Fred Meyers

    • Classic Rock Historian
    • Former Warner Bros. Records / Virgin Records 
    • Promotion Man
    • Author of Hit Men

Detroit didn’t follow trends it created them.
Fred takes audiences inside the explosive birth of classic rock and soul music through the lens of Detroit in the late sixties — a city where factories ran by day and rock and roll ruled the nights.

As a former Promotion Man for Warner Bros. Records, Meyers lived the era that changed music forever. From the rise of FM radio and the power of stations like CKLW and WABX, to the emergence of artists like Alice Cooper, Bob Seger, Iggy Pop, MC5, and Motown Records — Meyers brings audiences backstage into the radio wars, record store battles, promotion strategies, and cultural upheaval that shaped an entire generation.

His presentations combine:

    • authentic insider stories
    • rare music industry history
    • Detroit cultural history
    • radio and promotion insights
    • humor, energy, and storytelling
    • behind-the-scenes perspectives from the golden era of rock radio

Fred’s first major radio success as a promotion man was helping break Van Halen’s version of “You Really Got Me” on his first day as a WB rep and three days later he was with the band as they exploded into rock history.

Some of the bands Fred worked with in his career:

The Rolling Stones – David Bowie – Van Halen -Ramones – Dire Straits – Funkadelics – George Benson – Rod Stewart – Talking Heads – Janet Jackson – Tina Turner – Roxy Music – Steve Winwood – Blur – Lenny Kravitz – Bob Marley and the Wailers – U2 – Smashing Pumpkins – Massive Attack – B-52’s – Fleetwood Mac – Pretenders – Asia – Ambrosia – Toots & the Maytals – The Who – Rickie Lee Jones – Chaka Khan – UB 40 – Stray Cats – Prince  and many many more……….

Today, Meyers is the creator and author of Hit Men, an audiobook and scripted 8 episode series chronicling the birth of classic rock and soul through post-riot Detroit.

Signature Speaking Topics

    • Factories by Day… Rock & Roll by Night
    • The untold story of how Detroit became the proving ground for classic rock.
    • How Hits Were Really Made
    • Inside the forgotten world of promotion men, FM radio battles, and the fight for airplay before streaming and algorithms.
    • The Last Great Era of Radio
    • The rise of FM radio, Rosalie Trombley and the power of stations that could make or break careers overnight.
    • The Birth of Classic Rock & Soul
    • How Detroit launched a musical revolution that changed American culture forever.
    • Storytelling, Creativity & Reinvention
    • A personal journey through music, media, creativity, and turning real-life experiences into powerful storytelling.

Ideal Venues

    • Libraries
    • Universities
    • Music conferences
    • Rock festivals
    • Corporate storytelling events
    • Radio & broadcasting events
    • Bookstores
    • Classic rock cruises and fan conventions
    • Arts & culture organizations

About Hit Men

Hit Men is a historical fiction audiobook and scripted series inspired by true stories from Detroit’s explosive music scene between 1968–1971.

The project explores:

    • FM radio wars
      • record promotion culture
      • Motown and classic rock
      • the aftermath of the 1967 Detroit riots
      • the artists, DJs, promotion men, and dreamers who changed music history

More information available at info@hit-men.com or 512-517-2300  Let’s talk about it. Any budget will work. My goals is to keep the stories alive.

My sincerest “Thank you”

 

peace