Let It Roll

"Let it Roll" is a podcast about the history of popular music from the 19th Century to the 21st. Proud part of Pantheon - the podcast network for music lovers.

Music History
Music Commentary
Music Interviews
326
Too $hort, MC Hammer, E-40, Digital Underground...
Host Nate Wilcox and his cohorts Alexei Auld and Eugene S. Robinson discuss the second episode of Hip Hop Evolution’s second season, “Out The Trunk: The Bay" which takes us to Northern California to talk about Too Short, MC Hammer, Digital Underground and a young 2Pac Shakur. Let It Roll is Proud to be a part of the Pantheon Podcast Network.
57 min
327
The 2 Live Crew, Geto Boys and UGK Come Out of ...
Host Nate Wilcox and his cohorts Alexei Auld and Eugene S. Robinson discuss the first episode of Hip Hop Evolution’s second season, "The Southern Way", which looks at the first Southern rappers to make a national impact: Florida’s 2 Live Crew and Texas’ Geto Boys and Underground Kings. Let It Roll is Proud to be a part of the Pantheon Podcast Network.
63 min
328
Ice-T, Eazy-E And N.W.A. Bring Gangsta Rap To T...
Host Nate Wilcox and his cohorts Alexei Auld and Eugene S. Robinson discuss the fourth episode of Hip Hop Evolution "The Birth of Gangsta Rap" which takes us from Schooley D in Philly to Ice T, Eazy E and NWA in Los Angeles. Let It Roll is Proud to be a part of the Pantheon Podcast Network.
61 min
329
Run-DMC, Def Jam and Public Enemy Herald The Go...
Host Nate Wilcox and his cohorts Alexei Auld and Eugene S. Robinson discuss the third episode of Hip Hop Evolution "The New Guard." The show focuses on the dawn of hip-hop's golden age and the emergence of Run-DMC, Def Jam Records, Public Enemy and Eric B. & Rakim. Let It Roll is Proud to be a part of the Pantheon Podcast Network.
64 min
330
The Sugarhill Gang & Afrika Bambaataa Put Rap O...
Host Nate Wilcox and his cohorts Alexei Auld and Eugene S. Robinson discuss the second episode of Hip Hop Evolution "From the Underground to the Mainstream." The episode covers the early New York rap battles caught on bootleg cassettes, Hip-Hop's move from the Bronx to Manhattan and alliance with punk as well as the first hit rap records, The Sugarhill Gang's "Rapper’s Delight", and Afrika Bambaataa’s “Planet Rock.” Let It Roll is Proud to be a part of the Pantheon Podcast Network.
56 min
331
Hip-Hop Is Born In The Bronx: We Dig Hip-Hop Ev...
Host Nate Wilcox is joined by Alexei Auld and Eugene S. Robinson to talk about the first episode of Netflix' Hip-Hop Evolution: The Foundation. The conversation covers DJ Kool Herc, Afrika Bambaataa and Grandmaster Flash. Let It Roll is Proud to be a part of the Pantheon Podcast Network.
56 min
332
Yo La Tengo Surfed The Indie Rock Wave
Host Nate Wilcox and Yo La Tengo biographer Jesse Jarnow discuss the Hoboken band's relentless touring, massive repertoire and how independent radio, record labels and record stores helped them make Indie Rock as big as it ever got. Based on Jarnow's book "Big Day Coming: Yo La Tengo and the Rise of Indie Rock" the conversation focuses on the circumstances that allowed a band this eccentric to attain a degree of mainstream success. Let It Roll is proud to be part of Pantheon Podcasts.
59 min
333
Bing Crosby Ruled The 1940s
Bing Crosby biographer Gary Giddins joins host Nate Wilcox to discuss Bing Crosby’s incredible run during the World War 2 era. The 1940s were a period when Crosby set still-unbroken records for single sales, won an Oscar for his acting, sang for a radio audience in the tens of millions and led Hollywood’s war effort. The conversation focuses on Gary's second book on Crosby, "Bing Crosby: Swinging on a Star: The War Years, 1940-1946." Let It Roll is proud to be part of Pantheon Podcasts.
52 min
334
The Beatles' Story Changes With The Teller
Host Nate Wilcox talks to historian Erin Torkelson Weber about the meta-narrative of Beatles history. Weber is the first to apply the methods of modern historiography to the books about The Beatles in her book "The Beatles and the Historians: An Analysis of Writings about the Fab Four." Join us for a lively discussion of the four major narratives that have dominated Beatles history: The Fab Four Myth, Lennon Remembers, Shout! and the Mark Lewisohn era. Let It Roll is proud to be part of Pantheon Podcasts.
53 min
335
Dolly Parton Had A Vision Of Superstardom Beyon...
Author Alanna Nash joins host Nate Wilcox to talk about her book “Dolly: The Biography.” Nate and Alanna discuss Dolly Parton’s humble origins, almost supernatural talent and precocious drive as well as Nashville’s reaction to the book, one of the first critical biographies written about a country superstar. Let It Roll is proud to be part of Pantheon Podcasts.
50 min
336
Marley Marl, Big Daddy Kane, Biz Markie & The J...
Author Ben Merlis joins host Nate Wilcox to talk about his book “Goin’ Off: The Story of the Juice Crew and Cold Chillin’ Records.” Ben tells Nate the story of one of the top hip-hop crews of the Golden Age and the record label that assembled and promoted them. They discuss the innovative producer Marley Marl, the great MC Big Daddy Kane, the wildcard genius Biz Markie, MC Shan’s feud with KRS-One and more. Let It Roll is proud to be part of Pantheon Podcasts.
51 min
337
Elvis Presley: Decline And Fall
Today Gurdip Ladhar and Justin Gausman of the TCBCast join host Nate Wilcox to wrap up their discussion of Elvis Presley’s life and career based on Peter Guralnick’s “Careless Love: The Unmaking of Elvis Presley” and HBO’s “The Searcher.” Nate, Gurdip and Justin discuss the long, slow dissolution of Elvis Presley in the 1970s, the role of Col. Tom Parker and the work and accomplishments of the falling king. This show is part of Pantheon Podcasts.
108 min
338
Soundgarden Was The Alpha And Omega Of Grunge
Host Nate Wilcox and author Greg Prato discuss how Soundgarden helped build the nascent grunge scene in Seattle, rode it to the top of the charts, broke up, finally reunited and only to endure the tragic death of singer Chris Cornell. This show is part of Pantheon Podcasts.
58 min
339
Glen Campbell, Jimmy Webb And The Greatness Of ...
Host Nate Wilcox and author Dylan Jones discuss how Glenn Campbell and Jimmy Webb, two young men from the Midwest, created one of the world’s classic pop songs. This show is part of Pantheon Podcasts.
48 min
340
London Nurtured Classic Rock, Prog Rock, Blues ...
Nate and Stephen discuss how London suddenly emerged as an incubator of rock music in 1963 and nurtured trends from R&B to Psychedelia to progressive rock.This show is part of Pantheon Podcasts.
60 min
341
Count Basie, Charlie Parker, Big Joe Turner: Ho...
Today Chuck Haddix joins Nate to discuss his book “Kansas City Jazz: From Ragtime to Bebop--A History.” Nate and Chuck talk about the corrupt Kansas City machine and how the vice it fostered produced great American music from Ragtime to Bebop, Count Basie to Charlie Parker. This show is part of Pantheon Podcasts.
63 min
342
Lieber & Stoller Wrote Songs, Produced Records ...
Josh Alan Friedman joins Nate to discuss his book “Tell the Truth Until They Bleed: Coming Clean in the Dirty World of Blues and Rock 'n' Roll”. Nate and Josh talk about Jerry Lieber and his incredible song-writing partnership with Mike Stoller, their work with Elvis Presley, Atlantic Records, the Coasters and much more. This show is part of Pantheon Podcasts.
59 min
343
AC/DC Perfected Hard Rock While Flirting With Punk
Author Joe Bonomo returns to discuss his 33 ⅓ book on AC/DC’s Highway To Hell with Nate Wilcox. Nate and Joe talk about the Aussie band’s mastery of the hard rock format, the tragic death of Bon Scott, the band’s early association with punk rock and how and why they chose to distance themselves from that movement, producer Mutt Lange and much more. This show is part of Pantheon Podcasts.
54 min
344
What Have We Learned From Ed Ward's History of ...
Today special guest scholar and musician Yuri Campbell returns to review the key lessons we learned from Nate’s discussions with Ed Ward about his book “The History of Rock & Roll, Volume 2: 1964-1977 The Beatles, The Stones and the Rise of Classic Rock” This show is part of Pantheon Podcasts.
75 min
345
The Beatles As The End Of Rock & Roll: What Hav...
Special guest scholar and musician Yuri Campbell returns to review the key lessons we learned from Nate’s discussion with Elijah Wald about his book “How the Beatles Destroyed Rock 'n' Roll: An Alternative History of American Popular Music” Nate and Yuri evaluate Wald’s revisionist history of the evolution of popular music in the 20th century and his claim that Paul Whiteman was the Beatles of the 1920s or rather that the Beatles were the Paul Whiteman of the 1960s. Visit our sponsor Adam & Eve for 50% off almost any item, get tons of free gifts AND receive free shipping. Just go to adamandeve.com and type “LIRPOD” at checkout. This show is part of Pantheon Podcasts.
56 min
346
Robert Johnson Revised: What Have We Learned Fr...
Today special guest scholar and musician Yuri Campbell returns, to review the key lessons we learned from Nate’s discussion with Elijah Wald about his book Escaping The Delta: Robert Johnson & the Invention of the Blues.” Nate and Yuri evaluate Wald’s boldly revisionist take on Robert Johnson and debate whether or not Wald succeeded in re-assessing Johnson from the perspective of his peers and contemporaries in contrast with the romantic myth of Johnson long propagated in the folk & rock communities. Visit our sponsor Adam & Eve for 50% off almost any item, get tons of free gifts AND receive free shipping. Just go to adamandeve.com and type “LIRPOD” at checkout. This show is part of Pantheon Podcasts.
55 min
347
The Pre-Punk Seventies: Ed Ward's History Of Ro...
Ed Ward and host Nate Wilcox talk about the bloating of the music biz in the early 70s and the feeling that everyone was waiting on something to happen, Bob Dylan vs David Geffen, the New York Dolls at the Mercer Arts Center and the collapse of Stax Records. Visit our sponsor Adam & Eve for 50% off almost any item, get tons of free gifts AND receive free shipping. Just go to adamandeve.com and type “LIRPOD” at checkout. This show is part of Pantheon Podcasts.
60 min
348
Hard Rock Vs. Soft Rock, AM Vs. FM: Ed Ward's H...
In this episode, Ed Ward and Nate talk about the splits between AM and FM, hard rock and soft rock and John, Paul, George and Ringo. Visit our sponsor Adam & Eve for 50% off almost any item, get tons of free gifts AND receive free shipping. Just go to adamandeve.com and type “LIRPOD” at checkout. This show is part of Pantheon Podcasts.
61 min
349
The Birth Of Reggae & The Funk Revolution: Ed W...
Ed Ward and host Nate Wilcox go into the origins of reggae in Jamaica and survey the funk scene as it stood when James Brown was king and Sly Stone was emerging as his biggest rival. Visit our sponsor Adam & Eve for 50% off almost any item, get tons of free gifts AND receive free shipping. Just go to adamandeve.com and type “LIRPOD” at checkout. This show is part of Pantheon Podcasts.
57 min
350
The Invention of 'The Sixties': Ed Ward's Histo...
Ed Ward returns to tell host Nathan Wilcox about 1969, Woodstock and the invention of “the sixties.” Visit our sponsor Adam & Eve for 50% off almost any item, get tons of free gifts AND receive free shipping. Just go to adamandeve.com and type “LIRPOD” at checkout. This show is part of Pantheon Podcasts.
45 min