''Hollywood Heartbeat'' is a syndicated
music video
A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device ...
television show that ran in the United States from 1980 to 1981. The show was hosted by former
Fleetwood Mac singer-songwriter-guitarist
Bob Welch and was produced by Lawrence Smith. Later episodes were hosted by
Mackenzie Phillips. The show's theme was written and recorded by
Carmine Appice
Carmine Appice ( , born December 15, 1946) is an American rock drummer. He is best known for his associations with Vanilla Fudge; Cactus; the power trio Beck, Bogert & Appice; Rod Stewart; King Kobra; and Blue Murder. He is also Vinny Appice's ...
, who included a reworked version on his
eponymous album the following year.
Taking advantage of music videos being produced more commonly by record labels to promote their records, the show was a precursor to
MTV, which launched the following year. Beyond the record label-produced music videos, original music videos focusing on the hot acts from the Los Angeles club scene were produced exclusively for the show. Musicians making some of their first televised appearances included
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...
,
The Plimsouls
The Plimsouls are an American rock band known for their hit single "A Million Miles Away" which was featured in the movie ''Valley Girl''.
History
The band was formed in Paramount, California in 1978. They recorded two full-length albums and an ...
,
Toni Basil
Antonia Christina Basilotta (born September 22, 1943), better known by her stage name Toni Basil, is an American singer, choreographer, dancer, actress, and director. Her song "Mickey" topped the charts in the US, Canada and Australia and hit th ...
,
Shandi,
Paul Warren & Explorer,
Gary Myrick and the Figures,
Surf Punks
The Surf Punks were a pop punk band formed in 1976 by Malibu residents Dennis Dragon (1947-2017) and Drew Steele. (Dragon was the son of symphony conductor Carmen Dragon, the brother of Captain & Tennille's Daryl Dragon, and he was previously ...
,
20/20 and
The GoGos.
Welch would do the wraparound content, frequently from the back of a convertible driving around the
Sunset Strip and similar club areas at night. He would also conduct interviews with celebrities such as
Stewart Copeland
Stewart Armstrong Copeland (born July 16, 1952) is a Scottish-American musician and composer. He is best known for his work as the drummer of the English rock band the Police from 1977 to 1986, and again from 2007 to 2008. Before playing with th ...
,
Madame Wong,
Dave Hlubek,
John Densmore
John Paul Densmore (born December 1, 1944) is an American musician, songwriter, author and actor. He is best known as the drummer of the rock band the Doors, and as such is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He appeared on every recordi ...
and
Joan Jett
Joan Jett (born Joan Marie Larkin, September 22, 1958) is an American singer, guitarist, record producer, and actress. Jett is best known for her work as the frontwoman of her band Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, and for earlier founding and per ...
.
References
External links
*{{IMDb title, tt1825337
1980 American television series debuts
1981 American television series endings
1980s American music television series
English-language television shows
Pop music television series
First-run syndicated television programs in the United States