Talking with “Heart” Bandmates, Part One

1h 44m · DreamPath Podcast · 07 May 23:18

Roger Fisher

Born in Seattle, Washington on February 14th, 1950, Roger Fisher was the founding guitarist of the rock group Heart, globally known through the sales of more than 40 million albums. Roger has played in every major city in North America many times. He has also toured Europe, Japan, Australia, Uzbekistan and Russia, and performed at massive events in the Czech Republic, Japan, Canada and the United States for more than 300,000 people at a single rock show. He has appeared on a multitude of television shows including Johnny Carson and Jay Leno, and television broadcasts for more than 60 million people in Europe. Songs featuring Roger’s songwriting and iconic guitar riffs have been used in numerous TV commercials, TV shows, Guitar Hero (3 songs), and in several movies, including Charlie’s Angels and Shrek 3. Other artists have covered his material, including Eminem. His timeless anthem guitar intro to Barracuda is frequently used as the lead in for America’s number one rated radio talk show, Rush Limbaugh. Tony Robbins refers to it as part of the turning point in his life. It was also controversially featured by Republican presidential and Vice Presidential candidates, John McCain and Sarah Palin in the 2008 election.

The original line-up of Heart was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2013. His new albums,All Toldand Heart Of The Blues are the first of many new releases with brother Mike, aka Magic Man. The brothers are creating a massive multimedia endeavor, the One Vision Project.

Michael Fisher

Ever since the ’60’s, Mike has been involved in artist development, recording and producing, event production, and designing and building audio systems for touring groups, concerts, and large venues. He was one of the founders of Heart where he oversaw the business until his departure in about 1980. His roles included chief visionary, management, FOH sound engineer, and a producer of Heart. After leaving Heart Michael and his brother Roger built a recording studio and spent several years creating original music and recording other groups while also managing a series of performing bands featuring Roger and other notable musicians. Roger left with former Heart drummer Michael Derosier and bassist Steve Fossen to join a Canadian duo called Alias. Michael formed a sound company, Proshow USA which gave him an opportunity to work alongside some of the greatest entertainers of our time such as Ray Charles, Frank Sinatra, Bob Hope and other notables such as Bill Gates and presidents Bush and Clinton. His company has worked with many of the major artists in the music industry including providing sound production for Nirvana from their first theater shows continuing to their last show. More recently Proshow has focused on very large outdoor events around the country.

Michael and Roger have committed to creating THE ONE VISION PROJECT, an ambitious endeavor that encompasses their life’s work, including an interactive web portal, four albums which draw from a catalog of more than a hundred songs, music videos, an autobiography and more. ALL TOLD was the first release to be followed by Heart Of The Blues, an album inspired by many wonderful trips to the deep south. Their band Human Tribe is performing on tour.

The Brothers have created a brand, Human Tribe, and are promoting quality products that offer something beneficial such as their Human Tribe Tea and Heart Of The Blues whiskey.

What you’ll learn about in this episode:

• Michael explains the evolution of the name of the band.
• Michael shares how his love affair with Ann was the catalyst that brought Heart into being
• Michael discusses life in the early days of the band, with the group living together in a single room in Canada
• Roger shares how Nancy first joined the band despite the wishes of her parents, and he discusses his romance with her
• Michael talks about creating the first studio album, Dreamboat Annie, and getting signed with their label
• Roger discusses his negative experiences with the band Alias and being taken advantage of by the record company and the management
• Roger shares why Michael gained the nickname “The Magic Man”, and he speaks of the remarkable experiences the band shared in Canada
• Roger talks about leaning on Michael to overcome his communication difficulties and learning to deal with his fears
• Roger discusses picking up the guitar at age 15, as a way to keep himself from running with the wrong crowd and getting into trouble
• Roger shares how he developed his unique musical style, and he talks about the motivation for his album, All Told
• Roger discusses the remarkable story of how he met his wife of ten years at an unorthodox performance
• Michael explains the early decision to abandon his education in favor of the band, and he shares how he had a moment of certainty of the band’s success
• Roger discusses the experience of co-writing the Heart’s legendary songs and his method of contributing
• Michael talks about serving as an advocate for band members and for working to keep the band together
• Michael and Roger share their recollections of the breakups that rocked the band and sparked the beginning of the downfall of Heart
• Roger shares the psychological setbacks he experienced with Heart that pushed him to take vocal lessons
• Bryan shares his experiences of meeting Heart through his father, who was a pilot that flew the band on tour
• Michael discusses his memories of Bryan’s father Greg, and he shares stories of Greg saving the band’s lives more than once
• Roger talks about inviting kids to join them on stage through the School of Rock program at their most recent concert
• What projects Roger and Michael are currently working on, including their latest album Heart of the Blues

Additional resources:

• Website:www.rogerfisher.com

The episode Talking with “Heart” Bandmates, Part One from the podcast DreamPath Podcast has a duration of 1:44:19. It was first published 07 May 23:18. The cover art and the content belong to their respective owners.