Dean Olson’s own contributions to StrongWriter including interviews, music, and articles.
It’s always a great thrill to hear a talented band whose star is rising and starting to shine, and then getting to share that band by getting the story from one of its founding members. The blues-based group, SOUTHERN AVENUE, is born out of Memphis and raised lovingly by its guitar player and prominent songwriter…
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I have the true pleasure of introducing you to a friend of mine who is a sound recording hero with a legion of technical skills. LENISE BENT is a professional engineer/mixer/editor and producer whose diverse skill set includes foreign dubbing and Foley for film. She is also an archivist, instructor, and consultant to musicians and…
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Creative entrepreneur DON CHEREL is a jack of so many trades in the field of entertainment. He’s been behind the camera directing feature films and high profile commercials. He’s also been behind the microphone as an audio engineer and music producer. All the while, Don has been telling stories in some form, and this year…
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The great GEOFFREY MARK returns to finish the conversation and to answer today’s musical questions: “Why did so many of the greatest composers write for Ethel Merman as well as for Fred Astaire? And why did they often want to keep writing songs with these two greats in mind?” Geoffrey does have some authority on…
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Award-winning GEOFFREY MARK is a best-selling author, singer and comedian, and he visits with me for a third time. In his previous appearances, he talked about musical history while promoting his incredible book about Ella Fitzgerald. This time, however, will be slightly different. In this first of two episodes, Geoffrey briefly shares the story of…
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Superstar musician and songwriter MINDI ABAIR took some time to chat with me after finishing her latest album. She’s been recording music for twenty years and over a dozen albums, but this her third studio project as Mindi Abair and the Boneshakers. Mindi shared her musical life story from zero to fifty, as May 23rd…
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The one and only lone sister of the 1980’s family musical group DeBarge is back! BUNNY DeBARGE returns to the program to get the real story out as she defends her family’s legacy from a unauthorized biopic that has been in the works. She is very passionate about protecting the DeBarge name and specifically her…
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ROSLYN KIND and I finish the conversation we started, and it only gets better as it goes along. Rozzie shares from her heart about how her positive attitude and spirituality guided her path through the ups and downs. She recalls her songwriting experience in the eighties when she collaborated on a song called “Light Of…
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ROSLYN KIND is a Brooklyn-raised girl whose singing career follows in the footsteps of her famous sibling. Although there is a family resemblance in voice and style, Rosyln’s alluring personality comes through in song and in today’s interview! She shares briefly about her sister Barbra Streisand’s support, how getting “regressed” helped Rozzie to realize her…
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THOMAS GABRIEL is making his musical dream come true at last, and all at the tender age of 45. He is the oldest grandson of the legendary Johnny Cash, and much like his grandpa, Thomas learned some hard lessons in his life before releasing his debut CD, ‘The Long Way Home.’ Check out Thomas’ story…
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