Marvin Gaye has often been referred to as a musical genius. Gaye is credited for helping shape the sound of Motown music and earned the nicknames the Prince of Soul and the Prince of Motown. When Marvin Gaye's record "What's Going On" came out in 1971, unemployment was at a high of 6%, people were protesting police brutality, and Americans were ang…

Dubbed the “King of Hollywood,” 'Gone with the Wind' actor Clark Gable epitomised Hollywood's Golden Age, and was a legend for his on- and off-screen romances. Clark Gable initially had a hard time getting Hollywood roles due to his big ears. However, after signing with MGM, he was cast alongside stars like Greta Garbo and Joan Crawford, and his po…

As vocalist with Australian rock band AC/DC, Bon Scott played a critical role in the band’s journey from suburban hotels to international stadiums. On the night of February 19, 1980, Scott, climbed into the backseat of a parked car in London. Scott had always been a heavy drinker, even by rockstar standards. On this particular night, he’d been indu…

Ever since he was found dead in the Chateau Marmont hotel in Hollywood, his heart stopped by an overdose of cocaine and heroin, John Belushi has become synonymous with hedonism, appetite and excess – not dissimilar to his memorably greedy character Bluto in Animal House. Belushi was at the height of his career in 1982, which is a dangerous place to…

Few films enjoy the cult status and enduring popularity like The Wizard of Oz. This 1939 American musical fantasy by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) is considered one of the greatest cinema masterpieces in history. However, when it came to creating the movie, everything wasn’t rainbows and poppy fields. On Aug. 15, 1939, Hollywood premiere of the film cl…

The mustache, the smirk, the dimples, and the apple-seed eyes - these 8 x 10 glossy attributes were the late Burt Reynolds’ impish stock and trade. He was, in short, a one-size-fits-all movie star straight out of old Hollywood. His easygoing nature and ladies' man reputation made him enormously popular with audiences, which he parlayed into a strin…

In a country that has idolised and even immortalised its 20th century heroes, from Charles Lindbergh to Elvis Presley, no one more embodied the American dream of fame and fortune, or created a more enduring legend than Joe DiMaggio. He became a figure of unequaled romance and integrity in the national mind because of his consistent professionalism …

Sam Cooke - known as "the inventor of soul music”. He possessed "an incredible natural singing voice and a smooth, effortless delivery that some say has never been surpassed". Cooke's pioneering contributions to soul music contributed to the rise of Aretha Franklin, Bobby Womack, Al Green, Curtis Mayfield, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, and Billy Pres…

Buddy Holly was one of the most influential singer-songwriters of the 20th Century. His music has left an indelible impression. Holly was well-versed in a number of musical styles and early on in his career became a seasoned performer. Holly was a continuous innovator; he wrote his own music and was among the first to use unconventional studio meth…

Keith Moon was rock’s wildest character in the Sixties and Seventies, an unapologetic freewheeling hedonist whose lifestyle became synonymous with the mad, carefree image of the rock star at large. He courted the press and became notorious as ‘Moon The Loon’, the incorrigible clown who respected no authority whatsoever and never knew the meaning of…

Few people have had a more profound influence on pop culture and music than John Lennon. With Paul McCartney, he's one half of arguably the greatest songwriting partnership of all time. With the Beatles, he claimed to be "more popular than Jesus." He was one of the most famous anti-war advocates of his time, and his solo career spawned such time-te…

Around 7:30 a.m. on the 29th November 1981 the body of Hollywood star Natalie Wood was discovered floating face down in the Pacific Ocean near Catalina. She was wearing a flannel nightgown, blue wool socks, and a red down jacket. The rubber dinghy from her yacht Splendour was found washed up on the rocks a little further south. There are few Hollyw…

There’s a reason why the name Al Capone is still so well known today. The stout, cigar-chomping mobster has inspired countless films, pieces of literature, musicians, and, of course, criminals. While there were comparable crime figures in the 1920s, the Chicago mobster truly stood out from the pack. In terms of his impact on the underworld, Capone …

Despite his rugged good looks, cool guy reputation and Hollywood success later in life, Steve McQueen’s youth and early years were punctuated with struggle. His uncle was one of the few adults in his childhood of whom he had fond memories. He would go on to live with his mother and two successive stepfathers, both of whom were physically abusive. T…

Martin Luther King Jr. became the predominant leader in the civil rights movement to end racial segregation and discrimination in America during the 1950s and 1960s, and was a leading spokesperson for nonviolent methods of achieving social change. His eloquence as a speaker and his personal charisma combined with a deeply rooted determination to es…

Nirvana were one of the biggest and most influential bands in the world. Formed in Seattle in 1987, they pretty much single-handedly catapulted alternative music into the mainstream when their second album Nevermind, took the music industry by surprise and turned popular culture on its head upon its release in 1991. Kurt Cobain's life and death fas…

Just one look at this bleak, foreboding island makes one thing crystal clear: this is not a place for a glamorous vacation. It's isolated, barren, cold and damp. In short, it was the perfect place to teach some of America's most hardened criminals a lesson. The intent was to serve as a place for those who were uncooperative and disruptive in other …

Due to his wild personality, poetic lyrics, distinctive voice, unpredictable and erratic performances, and the dramatic circumstances surrounding his life and early death, Jim Morrison is regarded by music critics and fans as one of the most iconic and influential frontmen in rock history. Jim Morrison (December 8, 1943 – July 3, 1971) was an Ameri…

Hotel California, The Eagles fifth album recorded in 1976. The song Hotel California was released as a single on February 22, 1977. The album would go onto sell 16 million copies in the US and double that figure worldwide. While they had been successful before - a greatest hits album collection released earlier the same year had become their first …

The shoot ran too long and over budget, the script was still being written as scenes were filmed, the young director woke up every day fearing he would get fired, and the mechanical shark built for the movie sank to the bottom of the ocean. And yet, lined up around the block and around the world to get scared silly by "Jaws," now recognised as the …

It's been an American obsession for more than 60 years. It's provided a shadowy backdrop for shows like "The X-Files" and movies like "Independence Day." The place: Area 51, a remote patch of desert some 83 miles north-northwest of Las Vegas, next to a salt flat at the foot of a mountain. This military outpost — and what's happened inside it — is s…

Jimi Hendrix’s 1966 touchdown in London started a four-year revolution that tore up the rules of electric guitar playing and terrified the old guard. Over half-a-century after his sonic boom, those ripples can still be felt today... All that and more coming up in today's episode... Why is Jimi Hendrix still considered one of the best guitar players…

After 180 episodes from online marketing to tips on productivity and keep yourself mentally sharp, we felt it was time for a slight diversion. Welcome to the Remember This Podcast where we discuss interesting subject matter from recent history... Get ready for episodes on all things diverse and conversation provoking. We'll cover stories on The Bea…

Today we are spotlighting Paul Cowan, CMO of FreshBooks. FreshBooks is the best cloud-based small business accounting software having served over 24 million people. Paul has over 15 years of experience in brand marketing, working in both large matrix corporations and small start-up environments. He has a unique skill set that blends technical knowl…

Mike Rhodes is the CEO and founder of AgencySavvy and WebSavvy. Mike is an international keynote speaker, and co-author of The Ultimate Guide to Google Ads. Mike's focus has always been how to leverage the near-future to build more profitable businesses. He’s helped thousands of people figure out what's next for their business (and how to profit fr…