Echoes Across the Border: Laurel Canyon and the Northern Connection

Rob Bowman

Rob Bowman is a GRAMMY Award-winning musicologist and professor of Music, based in Toronto. Formerly the director of York University's Graduate Program in Ethnomusicology and Musicology, he pioneered popular music studies at the university. He lectures, publishes and broadcasts in many areas of popular music, from country, R&B and gospel to reggae, rap and funk. He has written liner notes for dozens of recordings and regularly authors, produces and advises on major documentary and international CD reissue projects.

Holly George-Warren

Holly George-Warren is a two-time GRAMMY nominee and the award-winning author or co-author of 18 books, including Janis: Her Life and Music; A Man Called Destruction: The Life and Music of Alex Chilton; and Public Cowboy No. 1: The Life and Times of Gene Autry. She co-wrote with Dolly Parton Behind the Seams: My Life in Rhinestones, a New York Times best-seller for 11 weeks and a GRAMMY nominee for Best Audiobook.  She is currently writing a biography of Jack Kerouac for Viking Press. A longtime music journalist, George-Warren has written for numerous publications, including the New York Times, Rolling Stone, Oprah Daily, the Oxford American, the Times Literary Supplement, Texas Monthly, and MOJO, among others (many of which no longer exist). She has served as editor or co-editor of a variety of books in collaboration with the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Farm Aid, Bonnaroo, and other entities, as well as companion books to documentaries produced by Martin Scorsese, among others. She served as Editorial Director of Rolling Stone’s book division, Rolling Stone Press, from 1993-2001, overseeing dozens of works such as The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll and Trouble Girls: The Rolling Book of Women in Rock. George-Warren has also served as producer of several documentary films, including Muscle Shoals, Nashville 2.0, and Hitmakers. A former professor at the State University of New York at New Paltz and NYU’s Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music, she resides in New York’s Hudson Valley.

John Einarson

Born and raised in Winnipeg, music historian John Einarson is an acclaimed musicologist, broadcaster, educator, and author of 20 music biographies published worldwide including Neil Young, Randy Bachman, John Kay of Steppenwolf, Ian & Sylvia, The Guess Who, The Byrds, Flying Burrito Brothers, Arthur Lee & Love, and Buffalo Springfield. Several of John’s books have been ranked among the top ten best music biographies and received award nominations. His book Hot Burritos: The True Story Of The Flying Burrito Brothers received the 2006 ARSC Award for Excellence in Historical Recorded Sound Research. John is the author of the critically-acclaimed Desperados: The Roots of Country Rock. He also collaborated with Randy Bachman on his two bestselling Vinyl Tap books. John has written for Mojo, Uncut, Goldmine, Discoveries, Record Collector, and Classic Rock and is a regular contributor to the Winnipeg Free Press. John served as writer/consultant for A&E/Biography Channel’s Neil Young Biography episode and wrote CBC TV’s The Life & Times of Randy Bachman. In 2023, John was named to the Order of Manitoba for his groundbreaking research documenting Winnipeg's impressive music history. John curated the 2010 Manitoba Museum exhibit Shakin’ All Over: The Manitoba Music Experience and organizes the popular Magical Musical History Tour of Winnipeg. He teaches throughout Winnipeg, including his unique “Off The Record” music history classes. In 1964, John acquired a guitar and played in several well-known local bands through the '60s and '70s. He has played onstage with Neil Young, Randy Bachman, Burton Cummings, jammed with Frank Zappa’s Mothers of Invention, and at age 17 opened for Led Zeppelin and Iron Butterfly before 14,000 people.

Judith Klassen

Judith Klassen is an ethnomusicologist and curator of Music and Performing Arts at the Canadian Museum of History (CMH). In addition to research and collection development in areas of sound, puppetry arts, and other aspects of expressive culture, she is the curator for Retro: Popular Music in Canada from the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s — a current CMH exhibition that explores popular music as a social, cultural and political force. Dr. Klassen has published in popular and academic fora and, with Anna Hoefnagels and Sherry Johnson, is co-editor of Contemporary Musical Expressions in Canada. Dr. Klassen is a former board member for the Hnatyshyn Foundation, past president of the Canadian Society for Traditional Music, and has worked as a violist and string instructor in Canada, Mexico, and Paraguay.

Larry LeBlanc

Larry LeBlanc is widely recognized as one of the leading music industry journalists in the world. Before joining CelebrityAccess in 2008 as senior editor, he was the Canadian bureau chief of Billboard from 1991-2007 and Canadian editor of Record World from 1970-82. He was also a co-founder of the late Canadian music trade, The Record. Over his five decade career Larry has acted as a consultant for The Canadian Competition Bureau, The Canadian Private Copying Collective, The Canadian Association of Broadcasters, Heritage Canada, Musicians' Rights Organization Canada, Astral, CHUM Ltd.; the Neighbouring Rights Collective of Canada; and the National Music Centre. He was a regular music commentator on CTV’s “Canada A.M” for over 35 years, and has been featured on numerous CBC-TV, CTV, Global, YTV, MuchMusic, MusiquePlus, Newsworld programs, and The Movie Network in Canada; as well as on VH-1, HBO, and EEntertainment in the U.S.; and BBC Radio in the U.K. Larry has been extensively quoted on music issues in hundreds of news outlets including: Canadian Press, The Globe and Mail, Toronto Star, and Calgary Herald in Canada; The New York Times, Time, AP and Forbes in the U.S.; and The Times, and Reuters in the UK. He is co-author of the 2010 book Music From Far And Wide: Celebrating 40 Years Of The Juno Awards. He is a Lifetime Member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and a recorded songwriter with songs covered by Johnny Reid, and JP LeBlanc. He is the recipient of the 2013 Walt Grealis Special Achievement Award, recognizing individuals who have made an impact on the Canadian music industry.

Alan Light

Emmy Award–winning music journalist Alan Light is the author of numerous books including Broken: Leonard Cohen, Jeff Buckley, and the Unlikely Ascent of “Hallelujah” (which was adapted into an acclaimed documentary), as well as biographies of Prince, Johnny Cash, Nina Simone, and the Beastie Boys. He was the cowriter of bestselling memoirs by Gregg Allman and Peter Frampton. Alan was a senior writer at Rolling Stone and the editor-in-chief of Vibe and Spin magazines. He contributes frequently to The New York Times, Esquire, and The Wall Street Journal, among many publications, and cohosts the podcast Sound Up! Alan's latest book, Don't Stop: Why We (Still) Love Fleetwood Mac's 'Rumours,' will be published by Atria/Simon & Schuster in November 2025.

Eileen Chapman

Eileen Chapman is the Director of the Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music at Monmouth University and was responsible for bringing the collection to the University. In addition to her position at the BSACAM, she is also a councilwoman in Asbury Park. Prior to her directorship, she was the Associate Director of the Center for the Arts also at Monmouth University. Chapman was a founding member of the Jersey Shore Jazz & Blues Foundation, Riverfest Jazz & Blues Festival, Clearwater Festival’s Entertainment Director, the Asbury Park Jazz Festival, director of the award-winning New Jersey Seafood Festival in Belmar, consultant and entertainment coordinator of the Guinness Oyster Festival, a consultant to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame & Museum and is the liaison to Monmouth University’s GRAMMY Museum affiliation. Chapman opened and operated the state’s first CD music store, Almost Live CD Center, in Belmar from 1986 to 2000. She was the General Manager of several well-known Jersey Shore entertainment venues which include the iconic Stone Pony, Fast Lane and McLoone’s Rum Runner in Sea Bright.

Robert Santelli

Bob Santelli is the Founding Executive Director of the Bruce Springsteen Archives and Center for American Music at Monmouth University in West Long Branch, New Jersey. He is a noted blues and rock historian, curator, music journalist, and a GRAMMY Award winner. He has authored more than a dozen books on American music and is the winner of the 2022 Deems Taylor/ Virgil Thomson Award for Woody Guthrie: Songs and Art * Words and Wisdom, which he co-authored with Nora Guthrie. Santelli was one of the original curators of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, becoming the museum’s first Director of Education and Vice President of Public Programs in 1995. In 2000, he became the CEO of the Experience Music Project in Seattle, the first-ever interactive music museum. Santelli became the Founding Executive Director of the GRAMMY Museum in 2006, where he curated more than 65 exhibitions and produced centennial celebrations for Frank Sinatra, John Lee Hooker, Ella Fitzgerald, Leonard Bernstein, Woody Guthrie, and others over his sixteen years at the museum. Santelli serves as the Director of Popular Music and Performing Arts at Oregon State University and teaches courses on popular culture.

Steve Kane

Steve Kane spent nearly 20 years a President, Warner Music Canada before retiring in 2021. He sits on a number of boards including the National Music Centre and the Unison Benevolent Fund. Steve previously held executive leadership roles at Universal Music Canada, Polygram Music Group Canada, I.R.S. & Virgin Records. In 2015, Steve was inducted into The Canadian Music & Broadcast Industry Hall Of Fame.

Jeff Lockhart

Jeff Lockhart is a recognized leader in performing arts and nonprofit advancement, with expertise in music industry business, education, and brand strategy. He holds an MBA from Northwest University (Kirkland, WA). He is the Executive Director of Kirkland Performance Center (KPC), where he has revitalized programming, funding, and operations, positioning KPC as a premier Eastside Seattle arts destination. He also launched KPC Studios, state-of-the-art facilities for recording, rehearsal, and livestream production, and is leading a $5 million capital campaign to update and enhance the venue. Previously, he founded and directed Creatio at Northwest University (Kirkland, WA), creating two fully accredited music industry and recording arts degrees and building professional recording facilities. Lockhart is the founder of Live Vinyl Productions and an active drummer, bandleader, and producer. He has co-founded and performed with several acclaimed bands, including Good Day Sunshine, Laurel Canyon Legacy, Analog Catalog, Long Live Rock, and Crème Tangerine, performing Beatles, Laurel Canyon, and classic rock music throughout the Pacific Northwest, USA.

Melissa Ziobro

Melissa Ziobro began her career as a historian, archivist, and curator for the US Army in 2004 prior to returning to her alma mater, Monmouth University, to teach full-time. She has taught over a dozen different courses, including Intro to Public History; Oral History; Museums and Archives Management Basics; and Historic Site Preservation, Interpretation, and Management. In August of 2023, she became curator of the University’s Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music, after having worked with the Center for many years in her faculty role (to include curating the Center’s first traveling exhibit, "Springsteen: His Hometown," with the Monmouth County Historical Association in 2019). Her most recent publications include Fort Monmouth: The US Army’s House of Magic (2024) and The Battlin’ Bastards of Bravo: Bravo Company, 1/506th, 101st Airborne, in Vietnam and Beyond (2025). Her current book project is Born in the USA: Bruce Springsteen, Bart Haynes, Walter Cichon - and the Vietnam War.

Andrew Mosker

A musician, music champion, and industry builder, Andrew Mosker is the founding President & CEO of Canada’s National Music Centre, which he helped to create, build, and launch over the course of his 25-years with the organization. National Music Centre is an education-focused charitable organization and museum that is home to four of Canada’s music halls of fame, numerous historic collections of musical artifacts, and the King Eddy live music venue. It also offers a wide array of public programming, artist development and youth education programs, as well as special events within its facility at Studio Bell in the heart of Calgary’s East Village neighbourhood. Mosker is also a driving force behind establishing more music-friendly cities in Alberta as the chair and co-founder of West Anthem (formerly known as the Alberta Music Cities Initiative). Based in Alberta for nearly 30 years, Mosker was born and raised in Montreal, where his love for music and building community began. His early experiences as a promoter and college radio programmer provided the foundation for his life as a music advocate, and he credits late Montreal greats Oscar Peterson and Leonard Cohen as some of his biggest musical inspirations.

Stephanie Hutchinson

With nearly 20 years of experience working in the music industry, Stephanie Hutchinson is well-versed in many aspects of the Canadian music scene. As director of programs at the National Music Centre in Calgary, she oversees a robust and diverse suite of programming that includes artist and industry incubators, live performance, education, public programming, Indigenous programming and special projects. Previously, she held the role of associate Director, presenting, at Arts Commons, Western Canada’s largest performing arts centre overseeing in-house programming at the Jack Singer Concert Hall and the Engineered Air Theatre. As a co-founder of the Chronograph Records label, she has helped propel the music of primarily jazz, folk and country artists in Western Canada to national and international markets, earning the label’s roster more than 15 major award wins or nominations, including a JUNO Award. And, through her role as a president, producer and program director of the YYC Music Awards, she continues to passionately advocate for Calgary’s diverse music community. She has been recognized with the Cultural Leaders Legacy Arts Award for arts leadership by the mayor of Calgary, was named to Avenue Magazine’s Top 40 Under 40 in 2023, was nominated for the 2024 Women in Music Canada Honours Changemaker of the Year Award, and in 2025, Stephanie was selected as an Industry Spotlight Honouree by Billboard Canada Women in Music.

NMC Presents: Laurel Canyon Legacy

Saturday, October 4 | 8:00 pm

As the sun sets on day one of Echoes Across The Border: Laurel Canyon and the Northern Connection, join us for an evening celebration of the era's most memorable music featuring Laurel Canyon Legacy. Get tickets.

Echoes Across the Border: Laurel Canyon Film Screening

Sunday, October 5 | 1:00 pm

Join us for a matinee screening of Laurel Canyon. The 2020 documentary paints an intimate portrait of the artists who created a music revolution that would change popular culture. Learn more and register.