jerry blavat

Ben Vaughn Part 2

Delaware Valley Revisited

Click here if  you missed Ben Vaughn Part 1

Hey, howzit going everybody? Had enough of this lockdown yet? I know, I know, there’s nothing funny about it and you’re running out of ideas. Well, at least you have me to keep you entertained for a little while. I’m Hal in Philly and this is my podcast. Welcome to it. In case you forgot , it’s called… TALES OF THE ROAD WARRIORS!

If you listened to the last episode, my conversation with Ben Vaughn – Part 1 then you know I ended it wth a kind of a cliff hanger. Ben was telling me that his father would not allow him to have a guitar i the house if he couldn’t get his grades up in school. Well, Ben had a hard time getting better grades, Instead choosing to be a juvenile delinquent. A rebel with an axe to grind, but he couldn’t bring his axe home with him. So, in part two, Ben goes on to tell us how he got around the Vaughn house rules…

Talking Points

No guitar allowed…

E.J. Korvettes

Silvertone guitars

The Relay Shack

The Rambler Revisited

My Essra Mohawk story

The Hippie scene in Philly, 20th and Sansom Street, The Plain Dealer – free underground newspaper

Sugar Cane Harvest in Cuba – Learn more about the  Venceremos Brigade

Songs we thought we had only imagined

Underground Radio, The Marconi Experiment with Dave Herman

John Sebastian was a bad influence on me

Ben and I preach against smoking (Sorry, smokers)

Norristown and the Zep

The Delaware Valley

More on The Geeter

The Mojave Desert

Santa Monica, Rent control, Ocean Park

The Blue Lagune Saloon

Kenn Kweder live shows on Facebook

Music scene in Philly – Past and present, the next generation

Charlie Gracie

World Cafe Live

Coronavirus effect on gigs

Ben Vaughn Links and Resources

Ben Vaughn Official  Website

The Many Moods of Ben Vaughn Podcast on Stitcher

The Many Moods of Ben Vaughn On Facebook

Ben Vaughn Videos

Ben Vaughn & Kim Fowley – Kings of Saturday Night

Ben Vaughn – Rambler 65 – Full Show

Ben Vaughn – My First Band

I Dig Your Wig

Pièce de Résistance

Cashier Girl


Join The Conversation

What was your first concert?
Did it change you life.
Are you a fan of Ben’s Show, “The Many Moods of Ben Vaughn”?
How did it change you life?

Scroll down to the Comments and Leave Some Feedback!


You can help support Tales of the Road Warriors – while you’re on the  website, in a couple of ways. You can can click on the PayHal link and donate any amount through PayPal. Or –  you can purchase an official Tales of the Road Warriors Coffee Mug available through Zazzle. You’ll see a photo of it on every page. Just click on the link and get yourself  one. There’s also an I’m Going For A Drive Travel Mug!

Posted by Hal in entertainers, guitar player, live music, music venues, NPR, podcast, rock and roll, singer songwriter, 0 comments

Ben Vaughn Part 1

A Love Letter to the Delaware Valley

Ben VaughnToday you’re in for quite a treat. I’m talking to Ben Vaughn. If you’re from the Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware Tri-state area, you’re probably familiar with him. He’s been a fixture around these parts for a very long time. As a rock and roll star and as a DJ. Even outside of this area, listeners of NPR radio stations across the country can hear his remarkable, eclectic music on his show, The Many Moods of Ben Vaughn”.

Ben and I talked about music mostly,  but a large portion of this conversation  touched on his good friends and musical influences, Kenn Kweder and Jerry Blavat aka The Geeter with the Heater, the Big Boss with the Hot Sauce. I’d go so far as to say this episode is a love letter – from Ben Vaughn to the Delaware Valley.

We talked for well over an hour, so  after much debate with myself, I have decided, for the sake of our short attention spans, to make this a two-parter. I intentionally ended this show with a slight cliff hanger, like all good serials do. I hope you enjoy this very educational and entertaining conversation with Ben as much as I did. So let’s not keep you waiting…  here’s me, Hal in Philly and Ben Vaughn, sharing a few anecdotes and some memorable – Tales of the Road Warriors!

Talking Points

Recording in a 65 Rambler

Multitracking with two cheap Akai reel to reels

Jerry Blavat aka The Geeter with the Heater, The Big Boss with the Hot Sauce

Aaron Lightman, Billy Joel and Sir Benjamin Quintet… record deals gone bad

Sir Douglas Quintet

Augie Meyers

Bob Malone

Philadelphia music scene in the 70s  and 80s

Cream at the Spectrum and Four Tops at Steel Pier in 1968

Terry Reid

Marijuana and other mind altering substances and the teenage brain

Listening to the radio and musical influences growing up

Grand Ole Opry

Porter Wagner, Wheeling West Virginia

Kit Kats

Kenn Kweder

Cinitoli’s Music

Benny Cintioli, Gus Cordovox, Gus Zoppi, Lenny Apple

Facebook friends, My Space and the internet

The Rambler Hubcap

Tex-Mex and Zydeco

French sense of humor

Kim Fowley

Drummers and their parents

No guitar allowed Go to Ben Vaughn Part 2


Join The Conversation

What was your first concert?
Did it change you life.
Are you a fan of Ben’s Show, “The Many Moods of Ben Vaughn”?
How did it change you life?

Scroll down to the Comments and Leave Some Feedback!


Ben Vaughn Links and Resources

Ben Vaughn Official  Website

The Many Moods of Ben Vaughn Podcast on Stitcher

The Many Moods of Ben Vaughn On Facebook

Ben Vaughn Videos

Ben Vaughn & Kim Fowley – Kings of Saturday Night

Ben Vaughn – Rambler 65 – Full Show

Ben Vaughn – My First Band

I Dig Your Wig

Pièce de Résistance

Cashier Girl


You can help support Tales of the Road Warriors – while you’re on the  website, in a couple of ways. You can can click on the PayHal link and donate any amount through PayPal. Or –  you can purchase an official Tales of the Road Warriors Coffee Mug available through Zazzle. You’ll see a photo of it on every page. Just click on the link and get yourself  one. There’s also an I’m Going For A Drive Travel Mug!

Posted by Hal in entertainers, guitar player, live music, NPR, rock, rock and roll, singer songwriter, 0 comments