On November 10, 1997, Thomas J. Tedesco died aged 67. He was a musician (guitar), part of the loose collective of Los Angeles area’s session musicians known as The Wrecking Crew. As he played on hundreds studio recordings, “Guitar Player” magazine described him as “the most recorded guitarist in music history”. He recorded with the Beach Boys, Chet Baker, the Mamas & the Papas, the Everly Brothers, the Association, Bobby Darrin, Barbra Streisand, Jan and Dean, the 5th Dimension, Elvis Presley, Sam Cooke, Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Zappa, Ricky Nelson, Cher, Neil Diamond, Van Dyke Parks, Michael Franks, Nancy and Frank Sinatra, Richard Harris, Peggy Lee, Johnny Rivers, Al Kooper, Michael Nesmith, Paul Anka, Don Ellis, Minnie Riperton, Maria Muldaur, Leon Russell, Aretha Franklin, Art Garfunkel, J.J. Cale, Quincy Jones, Stephen Bishop, Kenny Loggins, Jack Nitzsche, Sarah Vaughan, Lalo Schifrin, Randy Newman, Hugh Masakela, and Joan Baez. Tedesco performed on soundtracks including The French Connection, Jaws, The Godfather, Field of Dreams, and The Deer Hunter. As a leader he released ten albums.
Tag Archives: Los Angeles
Billy Preston: I Wrote a Simple Song
On November 8, 1971, “A&M” label released “I Wrote a Simple Song”, the sixth Billy Preston studio album. It was recorded February, August and September 1971, at “A&M Studios” in Los Angeles, and was produced by Billy Preston.
Personnel:
- Billy Preston – vocals, piano, Hammond organ, keyboards
- David T. Walker – electric guitar
- George Harrison – guitar, dobro
- Manuel Kellough – drums
- King Errisson – congas, percussion
- Rocky Peoples – tenor saxophone
- Carlos Garnette – trumpet
- Quincy Jones – string and horn arrangements
- Clydie King, Douglas Gibbs, Duane Rogers, Eugene Bryant, Jesse Kirkland, Merry Clayton, Myrna Matthews, Patrice Holloway, Sherrell Atwood, Venetta Fields – backing vocals,
- Tommy Vicari – engineer
- Roland Young – art direction
- Jim McCrary – photography
Track listing:
All tracks by Billy Preston and Joe Green, except where noted.
- Should Have Known Better
- I Wrote a Simple Song
- John Henry – Billy Preston, Robert Sam
- Without a Song – William Rose, Edward Eliscu, Vincent Youmans
- The Bus
- Outa-Space
- The Looner Tune – Billy Preston, Joe Greene, Jesse Kirkland
- You Done Got Older – Billy Preston, Bruce Fisher
- Swing Down Chariot – traditional; arranged by Billy Preston, Joe Greene
- God Is Great
- My Country, ‘Tis of Thee – traditional
Sparks: Lil’ Beethoven
On October 14, 2002, “Lil’ Beethoven / Artful” labels released “Lil’ Beethoven”, the 19th Sparks album. It was recorded 2001 – 2002, at “Sparks Studios” in Los Angeles, and was produced by Ron Mael and Russell Mael.
Personnel:
- Russell Mael – vocals, programming, arrangements
- Ron Mael – keyboards, orchestrations, programming, arrangements
- Dean Menta – guitar
- Tammy Glover – drums
- Günther Koch – vocals
- John Thomas – mixing, additional engineering
Track listing:
All tracks by Ron Mael and Russell Mael.
- The Rhythm Thief
- How Do I Get To Carnegie Hall?
- What Are All These Bands So Angry About?
- I Married Myself
- Ride ’Em Cowboy
- My Baby’s Taking Me Home
- Your Call’s Very Important To Us. Please Hold
- Ugly Guys With Beautiful Girls
- Suburban Homeboy
The Wallflowers: Breach
On October 10, 2000, “Interscope” label released “Breach”, the third Wallflowers studio album. It was recorded in 2000, at “Sunset Sound”, “The Sound Factory” in Hollywood, “Village Recorder” in Los Angeles, “Sound Inn” in Tokyo, and was produced by Andrew Slater and Michael Penn.
Personnel:
- Jakob Dylan – lead and backing vocals, rhythm guitar
- Michael Ward – lead guitar, backing vocals
- Rami Jaffee – keyboards, backing vocals
- Greg Richling – bass guitar
- Mario Calire – drums, percussion
- Matt Chamberlain – drums
Track listing:
All tracks by Jakob Dylan.
- Letters from the Wasteland
- Hand Me Down
- Sleepwalker
- I’ve Been Delivered
- Witness
- Some Flowers Bloom Dead
- Mourning Train
- Up from Under
- Murder 101
- Birdcage
- Babybird (hidden track)
Jackson Browne: Standing in the Breach
On October 7, 2014, “Inside Recordings” label released “Standing in the Breach”, the 14th Jackson Browne studio album. It was recorded 2013 – 2014, in Los Angeles, and was produced by Jackson Browne and Paul Dieter.
Personnel:
- Jackson Browne – vocals, acoustic and electric guitar, piano
- Greg Leisz – electric 12-string guitar, baritone guitar, tenor acoustic guitar, pedal steel guitar, lap steel guitar
- Val McCallum – electric guitar, baritone guitar, harmony vocals
- Carlos Varela – vocals, acoustic guitar
- Mark Goldenberg – electric guitar
- Aldo López-Gavilán – piano
- Benmont Tench – organ, piano
- Jeff Young – organ
- Mike Thompson – organ
- Alex Al – bass
- Sebastian Steinberg – bass
- Tal Wilkenfeld – bass
- Taylor Goldsmith – bass, harmony vocals
- Bob Glaub – bass
- Julio César González – bass
- Kevin McCormick – bass
- Don Heffington – drums
- Jim Keltner – drums
- Griffin Goldsmith – drums, tambourine, harmony vocals
- Mauricio Lewak – drums
- Pete Thomas – drums
- Jay Bellerose – snare, tambourine, cymbal, percussion
- Luis Conte – udu, tambourine, djembe, shaker
- David Goodstein – loops
- Alethea Mills – harmony vocals
- Chavonne Stewart – harmony vocals
- Kipp Lennon – harmony vocals
Track listing:
All tracks by Jackson Browne except where noted.
- The Birds of St. Marks
- Yeah Yeah
- The Long Way Around
- Leaving Winslow
- If I Could Be Anywhere
- You Know the Night – lyrics by Woody Guthrie, music by Jackson Browne and Rob Wasserman
- Walls and Doors – Carlos Varela
- Which Side
- Standing in the Breach
- Here
J. Geils Band: The Morning After
On October 2, 1971, “Atlantic” label released “The Morning After”, the second J. Geils Band studio album. It was recorded in 1971, at “Record Plant West” in Los Angeles, and was produced by Bill Szymczyk and Seth Justman.
Personnel:
- Peter Wolf– lead vocals
- J. Geils– guitar
- Seth Justman– keyboards
- Magic Dick– harmonica
- Danny Klein– bass
- Stephen Bladd – drums
- Bill Szymczyk– engineer
Track listing:
- I Don’t Need You No More – Peter Wolf, Seth Justman
- Whammer Jammer – Juke Joint Jimmy
- So Sharp – Arlester Christian
- The Usual Place – Don Covay, Leroy Randolph
- Gotta Have Your Love – Peter Wolf, Seth Justman
- Looking for a Love – W. Alexander, Zelda Samuels
- Gonna Find Me a New Love – Peter Wolf, Seth Justman
- Cry One More Time – Peter Wolf, Seth Justman
- Floyd’s Hotel – Peter Wolf, Seth Justman
- It Ain’t What You Do (It’s How You Do It!) – Juke Joint Jimmy
Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong: Ella and Louis
In October 1956, “Verve” label released “Ella and Louis”, a studio album by Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong, accompanied by the Oscar Peterson Quartet. It was recorded in August 1956, at “Capitol Studios” in Los Angeles, and was produced by Norman Granz.
Personnel:
- Ella Fitzgerald– vocals
- Louis Armstrong– vocals, trumpet
- Oscar Peterson– piano
- Herb Ellis– guitar
- Ray Brown– bass
- Buddy Rich– drums
- Val Valentin – engineer
- Phil Stern – photography
Track listing:
- Can’t We Be Friends? – Paul James, Kay Swift
- Isn’t This a Lovely Day? – Irving Berlin
- Moonlight in Vermont – John Blackburn, Karl Suessdorf
- They Can’t Take That Away from Me – Ira Gershwin, George Gershwin
- Under a Blanket of Blue – Jerry Livingston, Al J. Neiburg, Marty Symes
- Tenderly – Walter Gross, Jack Lawrence
- A Foggy Day – Ira Gershwin, George Gershwin
- Stars Fell on Alabama – Mitchell Parish, Frank Perkins
- Cheek to Cheek – Irving Berlin
- The Nearness of You – Hoagy Carmichael, Ned Washington
- April in Paris – Vernon Duke, Yip Harburg
B.B. King: There Is Always One More Time
On October 1, 1991, “MCA” label released “There Is Always One More Time”, the thirty-second B.B. King album. It was recorded in 1981, at “Conway Studios” in Los Angeles, and was produced by Stewart Levine.
Personnel:
- B. King – vocals, guitar
- Arthur Adams – guitar
- Michael Landau– guitar
- Joe Sample– piano
- Neal Larson – keyboards, Hammond organ
- Freddie Washington– bass guitar
- Jim Keltner– drums
- Lenny Castro– percussion
- Bunny Hull, Paulette Brown, Valerie Pinkston-Mayo – backing vocals
Track listing:
All tracks by Joe Sample and Will Jennings; except where noted.
- I’m Moving On
- Back in L.A.
- The Blues Come over Me
- Fool Me Once
- The Lowdown
- Mean and Evil – Arthur Adams
- Something up My Sleeve – Arthur Adams
- Roll, Roll, Roll
- There Is Always One More Time – Doc Pomus, Ken Hirsch
Alice In Chains: Black Gives Way to Blue
On September 29, 2009, “Virgin / EMI” label released “Black Gives Way to Blue”, the fourth Alice in Chains studio album. It was recorded October 2008 – March 2009, at “Studio 666” in Northridge, California, “Henson Recording Studios” in Los Angeles, and was produced by Nick Raskulinecz, Jerry Cantrell, William DuVall, Mike Inez, and Sean Kinney.
Personnel:
- Jerry Cantrell– lead and backing vocals, lead guitar
- William DuVall– lead and backing vocals, rhythm guitar, art direction
- Mike Inez– bass, backing vocals, art direction
- Sean Kinney– drums, percussion, art direction
- Elton John– piano
- Lisa Coleman– vibraphone
- Chris Armstrong – tabla
- Stevie Black – string arrangements, engineer
- Paul Figueroa – recording
- Nick Raskulinecz – recording
- John Lousteau, Martin Cooke, Kevin Mills – engineer assistant
- Randy Staub – mixing
- Ted Jensen – mastering
- Matt Taylor – art direction, design
- James Minchin III – band photography
- Rocky Schenck – package interior photography
- Emmanuel Polanco – illustrations
Track listing:
All tracks by Jerry Cantrell, except where noted.
- All Secrets Known
- Check My Brain
- Last of My Kind – Jerry Cantrell, William DuVall
- Your Decision
- A Looking in View – Jerry Cantrell, William DuVall, Sean Kinney, Mike Inez
- When the Sun Rose Again
- Acid Bubble
- Lesson Learned
- Take Her Out
- Private Hell
- Black Gives Way to Blue
Ringo Starr: Ringo The 4th
On September 20, 1977, “Polydor” label released “Ringo the 4th”, the sixth Ringo Starr studio album. It was recorded February – June 1977, in Cherokee, Los Angeles, Atlantic, and New York City, and was produced by Arif Mardin.
Personnel:
- Ringo Starr– lead vocals, drums
- David Spinozza– guitar
- John Tropea– guitar
- Jeff Mironov – guitar
- Cornell Dupree– guitar
- Lon Van Eaton– guitar
- Dick Fegy – guitar
- Danny Kortchmar– guitar
- David Bromberg– guitar
- Tony Levin– bass guitar
- Chuck Rainey– bass guitar
- Hugh McDonald– bass guitar
- Don Grolnick– keyboards
- David Foster– keyboards, clavinet, piano
- Richard Tee– clavinet, piano
- Jeff Gutcheon – keyboards
- Ken Bichel– keyboards
- Steve Gadd– drums
- Michael Brecker– saxophone
- Randy Brecker– trumpet
- Don Brooks– harmonica
- Arnold McCuller – backing vocals
- Brie Howard– backing vocals
- David Lasley – backing vocals
- Debra Gray – backing vocals
- Duitch Helmer – backing vocals
- Jimmy Gilstrap – backing vocals
- Joe Bean – backing vocals
- Luther Vandross– backing vocals
- Lynn Pitney – backing vocals
- Marietta Waters – backing vocals
- Maxine Anderson – backing vocals
- Melissa Manchester– backing vocals
- Rebecca Louis – backing vocals
- Robin Clark– backing vocals
- Vini Poncia– backing vocals
- Bette Midler– backing vocals
Track listing:
- Drowning in the Sea of Love – Kenny Gamble, Leon Huff
- Tango All Night – Steve Hague, Tom Seufert
- Wings – Richard Starkey, Vini Poncia
- Gave It All Up – Richard Starkey, Vini Poncia
- Out on the Streets – Richard Starkey, Vini Poncia
- Can She Do It Like She Dances – Steve Duboff, Gerry Robinson
- Sneaking Sally Through the Alley – Allen Toussaint
- It’s No Secret – Richard Starkey, Vini Poncia
- Gypsies in the Flight – Richard Starkey, Vini Poncia
- Simple Love Song – Richard Starkey, Vini Poncia
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