The Heros Behind the Hits


Members: $20
Non-Members: $30
ONLINE TICKETS
DATE
October 10
TIME
7:30 PM
WHERE
Pomerantz Hall

The Heros Behind the Hits

OCTOBER 10, 2023  | 7:30 pm 

A unique, entertaining, lively, and informative musical talk show and book reading, from the 2023 Iowa Rock & Roll Music Association Hall of Fame inductee and Lifetime Achievement Award recipient with decades of working with some of the biggest stars in recording history. Jimmy Ryan has recorded and/or toured with the likes of Carly Simon, Cat Stevens, Jim Croce, Paul McCartney, Rod Stewart, Elton John & Kiki Dee, Judy Collins, James Taylor, Luther Vandross, The Doors, Irene Cara, Loudon Wainwright III, Michael Johnson, Jimmy Webb, Andy Williams, Mickey Thomas and many more.

The show begins with Jimmy sharing highlights from his career, illustrated by video excerpts of some of the many hits he has been a part of making. He then picks up a guitar and acts out a series of recording sessions from a mix of artists like The Loving Spoonful, Peter Gabriel, Simon and Garfunkel, The Eurythmics, The Police, The Beatles, and Led Zeppelin. He demonstrates how a song comes into the studio in its raw form, almost unrecognizable from the final record, and with fascinating stories from the recording sessions, musically shows how the studio musicians each add parts that become iconic and essential to the final hit record. Jimmy is also a five-star author with eighty-five stellar reviews of his book, The Superstar Chronicles: Tales of Life Among Rock Royalty.

Upon completing the musical part of the show, he opens the book and reads a few entertaining and never before heard stories of his experiences with rock royalty, told from the first-person perspective. The book gives the reader a seat next to him in the studio, on the tour buses and planes, and in the hotels & concert venues. The experience is as if you were right there with him.

The show closes with questions from the audience, then an opportunity to meet Jimmy and obtain an autographed copy of The Superstar Chronicles. 

Sponsored by: PLAC & IRRMA