The Rock Star Chronicles

I refused to simply write about the music and artists that influenced countless generations and millions upon millions of music fans worldwide, that would be way too easy, and its already been done a gazillion times over the years, instead, I brought the actual music legend to the reader. From January 2010 through the present day, I've conducted over 1000 candid interviews with some of the greatest music legends of our time. After reading each interview, it will seem as you're the one chatting with your favorite rock hero. Even though their music lives on … the artists are vanishing and will soon be gone forever! These recent and candid interviews include … life changing events, band feuds that have lasted for decades, love affairs with bandmates, drug induced stories, spirituality, metaphysical beliefs, Woodstock memories, Joplin and Hendrix tidbits, mafia owned record companies, untold stories about The Beatles, royalties issues, management and record company thieving and conniving, political views, conspiracy theories, humorous and tragic anecdotes, transitioning to Christianity and suicide.

WHERE HAVE ALL THE ROCK STARS GONE? Rock and Roll, the Blues, and Jazz are America's contribution to the arts, so why are we not fighting to preserve our own musical legacy and culture? Rooted from the early blues pioneers, the longevity of rock and roll is second to none. But strangely enough those legendary rock heroes that we were so accustomed to hearing every time we turned on our radios had mysteriously vanished from the mainstream. The music of the 1960's, 70's and even the 80's was an important juncture in all of our lives. So many of us timeline life's precious moments with the music we remember, when the music was so great, when the music mattered. The baby-boomer generation is financially imperative yet many of its entertainment standards have been renounced. One day, the plug was pulled on those legendary music artists. Hackers began stealing music across the internet. Online music stores popularized cheap digital singles and neglected to promote full-length albums. Radio stations changed formats to accommodate talk show radio jocks while rappers and electronic dance music menaced the airwaves. Notorious record companies began folding in droves. Record companies and radio stations that were once owned and operated by visionaries were now run by accountants and lawyers and the music world began promoting untalented wannabes. The economy plummeted, and radio stations became more concerned about how many consecutive commercials they could run instead of providing quality radio programming and entertainment value. Radio stations became corporate machines leaving no room for innovation. Throughout the 2000s, recording studios and live performances began using an audio processor called "Auto-Tune" to disguise off-key inaccuracies in vocal tracks. The device allowed virtually anyone without music skills to become a singer and new waves of mainstream radio stars were instantly fabricated. The business of music became stronger and more important than the art of music. For more than a decade, I've been on a rock and roll pilgrimage to help promote and save the greatest music the world has ever known. Before the internet and Napster, virtuoso musicians traditionally introduced their music by way of mainstream radio stations while anxious music enthusiasts hurried to their favorite record stores and purchased a copy of the artist's latest release. Talk radio wasn't popular because there was way too much great music to play over the airwaves. Advertisers didn't rule the airwaves, the music did. Rock legends toured the world to promote their latest albums and prices of concert tickets were extremely affordable. Proficient musicians, singers, and songwriters are what made the music so great.

BIO Ray Shasho published his first novel entitled Check the Gs, a comical and awe-inspiring novel about growing up in the family business. Shasho subsequently released a second edition entitled, Wacky Shenanigans on F Street -Proud to be Politically-Incorrect in Washington D.C. Shasho became a classic rock music journalist. It started out as a fun gig to help promote his book but something very extraordinary transformed. Shasho began covering concerts and music events around the Tampa Bay area and decided to take a crack at interviewing some of the rock music legends that he idolized all of his life. Ray quickly became one of the top music journalists in the country. His online music publications are read by thousands of music enthusiasts daily and Shasho's in-depth interviews, album and concert reviews are featured on artist websites around the globe. More than a million visitors have read Ray's interviews online. Currently, Ray is the director of The Publicity Works Agency, a public relations firm specializing in publicity plans for musicians and authors. Ray is also the host of Interviewing the Legends a very popular show on BBS radio that spotlights exclusive interviews with legendary music artists, authors and celebrities.