Author Archives: Bob Ruggiero

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About Bob Ruggiero

I am a passionate fan of classic rock (and related music) with 35 years experience writing about it for daily/weekly newspapers and magazines. I am also the author of the interview anthology "The Classic Rock Bob Reader" and "Slippin' Out of Darkness: The Story of WAR." Both available on Amazon!

Bloomfield’s Big Book O’Blues

Posted on February 27, 2020 by Bob Ruggiero

BOOK REVIEW Guitar King: Michael Bloomfield’s Life in the Blues By David Dann, 736 pp. , $39.95, University of Texas Press At one point in the mid/late ‘60s, Michael Bloomfield was considered by many as the country’s premiere blues-rock guitarist, … Continue reading →

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Peter Noone is Hardly a Hermit These Days

Posted on February 7, 2020 by Bob Ruggiero

Peter Noone has heard it for years: “You should write a book!” After all, the lead singer of British Invasion band Herman’s Hermits certainly has a lot of stories he could tell. About hanging out with members of the Beatles … Continue reading →

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Michael McDonald and the Sound of His Voice

Posted on January 20, 2020 by Bob Ruggiero

Note: This interview was conducted some months prior to the recent announcements of the Doobie Brothers being inducted into the 2020 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and their upcoming 50th anniversary tour and reunion with Michael McDonald. On “Hail … Continue reading →

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Tom Johnston & His Brothers Doobie Revisit Their Classics

Posted on December 12, 2019 by Bob Ruggiero

Note: This interview was conducted some months prior to the recent announcements of the Doobies making the ballot for the 2020 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and their upcooming 50th anniversary tour and reunion with Michael McDonald. When most … Continue reading →

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Nils Lofgren Talks Solo Record and Time with Lou, Bruce, and Neil

Posted on November 22, 2019 by Bob Ruggiero

Even in terms of rock and roll pairings, they seemed like a truly odd couple of musical collaborators. But more than 40 years ago, singer/guitarists Lou Reed and Nils Lofgren worked on a baker’s dozen of tunes, and nearly half … Continue reading →

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Boz Scaggs’s Got the Blues…But That’s Good!

Posted on November 8, 2019 by Bob Ruggiero

On the surface, actor Matthew McConaughey, writer Stephen Harrigan, photographer Mark Seliger, actress Jennifer Holliday, and musician Boz Scaggs may not have a lot in common. But as of this year, they’ve all got the same thing to display in … Continue reading →

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Robin Wilson of the Gin Blossoms Talks His “Miserable” Legacy

Posted on September 12, 2019 by Bob Ruggiero

 To certain musically-inclined Gen Xers, one of the most formative and beloved albums of the early ‘90s was New Miserable Experience, the second studio effort that became the breakthrough album for the Gin Blossoms. The Tempe, Arizona-based alt-pop-rockers spawned four … Continue reading →

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German Heavy Metal Barons Accept Get “Classy”

Posted on August 28, 2019 by Bob Ruggiero

While he thinks the word “crazy” might be stretching it a bit, guitarist Wolf Hoffman does understand that what he did at Germany’s 2017 Wacken Open Air Festival (the world’s largest annual gathering of heavy metal fans) might have some … Continue reading →

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Funk Brother Dennis Coffey’s Scorpio Rises Again

Posted on August 19, 2019 by Bob Ruggiero

It sounded like the greatest theme song to a gritty ‘70s cops-and-drugs movie that never came out. But in 1971, guitarist Dennis Coffey’s funky, rocking, slashing instrumental “Scorpio” was a million seller, hitting #6 on the Top 40. And it’s … Continue reading →

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Dave Mason’s Rock ‘n Soul Revue

Posted on August 5, 2019 by Bob Ruggiero

In his decades-long career, Dave Mason has been a lot of things. Founding member of the seminal band Traffic (which punched his ticket into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame), hit-producing solo artist in the ‘70s, and collaborator and … Continue reading →

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