Jim Ryan

Chicago

Music Writer at Forbes

Music Writer at Freelance

Freelance music writer and Chicago-based radio/TV personality. Opinions are my own.

Articles

Jeff Bridges On New Album ‘Slow Magic,’ Improvisation And The Dude

1 week ago | forbes.com | Jim Ryan

By 1977, actor Jeff Bridges had already been nominated for a pair of Academy Awards in recognition of his work on 1972’s The Last Picture Show as well as Thunderbolt and Lightfoot three years later - but music was in his blood.
Patterson Hood On New Solo Album Exploding Trees And Airplane Screams

3 weeks ago | forbes.com | Jim Ryan

Over the course of the last 25 years, few songwriters have examined the human condition in quite the way Patterson Hood has, drilling down on the American experience over the course of 14 Drive-By Truckers studio albums and four solo records.
When Does ‘New Music’ Stop Being ‘New’?

3 weeks ago | barrettmedia.com | Jim Ryan

- Advertisement -First, I would like to thank Jason Barrett and Jeff Lynn for welcoming me to hopefully bring you thought-provoking, interesting topics for the world of Hot AC radio. Am I the most qualified to speak on these topics? Well, you can decide on that from article to article, but like most who have spent time programming in this format, I also have opinions and thoughts. To launch this new venture, I decided to try to answer the question: When does “new” music stop being new?
Billy Corgan On New Podcast ‘The Magnificent Others,’ Storytelling

1 month ago | forbes.com | Jim Ryan

For rocker Billy Corgan, the curious mind and embrace of captivating storytelling that made the Smashing Pumpkins one of the best selling rock acts of the 1990s translates well to the idea of longform interviews via his new podcast The Magnificent Others. For Corgan, the idea is to go beyond the often stale idea of a one-on-one interview, engaging in actual conversations which create compelling character studies.
Billy Gibbons Wraps Up BFG’s Run As ZZ Top ‘Elevation’ Tour Resumes

1 month ago | forbes.com | Jim Ryan

Since 2015, ZZ Top frontman Billy Gibbons has embarked upon a unique solo career, using his rare time away from Texas’ favorite beer drinkers and hell raisers to explore an array of diverse, often percussion heavy sounds.
Mitch Ryder On New Album With Love, Detroit, Approach To Business Side

1 month ago | forbes.com | Jim Ryan

In the mid 60s, Mitch Ryder tallied classic top 10 hits like “Jenny Take a Ride” and “Devil With a Blue Dress On/Good Golly Miss Molly,” recording alongside famed backing band the Detroit Wheels while releasing both singles via producer Bob Crewe’s New Line Records. At that point, Detroit, Michigan was a hotbed for an array of diverse music, with the Motown sound set against that of rockers Bob Seger, Alice Cooper and Ted Nugent as well as punk acts like Iggy Pop and The Stooges or the MC5.
Tom Hamilton On Close Enemies, Aerosmith’s ‘Sweet Emotion’ At 50

1 month ago | forbes.com | Jim Ryan

Following the unexpected cancellation of Aerosmith’s “Peace Out” farewell tour last year, Aerosmith bassist Tom Hamilton would begin working with his longtime bass tech Trace Foster and guitarist Peter Stroud (Sheryl Crow, Don Henley) in the rock quintet Close Enemies.
Buddy Guy And John Primer On Fire As 2025 Legends Residency Wraps Up

1 month ago | forbes.com | Jim Ryan

Since 1989, few winter nights in Chicago have been hotter than the Thursday through Sunday evenings in January and early February which make up Buddy Guy’s annual live performance residency, an incredible run now spanning nearly four decades.
Verboten On Punk Origin Story, Debut Album Four Decades In The Making

1 month ago | forbes.com | Jim Ryan

In the 1980s, Chicago became an unexpected hotbed for punk rock music gurgling beneath the commercial radar, delivering influential acts like Naked Raygun, Rights of the Accused, The Effigies and Big Black (which featured famed recording engineer Steve Albini on vocals and guitar).
George Clinton Leads One Nation Under A Groove As P-Funk Tour Continues

1 month ago | forbes.com | Jim Ryan

Throughout the 1970s, the midwest would prove to be a hotbed for great funk music, with the state of Ohio alone delivering artists like Catfish and Bootsy Collins, the Dazz Band, Zapp and The Ohio Players. Emerging from Chicago, Earth, Wind & Fire would go on to become one of the best selling acts ever, moving nearly 100 million records globally.