Rockschool
Rockschool was a television series aired by the BBC and PBS on 1 November 1983. The series explored the history of rock music and gave instruction in popular performance techniques.
Rockschool | |
---|---|
Created by | Educational Broadcasting Corporation |
Starring | Herbie Hancock |
Country of origin | United Kingdom |
Original language | English |
No. of episodes | 8 (Series 1) 8 (Series 2) |
Production | |
Running time | 25 minutes |
Release | |
Original network | BBC Two |
Original release | 1 November 1983 – 8 December 1987 |
Aired in the United States by public television station WNET, Herbie Hancock was brought in to host the series for the American market. Hancock presented various topics in a studio classroom setting, interspersed with short lessons from the "Rockschool Band" and interview segments with well-known musicians.
The series was produced by the Educational Broadcasting Corporation and distributed in the U.S. by Lorimar Productions in 1987, as six volumes on VHS tape.
Volume listing
- Rockschool Volume 1: Elementary Equipment and Basic Technique
- Rockschool Volume 2: Blues to Heavy Metal
- Rockschool Volume 3: Funk, Reggae & New Music
- Rockschool Volume 4: Digital Age Hardware
- Rockschool Volume 5: Melody and Soloing - The Lifeblood of Rock
- Rockschool Volume 6: Arrangements - Putting It All Together
Companion books
Two volumes titled Rockschool 1: Guitar, Bass & Drums and Rockschool 2: Electronics, Keyboards & Vocals were published in the U.S. in 1987 by Fireside Books (Simon & Schuster). Volume 1 was previously published in Great Britain by the BBC in 1984. The books were edited by series producer Chris Lent.
Credits
Host: Herbie Hancock (U.S. series) The Rockschool Band
- Guitar: Deirdre Cartwright
- Bass guitar: Henry Thomas
- Drums: Geoff Nicholls
- Keyboards: Alastair Gavin (Series 2)
Produced and directed by: Chris Lent
Guest demonstrators
- Tony Banks
- Graham Bonnet
- Bill Bruford
- Vince Clarke
- The Communards
- John Entwistle
- Omar Hakim
- Jan Hammer
- Allan Holdsworth
- James Ingram
- Danny Johnson
- Gary Moore
- Carl Palmer
- Ian Paice
- Midge Ure
- Dennis Bovell
- Wilko Johnson
- Robbie Shakespeare
- Andy Taylor
Performances
References
http://www.alastairgavin.com/home-ios.html Alastair Gavin (official site)
- Deirdre Cartwright (official site)
- Sarah Jane Morris - has worked with Alastair Gavin and Henry Thomas