville home, Steve describes his journey into music and making some of the greatest R&B and pop songs of all time.