Nick Coffer is joined by three artists whose stories span decades of music, resilience, and a shared refusal to take the easy road.
Sarah-Jane Morris opens the episode discussing The Sisterhood and Sisterhood Two — two albums she wrote with guitarist Tony Remy as tributes to the female singer-songwriters who paved the way for generations that followed. She explains why each artist had to be a songwriter first, shares the remarkable stories behind the songs, and reveals how her own turbulent childhood gave her a personal connection to women like Bessie Smith, Etta James and Janis Ian. From a Pullman train riddled with bullet holes to a recording session in Johannesburg on what would have been Miriam Makeba's 90th birthday, this is a conversation full of moments that stay with you.
John Coghlan, the original drummer of Status Quo, joins Nick with half a century of stories and a very clear philosophy: play the song, don't show off. He looks back on the band's relentless touring years, explains why he largely avoided the excesses that consumed others, and shares his memories of the classic lineup reunion — including Rick Parfitt sneaking onto the tour bus with a ukulele for late-night sing-songs. It's warm, funny, and quietly moving.
Finally, Teddy Thompson calls in from New Jersey ahead of his new album Never Be the Same. The son of Richard and Linda Thompson has lived in America for over 25 years, and this conversation finds him reflective — about midlife, about change, and about what gets lost when music stops being real. He talks about Auto-Tune as creative death, explains why he always searches for a live clip before trusting any new artist, and is characteristically dry about the gap between who he sounds like and who he actually is.
Sarah-Jane Morris: The Acoustic Sisterhood — Friday 5 September
John Coghlan with Quo Connection — Saturday 6 June
An Evening with John Coghlan — Friday 28 August
Teddy Thompson — Wednesday 17 June
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