[Music] Session musicians who you may never heard of who have played with big bands

[scooter1]

Have a look at the latest live incarnation of ELO, and then have a look a Take That live. Same band. A couple of friends of mine are in this line up, and it’s an interesting diary juggle. Stadiums and arenas around the world, but you won’t even know their names

 

[scooter1]

Still gigging . . And probably near the top of the pile of weapons grade guitarists whio can sing well at the same time, but are relatively unknown. He's done it all, better than Clapton IMO and most people have never heard of him.

Keef Hartley band (inc @ Woodstock), T-Rex, Deep Purple, SPencer Davis, to name but a few.

This is off his solo album in '68 . . . Live 10 years ago now, but still has a great voice. . . .unlike most of his peers.

https://youtu.be/B97irnaZhRU

All about opinions, but it’s a shame he’s a bit of a bell end - IMHO
He’s been dining out on playing Woodstock for as long as I can remember

 

[GT49er]

Still gigging . . And probably near the top of the pile of weapons grade guitarists whio can sing well at the same time, but are relatively unknown. He's done it all, better than Clapton IMO and most people have never heard of him.

Keef Hartley band (inc @ Woodstock), T-Rex, Deep Purple, SPencer Davis, to name but a few.

This is off his solo album in '68 . . . Live 10 years ago now, but still has a great voice. . . .unlike most of his peers.

Cheers - and thanks for the update. 'Weapons Grade Guitarist' - yes, I like that!

 

[GT49er]

He’s been dining out on playing Woodstock for as long as I can remember

So would I, if I'd got to play at Woodstock! ................... and unless you're some kid of complete weirdo, so, I expect, would you!

 

[darkwolf666]

Pino Palladino - bass player, largely of the fretless variety, played with a whole host of names, including The Who, Paul Young, Gary Numan, Elton John and Eric Clapton to name but a few!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pino_Palladino

 

[Gwylan]

Chris Spedding - played with countless artists. He was even a Womble!

Decent solo career in his own right

 

[Tyrone Biggums]

Nicky Hopkins.

Hopkins performed on many popular and enduring British and American rock music recordings from the 1960s to the 1990s, most notably on songs recorded by the Rolling Stones, the Kinks, the Who, the Beatles, the Steve Miller Band, Jefferson Airplane, Rod Stewart, George Harrison, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Cat Stevens, Carly Simon, Harry Nilsson, Joe Walsh, Peter Frampton, Jerry Garcia, Jeff Beck, Joe Cocker, Art Garfunkel, Badfinger, Graham Parker, and Donovan. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest studio pianists in the history of popular rock music.

 

[GT49er]

Nicky Hopkins.

Fair shout. You missed our Quicksilver Messenger Service.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KJCTxOvVF0

One of the rare occasions when he was accreditted as a member of the band, I think.

 

[Not Andy Naylor]

There's loads of them - but their whole point, mainly, is that we never hear of them. Some of them eventually emerge from behind the anonymity, like Jimmy Page and Jeff Beck - who probably had more top ten hits before they were famous than afterwards, but most just stay in the background, like Carol Kay who played bass on most of the Tamla Motown hits of the 1960s, along with Barbara Streisand, The Monkees, Beach Boys, Frank Sinatra, Simon and Garfunkel. Older NSCers will remember the bass line on Nancy Sinatra's These Boots are made for Walking......and she only took up bass because rhe booked bass player failed to turn up for a session!

Carol Kaye's claim to have played on Motown hits has been largely debunked. She played on a few that were recorded in Motown's LA satellite operation, but never appeared in Detroit, where 99 percent of the big hits were recorded. They were the work of the session players (mostly ex jazz men) who called themselves the Funk Brothers and whose story has been excellently and belatedly told in the movie Standing in the Shadows of Motown.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ldzU19oL3A

The main bass player was James Jamerson, who was so key to the operation that they paid him big money by 1960s standards and refused to let him tour with the artists he'd backed, as his presence in the studio was considered essential.

Why Carol Kaye feels the need to claim Jamerson's work as her own is a mystery when she has such an amazing body of work in her own right. As the bassist in the group of West Coast session players known as the Wrecking Crew (including Glen Campbell before he launched his solo career), she played on dozens and dozens of huge worldwide hits.

Incidentally, a character who is pretty obviously supposed to represent Carol Kaye appears in series three (I think) of The Marvelous Mrs Maisel. Apparently she hated it, although it's not clear that she even watched it.

 

[perseus]

 

[GT49er]

Carol Kaye's claim to have played on Motown hits has been largely debunked. She played on a few that were recorded in Motown's LA satellite operation, but never appeared in Detroit, where 99 percent of the big hits were recorded. They were the work of the session players (mostly ex jazz men) who called themselves the Funk Brothers and whose story has been excellently and belatedly told in the movie Standing in the Shadows of Motown.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ldzU19oL3A

The main bass player was James Jamerson, who was so key to the operation that they paid him big money by 1960s standards and refused to let him tour with the artists he'd backed, as his presence in the studio was considered essential.

Why Carol Kaye feels the need to claim Jamerson's work as her own is a mystery when she has such an amazing body of work in her own right. As the bassist in the group of West Coast session players known as the Wrecking Crew (including Glen Campbell before he launched his solo career), she played on dozens and dozens of huge worldwide hits.

Incidentally, a character who is pretty obviously supposed to represent Carol Kaye appears in series three (I think) of The Marvelous Mrs Maisel. Apparently she hated it, although it's not clear that she even watched it.

What a fascinating thread, bringing all sorts of claims and counter claims out of the woodwork! All I can say is, I wasn't there - I know nothing!

 

[BadFish]

What a fascinating thread, bringing all sorts of claims and counter claims out of the woodwork! All I can say is, I wasn't there - I know nothing!

This is NSC, when has that ever stopped anyone?

 

[Westdene Seagull]

I'm going to stretch the brief slightly - I used to know Mark Knight who was the fiddle player in the song "Come on England" by 4-4-2. If anyone is bored look up the video - it has a couple of Page 3 models in it ( clothed ! ).

 

[Blues Guitarist]

Guy Pratt, currently bass player with Nick Mason’s band, but has played with Pink Floyd, Roxy Music, Gary Moore and many more.

 

[Cowfold Seagull]

We lost our musical maestro from the village a few weeks back, that marvellously talented, but largely unheard of Jim Chambers.

Jim was in his 80's and had lived in the village for many years. A session musician with the likes of the Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band, and the Temperance Seven back in the 1960's and 70's along with many others.

In his latter years he performed in our local pub, he played so many different instruments. He was full of stories about all the greats he had played with over the years, a humble man and a real gent too.

 

[Gwylan]

Guy Pratt, currently bass player with Nick Mason’s band, but has played with Pink Floyd, Roxy Music, Gary Moore and many more.

Another local lad. He gave a talk at my son's school a few years ago.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Pino Palladino - bass player, largely of the fretless variety, played with a whole host of names, including The Who, Paul Young, Gary Numan, Elton John and Eric Clapton to name but a few!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pino_Palladino

He was going to be my entry.

 

[ozzygull]

Leland Sklar Bass player. Played with James Taylor, Carol King, toto, Phil Collins, amongst many others.

One of the best beards in the business.

 

[zefarelly]

Guy Pratt, currently bass player with Nick Mason’s band, but has played with Pink Floyd, Roxy Music, Gary Moore and many more.

I think he had quite a bit of fun with Robert Palmer too. Possibly not icehouse though.

 

[zefarelly]

Leland Sklar Bass player. Played with James Taylor, Carol King, toto, Phil Collins, amongst many others.

One of the best beards in the business.

Ahem . . .

Most people have heard of Booker T & the MG's but they've virtually anonymously backed up hundreds of artists at top level over the years