Give Vance a Chance Song Clinic

In our latest episode of GVAC, Ronny chats to the prolific and distinctive grammy-winning singer-songwriter, musician, arranger and producer, Bill Champlin. Tune in as he recounts his stints in the bands Chicago and Sons of Champlin, the story behind "After the Love is Gone", the iconic song he co-wrote with David Foster and Jay Graydon, and his feelings about pop music. Listen to the episode on our website https://www.mypart.net/podcastWe had a chat about some of his career highlights and how he feels about more harmonically complex songs v's poppier songs and where the two meet. 

Marc Wallace Jordan was born March 6, 1948 into a musical household in Brooklyn, NY. His dad Charles was a successful Canadian singer who moved back to Canada soon after Marc was born, which makes Marc an American-born Canadian singer-songwriter, record producer, session musician, and actor. Covering a wide variety of genres, he has written songs for a number of well-known artists, including Diana Ross, Rod Stewart, Cher, Bette Midler, Chicago, and Josh Groban, to name a few. In 1977 Jordan reached a U.S. deal with Warner Bros. Records.[1] This period with Warner spawned the Canadian hit songs "Marina del Rey" and "Survival" from the record Mannequin; a second record produced by Jay Graydon called Blue Desert was released 1980, and is regarded as a classic of the West Coast Sound of the period. He was named best producer with Steven MacKinnon at the Juno Awards in 1994 for "Waiting for a Miracle" (from Reckless Valentine). In 2014 the Canadian Film Centre appointed Jordan as the Musical Director of its Slaight Family Music Lab.[2] In the 1980s, Jordan was signed to RCA for two records. Paul De Villiers produced the first, Talking Through Pictures, and Kim Bullard the second, called C.O.W.. In 1988, Jordan sang and co-wrote the theme song to the hit Australian movie Boulevard of Broken Dreams which was nominated for an AFI Award for Best Film. After independently releasing the critically acclaimed recordings Reckless Valentine and Cool Jam Black Earth, he was signed to Blue Note/EMI Canada in 1999, and followed up with two more jazz-oriented CDs, This Is How Men Cry and Make Believe Ballroom. Jordan is also an actor and he made his acting debut in Michael McGowan's 2010 sports musical Score: A Hockey Musical, where he plays Edgar Gordon, a pacifist father who along with his wife (Olivia Newton-John) have a 17-year-old son who has a talent for hockey. He is married to fellow singer-songwriter Amy Sky. They live in Toronto and have a cottage in Muskoka with their two children, Ezra and Zoe. Jordan and Sky are both national UNICEF Goodwill Ambassadors for Canada. He is currently finishing up a duets album with Amy whilst also writing for George Benson’s next record and a handful of cuts on Rod Stewart's upcoming record. He’s also in the middle of his next solo record which features the Prague symphony who also played on his last record "Both Sides"...

This special episode of GVAC features not one, but TWO legendary guests (and old pals), as Ronny chats with esteemed American songwriter, musician, and record producer, Vini Poncia- who’s written gigantic hits for the likes of Ringo Starr, Leo Sayer and Kiss- as well as the great singer-songwriter, Joe “Bean” Esposito- whose songs have been recorded by Donna Summer, Aretha Franklin, Patti Labelle, Stephen Stills and many more. Tune in to hear what it’s like to learn you’re about to record in the studio with the Beatles, what Vini considers his favorite song he’s ever written, and all about the duo’s latest collaboration on their brand new record, “Rhythm “n” the Blues.”

On this week’s podcast episode of “GVAC- Song Clinic,” award-winning songwriter-turned-music-exec, Scott Cutler (Natalie Imbruglia’s "Torn," Beyoncé's "Listen," Brenda Russel’s “Piano in the Dark'') sat down with our host, Ronny Vance, to chat about the most rewarding and challenging aspects of of his storied songwriting career, what ultimately drove him to shift into the business side of the industry, and the qualities he looks for in PULSE Music Group's potential signees.

For our latest episode, singer, composer, and lyricist David Pomeranz- whose songs have been recorded and performed by everyone from Barry Manilow to Missy Elliott- sits down with Ronny to chat about his fascinating career journey, tips for young songwriters, the moment he discovered he was an unlikely sensation in the Philippines, and a whole lot more.

American record producer, songwriter, and three-time Grammy winner, Russ Titelman, is responsible for a number of records that have truly made our lives better. In his riveting conversation with our host, Ronny Vance, Russ describes his journey from unknown songwriter to famed record producer, recalling garnering the attention of Phil Spector while playing guitar in his living room at the age of 13, cutting a George Benson record in his garage, and the wonderful anecdotes behind iconic tracks such as James Taylor's “How Sweet It Is,” Steve Winwood's “Higher Love,” Chaka Khan and Rufus's “Ain’t Nobody," and Eric Clapton’s “Unplugged.”

Our latest podcast episode features legendary musician, multi-instrumentalist, singer/songwriter Artie Kaplan, whose career has definitively helped shape the sound of pop, rock, and RnB music. Kaplan is considered a genius musician whose iconic saxophone solos can be heard on over 150 top-10 songs, including Len Barry’s "1-2-3," Little Eva’s “The Locomotion," the Chiffons’ “One Fine Day,” and The Archies “Sugar, Sugar.” His distinct sound made him one of the most in-demand session players and music contractors of his era, helping him gain recognition of music’s biggest stars. “What a rush that was” he recalls, “to go from oblivion to Nat King Cole.”

This podcast episode is dedicated to the memories of our friends: Allee Willis, Al Schmitt, Tommy LiPuma and Chuck Kaye. With a distinct, eclectic style, and a timeless sound that's been covered/sampled by everyone from Ray Charles, Earth Wind & Fire, and Donna Summer to Tupac, Chance the Rapper, and Ariana Grande, Brenda Russell has made some incredible contributions to music history- none more notable, perhaps, than her work co-writing the gorgeous music and lyrics for the Tony Award-winning hit Broadway musical, The Color Purple. For the latest episode of Give Vance a Chance Song Clinic, Ronny sits down with the legendary singer, composer, and keyboardist to talk about overcoming her songwriting insecurities, the shift from pop to broadway, and the important lessons she's learned along the way.

Larry John McNally's career began in 1981 with the release of his debut album on Columbia Records. Perhaps best categorized as a "Singer-Songwriter-Guitarist", he calls his blend of literary lyrics and blues/folk/jazz guitar style, "Folk-Hendrix". He continues to record and perform both as a solo artist and with his trio in clubs and concert venues from Tokyo to Kokomo. He is well-known in many circles as a songwriter's songwriter. His lyrical guitar-driven songs have been covered by artists from The Eagles, Don Henley to Bonnie Raitt, Rod Stewart, Joe Cocker, the Staple Singers and Aaron Neville. LJM's own recordings are coveted treasures among his devotees and delightful finds for those who happen upon them for the first time. They are filled with songs of passion, angst, city lights, and more, all with the unique ability to create both an aural as well as visual cinematic-like impression.

Ronny's guest today is an old friend who is a songwriter, vocalist, keyboardist and producer. His career has spanned an extraordinary range of styles. Growing up in Philadelphia he developed a firm reputation as a highly regarded session player in the Philly soul and jazz scene. This led to him signing his first artist deal with “Philadelphia International Records”, formed by  “Gamble and Huff”. Since then, Don has continued to write, produce and perform all over the world with some absolute giants, including: Michael Jackson, Robert Palmer, Bill Withers, Sergio Mendes, Chaka Kahn, The Temptations, Larry Carlton, Hugh Masekela, Jeffrey Osborne, Ramsey Lewis, Jon Anderson (Yes), Manhattan Transfer, and the list goes on...