Courtesy of Mark Bass

By Thomas Semioli

Supporting a guitar icon is a daunting task, especially in the blues rock genre wherein solos are oft interminable, and the repertoire is frequently given to songs which are more improvisatory vehicles than compositions.

 

Which brings us to Tommy Shannon, who anchored two of rock’s most influential blues guitarists: Johnny Winter and Stevie Ray Vaughn.

 

Shannon met Johnny at The Fog in Dallas in 1968, forming the Progressive Blues Experiment which waxed one indie album before Winter inked a then record deal with Clive Davis and Columbia. Tommy backed Johnny on his debut self-titled platter, appeared with Winter at Woodstock, and helmed Second Winter (1970). When Johnny began his association with Rick Derringer, Shannon’s services were no longer needed as the guitarist/producer favored his rhythm section of bassist Randy Jo Hobbs, and Derringer’s brother Randy. For the ensuing decade, Shannon played in various bands with moderate success.

 

 

Once again, The Fog played a major role in Tommy’s life wherein he developed a relationship with an emerging guitarist who needed a bassist: Stevie Ray Vaughn. With drummer Chris Layton, SRV’s backing band was dubbed Double Trouble. Working first as a trio, then expanding to a quartet with keyboardist Reese Wynans, SRV & Double Trouble emerged as one of the most popular blues bands of all time, waxing platinum sides, playing to large audiences, and turning a new audience on to the blues in an era of sizzle over substance MTV.

 

Following SRV’s untimely passing, Shannon kept busy – auditioning for the Rolling Stones upon Bill Wyman’s retirement, and collaborating (often with drummer Layton) with such high profile artists as Eric Clapton, Susan Tedeschi, Little Richard, Hubert Sumlin, Jeff Beck, Jimmie Vaughn, Eric Johnson, Charlie Sexton, and Doyle Bramhall II to cite a few.

 

With Johnny, Shannon skillfully embellished Winter’s 12-bar blues forays with chords and rhythmic variations rendered with a warm, legato touch.

 

With Vaughn, Tommy stuck to the 1 / 3 / 5 / b7 modus operandi (tuned down to Eb)  as Stevie was a Chicago-blues devotee.

 

Tommy’s weapons of choice include Fender Jazz, Fender Precision, MusicMan Stingray, and Yamaha basses. Shannon was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member Stevie Ray Vaughn & Double Trouble.

 

Tommy Shannon Sound & Vision

Johnny Winter, live in Copenhagen 1970 https://youtu.be/eNYDHZZSXIY

SRV & Double Trouble, live “Texas Flood” Austin City Limits https://youtu.be/evjMjpd4PNM

 

Courtesy of Columbia Records

Courtesy of Yolanda Charles Facebook Com

 

By Thomas Semioli

 

First call UK session player/ side-woman, clinician, educator (Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester) Yolanda Charles’ genre traversing career spans such ensembles and artists including Urban Species, Paul Weller, Eric Clapton, BB King, Roger Daltrey, The Deep Mo, Dave Stewart, Van Morrison, Alison Moyet, Robbie Williams, Jimmy Somerville, Sinead O’Connor, and Squeeze to cite a very select few.

 

Starting out as a guitarist in her teens, Yolanda tended to pick out bass lines on her instrument. As such, instructor came up with a solution “you don’t want to be a guitar player, you want to be a bass player!” And the rest, as they say…is history!

 

Yolanda cites Marcus Miller’s work with Luther Vandross as an influence, along with Barry “Sunjohn” Johnson with Don Blackman’s Family Tradition.  Her first high profile gig was with Jimmy Somerville at the age of 18, which led to additional work – to which Charles credits her skills as a backing vocalist as well. 

 

For her services to music Ms. Charles was bestowed Member of the Order of the British Empire at the 2020 Birthday Honours, hence her MBE designation on Know Your Bass Player Com! 

 

Yolanda Charles Sound & Vision…

 

Project FUNK “We Live in Brooklyn” https://youtu.be/0uf7TxX0OEE

 

Paul Weller: “Shadow of the Sun” https://youtu.be/Jl8NzFQ7oM4

 

Squeeze: “Rough Ride” https://youtu.be/33lKPTFmD0E

 

Solo Yolanda: “The Game” https://youtu.be/pTvMoA1GyV4

 

The Deep Mo “These Times” https://youtu.be/wbNMl1xr9x4

 

 

Photo by Julien Fontenelli Courtesy of Yolanda Charles Facebook

By Thomas Semioli

He set the template for scores of players – including Kenny Aaronson, Sal Maida, and Joe Gagliardo – with a lifetime’s worth of bass riffs. When he put down the instrument, he forged an equally influential (and more high profile) career as a producer during the zeitgeist of the singer songwriter movement of the 1970s.

Cradling an Epiphone Rivoli, Paul Samwell-Smith’s decidedly aggressive motifs with The Yardbirds profoundly inspired generations of rockers spanning Bruce Springsteen, Aerosmith, and the original Alice Cooper band to cite a very, very, very select few.

As a founding member of The Yardbirds, Paul Samwell-Smith anchored  classics including “For Your Love,” “Over Under, Sideways, Down,” and “Heart Full of Soul” among others, which were a watershed meld of blues, pop, and psychedelic rock.

After Paul split from the group in 1966 – surrendering bass duties to Jimmy Page –  he turned to the producer’s chair guiding such artists as Renaissance, Cat Stevens (Mona Bone Jakon, Tea for the Tillerman, Teaser & the Firecat,  Catch Bull at Four, Buddah & The Chocolate Box), Carly Simon (Anticipation),  Chris De Burgh, and Murray Head, among others, on several of their finest recorded works.

 

Paul Samwell-Smith Sound & Vision

Dig Paul Samwell-Smith workin’ the pocket and walkin’ double time on multi-instrumentalist / bassist Graham Gouldman’s composition “Evil Hearted You.” https://bit.ly/2R4nUsE

Dig the Yardbirds on American television “For Your Love” https://youtu.be/HU5zqidlxMQ

Dig Kenny Aaronson in the 21st Century Yardbirds https://youtu.be/HBzIHJwJlt8

Dig Billy Sheehan talkin’ and riffin’ Paul Samwell-Smith https://youtu.be/GTZHEo9gY6I

By Thomas Semioli 

 

“He’s the baddest bass player in the U.S.A!” proclaimed the late, great Donny Hathaway from the stage of the Bitter End in New York City nearly 50 years ago (1971) – and that proclamation still holds true well into the 21st Century.

 

You know that jukebox that goes “doyt doyt” at Danny’s All-Star Joint? That’s Willie Weeks!

 

From the late 1960s to the present day, Willie Weeks continues to set the bar as a session player and sideman. A laid-back pocket player, Willie’s command of rhythm and blues, soul, country, jazz, and pop, and just about any permutation thereof has can be heard throughout the seminal recorded works of several artists including Stevie Wonder (“Misstra Know It All”), Rolling Stones (“It’s Only Rock n Roll), Chaka Kahn, Rickie Lee Jones, Herbie Hancock, John Mayer, Vince Gill, Ron Wood , Etta James, John Scofield, Aretha Franklin, Joe Walsh, George Harrison, Eric Clapton, BB King, Buddy Guy, Rod Stewart, Gregg Allman, Randy Newman, David Bowie (“Young Americans”), and Richard Thompson, to cite a very select few.

 

Willie’s weapons of choice include: Fender Precision and Fender Jazz basses, Kay, Alleva Coppolo, and his “WW” Willie Weeks signature bass by Bee Basses.

 

A giant of the instrument, Willie Weeks is long overdue for recognition in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

 

Tom Semioli / Huffington Post “A Bass Player’s Rant: 33 Who Belong in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame” : https://bit.ly/2POxUJr

 

Willie Weeks Sound & Vision… (See Best Bass: Willie Weeks Know Your Bass Player Playlist – Spotify) 

 

Willie Weeks’ watershed solo on “Voices Inside (Everything is Everything)” https://youtu.be/3gpN-SJD-VY  from Donny’s iconic Live (1972) album remains a benchmark for bassists.

 

A rare Willie slap passage with  George Harrison “Woman Don’t You Cry for Me” https://youtu.be/47l0EzvjN4I

 

Willie and Eric Clapton on a live rendition of  “Motherless Children” https://youtu.be/h9d2ZeAvBgA

 

Rolling Stones “It’s Only Rock and Roll” https://youtu.be/DmgCy__eUa8

 

David Bowie “Young Americans”  https://youtu.be/iO6OvHxD_m8

 

Willie’s bass solo composition with Ron Wood “Crotch Music” https://youtu.be/KNAg8TVS2RY

 

Vince Gill “Never Alone” https://youtu.be/MtQvLF1ZKCg

 

James Taylor “I Was a Fool to Care” https://youtu.be/SnwZySCHyNw

 

Stevie Wonder “He’s Misstra Know It All” https://youtu.be/uivvYGyQiow

 

Rickie Lee Jones “Danny’s All Star Joint” https://youtu.be/T9dRLzd0sXU

 

 

 

He is the Mac in Fleetwood Mac!

 

Seminal Sides: John Mayall & The Blues Breakers with Eric Clapton; Then Play On (1969), Future Games (1971), Mystery to Me (1973), Fleetwood Mac (1975), Rumours (1977), Tusk (1979), Live (1980), Say You Will (2003).

 

The late, truly great British blues guitar icon Peter Green was clever to name his fledgling ensemble for drummer Mick Fleetwood and former tax inspector / bassist John Graham McVie. Acknowledged among the most identifiable and flexible rhythm sections in rock history, Fleetwood’s bona fide Mac is a consummate song player – from pop to improvisatory blues.

 

Born in London in 1945, John commenced his musical journey as a teen, moving from trumpet, then to guitar, and then to bass when his dad purchased a snazzy Fender akin to Jet Harris – which must have cost a small fortune in the economically depressed post-war UK! 

 

McVie’s tenure in John Mayall’s Blues Breakers commenced when he was still relatively new to the instrument. Yet McVie help set the template for standard rock blues electric bass: working the lower register, outlining the changes, plying subtle harmonic extensions, and supporting the resident god-like guitar hero with a fat tone.

 

As with The Rolling Stones’ Bill Wyman, Mac’s approach evokes how Willie Dixon might have sounded had he played electric – which is quite logical given that his boss John Mayall (who hired and fired Mac several times) tutored the emerging musician, and was a staunch Dixon devotee.

 

Blues Breakers with Eric Clapton (aka “Beano”) is among the most influential albums of the classic rock era. Note that McVie and drummer Hughie Flint worked the pocket in the service of Mayall and Slowhand with a decidedly swing feel.

 

John McVie Sound & Vision…

 

John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers

 

“All Your Love” https://youtu.be/rUUEtCBhn_Q

 

“Steppin’ Out” https://youtu.be/PkulcvRkd4I

 

With Fleetwood Mac, and its various singer / songwriter / “front persons” including Peter Green, Jeremy Spencer, Danny Kirwan, Bob Welch, Christine McVie, Stevie Nicks, Lindsay Buckingham, Dave Mason, Rick Vito, Billy Burnette, Neil Finn, and Bekka Bramlett, McVie waxed inventive passages in support of the superstar singers and their chart-topping songs and album tracks. Often the subject of his ex-wife Christine McVie’s songs on Rumours, McVie’s weapons of choice included the Fender Jazz, Precision, and Telecaster Bass, and Alembic. Nowadays he’s a Lakland man. In 1992 John waxed his sole solo slab John McVie’s Gotta Band with Lola Thomas.

 

 

 

McVie also worked the occasional session, most notably with Warren Zevon on the classic track “Werewolves of London” with Mick Fleetwood helming the drum chair: https://youtu.be/iKtPOC3VqGs

 

And dig these Deep Mac tracks…..

 

“Rattlesnake Shake” (Then Play On / 1969) https://youtu.be/ob5Q_daCOB8

 

“Coming Your Way” (Then Play On) https://youtu.be/JCEqKVDsa0E  

 

“Station Man” (Kiln House / 1970) https://youtu.be/YSZJFWn7OM4

 

“Sands of Time” (Future Games / 1971) https://youtu.be/1Jkp34jMeEw

 

“Child of Mine” (Bare Trees / 1972) https://youtu.be/F–ImFAn8oU 

 

“Revelation” (Penguin / 1973) https://youtu.be/chcRAWh8Tik

 

“Miles Away” https://youtu.be/3za5HwkfuVQ and “Hypnotized” (Mystery to Me / 1973) https://youtu.be/fDzXbdxeeHI

 

“Bermuda Triangle” (Heroes are Hard to Find / 1974) https://youtu.be/f83nXE0TBvA

 

“Rhiannon” (Fleetwood Mac / 1975) https://youtu.be/jQAK6sVovUk and “The Chain” (Rumours / 1977) https://youtu.be/kBYHwH1Vb-c

 

Photos Courtesy of Fleetwood Mac . Com

 

“He can play like a bass player, not like a bass guitar player. There’s a difference, believe me. And the last thing I wanted was somebody that sounded like a bass guitar player, because all of Chuck Berry’s stuff is basically made for upright bass and a swing thing. So Joey comes in and I’m amazed. How do you that?! You know, I’ve been around, but…”  Keith Richards

Those are heavy words of praise from the co-founder, guitarist, vocalist, and co-principal songwriter of the Rolling Stones! And Joey Spampinato has equally heavy words of praise for all bassists: “I never heard a bass player I didn’t like!”

So, where did it all start for Joseph Nicholas Spampinato? There was always music playing in the Spampinato household, and Joey’s dad was a guitar player who showed him few things. However it was singing that got Joey rolling!

Spampinato grew up in the Bronx – a borough of New York City wherein doo wop music reigned supreme. It was a place where singers such as Dion were “Kings of the New York streets.”  When Joey was young and impressionable, he sang everywhere with friends- including apartment building hallways with voice enhancing, booming acoustics.  Joey also played alto sax in his elementary school band.  When Joey was thirteen years old, he was asked to join an acapella singing group with guys whose ages ranged from 16-21.

When Joey was fifteen The Beatles conquered America, and everything changed for Spampinato and his generation. Overnight, Joey’s goal became to play bass in a rock and roll band like Paul and The Beatles.  Though doo wop still had a presence, with songs such as “So Much in Love” by the Tymes, his acapella band was forced to rethink its strategy as “the times they were a changin.’

It was decided that the band would add a drummer and guitar player; Joey would play electric bass; one of the other singers would play keys, and the band which became known as The Seven of Us commenced to playing Top 40 hits.  The band released a single on Red Bird Records, wherein Joey co-wrote the A and B sides, “Jamboree” and “It’s Not Easy To Forget.”

“Jambouree” https://youtu.be/XdYeCV0PzQw

“It’s Not Easy to Forget” https://youtu.be/C9SWKYNpkqo

Given Joey’s history and the times that influenced him, it makes sense that in addition to Paul McCartney, Joey was influenced by the bassists which dominated 1960s pop radio: Donald “Duck” Dunn, Brian Wilson, James Jamerson, and blues legend Willie Dixon.

Among first bass lines that attracted his attention was from Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers’ “Why Do Fools Fall In Love.”  The bass work in particular influenced Joey’s sound – and has been traced back to either Abie Baker or Al Hall, both upright jazz players with the Jimmy Wright Band.

Frankie Lymon “Why Do Fools Fall in Love” https://youtu.be/2sAHiR0rkJg

In 1967, The Seven of Us were playing in Florida, and some of its members, including Joey, ended up merging with a few members of a band called Mersey-Beats USA, and that was the beginning of the New Rhythm and Blues Quintet.  And later “Quartet.”  NRBQ, or the “Q”, as it is lovingly referred to, became known for its live shows steeped in spontaneity, and an eclectic mix of rock, pop, country, folk, jazz, blues, and even Tin Pan Alley music.

The band’s debut album for Columbia in 1969 featured original songs spanning a wide range of musical styles, and included covers of Eddie Cochran and Sun Ra.

Dig “C’Mon Everybody” from the debut Q slab: https://youtu.be/cqfdr-6Vato

Joey spent the better part of the next four decades playing bass, singing and writing songs as a founding member of NRBQ. During that time, the band recorded multiple live and studio albums, as well as albums with Carl Perkins, Skeeter Davis, and the wrestling manager Captain Lou Albano.

Dig Q with Carl Perkins “Boppin’ the Blues” https://youtu.be/fYmwYWFgpNY

According to Joey, some of his favorite NRBQ albums are Grooves in Orbit, Message for the Mess Age, NRBQ (Rounder Records, 1999), and You’re Nice People You Are, a children’s record.  For about a decade, Joey had the pleasure of his younger brother Johnny playing in the Q after Al Anderson left.

How Does Joey Do It! Joey’s primary right-hand technique is to play with his thumb.  As I am also primarily a thumb player, I was wondering if his influence came from the same source as mine—seeing Brian Wilson play a Fender Precision bass with the finger rest below the G string.  It turns out that Joey started playing with his fingers, but he always wanted to emulate the sound of an upright, and he found he could achieve that sound by  playing the strings with his thumb while his hand acted as a mute down by the bridge.  Another contributing factor is his preference for flat wound strings.

 Joey’s playing is melodic, but he is a firm believer that “less is more.”  His goal is to attain the sound and tone he wants, and to play simple. He describes Duck Dunn as a “seminar in simplicity.” Says Joey “listen to everything he does, [Duck] plays just what is needed.”  He is also a fan of Willie Dixon for the same reason.  Joey views the bassist as “the equivalent of a catcher in baseball.  You need to be aware of everything going on, and adapt your playing to the players around you.”

 Joey’s Weapons of Choice: Joey’s basses have included a Japanese starter bass, a Klira violin-styled bass, a Hofner bass that was modified by having luthier G.L. Stiles replace the neck and pickups, and cut F holes into the body.  Unfortunately that bass was stolen years ago from a vehicle while the band was recording in New York, and has never been recovered….

For the first Q album, Joey played the G.L. Stiles bass, and a also rented Fender Jazz.  Then he started playing a Rickenbacker, which he later used on the Carl Perkins recordings. Through the seventies he played a bass made by G.L. Stiles, pictured on the back of their Workshop album.

In the early 80’s, Al Anderson showed up at rehearsal with a black single cutaway and single pickup Silvertone bass he had bought at a yard sale for $35.  Joey tried it, and immediately gave Al the $35!  That was the beginning of Joey’s preference for Silvertone and Danelectro bass guitars.

In the mid-1980s, while living in Nashville, Joey became a fan of the Jerry Jones double cutaway basses that were based on the Danelectro model, and he had two orange basses custom made. Those have been his go-to basses, though he’ll sometimes use his hand made Hoyt bass in the studio. While he prefers to play fretted basses while singing, Joey does have a fretless Danelectro, a gift from E Street bassist, Gary W. Tallent.

Joey’s old go-to amp rig was an Ampeg SVT.  These days he favors a Fender BXR 300 1×15 combo amp, with an extension cabinet, that gets him the warm tube and upright tone that is his signature.

Joey, Keith, and Chuck Berry: In the late 1980s, Keith Richards produced a documentary on his idol, Chuck Berry entitled Hail! Hail! Rock n’ Roll to celebrate the iconic rocker’s 60th birthday.  Comprised of a footage from rehearsals and a tribute concert starring Chuck, along with special guests Linda Ronstadt, Eric Clapton, Robert Cray, Bobby Keys, and Julian Lennon, among others, Keith chose Joey as the bassist after seeing the Q at the Bottom Line on the recommendation of drummer Steve Jordan. For the film, Joey played a white Jerry Jones Long Horn.

As Chuck Berry was notoriously volatile, Joey was prepared in the event he was called on the carpet.  Turns out that Joey learned one of the songs, just as it was played on the record, which included a walk-up bass line to the root note of the key.  When Chuck said he wasn’t playing the song right, Joey explained he had played what was on the record, but he was happy to play it any way Chuck wanted.  The next morning, Chuck came in, walked up to Joey, and said “Mr. Bass Player, YOU WERE RIGHT!”  It was a great experience being part of that band, and having the respect of Chuck Berry.

Dig Joey, Keef, and Chuck: “Nadine” https://youtu.be/5madtiLf7DI

Dig Joey and Keef rendering backing vocals for Linda and Chuck “Back in the USA” https://youtu.be/ERVLy-ltjHs

Much of Joey’s songwriting was for the Q, but his songs have been recorded by other artists.

Joey played on Bonnie Raitt’s LP Fundamental, which included “I Need Love.”  Shakin’ Stevens covered “Don’t She Look Good.” Darlene Love and She and Him covered “Christmas Wish.” Daryl Hall, in a tribute to former Hall and Oates’ bassist, T Bone Wolk covered “If I Don’t Have You,” which was one of T Bone’s favorite songs.

Bonnie Raitt “I Need Love” https://youtu.be/ByYD5L7F2qw

Darlene Love “Christmas Wish” https://youtu.be/HJr7HV1OZuw

Darryl and T Bone “If I Don’t Have You” https://youtu.be/-G4TOZqrJzk

Joey has many high points in his storied career. Recording an album with his hero, Carl Perkins; being in the same band for almost four decades; anchoring the Q and The Spampinato Brothers with Johnny; having Bonnie Raitt join the Q anytime they were in the same town; and having Keith pick him to be in the band for the Chuck Berry documentary.  Each of those events is huge yet there are more highlights Joey’s story…

Eric Clapton was among the artists who was a special guest in the Hail! documentary, and he and Joey hit it off.  In 1991, Eric hosted 24 Nights at the Royal Albert Hall, a series of shows where he played six nights of blues, six nights of hits, six nights with an extended band, and six nights with an orchestra.  Impressed with Joey’s musicianship, Eric had Joey play bass on the six nights of blues.

It was a treat for Joey to be part of the show with Eric Clapton, and other ace guitarists, but also, to be able to play at the historic Royal Albert Hall.

Another highlight was being invited to jam with Paul McCartney and his band at the Mill in England, where Paul rehearses and records.  Paul had previously told Joey that he should look him up if he is in England.  Joey reached out to Paul, and the next day, a car picked him up to take him to play with the man who inspired him to sing, play bass and write songs!

With all these great experiences, could one possibly think of anything more they’d like to happen to them?  YES! Being animated on The Simpsons!  Besides having many of their songs appear on the show, the Q may be the only band that ever appeared in an animated form as well as on camera performing the show’s theme song during the end credits.

NRBQ on The Simpsons https://youtu.be/6FP0HTMVl9M

These days, you can catch Joey playing again with brother, Johnny, in The Spampinato Brothers.  They have 3 rockin’ releases, Pie In The Sky from 2010, Smiles from 2013, and now Decorangements.  Information about the band and these CDs can be found at https://www.spampinatobrothers.com/

Dig Q on Night Music with David Sanborn “Wild Weekend” https://youtu.be/PQ5UlyBgHN8

Dig The Spampinato Brothers “Rocket in my Pocket” https://youtu.be/pBvVudD8xQ4

Check out Joey’s playing along with a brief description of his bass lines:

The Spampinato Brothers- “Japan” https://youtu.be/HweILbx17Ps “Keeping it simple. Let the song do all the talking. No French pastry needed.”

NRBQ-“Everybody’s Smokin” https://youtu.be/Z6PSKLdsOdc  “This song was written on stage as an improv by everybody, with Terry Adams making up words as we went along, and everybody on stage was smoking.  Al Anderson played a wild chord, and I was playing a spacey bass line.  By the time we were recording Message For The Mess Age, I wrote the bridge, and we recorded the song…”

NRBQ-“Like A Locomotive” https://youtu.be/qkXABTqVC2Q  “I play a moving bass line on the bridge that only touches on the root, and I weave my way around the chords.”

Joey’s Legacy:

Mike Berman, bassist: …been a Q fan since 1970. They used to play a lot of the clubs around the the Woodstock/Kingston NY area where I lived. Saw them dozens of times and also later when they played in NY City clubs. Joey was a huge inspiration for me. That Jerry Jones/Dano bass into the full SVT cabs delivered deep deep low end but never overpowering. His style is totally unique. I have followed him through his post-Q time with the Spampinato Brothers. Hoping to see Joey out playing again some day soon!

Sal Maida, bassist (Roxy Music, The Sparks, Cracker, The Runaways): Joey Stampinato’s bass technique is totally unique in that it is not only melodic but extremely percussive. Like an upright player slapping some genuine rock n roll patterns that is both retro and forward looking at the same time.

Jon Pousette- Dart, composer /recording artist: There are a chosen few in a place that hold a candle with Joey. Jamerson,McCartney, and many names I couldn’t possibly recall, but Joey’s place is in it’s own space of knowing, realizing and paying tribute to every song he touches. It’s good on a whole other plane. Original Q was a place few bands or players touch. His songs remain among my favorite of all time.

Check out the Joey Spampinato KYBP Photo Gallery by Beth Harrison!

He’s among the most prolific UK studio cats / sidemen whose basslines have anchored seminal sides by Eric Clapton (From The Cradle, Pilgrim), Eric Bibb, Robin Trower, Gary Moore (Blues for Jimi), my doppelganger Andy Fairweather-Low, Bo Diddley, and with various artists on The Concert for George.

 

Dave Bronze is a pocket and melodic player who also plies his craft on upright and extended range, always in the service of the almighty song. Aside from the aforementioned guitar gods, you’ve heard Dave with Colin Blunstone, Tom Jones, Chris Farlow, Paul Carrack, and Art of Noise, to cite a select few.

 

Dig Dave with Slowhand from “Blues With Russell” https://youtu.be/KP5Zn-onAk0

He embodied the spirit of “Rock ‘n’ Roll Stew” a seminal track he composed with drummer Jim Gordon.

 

The late Richard Roman Grech was a major presence on the British music scene of the late 1960s – 70s, plying his craft with a Fender Jazz bass -and a wad of foam (“waddafoam”) strategically placed in proximity to the bridge to render a partially muted resonance akin to an upright.

 

Ric, who also doubled on violin and cello, anchored a who’s who of Brit rock royalty: Family, Blind Faith, Eric Clapton, Rod Stewart, Ronnie Lane, Eddie Harris, Jim Capaldi, Gram Parsons, the Bee Gees, and the KGB band with Mike Bloomfield and Carmine Appice – to cite a very select few.

 

Widely respected by his peers and the among the most in-demand session players of his era, Grech was an exceptionally skilled pocket and melodic player who incorporated jazz, rhythm & blues, and classical influences into his expansive body of work.

 

After the commercial failure of KGB, Ric retired from the music business in 1977, and sadly passed at the age of 43.  

 

The Rick Grech story would not be complete sans the mention of his relationship with Gram Parsons.

 

Reflects James Spina of Creem Magazine / Hit Parader: Grech produced Gram’s first solo LP called GP. He built quite a friendship with Rick previous to that and in fact lived with Rick and his family when in England and when not hanging with Keith during the Exiles daze. Daze might be a key word for all of this since some much of it happened under a haze of drugs. Both Gram and Rick had substance abuse issues but even in light of that the actual production and even the song writing process for GP is clean and classic.

 

 

Musician Kenny Wilson recalls his close relationship with Ric Grech. Courtesy of www.KennyWilson.Org

 

However, personally untouched by the economic downturn (living “on the dole” was alright as long as you didn’t have expensive habits), I continued to pursue and develop my career as a singer/songwriter. There weren’t many gigs in the centre of Leicester at that time so I and some of my musical friends started a club in the top room of a pub called the Town Arms on Pocklington’s Walk. We met every week and played songs and generally had a good time. Everyone at that time was making a big effort and many of the songs were excellent. Regulars at the time included Geoff Overon, Mick Pini, Dave Plimmer, Gwyn Jones, Annie Williamson and many others, some of whom I’ve forgotten the names of. None of us were making much money at the time but that didn’t really matter. We were more interested in writing and performing good songs.

 

In 1975 I was living on the St. Matthews Estate which was an area of social housing near the centre of Leicester. It was a time of economic upheaval with hyper-inflation and widespread industrial unrest. The then prime minister, Ted Heath,  announced a three day week at the height of a miner’s strike that eventually brought down the government and returned Harold Wilson and a Labour government to power. On top of that there were many terrorist acts being committed by the IRA and other extremist groups with particularly horrendous bombings in Birmingham and Guildford. It was a time of great unrest and social change. The hope of the 60s had dissolved into the pessimism and paranoia of the 70s.

 

What I do know is that I met him late 1975 and subsequently did gigs, wrote songs and recorded demos with him until the early eighties when we went our separate ways. When you look at biographies of Rick they all tend to agree that his career ended in 1977. Bizarrely, many say he became a carpet salesman. I don’t know where that came from but it was the sort of thing he would say as a joke. He had a cynical and sometimes surreal sense of humour. He actually saw himself as a musician and played in various combinations until his untimely death in 1990. The period I knew and worked with him was between 1975 and 1982 and we did many gigs together mainly around the Midlands area in the U.K.

 

I realized as I started this memoir that I don’t really know how to either spell or pronounce Rick’s name. Until recently I thought it was Ric and that Grech was pronounced with a hard “K” sound. I’m not sure now. On most of his recordings, and his own signature on a photograph I have, it is spelled Rick and many people I have spoken to who knew him assure me that Grech should be pronounced with a “CH” sound. I also thought he was of Polish origin but many biographies online say he was Ukrainian. Not a great start really as I am now totally confused and can hardly put myself forward as an expert! Mind you, it fits the person I knew for many years who was both interesting and sociable but was also a bit of an enigma who rarely gave a straight answer to  any personal question.

 

One night, out of the blue, Rick Grech turned up with his violin. He commenced to play along with people and then borrowed a guitar and sang some of his own songs. He obviously enjoyed himself and started to come every week. At the time he had just finished working with Gram Parsons and had even made two records with the original Crickets! One week he brought a cardboard box full of records to the club. It was by a “super-group” called KGB featuring Rick on bass. He proceeded to give everyone a free copy of this! This is when I first encountered Rick’s evasiveness. I said shouldn’t he be in America promoting this record but he told me nothing and didn’t want to discuss it! It was at this time that rumours started circulating that he had been expelled from America and could not return. I don’t know any facts about this but I know he never returned when I knew him in the 70s.

 

At the beginning Rick was a bit of an anachronism with his Rock Star status and red Ferrari which he crashed and abandoned shortly after I met him. But he was a nice guy who was soon part of the scene and we started working with him in various ways. At the time my maisonette (like a third story house on top of another house!) was a centre for continual jam sessions. I had a reel to reel tape recorder set up (a bit like the Basement Tapes) and recorded many sessions that involved Rick and lots of others. Unfortunately, the tapes I used were the cheapest available and oxidized over time and are virtually unplayable now. Rick was buzzing with ideas and writing some great songs and playing some fine fiddle. He was still involved in recording as a session musician with people like Rod Stewart and was still managed by impresario Robert Stigwood who released a compilation album of him in 1973. He had also promoted the talents of guitarist Albert Lee and had involved him in records with the Crickets and “Doctor to the Stars” turned country singer, Hank Wangford. It seems like Rick was everywhere, doing everything, he couldn’t fail, but cracks were beginning to show. Hank Wangford says this of his time with Gram Parsons and Rick:

 

“I spent four months in Canada, and came back and resolved to make a country album with Rick Grech for Robert Stigwood, I called Rick up one day and said, ‘You know who should co-produce this? Gram Parsons.’ He said, ‘I know Gram well’, and called him up. And Gram came over. “This was 1972. I did a demo with Rick on bass, Mike Kellie from Spooky Tooth on drums, Mike Storey on piano, and Pete Townshend on lead guitar. Glyn Johns was the engineer. I could have been forgiven for thinking I’d made it. But the whole thing fell apart. Gram came over, we spent a couple of days at Rick’s house going over the songs, but it fell apart because of heroin. Rick and Gram just got really stoned, and I didn’t take heroin. I hated it. Rick was so wrecked, he couldn’t get his recording machine to work. For hours and hours, he and Gram would get higher and higher, and nothing happened. Nothing was put on tape. Actually, that time, he brought with him George and Tammy’s new duets album We Go Together. And that was Gram’s role model for him and Emmylou.”

 

There’s a horrible prescience to this because years later I was with Rick when he was incapable of working his tape machine because he was so wasted! He became a victim of serious drug and alcohol abuse that eventually sent him to an early grave!

 

In 1976 Rick decided to form a band to showcase his songs. It was based on the kind of music Gram Parsons had been producing on his two solo albums “GP” and “Grievous Angel” both of which contained songs written by Rick although he didn’t play on them. He did have a producer credit on “GP” though. He teamed up with a local Irish/Country band called the Lentones at the time but who changed their name to Rhinestone in 1976.

 

They did gigs at Irish clubs and were breaking into the Country & Western club scene that was becoming very popular at the time. They were a very good band who won a national Country Music competition and played at the Wembley Stadium at a big festival with Rick on fiddle. To get the “Gram” sound he invited singer Claire Hamill to join him. She was a fairly well-known singer/songwriter at the time from the North East (I’d seen her play when I was a student in Darlington) and had recorded four solo albums at that time. She was favourably compared to Joni Mitchell. Praise indeed!!

 

In 1976 we had moved operations from The Town Arms to a place called Watson’s Restaurant on Belvoir Street, Leicester. This was originally intended as a kind of club for well-to-do business types but it was short on customers. We turned it into a live music venue and it did very well for over a year until the owners went bankrupt. It was here that Rick and Claire refined their songs and harmonies and they sounded very good. It was time to go on the road. A band was formed and a tour was set up. Robert Stigwood was still the manager and was setting up recording etc.

 

What happened then can only be called a disaster. I went to one of the gigs at the Nottingham Boat House (a well known venue at the time) and Rick was not on his best form. Captain Video (an up and coming country rock band) did the support but the main problem was that most of the audience were not expecting Country music. They were there to hear Rick play bass and do a Rock set. He didn’t touch the bass and played no Rock, no Blind Faith, no Traffic, no Family. I believe this was the reaction that met most of the gigs on this tour! Although Gram Parsons had convinced us that Country was hip there were a lot of people who hadn’t got the message.

 

A shame, because actually it was potentially very good. The harmonies and songs were excellent and the musicians were good if a little unrehearsed. They should have toured the Country Music Clubs who would have loved it! To make matters worse I believe Claire and Rick ran up enormous expenses at London’s Claridges Hotel and charged them to Robert Stigwood who then immediately dropped Rick from his management. Well, that was the story at the time and I’m sure that’s what Rick told me!

 

It was towards the end of 1976 that I started doing gigs with Rick. By this time his drug and drink addiction was spiralling out of control and he was getting short of money. A Gibson Dove that had belonged to Gram Parsons began to be pawned regularly and the royalties from his recordings had begun to dry up. For the next four years I did many gigs with Rick as a duo and also in a band. At one point we were doing over four gigs a week! One of the most memorable regular gigs we did was at the Crows Nest on King Richards Road, Leicester every Tuesday night.

 

Kenny and Ric courtesy of Kenny Wilson Org

 

Ric Grech Sound & Vision…

 

Family:

 

“How Hi The Li” (composed by Grech) https://youtu.be/8GgzLYI1RK0

 

“Old Songs New Songs” https://youtu.be/8cJAB7Wk8y8

 

“Face in the Cloud” (composed by Grech) https://youtu.be/–BtEE2f9Ck

 

Traffic:

“Rock and Roll Stew” https://youtu.be/RjztpVSLFS8

 

“Medicated Goo” https://youtu.be/Pew9CweLjAU

 

“40,000 Headmen” https://youtu.be/pc1Hz8S2qhs

 

Blind Faith:

 

“Can’t Find My Way Back Home” Live at Hyde Park  https://youtu.be/PJJnA6zEcGk

 

“Well Alright” https://youtu.be/oj5u3Yf28LE

 

KGB: “I’ve Got a Feeling” https://youtu.be/jtHCtR02cjo

 

Gram Parsons: “Streets of Baltimore” https://youtu.be/Xi0c2clOqp0

 

Courtesy of Steve Winwood Com

Courtesy of Jack Bruce Com

By Thomas Semioli

Along with Paul McCartney, Duck Dunn, John Entwistle, and Chris Squire – John Symon Asher Bruce was among rock’s most accomplished and influential bassists.

 

Jack Bruce’s iconic status as a virtuoso instrumentalist emerged from his improvisatory genius with Cream as evidenced on their legendary extended live jams on record and on the concert stage– a revolutionary horizon for rock bands of the era. His wide array of studio recordings as a solo artist and collaborator were mostly innovative and equally important in expanding the language of rock music to include jazz, classical, and permutations thereof.

 

Bruce’s signature tone truly emerged from his soul – regardless of the bass he utilized. From his Fender VI to his signature Gibson EB to Warwick – you always recognized Jack in a single passage!

 

In addition to his work as a bassist, Jack was also an extraordinary vocalist.

 

With Cream, Bruce also flexed his remarkable songwriting chops with lyricist Peter Brown: “White Room,” “Politician,” “SWLABR,” and “Sunshine of Your Love” are among rock music’s most enduring standards.

Bruce’s collaborations with artists from every conceivable genre – including Tony Williams, John McLaughlin, Frank Zappa, Leslie West, Carla Bley, Mick Taylor, Billy Cobham, Robin Trower, Lou Reed, and Cindy Blackman Santana, to name a very few, never failed to break new ground.

 

Jack Bruce Sound & Vision…

 

“Tickets to Waterfalls” https://youtu.be/ng7vpLsEX-o

 

“Theme for An Imaginary Western” https://youtu.be/ZE-zVoru1rE

 

“White Room” https://youtu.be/V5BF1V1pbTs

 

“Sunshine of Your Love” https://youtu.be/y_u1eu6Lpds

 

“SWLABR” https://youtu.be/l0QV71h-1b8

 

“Politician” Live https://youtu.be/XPv9W_55zdE

 

“Apostrophe” with Frank Zappa https://youtu.be/XPv9W_55zdE

 

Tony Williams Lifetime: “Right On” https://youtu.be/XPv9W_55zdE

 

Courtesy of Cream Com