Step into the whirlwind journey of Fleetwood Mac, where relationships intertwine, songwriting flourishes, and musical evolution knows no bounds. We delve deep into the band's captivating narrative. In this rollicking episode, you'll learn:

• The origins of the band in England in the 1960s as a blues band featuring a very different lineup
• How the founder suffered a severe mental health decline that altered the course of the band
• How the aristocratic son of a Royal Air Force commander went from a window cleaner to Fleetwood Mac leader
• How one band member left the band to join a cult
• How a trip to the grocery store led to the discovery of soon-to-be superstars Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham
• The revealing true meaning of 5 of their most famous songs based on Mark Blake's interviews with the band

Join host Dave Anthony and Fleetwood Mac author Mark Blake for the fascinating story behind Fleetwood Mac's journey from the pubs of England to become a US and global phenomenon. Picture this: a plot straight out of a gripping soap opera, where band members forge romantic connections, battle with addiction, weather breakups, and witness a revolving door of musical talent. And at the heart of it all lies Fleetwood Mac, a band synonymous with drama and musical brilliance.

Guest Bio:
Mark Blake is the author of the soon-to-be-released Dreams: The Many Lives of Fleetwood Mac and has interviewed each member of Fleetwood Mac several times over the decades. He has also written books on Queen, Led Zeppelin, The Who, and Pink Floyd.

Follow Garage To Stadiums (GTS) on social channels

• All social channels for Garage to Stadiums
• Share this episode with this link
• Follow GTS on Apple or Spotify podcasts

Bonus Content:

1. Download the Official Garage to Stadiums Fleetwood Mac playlist on Apple Music or Spotify
2. Visit GaragetoStadiums.com for bonus content on Fleetwood Mac, including concert footage, transcripts and other interesting facts.

In this episode, you will experience the sights and sounds of the mid-1960s London scene version of Fleetwood Mac, typified by this performance on the BBC from the era. Blake reveals the incredibly random way Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham were discovered and went from a folk performing duo on their first album to becoming additional band members, contributing powerful songwriting, vocal harmonies, and Buckingham's blazing guitar. These two were directly responsible for massive hits like Rhiannon, which was seen HERE in a scorching live performance in 1976 on NBC’s music show Midnight Special.

Fleetwood Mac's journey had its share of challenges amid the musical triumphs. Mark Blake paints a vivid portrait of the band's dynamic personalities, fueled by passion, breakups, tension, drug use and the occasional thrown drink. Yet, from this cauldron of creativity emerged an album born from chaos yet etched into the annals of music history as one of the Top 10 albums of all time.

Original Air Date: 2024

Host: Dave Anthony

A top 5% of podcasts in the world, Garage to Stadiums is a podcast for true music fans — the ones who want more than just headlines and hype. This show is for listeners who care about the full story behind the artists: their childhoods, musical influences, early gigs, personal battles, journey to stadium-level fame and the drama in between.

Why are we different? In each episode host Dave Anthony features guests who know their stuff and bring real insights from their time with the performers — from respected rock journalists to documentary filmmakers.

If you want smarter music commentary and behind-the-scenes stories you won’t hear anywhere else, subscribe now and get your backstage pass to music history.

Travel back to early 1960s Motown when an 11-year old child prodigy mysteriously appeared on the scene. Stevie Wonder rose from deep poverty, a fractured home and a significant physical disability to become one of the most influential musicians of all time. As you will hear, he was also a master of innovating new sounds, producing hits across many musical genres - soul, R'n'B, rock, reggae, pop, funk and more. In this episode you'll learn:

1. The incredible story of Stevie's birth and difficult family life
2. How Motown records was formed by an unexpected source, and then discovered Stevie
3. The ultimatum by a young Stevie that changes his economic situation
4. How a knock on a random door in New York resulted in Stevie's greatest albums
5. How a terrible accident changed Stevie forever
6. About his diverse set of hits from various genres

Want to learn more music history?
Subscribe to our bonus Garage to Stadium content across our social + web channels

Guest Bio - Paolo Hewitt has followed Stevie's career for decades. Paulo was a writer for UK music magazines, New Musical Express and Melody Maker, where he both interviewed Stevie Wonder and reviewed several of his albums. Paulo has also written extensively about the hiphop scene and has authored books on several artists. He appeared on two very popular Garage to Stadiums episodes to discuss the careers of David Bowie and Oasis.

Summer's here, time to crank some guitar riffs like only AC/DC can create. We're revisiting one of our most electrifying episodes: The Story of AC/DC. From gritty Sydney pub gigs to conquering stadiums worldwide, AC/DC's rise is one of rock’s most powerful journeys. Along the way: tragedy, reinvention, and some of the most iconic riffs ever recorded. This episode dives deep into the real story behind the band’s rise, with song clips from every era. You'll discover:

• The fascinating origins of the band name AC/DC
• How The Rolling Stones played a role in developing AC/DC’s sound
• How a boyband singer helped evolve AC/DC’s music
• Why guitarist Angus Young created his trademark schoolboy outfit
• How tragedy has impacted and evolved the band
• Who helped the band create one of the Top 5 selling albums of all time

Whether you're a lifelong fan or just cranking "Back in Black" on your summer road trip, this episode hits all the right notes.

Guest Bio:
Martin Popoff has written more record reviews than anybody in the history of music. That number, incredibly, currently stands at 7900 reviews. He has authored 120 books on hard rock, classic rock, and punk. Martin is a sought after researcher having contributed to the various rock documentaries broadcast on VH1. This interview is based on his recent book AC/DC at 50.

Follow Garage To Stadiums' social channels

• Share this episode with this link
• Follow GTS on Apple or Spotify podcasts
• Follow GTS on Instagram
• Follow GTS on LinkedIn
• Sign up for the Garage to Stadiums e-newsletter to get more bonus content

Bonus Content:

1. Download the Official Garage to Stadiums AC/DC playlist on Apple Music or Spotify
2. Visit GaragetoStadiums.com for bonus content on AC/DC, including concert footage, transcripts and other interesting facts.

Original Air Date: 2024

Host: Dave Anthony

One of our most beloved episodes returns—an unforgettable journey into the life of a legend. Discover how Bob Marley rose from the streets of Trenchtown, one of Jamaica’s poorest neighborhoods, to become a global icon whose music and message continue to inspire millions.

Renowned reggae historian John Masouri, author of Simmer Down: Marley-Tosh-Livingston, joins us to trace Marley’s extraordinary path. From the birth of reggae to his fearless political activism. Tune in to hear his music forever changed the world. You’ll learn:

1. The shocking age gap between Bob Marley’s white father and Black mother — and how being mixed-race shaped Bob’s fight for identity in Jamaica.
2. Bob didn't start with reggae — discover the surprising genre he first chased.
3. How reggae fused American R&B, ska, and island rhythms into a revolutionary new sound.
4. Why gunmen tried to silence Bob — and how he survived an assassination attempt with gunshot wounds.
5. The unexpected African emperor who inspired Bob’s Rastafarian faith — and the dreadlocks that became his signature.
6. The Bob Marley album TIME magazine crowned the greatest music of the 20th century — and why it still resonates today.

Bob Marley is an international superstar who has reached the top of the musical and political worlds. Incredibly, he has won a UN humanitarian award for his political efforts and one of his albums was voted the best album of the 20th Century.

Guest Bio
John Masouri is a distinguished reggae historian and the author of several books on the genre including the definitive text on Bob Marley's life Simmer Down: Marley-Tosh-Livingston. John is a highly acclaimed author and music journalist specializing in reggae and dancehall genres for more than 35 years. John's work has appeared in Music Week, The Guardian Observer and New Musical Express (NME).
But his incredibly productive life did not begin this way. Nor did his music career begin with reggae. To hear more about Bob Marley's surprising and uplifting story, listen to this engaging episode to understand how and why he achieved his international superstar status.

Follow Garage to Stadiums (GTS) on social channels

• Share this episode with this link
• Follow GTS on Apple or Spotify podcasts
• Download our official killer playlists for each performer on Apple or Spotify
• Follow GTS on Instagram
• Follow GTS on LinkedIn
• Sign up for the Garage to Stadiums e-newsletter to get more bonus content

It's the summer of 2025 & Bruce Springsteen has just released 7 - yes, seven - new albums containing 83 unreleased songs! And he's on a global tour. Learn his incredible backstory from our classic episode from our archives. Experience his hardscrabble New Jersey childhood to becoming what Bono of U2 called the "John Steinbeck" of music with his lyrics on life in working class towns and the hopes, dreams and struggles of everyday people. Our guest was Peter Ames Carlin, author of the New York Times bestselling book Bruce and the upcoming book Jungleland, the story of the making of the classic Bruce album Born to Run.

In this episode, you'll hear:

1. How Bruce grew up poor in a dysfunctional family with significant mental health issues
2. The proto-metal music that he played in a previous band
3. How his record label threatened to cut him unless he delivered a hit - resulting in one the top albums of the 1970's
4. How a Rolling Stone writer not only changed his destiny but became his manager
5. How the characters in his town infused his many poignant songs
6. How he played a vital role in both AIDs awareness and New York's 9/11 recovery

Guest Bio:
Peter Ames Carlin is a journalist, critic and author of the New York Times best-seller called Bruce and is working on an upcoming book on the 50th anniversary of Bruce Springsteen's Born to Run album. His work has been published in the New York Times Magazine, the Los Angeles Times Magazine, and the Times in the UK.

Follow Garage to Stadiums (GTS) on social channels

• Share this episode with this link
• Follow GTS on Apple or Spotify podcasts
• Follow GTS on Instagram
• Follow GTS on LinkedIn
• Sign up for the Garage to Stadiums e-newsletter to get more bonus content

Bonus Content:

1. Download the Official Garage to Stadiums Bruce Springsteen playlist on Apple Music or Spotify
2. Visit GaragetoStadiums.com for bonus content on Bruce Springsteen, including concert footage, transcripts and other interesting facts.

Written from the everyday person's perspective, Springsteen songs like Born to Run, Thunder Road, Promised Land and Hungry Heart are mini-movies that put you squarely inside the main character's mind as they navigate life. As Bono of U2 said when he inducted Bruce into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1999, "if John Steinbeck could sing…".

The themes are as familiar as the American fabric: racing cars, highways, run-down factories, failed relationships, hopeful dreams, desperation, and redemption. Bruce helped create the American songbook of the ordinary person facing life milestones and challenges.

As you will hear, his songwriting was driven home with legendary concert performances that leave audiences in awe, lasting at least three hours and sometimes stretching to four. Bruce's philosophy seems to be: if hard-working people are going to spend hard-earned dollars to see me play, I'll make sure they get their money's worth. His work ethic on stage fits his working-class image. Or, as our guest, Peter Ames Carlin calls him, "a blue-collar troubadour".

Peter also describes in detail the impact of Bruce's father's mental health challenges on the family, which affected the family's finances and reputation in the community. He also outlines Bruce's later mental health struggles, as Bruce describes in this interview.

Incredibly 40 years ago this week in July 1985, Queen and Freddie Mercury astonished a global audience at the Live Aid concerts for African famine relief. An all star cast of the world's greatest bands performed that day, yet this was the moment that Freddie Mercury and crew blew everyone away and demonstrated that they remained one of the best live bands ever. As part of our summer programming, we are dropping some of our classic episodes and The Story of Queen is one of them.

Hear the incredible story of how Queen was started by a refugee immigrant and his new English friends and went from college band to stadium juggernaut selling 300 million albums worldwide. This versatile band moved effortlessly across genres like heavy rock, sumptuous ballads, funk & dance sounds, and even pop sounds. In this episode:

• How a family desperately fleeing an African revolution brought the future lead singer to England
• How a astronomer, dentist and engineer each wrote multiple hit songs for the band
• When Freddie's early voice was compared to a "bleating sheep" by a fellow band member
• How Queen was duped into a questionable management contract and the vicious hit song that resulted
• How one of their biggest hits resulted from a chance encounter with a famous studio visitor
• The backstory of the legendary performance at the 1985 Live Aid concert
• The details of why Freddie Mercury acted as an emergency roadie for David Bowie early in Bowie's career

Guest Bio - Mark Blake, journalist & author
Author and music journalist Mark Blake is the author of several books on Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd and The Who. He is an authority on the band Queen spending countless hours interviewing members of the band for his books Is this the Real Life: The Untold Story of Queen and Magnifico: The A to Z of Queen.

About Garage to Stadiums
One of the Top 5% podcasts in the world, Garage to Stadiums is a podcast for true music fans — the ones who want more than just headlines and hype. This show is for listeners who care about the full story behind the artists: their childhoods, musical influences, early gigs, personal battles, journey to stadium-level fame and the drama in between.

Each episode features guests who know their stuff and bring real insights from their time with the performers — from respected rock journalists to documentary filmmakers. If you want smarter music commentary and behind-the-scenes stories you won’t hear anywhere else, subscribe now and get your backstage pass to music history.

Follow Garage to Stadiums (GTS) on social channels
Want more music history? Subscribe to our bonus Garage to Stadium content across our social + web channels

Bonus Content:

• Download the Official Garage to Stadiums The Doors playlist on Apple Music or Spotify
• Visit GaragetoStadiums.com for bonus content including concert footage, transcripts and other interesting facts.

As Oasis hits the road for their global ‘Oasis Live ‘25 Tour’ we revisit the chaos, charisma, and culture-shifting moments of their original rise with this 2024 episode from our archives. Our guest is music journalist and author Paolo Hewitt, who had a front-row seat—literally and figuratively—on Oasis’ 1994–1996 world tour. He didn’t just cover the story; he lived it. As Noel Gallagher put it, “Paolo is the only person to speak about what it was like on the road with us because he’s been there. He’s been there, he’s seen it, he’s done it.”

Paolo takes us behind the scenes of the band’s meteoric ascent, sharing what it was really like to be caught in the whirlwind of Noel and Liam Gallagher's unpredictable energy, backstage madness, and the making of rock 'n' roll history.

In this episode, you'll hear:

1. The incredible challenging childhood that the brothers overcame
2. The secret formula that allowed Oasis to attract fans across several genres of music
3. How 80's acid house dance music influenced the Oasis sound
4. How they became the hottest band in a matter of months leading the way for the rise of "Britpop"
5. Insider tales from our guest who witnessed their infamous tours and legendary brother-on-brother arguments

Subscribe for more music history
Subscribe for more compelling music history with our bonus Garage to Stadium content across our social + web channels

Guest Bio - Paolo Hewitt, author & journalist
Author and music journalist Paolo Hewitt is the author of 26 books covering a variety of subjects, from music to football to fashion. Two of his biggest sellers are Getting High: The Adventures of Oasis when he spent considerable time with the band during the 1994 to 1996 period and Forever The People, his account of the band's notorious Be Here Now tour in 1997-98. He was even asked to write a poem that appears on the inner sleeve of the (What's the Story) Morning Glory? that sold 22 million copies.

Oasis has sold an incredible 75 million albums internationally and is now gearing up for its triumphant return to touring. Oasis is notorious for for its brashness, antics and swagger. However their talent is clear in the creation of their Britpop sound which was inspired by the music of The Beatles, David Bowie and The Who and more modern influences like The Stone Roses and The Smiths. The result: memorable, melodious stadium-ready songs that dominated the charts, and sound just as current today.