StrongWriter on the Radio
StrongWriter On The Radio hosted by Dean Olson is an Amazing Women and Men Of Power show production powered by Raven International. This show is tonic for the soul for the creators of song! Tune in every Friday to hear the newest & latest episodes and get a booster for your musical spirit. On the show, Dean will put the spotlight on a featured guest and discuss songwriting as well as the lives and stories of those individuals who create the music. We all have a song to sing. Yours shouldn’t be kept quiet, especially if the cynics are shouting you down. Let these positive interviews entertain, inform, and inspire you to keep your musical dreams strong!
Episodes
December 3, 2022 • 79 mins
Today marks the third visit of legendary Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame drummer DOUG "COSMO" CLIFFORD - a.k.a. founding member of Creedence Clearwater Revival - to my show. At the tender age of seventy-seven, Doug stills practices and sharpens his drum chops, even if his Parkinson's condition limits his travels and actions. However, he has reached once more into his musical vault and prepared another newly remastered treasure for our e...
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November 30, 2022 • 56 mins
Today's episode gave me the opportunity to visit with a lovely lady country singer whose fairytale career started when she was just into her early thirties. CARLA WILLIAMS was raised in Mobile, Alabama and now resides in Nashville with her husband and four children. She had been singing and recording songs over the last thirteen years, and that included a new project showcasing her apparent vocal similarity to Karen Carpenter. With...
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June 2, 2022 • 106 mins
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July 19, 2021 • 91 mins
SPECIAL EPISODE: STRONGWRITER OFF THE CHART - - Today's episode features my interview with actress/singer/teacher ILENE GRAFF. She is a Grammy-nominated recording artist best known to audiences as Marsha Owens, the mom on the long running ABC comedy Mr. Belvedere. Some of the topics we discussed were Ilene's television, stage and singing career, her thoughts on auditions and her own acting roles, and the story of how she created a ...
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May 5, 2020 • 88 mins
Today's episode features incredible guitarist and songwriter HAMISH ANDERSON from Melbourne, Australia. At 28 years old with two EP's and two albums to his credit, Hamish has been riding a wave of successful music-making and concert gigs, taking him around the world. The latest album 'Out Of My Head,' although released in May 2019, still had plenty of steam to propel his tour into the summer of 2020. Then came a worldwide pandem...
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April 15, 2020 • 68 mins
In today's episode, I met a very special woman who crafts the most intriguing art in the form of alternative pop songs. ELLEN STARSKI is an imaginative singer songwriter whose musical compositions are dreamy and often dramatic. She showcased eleven of these songs into her sophomore project, SARA'S HALF FINISHED LOVE AFFAIR, and was all set to play a couple of promotional gigs... only for a worldwide pandemic to put those plans on...
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April 8, 2020 • 66 mins
The slightly satirical content warning heard at the start of each episode genuinely applies today as I talk music and life with singer songwriter musician COLIN KYFFIN. Indeed, there will be "motivational language" but regular listeners know that it is de riguer for all of my featured guests to inspire listeners with their story. Colin shared stories of his journey through the L.A. music scene starting with the early seventies. His...
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April 5, 2020 • 71 mins
In today's episode, I invite you to savor the musical life of piano based singer and songwriter KATE MILLS. She creates lovely songs with honest lyrics and tells stories from the most recent years of her life with her debut album 'EACH BITTERSWEET DROP.' Kate was raised in Bucks County Pennsylvania and is currently settled in laid-back Astoria, Queens in New York with her husband Joey, but the sound of her album suggests someth...
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April 5, 2020 • 84 mins
Today's episode features a soulful blues artist whose eponymous JASON LEE McKINNEY BAND has been hitting all the right chords with critics and fans alike for about a decade. Jason Lee McKinney is not only a talented singer and songwriter; but having achieved a DBA, MBA and a BA, he also a doctor. And he plays one on stage. In any case, Jason is a hard working busy man, striving to find the proper balance to serve both his family an...
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January 20, 2020 • 71 mins
Today's episode puts the spotlight on a young female singer-songwriter who has toured the country, busked in Galway, Ireland, and yet she hasn't drifted far from her island. What I'm referring to is EMILY MURE's hometown on Roosevelt Island in New York City, the setting in which she and I began to narrate her story. When we get to the part where we discuss her musical career, you are undoubtedly going to enjoy what you hear. For th...
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November 4, 2019 • 57 mins
Today's episode features a man who wears many hats in the entertainment industry. ANSON WILLIAMS earned a special place in the hearts of TV viewers as Potsie Weber on the ABC-TV series 'Happy Days.' After ten seasons in front of the camera on that hit show, Anson continued with many endeavors, including a very successful career directing behind the camera. It was an honor to have Anson as my featured guest to discuss all that and m...
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October 8, 2019 • 77 mins
Today's episode features a self-proclaimed troubadour who, though born and raised in Ireland, is a longtime resident of the Boston area. He is songwriter/musician BOB BRADSHAW and he spent some time sharing his life and songwriting knowledge which was enhanced by the famed Berklee College of Music. He and I talked in detail of his new concept album 'QUEEN OF THE WEST' set for release on September 27, 2019. If you enjoy so-called...
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September 9, 2019 • 106 mins
It's always a great thrill to hear a great band whose star is rising and starting to shine, and then getting to share it by getting the story from one of its founding members. The blues-based band, SOUTHERN AVENUE, is born out of Memphis and raised lovingly by its guitar player and prominent songwriter ORI NAFTALY. He spends some time with me to discuss his band and new album "KEEP ON," but not before he shared his own story. Or...
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August 12, 2019 • 100 mins
Today I had 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 songwriters. Lenise was so gracious to spend about an hour and a half of her time gracing my prog...
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July 22, 2019 • 36 mins
In today's episode, I have a very enlightening interview with DONELLE DADIGAN, founder and president of The Hollywood Museum. She shared briefly how she acquired a once fading landmark, the Max Factor Building, and turned it into a unique historical attraction in the heart of Hollywood, California. Donelle, along with Marion Seabury, founded the José Iturbi Foundation in memory of the great concert pianist who was also Donelle's g...
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July 9, 2019 • 34 mins
On today's episode, I get to learn from someone who had created some of the most influential music at the dawn of L.A.'s punk era. Though, not thrilled to be labelled as punk, EXENE CERVENKA is proud of her 40 year run as a founding member of the band X. She graciously shared some of her experiences with me, even if I was rushing the interview a bit. Her sensibility and wisdom are a combination of out-of-the-box and traditional. De...
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July 1, 2019 • 84 mins
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 finds him taking a fresh approach through songwriting. We talk about his life and the experiences which led to ...
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June 14, 2019 • 62 mins
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.[Part 2 of 2]
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June 14, 2019 • 49 mins
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. In this first of two episodes, Geoffrey briefly shares the story of his life from birth to 2019 as he will figuratively march across the stage as a new sexagenarian. He opens his heart to the show ...
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