Derek Shelmerdine wrote the book Rock’n’Roll Unravelled. Since the book’s publication, he has made hundreds of guest appearances on radio shows heard around the world. He also hosted his own Rock’n’Roll Unravelled radio show which sadly, ended when the host radio station, Access North West in Liverpool, became a victim of the Covid pandemic.

Derek Shelmerdine
…author of Rock’n’Roll Unravelled
……and radio presenter

Derek Shelmerdine, author of the book Rock’n’Roll Unravelled, presenter of his own radio show,
The Rock’n’Roll Unravelled Show and guest appearances on numerous other radio shows and live Facebook shows.
Common thread – they all tell the story of rock’n’roll from its roots to mid-1970s punk.

Social Media

Twitter – Derek Shelmerdine
Twitter – Rock’n’Roll Unravelled
Facebook – Derek Shelmerdine
Facebook – Rock’n’Roll Unravelled

Derek Shelmerdine on YouTube… and Mixcloud

ABOUT THE AUTHOR OF Rock’n’Roll Unravelled
– Derek Shelmerdine

I grew up in the 1950s and ’60s, the dawn of youth culture. The Everly Brothers’ Poor Jenny started off my record collection in 1959. Music has always been the passion in my life. The day-job might have paid the bills but I’ve been involved with music, one way or another, ever since.

Derek Shelmerdine

In the mid-1960s I took up drumming and formed Cleo’s Mood with some school friends. We played mostly around the Liverpool, Chester and North Wales area. Consequently, after a Saturday night gig, we would sometimes be able to make the second half of the all-nighter at the Cavern Club in Liverpool.

Over the years I’ve played in a several groups and even spent six months as a professional roadie, with the Pat Travers Band and London pub-rock band Meal Ticket.

In the 1980s I started attending record fairs as a record dealer, specialising in 1950s, ’60s and ’70s collectible vinyl. Since then I have attended fairs around the country.
The record fairs now double as book-signing events.

I published Rock’n’Roll Unravelled in 2016 and held the book launch at the Cavern Club in Liverpool. To publicise the book I gave interviews on the radio. This led to invitations to return and talk about the music of the 1950s, ’60s, ’70s and its roots. Since then I have been a regular (usually monthly) guest on a number of radio shows.

ABOUT THE BOOK – Rock’n’Roll Unravelled 

Rock’n’Roll Unravelled

My life-long love of music inspired me to write Rock’n’Roll Unravelled. The story of rock’n’roll, from its roots to mid-1970s punk. As well as the music, the book looks at the social influences, such as the Vietnam War and the Civil Rights struggle. I wrote the book I’d always wanted to read; everything (well almost) about the music of the 1950s, ’60s and ’70s – between two covers!

British magazine Record Collector liked the book and in its review said,
“Shelmerdine has made a painstaking effort to document pretty much every event that would prove significant in shaping popular music”.
The reviewer went on to say, “Shelmerdine has produced a comprehensive guide that’ll prove invaluable to anybody with an unhealthy interest in music’s minutiae. That’ll be the RC reader then.”

RADIO SHOWS
– Current Regular Guest Appearances

The Mop Tops & The King – based in Chelmsford, Massachusetts USA

Mop Tops and the King

Steve Chelmsford presents the show, which is syndicated to over 100 radio stations around the world. The Mop Tops & The King is dedicated to the rock’n’roll icons, The Beatles and Elvis Presley.
I make a guest appearance every two weeks, alternating with The Beatles Unravelled and Elvis Presley Unravelled stories.
It all started after a couple of guest appearances on the show’s Hot Line telephone conversation, Steve invited me to have my own fortnightly guest spot. The first of these was in May 2021, when I talked about, Elvis’s first Las Vegas appearance 1956.
The show airs every day of the week because 100 radio stations carry the show and play it at different times.
My next guest appearance, with Elvis Presley Unravelled is:
16 to 20 June – Hal Blaine, drummer extraordinary.

The Frank Carlyle Show – based in Liverpool UK

Liverpool historian Frank Carlyle hosts his Frank Carlyle Show live on Facebook twice a week.
I am a monthly guest on the show and we talk about some aspect of the music of the 1950s,’60s and ’70s.
My first guest appearance on Frank’s live Facebook show was on 24 June 2022.
The next guest spot with Frank is:
19 June – Tommy Sands, the Prototype Elvis Presley

How it all started with The Frank Carlyle Show…
I was originally a regular guest when Frank’s show went out on Mersey Radio. The first guest spot was in October 2016 and then continued until May 2018.

Frank left Mersey Radio to be one of the co-founders of a new radio station Access North West also based in Liverpool. I was invited to host my own radio show on the new station and that’s how my own radio show, The Rock’n’Roll Unravelled Show, came about.

FOR THE REST OF THE STORY SEE BELOW FOR…
RADIO SHOWS, DEREK SHELMERDINE’S OWN SHOW – ROCK’N’ROLL UNRAVELLED SHOW

RADIO SHOWS
– Previous Regular Guest Appearances

the eagle fm 97.3 – Vancouver Island, Canada 

My radio work started when I lived in Canada in 2007. I assisted a DJ on eagle fm on Vancouver Island, as his “resident rock’n’roll researcher”. This also included live appearances on the show, to talk about various aspects of rock’n’roll history. At this time I was writing the book, Rock’n’Roll Unravelled.

Since publishing Rock’n’Roll Unravelled, in 2016 I’ve been making regular guest appearances on radio shows in the UK, Spain and America.

107 Meridian FM – East Grinstead UK 

My first residency was as a monthly guest with Dave Roberts on his Music for Grown Ups show on 107 Meridian FM, based in South-East England.
This was a three-quarter hour segment on his Music for Grown Ups show. The first show was on 1 October 2015 and ran until the Christmas Special on 20 December 2018.
Music for Grown Ups was a three hour show. In September 2016 Dave invited me to co-host the show’s third hour and this became the Rock’n’Roll Unravelled Hour.
I also stepped in for Dave when he was unavailable and hosted the whole three-hour show with my choice of music.

Tim Waters’ Off the Beaten Track show immediately preceded Dave’s Music for Grown Ups. In 2017 and 2018 I also occasionally stood in for Tim and presented my version of his three-hour show. On one occasion I stood in for Dave and Time and delivered a six-hour Rock’n’Roll Unravelled Show!

BBC Radio York – York UK 

In August 2016 BBC Radio York’s Adam and Anna in the Afternoon hosts, Adam Tomlinson and Anna Wallace, invited me to do a five-day special. Each day of the week from Monday to Friday, I presented a fifteen-minute look at a particular musical topic.
This proved popular and for the next three years I delivered two or three Specials each year. Sadly, the Covid pandemic saw an end to my Specials on BBC Radio York.

The John Lebang Show – based in Detroit, Michigan USA

Show host John Lebang is based in Detroit and his John Lebang Show is syndicated worldwide. John’s show focuses on indie bands.
Once a month, from April 2017 to Jan 2019, I made a guest appearance on the show talking about classic rock bands. I would see who was on tour at the time of the show and look back at some of their highlights from the past. The hour-long segment was called Then and Now.
This is when I created the 1960s 1970s Artists Touring Now page on this website. It’s not a ticket site. It has links to the band’s/artist’s own website with all the tour info. It lets fans know which bands/artists, who started out in the 1960s and 1970s, are still on the road.

Talk Radio Europe – Marbella, Spain

In 2017 I made a series of monthly appearance on Talk Radio Europe with DJ Dave Hodgson. The first session was on 11 January, to talk about my book Rock’n’Roll Unravelled. This was followed by regular monthly appearances until June.

Beyond Books Book Club – Liverpool, UK

Tony Higginson – Beyond Books Book Club
I was a monthly guest Tony Higginson’s show, May 2021 to August 2022. It was recorded live on Facebook.

RADIO SHOWS
 – Derek Shelmerdine’s Own Radio Show
The Rock’n’Roll Unravelled Show

Access North West

The Rock’n’Roll Unravelled Show, looks at all aspects of the music of the 1950s, ‘60s and ‘70s: artists and bands, producers, record labels, music genres, roots, influences…
If it’s relevant to the music of the ‘50s, ‘60s and ‘70s – I’ll be talking about it!

The show was on Access North West radio station based in Liverpool. The first show went out in September 2018 but sadly, the station ceased broadcasting in June 2021.

When Access North West radio station was launched, I was a regular guest on The Frank Carlyle Show on Mersey Radio. Frank was one of the founders of Access North West and invited me to have my own show on the new station. That’s how the Rock’n’Roll Unravelled Show came about.
There were 39 Rock’n’Roll Unravelled Shows, topics included: Psychedelic 1960s – Elvis Presley: Rock’n’Roll Years – Phil Spector Story – Four Blues Legends – Rolling Stones: Brian Jones Years – Story Behind the Song – Jimi Hendrix Story – Paul McCartney is Dead Myth – 1960s Pirate Radio +++
These original radio broadcasts, include all the music played in the show, can all be heard on Mixcloud.

For all the Rock’n’Roll Unravelled Shows

For all Derek Shelmerdine’s radio appearances.

Derek Shelmerdine
author of Rock’n’Roll Unravelled and presenter of The Rock’n’Roll Unravelled Show