Greg Kot (born March 3, 1957) is an American music journalist and author. From 1990 until 2020, Kot was the rock music critic at the Chicago Tribune,[1] where he covered popular music and reported on music-related social, political and business issues. Kot co-hosts the radio program Sound Opinions, which introduces itself as "the world's only rock 'n' roll talk show", nationally syndicated through Chicago Public Radio, WBEZ.[2]
A native of Syracuse, New York, Kot graduated from Marquette University.[3] Kot started his career at the Quad City Times in Davenport, Iowa in June 1978[4] and then joined the Chicago Tribune in 1980.[3] He was named the paper's rock music critic in 1990, and held that job until taking a buyout from the Tribune in early 2020.[3]
Kot has co-hosted the radio show Sound Opinions since its 1993 launch.[5] The show is syndicated to about 150 radio stations nationwide and also exists as a weekly podcast.[5] In 2020, Chicago's WBEZ terminated its production agreement with Sound Opinions, although the show will continue to be produced independently.[5]
^Gary Graff & Daniel Durchholz (eds), MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide, Visible Ink Press (Farmington Hills, MI, 1999; ISBN1-57859-061-2), p. xix.
^"Greg Kot". Host, Sound Opinions. Chicago Public Media. Archived from the original on March 29, 2012. Retrieved August 29, 2011.
^Kot, Greg (January 21, 2014). I'll Take You There: Mavis Staples, the Staple Singers, and the March up Freedom's Highway. Simon and Schuster. ISBN978-1451647853.