PHOTOS: Celebrities Join Gary Dell’Abate and Rahsaan Rogers for Hollywood & Vinyl Party

For years, Stern Show executive producer Gary Dell’Abate has been razzed over his passion for vinyl records but evidently he’s not alone. On Friday night, Howard 101 debuts the Hollywood & Vinyl Party where celebrities recently joined Gary and his Summer School co-host Rahsaan Rogers in Los Angeles to spin some of their favorite tunes.

With the theme of the evening being cover songs, Gary first went up to defend his love of records and vinyl parties. “I know on paper that sounds a little nerdy, because it is,” he explained before playing the Talking Heads version of “Take Me to the River” by Al Green. “The people … who have vinyl, they’re passionate about it.”

Legendary producer Jimmy Jam, who was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2022 with partner Terry Lewis, said he wanted to pick something he worked on. “I couldn’t use something that we sampled because we sampled a ton of stuff, it had to be an actual song,” he noted before explaining why he chose Janet Jackson’s “What’ll I Do,” a version of a Johnny Daye song. “At the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in her speech, she said that she was our favorite artist … I figure I’ve got to do something Janet.”

Actor and comedian Rob Corddry selected “The Lemon Song” by Led Zeppelin, which might not be an obvious choice, but does have writing and composing credits for blues artists Howlin’ Wolf and Robert Johnson. “It’s a cover, you motherfuckers,” he joked. “Shut your eyes and shut the fuck up and sway if you’ve got a sway in you and enjoy.”

An outlier with an excerpt from an original routine by his late friend, comedian Don Rickles, Stern Show regular John Stamos spoke of his love of vinyl while simultaneously teasing Gary. “It really is a different experience, and now I can relate to you on one thing … listening to records.”

Rahsaan closed the evening out before revealing this was an entirely new experience for him. “This is my first vinyl party because Gary never invites me,” he explained before presenting D’Angelo’s cover of Roberta Flack’s “Feel Like Makin’ Love.” “D’Angelo comes and he puts this little bounce to it … this is to me one of the greatest R&B records of all time.”

Check out the full list of presenters and songs (below).

• Gary Dell’Abate: “Take Me to the River” by Talking Heads
• Jimmy Jam: “What’ll I Do” by Janet Jackson
• Jackie Johnson: “Hava Nagila” by Connie Francis
• Jake Fogelnest: “Fixing a Hole” by George Burns
• Dave Holmes: “Growing Up” by Any Trouble
• Rob Corddry: “The Lemon Song” by Led Zeppelin
• John Stamos: Excerpt from “Hello Dummy!” by Don Rickles
• Richard Blade: “That’s Entertainment” by Morrissey
• Rahsaan Rogers: “Feel Like Makin’ Love” by D’Angelo

The Hollywood and Vinyl Party debuts Friday, Aug. 11 on Howard 101.