Music Rabbit Holes

[CAT Scratch FVR]

Pre-internet, you'd have to read the liner notes of an album/CD to know who played on what, who wrote what, etc.
The death of Rick Derringer reminds you he was involved with Hang on Sloopy, his own Rock and Roll Hootchie Koo, Edgar Winter's Free Ride, and the Wrestlemania albums.

With that I give you Russ Ballard. Interesting contributions

1. Vocalist on Argent's "Hold Your Head UP
2. Wrote and sang 80's hit, "Voices" (I hear Voices)
3. Wrote for a very wide array of groups/talent
Rainbow's- Since you've Been Gone
Three Dog Night- Liar
America's- You can do Magic
Santana's - Winning

No David Foster recommendations.

 

[WildcatfaninOhio]

The last deep dive I ventured into was about bass player, Tommy Shannon.

He played bass on Johnny Winter’s first two albums after they signed with Columbia Records. He also played with Johnny Winter at Woodstock in 1969.

After bouncing around with several bands in the 70s he wound up in Austin in the early 80s where he played bass for Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble until SRV’s death in 1990.

In the 90s he was in two different Austin-based bands with Double Trouble drummer Chris Layton. First with The Arc Angels, then with Storyville.

In the 2000s he’s played on albums and on tour with several different well known guitarists including, Buddy Guy, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Jimmie Vaughan, John Mayer, Jeff Beck, and Eric Clapton.

He’s now 79 years old and retired. Not sure there’s any musician that’s shared the stage and/or recording studio with as many hugely popular acts as Tommy Shannon.

 

[UKnCincy_rivals]

The last deep dive I ventured into was about bass player, Tommy Shannon.

He played bass on Johnny Winter’s first two albums after they signed with Columbia Records. He also played with Johnny Winter at Woodstock in 1969.

After bouncing around with several bands in the 70s he wound up in Austin in the early 80s where he played bass for Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble until SRV’s death in 1990.

In the 90s he was in two different Austin-based bands with Double Trouble drummer Chris Layton. First with The Arc Angels, then with Storyville.

In the 2000s he’s played on albums and on tour with several different well known guitarists including, Buddy Guy, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Jimmie Vaughan, John Mayer, Jeff Beck, and Eric Clapton.

He’s now 79 years old and retired. Not sure there’s any musician that’s shared the stage and/or recording studio with as many hugely popular acts as Tommy Shannon.

I think Billy Preston has him beat.

Some of the acts he’s either recorded or toured with include:

• Ray Charles
• Sam Cooke
• Little Richard
• Jimi Hendrix
• The Beatles
• The Rolling Stones
• Luther Vandross
• Whitney Houston
• Patti Labelle
• Eric Clapton
• Johnny Cash
• Red Hot Chili Peppers

 

[CAT Scratch FVR]

Today I submit Jim Peterik.
Key member of the band Survivor but more importantly wrote hit songs for a lot of bands.
Ides of March- was in the band and wrote Vehicle
Survivor- Eye of the Tiger and most of their other hits
38 Special- co-wrote most of their hits, Hold on Loosely, Rockin into the Night
Sammy Hagar- Heavy Metal
Countless others.

While I admit, not legendary, I appreciate how interconnected he was with so many groups.

 

[DSmith21]

This thread reminds me of a documentary about a group of great session musicians that were on a ton of hits in the 60s and 70's. They often replaced the band members completely in the studio except vocals.

 

[CAT Scratch FVR]

Yeah, not my intent. Really looking at folks who were part of bands, prolific songwriters, etc. Derringer was part of, and contributed, to many entities.

The Wrecking Crew was mainly studio musicians, a Company so-to-speak.

 

[Dore95]

Paul Carrack, who was an "ace" (no pun intended) vocalist for hire.

Ace - How Long
Squeeze - Tempted
Mike and the Mechanics - Silent Running, others
And then he had a "hit" of his own or two.

 

[MegaBlue05]

I’m a metal guy, and that genre largely avoids session players and outside writers. So my take will be a little different.

Several months back I read the autobiography of Motorhead’s Lemmy, which led me to deep dive the entire Motorhead catalog (23 studio albums). He had an interesting career and did more than Motorhead.

He began his career as a roadie for Hendrix. He was in several British bands in the 60s and 70s, most notably Hawkwind and Motorhead. His bass playing style was unique because he played the damn thing like a guitar, as was his microphone positioning.

He was also a prolific songwriter, writing every Moterhead song and also a penning “Mama I’m Coming Home” for Ozzy, which would become the most successful song Lemmy ever wrote or recorded. He also co-wrote several other Ozzy songs and wrote a minor hit for Lita Ford. In his later years he made studio and live guest appearances with artists such as Metallica, Foo Fighters and Slash.

If we are talking relative unknowns, I’d go with Jeff Waters of Annihilator, but I doubt we have any 80s-90s Canadian thrash metal enthusiasts on this board.

 

[catsfanbgky]

I submit my producer. Rick Rubin. Dude was co-founder of Def Jam, produced for variety of artist in all genres of music.
Adele
Johnny Cash
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Jay Z
Slayer
Run DMC
LL Cool J
Beastie Boys
Public Enemy
Rage Against The Machine
Lady Gaga
Metallica
The Cult
AC/DC
Aerosmith


And many others. Rap, country, rock, pop, heavy metal, you name it, he has produced it.

 

[CAT Scratch FVR]

Today's guest is Rod Temperton.

Keyboardist for the disco group Heatwave. Wrote all their hits, Boogie Nights, Groove Line, etc.
Staple of my middle school years.
Wrote 3 songs on Off the Wall, including Rock With You.
Wrote Thriller.
Wrote George Benson's Give Me the Night.

Dude was prolific.

 

[WTF Cat]

Pre-internet, you'd have to read the liner notes of an album/CD to know who played on what, who wrote what, etc.
The death of Rick Derringer reminds you he was involved with Hang on Sloopy, his own Rock and Roll Hootchie Koo, Edgar Winter's Free Ride, and the Wrestlemania albums.

With that I give you Russ Ballard. Interesting contributions

1. Vocalist on Argent's "Hold Your Head UP
2. Wrote and sang 80's hit, "Voices" (I hear Voices)
3. Wrote for a very wide array of groups/talent
Rainbow's- Since you've Been Gone
Three Dog Night- Liar
America's- You can do Magic
Santana's - Winning

No David Foster recommendations.

David Foster RUINED Chicago... although they were probably done anyway due to Terry's death.

 

[WTF Cat]

I’m a metal guy, and that genre largely avoids session players and outside writers. So my take will be a little different.

Several months back I read the autobiography of Motorhead’s Lemmy, which led me to deep dive the entire Motorhead catalog (23 studio albums). He had an interesting career and did more than Motorhead.

He began his career as a roadie for Hendrix. He was in several British bands in the 60s and 70s, most notably Hawkwind and Motorhead. His bass playing style was unique because he played the damn thing like a guitar, as was his microphone positioning.

He was also a prolific songwriter, writing every Moterhead song and also a penning “Mama I’m Coming Home” for Ozzy, which would become the most successful song Lemmy ever wrote or recorded. He also co-wrote several other Ozzy songs and wrote a minor hit for Lita Ford. In his later years he made studio and live guest appearances with artists such as Metallica, Foo Fighters and Slash.

If we are talking relative unknowns, I’d go with Jeff Waters of Annihilator, but I doubt we have any 80s-90s Canadian thrash metal enthusiasts on this board.

Lenny is an HOFer in my book just for Ace of Spades.

Now THAT'S Rock n Roll my friends.

 

[paulcalhoun_rivals397471]

I'll go with Jeff "Skunk" Baxter. Member of Steel Dan and then The Doobie Brothers playing guitar and congas on several legendary albums.
Baxter has continued working as a session guitarist for a diverse group of artists, including Willy DeVille, Bryan Adams, Hoyt Axton, Eric Clapton, Gene Clark, Sheryl Crow, Freddie Hubbard, Tim Weisberg, Joni Mitchell, Ricky Nelson, Dolly Parton, Carly Simon, Ringo Starr, Gene Simmons, Rod Stewart, Burton Cummings, Barbra Streisand, and Donna Summer.[5] He has worked as a touring musician for Elton John,[5] Linda Ronstadt,[5] and Billy Vera and the Beaters.

In 1982, he featured on Spirit's album Spirit of '84, released as The Thirteenth Dream outside of the US.[17]

In 1984, Baxter played keyboards with Bobby and the Midnites' Bob Weir, Billy Cobham, Bobby Cochran, Kenny Gradney ("Tigger"), and Dave Garland at the Capitol Theatre in Passaic, New Jersey.[18] That same year, he produced and played guitar and synthesizer on the band's album Where the Beat Meets the Street on Columbia Records.

In 1986, Baxter joined James Brown and Maceo Parker on guitar for several North American tour dates.[19]

In 1990, Baxter joined John Entwistle, Joe Walsh, Keith Emerson, Simon Phillips and relatively unknown vocalist Rick Livingstone in a supergroup called The Best. The group released a live performance video in Japan before disbanding. He also produced two albums for the hard rock band Nazareth, and also produced albums for Carl Wilson, Livingston Taylor, The Ventures, and Nils Lofgren. He was producer on the 1982 Bob Welch album Eye Contact. In 1991 Baxter also produced a documentary video, "Guitar" (Warner Brothers VHS and LaserDisc), in which he travels the world and interviews guitarists he admires. In 1994 he performed on the video game Tuneland.

In 1997 Baxter scored the movie The Curse of Inferno.[20]

Baxter continues to do studio work, most recently on tribute albums to Pink Floyd and Aerosmith. In 2012, he appeared on keyboardist Brian Auger's Language of the Heart, and The Beach Boys' That's Why God Made the Radio. He also occasionally plays in The Coalition of the Willing, a band comprising Andras Simonyi, Hungarian Ambassador to the United States; Alexander Vershbow, US Ambassador to South Korea; Daniel Poneman, formerly of the United States National Security Council and later the Obama Administration's Deputy Secretary of Energy; and Lincoln Bloomfield Jr., former United States Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs. On June 19, 2007, Baxter jammed with former White House Press Secretary Tony Snow's band Beats Workin' at the Congressional Picnic held on the White House South Lawn.

Obviously I had to resort to copy/paste. He has been very prolific.

 

[CAT Scratch FVR]

That's a great one!. Don't forget he consults with the government on defense issues.

How Steely Dan's Jeff 'Skunk' Baxter became a defence expert

Steely Dan's Jeff 'Skunk' Baxter is one of the most lauded guitarists of all time, however, one day he left it behind to become a military defence expert.

faroutmagazine.co.uk

 

[CaptainBoogerBuns]

I read the subject as Music " Reddit" Hole

 

[WildcatfaninOhio]

Keyboard player Reese Wynans.

In the late 60s he was briefly part of a band that included Dickie Betts and Barry Oakley. When Betts and Oakley began collaborating with Duane Allman to start The Allman Brothers Band, they considered adding Wynans. But after realizing that they already had two guitarists and two drummers they thought two keyboard players would be too much. Gregg Allman played keys.

In the mid 80s he of course joined Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble. And is in the HOF as a member of that band.

He has played on records and/or toured with…

John Mayall
Kenny Wayne Shepherd
Buddy Guy
Carole King
Martina McBride
Trisha Yearwood
Hank Williams Jr

His most recent gigs have been with the current best guitarist on the planet, Joe Bonamassa.