Greg Kot

Host, Sound Opinions
Greg Kot has been the music critic at the Chicago Tribune since 1990 and is the cohost of the nationally syndicated Sound Opinions. He has written several books, including I’ll Take You There: Mavis Staples, the Staple Singers, and the Music the Music That Shaped the Civil Rights Era; Ripped: How the Wired Generation Revolutionized Music and Wilco: Learning How to Die. He also coauthored The Beatles vs. The Rolling Stones: Sound Opinions on the Great Rock ‘n’ Roll Rivalry with his Sound Opinions colleague Jim DeRogatis. Kot’s Tribune-hosted blog, Turn it Up, debuted in 2007 and covers all aspects of music, and he writes a regular music column for the BBC. A longtime basketball junkie, he coauthored two best-selling editions of the Survival Guide for Coaching Youth Basketball. Kot also has made major contributions to books on Johnny Cash, George Harrison, the Velvet Underground, Queen, Aerosmith, R.E.M. and the Beatles. He has written extensively for Encyclopaedia Britannica, Rolling Stone, and Entertainment Weekly, as well as Details, Men’s Journal, Guitar World, Vibe, Request and other publications. Greg lives on Chicago’s Northwest Side with his wife and two daughters.

Stories by Greg Kot