John Waite has one of THE signature voices in rock.

First reaching the American radio airwaves with the Babys, British-born Waite has also been a part of Bad English, played with Ringo Starr’s All Star Band, and enjoyed a spectacular solo career that includes 1984’s mega-hit “Missing You.”

On December 6th the documentary John Waite – The Hard Way will be out on all major streaming services as well as being available on DVD and BluRay (via Amazon).

The documentary covers John’s entire career from his first attempts at songwriting, through the Babys, Bad English, and his solo career.

John and Jim Monaghan spent some time catching up and discussing the documentary and John’s career.

(NOTE – the video here contains some conversation not heard on the air. The third person/voice you’ll hear is that of interview producer Michael Lopez.)

• Jim Monaghan's 5 Favorite John Waite Songs

  John Waite is like an elite athlete – he makes it look so easy.  Blessed with one of the most recognizable voices in rock, he’s long been one of my favorite vocalists combining power and emotion. Here are five of my favorite songs that John has recorded over the course of his career.

• 1 - New York City Girl

  John grew up in England; his co-writer on this song, Glen Burtnik, is from here in New Jersey. So how is it that they combined to write a quintessential New York City song? Actually, John lived for a number of years in New York, so it wasn’t that hard for him to capture the feeling of seeing “drenched Irish cops” or what it was like to be sitting in the Empire Diner on 10th Avenue on a rainy night. For me, having ridden the D train back and forth from my Bronx apartment to Manhattan more times than I could ever hope to count, I vividly remember the thought of looking for an angel on that subway “flying to my world.”

• 2 - Downtown

  This is another song John co-wrote with Glen Burtnik, and another song full of references to New York City.  There’s also a not-so-subtle reference to John’s huge hit “Missing You.”

• 3 - Change

  “Change,” from 1982, was John’s first big hit following his departure from the Babys.  Though he didn’t write this one, his vocal performance made this one of John’s signature songs. It literally dominated MTV for awhile in the early 80’s.

• 4 - Isn't It Time

  It’s really hard to pick just one song from John’s days with the Babys, but “Isn’t It Time” is a standout for me. The Motown-style female background vocals interacting with John’s lead in a call-and-response style makes this a personal favorite.

• 5 - Missing You

  This, of course, is the song that made John a household name. A number 1 song in multiple countries, including the United States, the lyrics tell a story that virtually everyone can identify with.

  John has re-recorded the song a number of times since it became a hit in 1984, but this duet with country/bluegrass singer Alison Krauss adds a whole new dimension of awesome to an already great song.

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