Showing results by narrator "Greg Prato" in All Categories

Place any musical style in front of Faith No More, and seemingly, a timeless song of their own would soon be created. Between 1985-1997, Faith No More issued six full-length recordings (including such classic titles as "The Real Thing" and "Angel Dust") and in the process, influenced countless musicians throughout the world.

On October 16, 2025, the rock world lost one of its true icons – when Ace Frehley passed away at the age of 74. As the original "Spaceman" and lead guitarist in Kiss, Frehley inspired and influenced countless other guitar players in his wake. Serving as a member of the band throughout the '70s (an era in which the masked and costumed group became one of the most popular and successful rock acts), Frehley penned and/or sang many a Kiss classic, including "Cold Gin," "Strange Ways," "Shock Me," "Rocket Ride," and "2000 Man."

Grunge Is Dead weaves together the definitive story of the Seattle music scene through a series of interviews with the people who were there. Taking the form of an “oral” history, this books contains more than 130 interviews, along with essential background information from acclaimed music writer Greg Prato.

Grunge’s golden era gave us some of the greatest rock voices of all-time–Chris Cornell, Kurt Cobain, Layne Staley, Eddie Vedder, and of course, Mark Lanegan. During a recording career that spanned several decades, Lanegan’s unmistakable and instantly-recognizable vocals were featured on classic recordings as a member of various groups (Screaming Trees, Queens of the Stone Age), plus collaborations (Isobel Campbell, Greg Dulli), guest spots (UNKLE, Soulsavers), and steady solo work.

One of the most tragic stories of the 1990s rock world was that of singer Shannon Hoon and his band, Blind Melon. Despite scoring one of the decade’s most enduring singles and videos, “No Rain”, and a quadruple-platinum hit with their 1992 self-titled debut album (in addition to touring alongside rock’s biggest names), Hoon could not overcome a dangerous drug addiction.

To many, Tommy Bolin was the legitimate heir to Jimi Hendrix's rock guitar throne. Stints with the James Gang and Deep Purple - as well as solo albums and a groundbreaking release with jazz-rocker Billy Cobham - certainly proved that the adulation was rightly deserved. And with a techno-color fashion sense, he certainly stood out from the pack. Only one problem, Tommy had a death-defying drug addiction, which ultimately would lead to a premature and tragic end - before he was able to truly take his standing among the elite musicians of the world.

When Ritchie Blackmore left Deep Purple in 1975, many a rock n’ roll fan was left befuddled. Why would one of rock’s top guitarists leave one of the world’s most popular bands? Regardless of the reason, listeners would ultimately be thankful, as Blackmore soon launched Rainbow - a band that rocked just as ferociously as Purple, whose music has proven to be timeless and incredibly influential on subsequent heavy metal bands.

No period in the history of rock music offered such an abrupt shift in prevailing tastes as the 1990s. While just a short while before, radio and MTV were clamoring for hair metal bands, suddenly alt-rockers such as Jane’s Addiction, Nine Inch Nails, Faith No More, Primus, Smashing Pumpkins, and of course, Nirvana, brought a sea change not just in what the most popular bands sounded like, but also in fashion, politics, and seemingly all aspects of pop culture.

Despite being one of the biggest metal bands by the dawn of the '90s, many of Megadeth's members battled personal demons. And in some cases, defied death–during which time many members came and went within their line-up. The World’s State-of-the-Art Speed Metal Band: The Megadeth Story 1983-2002 focuses on the era of the band that many consider to be their best.

Today, yacht rock is one of the most celebrated "yesteryear" styles of pop music, and has resonated with a new generation of musicians. But despite all the hoopla, there has never been a book that told the entire story of the genre. Until now. Featuring interviews with many of the heavy hitters of the genre, including John Oates, Kenny Loggins, and Don Felder, The Yacht Rock Book leaves no sail unturned. This is the definitive story of the yacht rock’s creation, rise, chart-smashing success, fall, and stunning rebirth.

Scott Weiland: Memories of a Rock Star features nearly 30 all-new interviews conducted exclusively for this book, including members of bands that toured with STP (Megadeth, Meat Puppets, Blind Melon, etc.), worked with Scott (Scott's autobiography co-author David Ritz, video directors Kevin Kerslake and Josh Taft, producer/engineer Chris Goss, etc.), or were friends and/or admirers of Scott's music (Richard Patrick, Bob Forrest, Matt Pinfield, Eddie Trunk, etc.). Get ready for an honest and accurate portrayal of Scott Weiland!

There have been seemingly countless “Greatest Rock Guitarists” lists assembled over the years - for articles or books. But...what about bassists? In The 100 Greatest Rock Bassists, author/journalist Greg Prato courageously attempts to level the playing field, single-handedly. In addition to counting them down from the bottom to the top, each entry contains info on each player. Also featured are 10 all-new interviews for this book, with some of the greatest rock bassists of all time.

There have been countless books penned about the leading grunge bands - namely, Nirvana and Pearl Jam. But strangely, few have been assembled about the mighty Soundgarden. But this all changed with the arrival of Dark Black and Blue: The Soundgarden Story. Written by author/journalist (and longtime Soundgarden fan) Greg Prato, the audiobook tells the Seattle band’s complete story - beginning with its members pre-SG days, all the way to today.

The Eric Carr Story is the first-ever book to tell the life story of Kiss drummer Eric Carr. Comprised of all-new interviews, the book also doubles as a study of 1980s era Kiss. You'll find insight into all of Kiss' albums that featured Carr (from producers Bob Ezrin, Michael James Jackson, and Ron Nevison), as well as those closest to him (sister Loretta Caravello, girlfriend Carrie Stevens, Kiss guitarist Bruce Kulick), and music-related friends (Eddie Trunk, Dream Theater's Mike Portnoy, Anthrax's Charlie Benante).

For a spell during the early ’90s, it seemed like every month (week?) brought another new, outstanding, original-sounding alt-rock artist to discover–or a now-classic album hitting the record store racks. The Smashing Pumpkins were certainly one shining example.

There have been few times in modern music history that an instant shift in how we listen to - and view - music has occurred. However, the launch of MTV on August 1, 1981, was certainly one such occurrence. Instantly, music fans were now “listening with their eyes” rather than relying solely on their ears.

During the mid ‘80s, Ratt was one of the biggest hard rock/heavy metal bands in the United States. Turn on MTV, and it was seemingly only a matter of time until a Ratt video was aired. Visit your local newsstand, and you were sure to detect a Ratt band member on the cover of one of the leading rock mags. Take a gander at the album charts, and one of their platinum (or platinum plus) LP’s would have been easy to spot.

In 2008, Greg Prato issued his first ever book, A Devil on One Shoulder and an Angel on the Other: The Story of Shannon Hoon and Blind Melon, which, as its title states, retraced the life and career of one of rock’s greatest – yet tragic – singers/performers of all time. In the ensuing years, Prato crossed paths with several key figures who were not interviewed for Devil/Angel....These interviews now serve as the basis for a follow-up book, Shannon.

Renowned guitarists (or experts) discussing “tools of the trade” in their own words serve as the basis of Iconic Guitar Gear. Jimi Hendrix, Eddie Van Halen, Randy Rhoads, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Brian May, Tony Iommi, Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, John Lennon, Kurt Cobain, Johnny Ramone, The Edge, Gary Moore, Alex Lifeson, Billy Sheehan, Les Claypool, Mike Watt…the list goes on and won’t let you down! If you’ve ever pondered what rock’s top guitarists and bassists favor gear-wise (instruments, amps, effects), then Iconic Guitar Gear is most certainly the book for you.

By the mid/late '80s, Iron Maiden was unquestionably one of the biggest heavy metal bands on the planet - regularly headlining arenas/stadiums, each new album rocketing up the charts, and t-shirts sporting their ghastly mascot (Eddie) were one of the most popular fashion statements by metalheads. But by this point of their career, most of the band members were different than the ones that appeared on their classic 1980 self-titled debut album, while musically, they had transformed from a raw "punk metal" sound to a more refined "prog metal" approach.