Scott Baker, Gary Johnson, Fred Reif, Mike Beattie
104 episodes listed below
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The MMHP989 brings together every style of Michigan Music, its history and backstory with detail. Featuring Dr. J (Gary Johnson) and Sir Fred (Fred Reif), Archivist/Wingman Mike Beattie, along with host, musician/journalist Scott Baker
Based on 6 episodes we listened to · September 2026
Firsthand interviews connect Michigan's musicians, venues, recording practices, and business realities into a detailed regional music history.
Michigan Music History Podcast -- MMHP989 turns regional music history into an ongoing oral record. Scott Baker, Dr. J, Sir Fred, and Mr. Mike lead interview-driven conversations from the Michigan Rock Legends Hall of Fame in Bay City, following musicians and scene figures…
A band asked for a raise; the DJ offered airplay, and you get the better story.
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Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.
A steady local-history conversation that keeps returning to the names and places that shaped the scene.
Drew Abbott traces Michigan rock history at an easy, unforced pace, moving from Mount Clemens and the pull of his family into his time with the Silver Bullet Band.
Michigan venue memories and an overseas Gary Moore tour anchor a loose but vivid account of road life and blues audiences.
This episode moves from Michigan music history to an overseas Gary Moore tour, with Bay City stops like Captain Jake's and the Hamilton Street Pub giving it a rooted, local feel.
A lived-in Michigan rock story that keeps circling back to the people and places that shaped it.
The episode stays with Scott Morgan as a Michigan rock lifer, moving through the Rationals, Sonic's Rendezvous, solo work, publishing, and the practical grind of getting songs into the world.
A grounded local music update that follows Attaboy through a busy year, a Detroit Lions song, and a full-time shift.
Mike Richards and Attaboy are framed as a band in motion, looking back on a year of sessions, songs, singles, and drummer changes while also marking the shift from teaching into full-time music.
A loose, firsthand map of Michigan rock from someone who lived it.
Scott Morgan drops in with the MMHP crew and spends the episode pulling at Michigan rock memory, from the MC5 and the Rationals to Mitch Ryder, Bay City, and the old venues that still hold the scene together.
A loose local talk that ties Michigan roots to how Attaboy thinks about music, business, and purpose.
The episode has a loose, local feel, with Mike Richards talking with the MMHP crew about growing up around Vassar and Reese before the conversation turns to Attaboy and the work behind the band.
A loose, name-rich tour through Bay City music history with collector-level detail.
Dan "Swivel" Sliwinski reads as a well-connected figure in Bay City music history, and the episode leans into that. Recorded live from the Michigan Rock Legends Hall of Fame inside the Bay County Historical Museum in Bay City, it moves through bands, players, local rooms, and…
A steady Michigan music conversation that connects gospel roots, touring, and hard-won practical talk.
Recorded live in Bay City, this episode gives a steady Michigan music conversation with Cherie Williams, moving from her Saginaw church roots to early touring and the long haul of a working singer's life.
Barbara Bacon revisits Ann Arbor in 1969-72, describing a scene she calls “ground zero of radical politics and hardcore rock and roll” and naming the Blind Pig, the Ark, Goose Lake, and Ypsilanti as reference points.
Chuck Bartels names favorite sessions with Tasha Owens, Tracy Cash's "Fierce," and a recent record cut outside Ypsilanti, then explains why a P Bass matters in the studio.
In part two of his interview, Michigan musician Greg Nagy discusses his new album 'The Real You', sharing stories about songwriting, recording with notable producers, and his influences from blues legends like Robert Cray and Albert King.
In Part 1 of this interview, blues musician Greg Nagy discusses his early influences in Flint, Michigan, including seeing Ted Nugent and Cheap Trick, and delves into stories about blues legends like Dr.
Recorded live at the Rock Legends Hall of Fame in Bay City, this conversation follows Cherie Williams and her path through Michigan music.
Mike Richards is back in Bay City.
This bonus episode of the Michigan Music History Podcast features the hosts discussing the decoration of their studio with Michigan music memorabilia, announcing the 2024 inductees to the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Hall of Fame, and sharing updates on their video series and museum operations.
Steve McRae sits down at the Michigan Rock Legends Hall of Fame in Bay City and talks about how music came into the family.
MMHP records live from the Michigan Rock Legends Hall of Fame in Bay City and spends the episode with Dan "Swivel" Slowinski.
Scott Morgan sits down with the MMHP crew at his apartment.
The MMHP crew records live from the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Hall of Fame in Bay City with Mike Richards of Attaboy.
The MMHP crew bring Scott Morgan back for part two and keep the talk tied to the records, the places, and the people around Michigan rock.
Recorded live at the Rock Legends Hall of Fame in Bay City, Michigan, this conversation centers Malcolm Cottle in a Michigan music hangout.
Bobby Baldurama sits down at the Michigan Rock Legends Hall of Fame in Bay City for an easy, unhurried conversation about his years with Question Mark and the Mysterians.
The MMHP in the 989 welcomes Barbara Bacon for a live conversation recorded at the Michigan Rock Legends Hall of Fame in Bay City.
Bobby Balderrama is back for part two.
Ross Helco revisits the Sunday Funnies, including a 1975 breakup, a failed attempt to reunite for the Silver Bullet deal, and the way Gary Quackenbush changed the band’s sound for about a year and a half.
Peter Madcat Ruth says his favorite record is his most recent one, with Peter Mad Cat Ruth's Karma Quartet, a group named from Churchville, Andes, Ripke, and Madcat.
Peter Madcat Ruth traces his harmonica life from Park Ridge, Illinois, to Sonny Terry, Brownie McGhee, and the Chicago blues records that shaped him.
Chuck Bartels traces his bass beginnings in Lapeer, where a cousin’s Christmas bass, "Smoke on the Water," and later "Stairway to Heaven" and "Tom Sawyer" pulled him toward music.
Benny Speer traces Michigan rock history through his father’s clubs, starting with the Military Inn in Dearborn, a castle-like venue he says had 10,000 guns and hosted Jamie Coe on Friday and Saturday nights.
Ed Roth traces his path from a Bridgeport middle-school drum kit and a broken dashboard to a career in music therapy, research, and teaching.
Don Hessel and Spencer Beery lay out the 2025 Hell’s Half Mile Film and Music Festival lineup for Bay City, with live music scheduled September 25–28 and venues including Old City Hall, the Masonic Temple, and the Jefferson.
MMHP in the 989 welcomes Larry McRae to the Bay City museum studio.
Scott Baker and the MMHP crew welcome Drew Abbott to the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Hall of Fame studio in Bay City.
Butch Burden says Amphigas spent years as the house band at the Troy Hilton, where Elvis stayed on the fourth floor and acts like Journey, Little River Band, Patti LaBelle, and George Benson passed through.
Dr.
Drew Abbott uses part two of the MMHP989 interview to revisit Bob Seger years, including the night he says he accepted the Grammy for 'Against the Wind' in New York.
Ross Roscoe-Helcoe traces his path from South Dearborn Heights and Detroit's Herman Kiefer hospital to a first snare drum bought for Christmas in December 1961.
Butch Burden traces Count McColony from a 17-year-old singer in Saginaw to a band built around basement rehearsals on Fulton and a first gig at a Saginaw High assembly.
Host Scott Baker interviews Cliff Duvenois and J.
A podcast exploring Michigan music history, hosted from the Michigan Rock Legends Hall of Fame, with a discussion about the name change of Willie Branch to Tyrone Davis.
A podcast exploring Michigan music history, featuring an interview with musician Andy Reid about his remote recording collaboration service.
Host Scott Baker and guests discuss recent additions to the Michigan Rock Legends Hall of Fame, including memorabilia from Upper Peninsula bands and original posters by Gary Grimshaw.
Host Scott Baker and guests discuss Michigan music history, featuring an interview with John Woolard about his father's musical legacy and personal memories.
Host Scott Baker interviews Michelle about the reissue of Alice Cooper's Carnegie Hall concert, discussing the production and future releases.
Host Scott Baker interviews a musician about their long-gestating album project, discussing its journey from conception to release in the UK and Europe.
Host Scott Baker interviews musician Billy Young about his 20+ year career in the Michigan music scene, including his band Burden and memories of playing in Detroit and Port Huron.
Host Scott Baker interviews musician Patrick Boyer about his new album 'Rust on Lacker' and the decision to release it digitally.
Host Scott Baker interviews Bob Martin about his work with Review Magazine and his deep knowledge of Michigan music history.