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Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
He was a prodigy who fell into addiction. Now KC musician lives for redemption
When you're born, born to be bad, the drugs come quick and the money comes real slow Only took me 40 years, I finally learned how to just say no. 'Born to be Bad,' Brody Buster Brody Buster played the blues — in front of millions of people — long before he lived them. On Aug. 4, 1995, he performed on the 'The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.' He was 10 at the time. After wailing away on his harmonica, he sat next to 18-year-old Alicia Silverstone, whose hit movie 'Clueless' had been released two weeks earlier, and cracked wise with Leno. Leno: 'That was great. Now, you're 10 years old, right?' Brody: 'Yeah.' Leno: 'Do you ever get the blues? How is that working here?' Brody: 'No, not me.' Leno: 'Never been to prison?' Brody: 'Nope.' Leno: 'Never served any hard time?' Brody: 'Nah, but some of my band members have.' Jail and the blues would come in time, but in 1995 the kid from Paola, Kansas, was riding high in Los Angeles. He was represented by a big-time management company and making the rounds of TV shows: 'Full House,' 'Baywatch Nights,' 'Maury' with Maury Povich and 'Crook & Chase' in addition to the 'Tonight Show.' He opened three nights for Jerry Seinfeld at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas and recorded with the Four Tops. 'Dateline NBC' even did a story on him. The kid had amazing talent on the harmonica. So amazing that blues legend B.B. King had called the then-9-year-old onto stage during a concert at the Universal Amphitheatre in Los Angeles and declared, 'Ladies and gentlemen, I'd like to introduce to you one of the greatest harmonica players of our time, despite his age, believe it or not.' He was a certifiable child prodigy. Of course, his name didn't hurt. Brody Buster was the perfect moniker for a cute, blond 10-year-old harmonica phenom. It may not be such a good fit for a 40-year-old with a meth addiction. It's safe to say that Buster long ago lost the sheen of innocence that brought him fame as a child. But as of Easter, he had found redemption. That's when he celebrated the release of his new blues-infused album, 'Redemption,' at BB's Lawnside Blues & BBQ. With about 250 people crammed into the Kansas City landmark on 85th Street, most sitting at tables littered with remnants of their Easter barbecue dinners, Buster and his band played all nine tracks from the album. He wrote seven of the songs, sang on them all, occasionally played guitar and inserted plenty of harmonica licks. The album and the redemption were more than 30 years in the making. 'In looking back at it now, I guess I really didn't appreciate what I had going as a blues musician,' he said. 'And I think in order to find that passion again, I had to leave.' Buster's journey took him into some very dark places, but it started innocently enough. His mother, a musician who played with Kansas City blues artist Cotton Candy among others, gave him a harmonica when he was 7. He blew on it constantly and quickly got so good he joined his mother's groups on stage. 'I was so young, man, they just threw me up there,' Buster said. 'I can play, and they threw me up there. I didn't know anything else. ... My parents asked if I enjoyed doing it, and I said yeah.' Things got serious when his parents, Janet and Curtis Brooks, took their prodigy to Memphis for an extended vacation. He showed off his talent among the many performers seeking fame and a bit of cash on Beale Street sidewalks, and he was one of the lucky few to be discovered. The emcee at B.B. King's Blues Club was impressed enough that young Brody earned an invite to play at the club. The connection to King led the family to Los Angeles, where he made his many TV appearances and performed with the house band at King's club there, earning the 'one of the greatest harmonica players of our time' praise from legend himself. After about a year on the West Coast, the family returned to Paola, and Brody took his show on the road. He performed in clubs around the nation and beyond. Perhaps the highlight was the 1996 Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland, where Brody joined Quincy Jones and Chaka Khan on stage and was included on the album 'Quincy Jones: 50 years in music — Live at Montreux 1996.' All this was heady stuff for a Kansas elementary school kid. But his parents restricted Brody to gigs at reputable venues, made sure Brody got good grades and tried to keep him away from the kind of trouble that is almost a cliché among child performers. 'I'm sure they saw what had happened to other child entertainers and performers,' he said. 'But just like anybody else, 'That's not going to happen to me.' I'm sure that's what was in their heads. 'That's not going to happen to Brody.'' His mother, in fact, said almost exactly that during an interview with the Los Angeles Times. 'When he's 16 and his peers are cruising and out drinking, I don't think that will hold any attraction for him because he's seen what it really does,' Janet Brody said. 'We always point out the artists who ended their careers sadly and too soon by overdosing or drinking too much.' Danielle Nicole, an internationally recognized blues performer from Kansas City, provided backup vocals on a couple of songs on 'Redemption' and joined Buster onstage at BB's Barbecue on Easter. 'In my musical opinion, he's one of the best harmonica players alive. Period,' she said. 'Not just for blues, not just for American, not just for regionally, just in general.' Nicole has known Buster almost since the beginning of his career, when both were what she called 'blues kids' plying their trade at the Grand Emporium on Main Street. 'We always knew he was just insanely talented,' she said. By the time Brody was 16, however, the national and international offers were drying up. The novelty of being a child phenom had worn off, and now he had the modifier 'former' attached to it. Growing expectations replaced the fun, stress-free times of prepubescence. 'Coming out after being a child performer or a phenom or whatever you want to call it, even in your later years, people are looking at you to be top-notch,' he said. 'Anything short of that is reason for someone to say something negative. So there's definitely pressure there later on in life because you've got to meet the standard that everybody expects you to be at.' His home situation didn't help. Brody's parents had broken up, with his mother moving to Ireland and his father remarrying. Meanwhile, John Tvedten, a battalion chief with the Kansas City Fire Department who was Brody's uncle and one of his biggest supporters, died fighting a warehouse fire in 1999. (Brody's grandfather and Tvedten's father, John Sr., also a department battalion chief, had been killed in the 1981 skywalk collapse at the Hyatt Regency Hotel.) After living briefly with little adult supervision at his stepmother's house, Buster returned to California with a friend when he was 17, finding gigs where he could. Within about a year, he was back in Kansas and graduated from high school, then attended Johnson County Community College. That's when the lure of rock 'n' roll took over. 'I was just done with the blues personally at that point,' he said. 'I wanted to try other things. 'As any 18-year-old kid does, experiment with different things, I was experimenting with new music. Understandably, a blues festival wasn't going to hire a rock 'n' roll band. And I was OK with that. Unfortunately, during the time off, I got involved with bad people and drugs.' For most of the next two decades, Buster lived in Lawrence, worked at Papa Keno's Pizzeria and played in a variety of bands that performed at bars around the region. He also fathered two children and twice spent a few days in jail. In 2010, a bandmate made a documentary called 'How Did This Happen,' an account of what was then called The Brody Buster Band. Buster's first words in the film: 'I was cursed. Look at this life I'm leading.' Later: 'I was on 'Full House' and look where it got me.' And, 'I must have murdered someone in my last life to deserve this ****.' It was an honest, if not flattering, portrayal of a band of 20-something guys surviving at the very bottom of the music world. Among other things, Buster is shown doing cocaine and ranting about a barkeeper who refused to waive his beer tab. But don't get the idea the documentary showed him at his lowest point. 'That wasn't even the worst of it,' Buster says now. 'The dark stuff happened after that.' Before the worst of it came a brief resurrection. In 2017, Buster developed a one-man-band act and qualified for the International Blues Challenge in Memphis, where he took first place in the harmonica category and second in the solo/duo category. That led to gigs on the West Coast and throughout the South, plus a date at the prestigious Montreal Jazz Festival. 'That got me going a little bit for a while,' he said. He did drugs regularly at the time, but not when he was on tour. 'So I would use drugs when I was at home, and then I'd get on the road and I'd get clean. And then I'd get back home.' When COVID hit, there was no more touring — and no more getting clean. Living in a trailer in Lawrence, he did drugs — mostly intravenous meth — and not much else. Buster's life was further battered by a bad relationship and the death of his brother Tom by suicide. By the time the pandemic eased and gigs returned, he was in no shape to go onstage, showing up late or not at all. 'I never really gave up playing music,' he said. 'But I got to a point where no one would hire me because I was such a mess. 'At that point, you wonder about the decisions you made and choices you made. At that time in my life, too — and I think it's partially because my mom went to Ireland at such a young age — I was really looking to be loved by someone, and I wasn't finding it anywhere. I guess ultimately you've just got to learn to love yourself.' On July 16, 2023, his girlfriend, Tania (pronounced ta-nee-a) Zagalik, issued an ultimatum: Give up drugs or say goodbye to her and his two kids. 'I told him I was willing to move overseas to get away from him,' she said. Instead, Zagalik and her two daughters got a recovering addict for a roommate at their home in Lee's Summit. Buster went to Lawrence to retrieve his belongings and returned to Lee's Summit the next day. 'All he had was some old clothes, a beat-up guitar and his harmonica, and a cat named Huggie Bear,' she said. He's been clean since living with Zagalik, her daughters and two cats, including a much heavier Huggie Bear. 'I didn't go to any programs or anything, I just moved away from Lawrence, Kansas,' he said. 'It's a great town. I can go there, and I play shows, no problem. I still have friends there. For me, I had to get away from people that were doing drugs. That was my way to do it, just leave that environment.' He now regularly sees his own children, a 13-year-old son and an 11-year-old daughter, and has resumed a relationship with his mother, whom he had cut off for years. He and Zagalik flew to Ireland to visit her last year, and he's saving up to return with his kids. Meanwhile, Buster is focused on staying clean — he's closing in on 700 days. Keeping busy helps, he says, so he's doing just that, playing almost nightly around the region with his band or as a one-man band. He also recently performed in Deadwood, South Dakota, and Oklahoma and has upcoming dates in Colorado and St. Louis. 'I'm on a push to do what I've always done, which is play music and play music for a living,' he said. 'I don't necessarily care if I ever get famous, but I want to be a working musician the rest of my life. And I'd like to be a touring musician.' Buster has a lot of people pulling for him, including childhood buddy Danielle Nicole. 'When you hear him play harmonica, you know that he's meant to be a musician,' she said. 'So to be able to see him releasing music and feeling good about being sober and be in a good place, it just warms my heart.' There's also the unwavering support of Zagalik, who continues to help him stay on track. 'His past is his past. I don't hold it against him,' she said. 'I have zero reason to think he'd go back. He also knows he'll always be an addict.' I finally crawled out of the dark and back on stage I feel the struggle but I done turnt the page. 'Can You Hear Me,' Brody Buster Note: If you need help fighting addiction, call the free and confidential treatment referral hotline (1-800-662-HELP), or visit
North Wales Live
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- North Wales Live
Baywatch legend who saved show from cancellation dies at home aged 73
Paul Nichols, the Baywatch legend who played a pivotal role in rescuing the show from cancellation, has passed away. The star died at his home in Weatherford, Texas, with his death occurring on March 14, although it was only recently announced by his family. His wife of 31 years, Linda, had died just 12 days before him. Currently, no cause of death has been revealed. Back in 1991, while working for The Lippen Group, Nichols was instrumental in the resurgence of 'Baywatch' by helping All American Television in moving the show to first-run syndication. This move rejuvenated the series after NBC had dropped it following its debut season. His strategic move ensured the survival and subsequent success of the series, which went on to run until 2001, starring David Hasselhoff and becoming an international sensation. For the latest TV and showbiz gossip sign up to our newsletter Les Eisner, a fellow publicist, praised Nichols' impact in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter, noting that he "was largely responsible for branding [Baywatch] as the world's most-watched TV series. Whether that was true or not, who knows? But it stuck." Although the significance of Nichols' contribution to 'Baywatch' might not have been immediately apparent in 1991, by 1996, the show was reportedly attracting a staggering 1.1 billion viewers weekly, according to the Express, reports the Irish Mirror. 'Baywatch' continues to hold the esteemed Guinness World Record for being the most-watched TV show worldwide. Broadcast in 142 countries and translated into 44 languages, the series' success led to the creation of a spin-off, 'Baywatch Nights', and a feature film in 2017. The show didn't just pull in viewers; it catapulted its cast to international stardom. David Hasselhoff, already known for 'Knight Rider', became a global icon through 'Baywatch', which also introduced talents like Pamela Anderson and Donna D'Errico to a broader audience. Born on March 22, 1948, in Delaware, Paul graduated with a degree in broadcast journalism from Penn State University in 1970. He began his career as a DJ before landing a role on the renowned talk show The Mike Douglas Show in Philadelphia. In 1980, he moved to California to work for John Davidson, Douglas' successor. His impressive career also included stints at Group W, All American Television and Sony Pictures Television. Paul's wife Linda, who sadly passed away on March 2 aged 77, held a senior role at the TV marketing association Promax. After retiring, the couple relocated to Texas to be closer to her family. Paul is survived by his brother Robert, sister-in-law Denise, nephews Steve and James, and niece Caitlin.
Wales Online
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Wales Online
Baywatch legend who saved show from cancellation dies at home aged 73
Baywatch legend who saved show from cancellation dies at home aged 73 Paul Nichols, who is credited with saving Baywatch from the axe, has died at the age of 73, just 12 days after the death of his wife of 31 years, Linda The 1997 The cast of the hit television series "Baywatch" (Image: Getty Images ) Paul Nichols, the Baywatch legend who played a pivotal role in rescuing the show from cancellation, has passed away. The star died at his home in Weatherford, Texas, with his death occurring on March 14, although it was only recently announced by his family. His wife of 31 years, Linda, had died just 12 days before him. Currently, no cause of death has been revealed. Back in 1991, while working for The Lippen Group, Nichols was instrumental in the resurgence of 'Baywatch' by helping All American Television in moving the show to first-run syndication. This move rejuvenated the series after NBC had dropped it following its debut season. Paul Nichols, the veteran publicist has died at his home in Weatherford His strategic move ensured the survival and subsequent success of the series, which went on to run until 2001, starring David Hasselhoff and becoming an international sensation. For the latest TV and showbiz gossip sign up to our newsletter Les Eisner, a fellow publicist, praised Nichols' impact in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter, noting that he "was largely responsible for branding [Baywatch] as the world's most-watched TV series. Whether that was true or not, who knows? But it stuck." Article continues below Although the significance of Nichols' contribution to 'Baywatch' might not have been immediately apparent in 1991, by 1996, the show was reportedly attracting a staggering 1.1 billion viewers weekly, according to the Express, reports the Irish Mirror. 'Baywatch' continues to hold the esteemed Guinness World Record for being the most-watched TV show worldwide. Broadcast in 142 countries and translated into 44 languages, the series' success led to the creation of a spin-off, 'Baywatch Nights', and a feature film in 2017. The show didn't just pull in viewers; it catapulted its cast to international stardom. David Hasselhoff, already known for 'Knight Rider', became a global icon through 'Baywatch', which also introduced talents like Pamela Anderson and Donna D'Errico to a broader audience. Born on March 22, 1948, in Delaware, Paul graduated with a degree in broadcast journalism from Penn State University in 1970. He began his career as a DJ before landing a role on the renowned talk show The Mike Douglas Show in Philadelphia. In 1980, he moved to California to work for John Davidson, Douglas' successor. His impressive career also included stints at Group W, All American Television and Sony Pictures Television. Paul's wife Linda, who sadly passed away on March 2 aged 77, held a senior role at the TV marketing association Promax. After retiring, the couple relocated to Texas to be closer to her family. Paul is survived by his brother Robert, sister-in-law Denise, nephews Steve and James, and niece Caitlin. Article continues below
Daily Record
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Record
Paul Nichols dead as Baywatch hero who saved show dies just weeks after wife
Paul Nicols rescued Baywatch from the brink—and turned it into the most-watched show on Earth. The influential publicist credited with rescuing Baywatch from cancellation and turning it into a global TV phenomenon, has passed away. Paul Nichols, died at his home in Weatherford, Texas, on March 14, though his family only recently made the news public. No cause of death has been released, reports the Mirror. Tragically, his death came just 12 days after that of his wife of 31 years, Linda. She passed on March 2 at age 77. Nichols played a pivotal role in Baywatch's survival. In 1991, while working for The Lippen Group, he helped shift the show into first-run syndication with All American Television after NBC had canceled it following its debut season. The move proved decisive, turning Baywatch into one of the most iconic shows of the '90s. Thanks to Nichols' behind-the-scenes maneuvering, Baywatch flourished for another decade, running until 2001. Its success transformed it into a pop culture juggernaut, making global stars out of David Hasselhoff, Pamela Anderson, and others. Fellow publicist Les Eisner told The Hollywood Reporter that Nichols "was largely responsible for branding [Baywatch] as the world's most-watched TV series. Whether that was true or not, who knows? But it stuck.' By 1996, the series was reportedly attracting an astounding 1.1 billion viewers weekly, and it still holds the Guinness World Record as the most-watched TV show in history. Broadcast in 44 languages and across 142 countries, Baywatch even spawned the spin-off Baywatch Nights and a feature film in 2017. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. Born on March 22, 1948, in Delaware, Nichols earned a degree in broadcast journalism from Penn State University in 1970. He began his career as a DJ before joining The Mike Douglas Show in Philadelphia. In 1980, he moved to California to work with John Davidson, Douglas's successor. Nichols also held influential positions at Group W, All American Television, and Sony Pictures Television. His wife Linda was a respected figure in the television marketing industry, serving in a senior role at Promax. The couple later retired to Texas to be closer to her family. Nichols is survived by his brother Robert, sister-in-law Denise, nephews Steve and James, and niece Caitlin.
The Independent
13-03-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
David Hasselhoff's daughter pays tribute after mother Pamela Bach-Hasselhoff dies, aged 61
Taylor Hasselhoff-Fiore, the daughter of David Hasselhoff, has paid tribute to her mother Pamela Bach-Hasselhoff who died by suicide last week aged 61. Bach, originally from Oklahoma, was an actor and model known for her TV appearances during the 1980s and 1990s. She moved to Los Angeles in 1985 where she met her ex-husband Hasselhoff on the set of his hit show Knight Rider. In an Instagram tribute shared one week after Bach's death, her eldest daughter Taylor shared a heartfelt slideshow of family photos. The pictures show Taylor, 34, and her younger sister Hayley, 32, with their mother over the years. One picture shows Taylor cradling Hayley as an infant alongside their mother. In the post's caption, real estate broker Taylor wrote that she would 'do anything in the world' to hug her late mother again. 'My forever angel, you are my best friend, my whole heart, my everything,' she wrote. 'I promise to make you proud and celebrate you everyday.' Taylor, who has a baby daughter called London, said that she will teach her child about her mother's legacy. 'London will know all about how incredible you are and I promise I will protect Hayley forever…' She continued: 'Mama I love you so much, the pain is unbearable but I will be strong for you & hold onto your memory until we meet again my beautiful.' Following Bach's death, Hasselhoff said in a statement to TMZ: 'Our family is deeply saddened by the recent passing of Pamela Hasselhoff.' 'We are grateful for the outpouring of love and support during this difficult time but we kindly request privacy as we grieve and navigate through this challenging time.' TMZ reports that Bach died by suicide. Paramedics were called to her home late on 5 March, according to law enforcement sources cited by the outlet, and she was pronounced dead at the scene. Bach, born Pamela Weissenbach, made her film debut in Francis Ford Coppola's Rumble Fish in 1983, which also starred Matt Dillon, Mickey Rourke and Diane Lane. She also worked with her husband on Baywatch and spin-off series Baywatch Nights. Her other television credits included TJ Hooker, Cheers and The Young and the Restless. She was married to Hasselhoff from 1989 to 2006, when the actor announced he was filing for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences. Their divorce was finalised in 2006, with each being given custody of one daughter. Hasselhoff married model Hayley Roberts in 2018. If you are experiencing feelings of distress, or are struggling to cope, you can speak to the Samaritans, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email jo@ or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch. If you are based in the USA, and you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call or text 988, or visit to access online chat from the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. This is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If you are in another country, you can go to to find a helpline near you
