Tag Archives: Private Music

Taj Mahal: Like Never Before

On October 31, 1991, “Private Music” label released “Like Never Before”, the 17th Taj Mahal album. It was recorded in 1991, at “Studio 4 Recording”, “Paramount Recording Studios”, “Studio 55”, “Orca Studios”, “Platinum Island Studios”, “Criteria Recording Studios”,  and was produced by Skip Drinkwater.

Personnel:

  • Taj Mahal – vocals, guitar, banjo, piano, harmonica
  • Hiram Bullock – guitar
  • David Lindley – guitar, lap steel guitar
  • Mark Tyler – guitar
  • Paul Barrere – guitar
  • Jerry Williams – guitar, backing vocals
  • Eric Bazilian – acoustic guitar, lap steel guitar, mandolin
  • Sonny Rhodes – lap steel guitar
  • Dr. John – piano
  • Mark Goodman – electric piano, synthesizer
  • Donald Robinson – keyboards
  • Mark Jordan – piano, organ, synthesizer
  • Jim Salomone – synthesizer
  • Rob Hyman – organ, accordion
  • Jerry Cohen – organ
  • Doug Grisby – bass
  • Tony Jones – bass
  • Andy Kravitz – drums, percussion, castanets, tambourin
  • Bill Summers – congas, percussion triangle, batas, guiro, percussion
  • David Johnson – percussion, bells
  • Phil Nicolo – cymbals, programming, engineer, mixing
  • Richard Feldman – programming
  • Rudy Costa – soprano saxophone
  • Ron Kerber – alto saxophone
  • Haywood Henry – alto saxophone, clarinet
  • “Jammin” Jay Davidson – tenor and baritone saxophone, horn arrangements
  • Claire Daly – tenor saxophone
  • Ed Kalney, Gary McKeen – trumpet
  • Jeff Lego – trombone
  • Art Baron – trombone
  • Howard Johnson – tuba, cornet, horn arrangements
  • Daryl Hall, John Oates, Sheryl Crow, Porter Carroll, Augie Johanson, Greg Maha, Louis Patton, Reggie Ellis, Willie Green, Rob Hyman – backing vocals
  • The Pointer Sisters (Anna, June, Ruth) – backing vocals
  • DJ Jazzy Jeff – turntables
  • Myric “Freeze” Guillory – washboard
  • Joe Nicolo – engineer, mixing
  • Bruce Weeden, John Moyer, Michael Schlesinger – additional engineering
  • Brandon Harris, Doug DeAngelis, Steve McLoughlin, Christopher Thomas, Lou Catanzaro, Mark Schulz, Chris Furman, Kurt BuJack, Scott Blockland – engineer assistant
  • Skip Drinkwater – mixing
  • Greg Fulginiti – mastering
  • Andy Van Dette, Ray Legnini, Scott Hall – digital editing
  • Andy Bauer, Mark Goodman – guitars technician
  • Larry Vigon – art direction, design
  • Brian Jackson – design
  • Chris Callis – photography
  • Brooke Drinkwater, Robert L. Stephenson – production coordinator
  • Jamie Cohen – executive producer

Track listing:

  1. Don’t Call Us – Richard Feldman, Taj Mahal
  2. River of Love – Jimmy Scott, Porter Carroll, Richard Feldman
  3. Scattered – Mark Jordan, Patrick Dollahan, Richard Feldman, Taj Mahal
  4. Ev’ry Wind (In the River) – Richard Feldman, Taj Mahal
  5. Blues with a Feeling – Walter Jacobs
  6. Squat That Rabbit – Joe Nicolo, Taj Mahal
  7. Take All the Time You Need – Jerry Williams
  8. Love Up – John Martyn
  9. Cakewalk into Town – Taj Mahal
  10. Big Legged Mommas Are Back in Style – Taj Mahal
  11. Take a Giant Step – Gerry Goffin, Carole King

Taj Mahal: Dancing The Blues

On June 15, 1993, “Private Music” label released “Dancing the Blues”, the 18th Taj Mahal album. It was recorded in 1993, and was produced by John Porter.

Personnel:

  • Taj Mahal – lead vocals, organ, guitar, steel guitar, harmonica, piano, liner notes
  • Etta James – vocals
  • John Porter – guitar
  • Johnny Lee Schell – guitar, backing vocals
  • Ian McLagan – organ, piano
  • Bill Payne – piano
  • Mick Weaver – organ
  • Chuck Domanico – upright bass
  • Bob Glaub – bass
  • Tony Braunagel – drums, percussion
  • Richie Hayward – drums
  • Joe McGrath – percussion, engineer
  • Michito Sanchez – percussion, conga
  • Marty Grebb – alto, tenor and baritone saxophone, backing vocals
  • Joe Sublett – soprano and tenor Saxophone
  • Darrell Leonard – trombone, trumpet, trombonium
  • Texacali Horns – horn
  • Sir Harry Bowens – backing vocals
  • Rich Veltrop – second engineer
  • Helix Hadar – second engineer
  • Jerry Finn – second engineer
  • Stephen Marcussen – mastering
  • Melanie Penny – art direction
  • William H. Johnson – illustrations
  • Kurt DeMunbrun – design
  • Robin Visotsky – photography
  • Ron Goldstein – executive producer

Track listing:

  1. Blues Ain’t Nothin’ – Taj Mahal
  2. Hard Way – Grover McDaniel, T-Bone Walker
  3. Strut – Taj Mahal
  4. Going to the River – Dave Bartholomew, Fats Domino
  5. Mockingbird – Charlie Foxx, Inez Foxx
  6. Blue Light Boogie – Jessie Mae Robinson
  7. The Hoochi Coochi Coo – Hank Ballard, Billy Myles
  8. That’s How Strong My Love Is – Roosevelt Jamison
  9. Down Home Girl – Arthur Butler, Jerry Leiber
  10. Stranger in My Own Home Town – Percy Mayfield
  11. Sitting on Top of the World – Lonnie Chatmon, Walter Vinson
  12. I’m Ready – Sylvester Bradford, Fats Domino

Taj Mahal: Phantom Blues

On February 27, 1996, “Private Music” label released “Phantom Blues”, the 20th Taj Mahal album. It was recorded in May 1995, at “Sound City Studios” in Van Nuys, California, and was produced by John Porter.

Personnel:

  • Taj Mahal – lead vocals, dobro, harmonica
  • Bonnie Raitt – additional vocal
  • Dean Parks – lead guitar
  • Eric Clapton – lead guitar
  • Joe McGrath, John Parks, Johnny Lee Schell – guitar
  • Mike Campbell – 12-string guitar
  • John Porter – lead, acoustic and slide guitar
  • Jon Cleary – guitar, piano, Wurlitzer, clarinet
  • Jon Brion – guitar, chamberlin
  • Mick Weaver – organ
  • David Hidalgo – accordion
  • James “Hutch” Hutchinson – bass guitar
  • Larry Fulcher – bass guitar
  • Tony Braunagel – drums, percussion
  • Myric “Freeze” Guillory – rubboard
  • Bernard “Dr. B.” Anderson, Joe Sublett – tenor saxophone
  • Darrell Leonard – trumpet, trombone
  • Alfie Silas Durio, Billie Barnum, Sir Harry Bowens, Regina Taylor, Sweat Pea Atkinson, Terrence Forsythe – backing vocals

Track listing:

  1. Lovin’ in My Baby’s Eyes – Taj Mahal
  2. Cheatin’ On You – Jon Cleary
  3. The Hustle Is On – H.E. Owens
  4. Here in the Dark – Bernard Anders
  5. Fanning the Flames – Jon Cleary
  6. I Need Your Loving – Clarence Lewis, Don Gardner, James McDougal, Morris Levy
  7. Ooh Poo Pah Doo – Jessie Hill
  8. Lonely Avenue – Doc Pomus
  9. Don’t Tell Me – Pat McLaughlin
  10. What Am I Living For? – Art Harris, Fred Jay
  11. We’re Gonna Make It – Billy Davis, Carl William Smith, Gene Barge, Raynard Miner
  12. Let the Four Winds Blow – Dave Bartholomew, Antoine “Fats” Domino
  13. (You’ve Got to) Love Her with a Feeling – Freddie King, Sonny Thompson

Etta James: Let’s Roll

On May 6, 2003, “Private Music” label released “Let’s Roll”, the twenty-sixth Etta James studio album. It was recorded in 2003, and was produced by Etta James, Josh Sklair, Donto Metto James and Sametto James. “Let’s Roll” won a “Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Blues Album” in 2003, and in 2004 the “W. C. Handy Award” as the “Soul/Blues Album of the Year” from the “Blues Foundation”.

Personnel:

  • Etta James – vocal
  • Josh Sklair – banjo, 12 string guitar, acoustic and electric, slide guitar, synthesizer
  • Bobby Murray – electric guitar
  • Jimmy “Z” Zavala – harmonica, tenor and baritone saxophone
  • Sametto James – bass guitar
  • Donto James – vocals, drums, percussion
  • Tom Poole – trumpet
  • Lee Thornburg – trombone

Track listing:

  1. Somebody to Love – Delbert McClinton, Gary Nicholson
  2. The Blues Is My Business – Kevin Bowe, Todd Cerney
  3. Leap of Faith – Glen Clarke, Gary Nicholson
  4. Strongest Weakness – Bekka Bramlett, Gary Nicholson
  5. Wayward Saints of Memphis – Kevin Bowe, Delbert McClinton
  6. Lie No Better – Gary Nicholson
  7. Trust Yourself – Kevin Bowe, Grady Champion
  8. A Change Is Gonna Do Me Good – Al Anderson, Bob DiPiero
  9. Old Weakness – Gary Nicholson
  10. Stacked Deck – Billy Wright
  11. On the 7th Day – Kevin Bowe, Kostas Lazarides
  12. Please, No More – David Egan, Greg Hansen

Etta James: Love’s Been Rough On Me

On April 29, 1997, “Private Music” label released “Love’s Been Rough on Me”, the twentieth Etta James studio album. It was recorded in 1997, and was produced by Barry Beckett.

Personnel:

  • Etta James – lead vocals
  • Don Potter – acoustic guitar
  • Paul Franklin – steel guitar
  • Brent Rowan – electric guitar
  • Josh Sklair – electric guitar
  • Dann Huff – electric guitar
  • Steve Nathan – keyboards
  • Barry Beckett – keyboards
  • Michael Rhodes – bass guitar
  • Eddie Bayers – drums
  • Terry McMillan – percussion
  • Jim Horn – saxophone
  • Sam Levine – saxophone
  • Joe McGlohon – saxophone
  • Mike Haynes – trumpet
  • Chris McDonald – trombone
  • Vicki Hampton – backing vocals
  • Yvonne Hodges – backing vocals
  • Donna McElroy – backing vocals
  • Louis Dean Nunley – backing vocals
  • John Wesley Ryles – backing vocals
  • Dennis Wilson – backing vocals
  • Curtis Young – backing vocals

Track listing:

  1. The Rock – Russell Smith, Jim Varsos
  2. Cry Like a Rainy Day – Greg Barnhill, Kenny Greenberg
  3. Love’s Been Rough on Me – Gretchen Peters
  4. Love It or Leave It Alone – Kara Cody, Will Jennings, John Keller
  5. Don’t Touch Me – Hank Cochran
  6. Hold Me – Graham Lyle, Troy Seals
  7. If I Had Any Pride Left at All – John Greenbaum, Seals, Eddie Setser
  8. I Can Give You Everything – Al Anderson, Terry Anderson
  9. I’ve Been Loving You Too Long – Jerry Butler, Otis Redding
  10. Done in the Dark – Josh Sklair, Etta James

Etta James: Matriarch Of The Blues

On December 12, 2000, “Private Music” label released “Matriarch of the Blues”, the twenty-fourth Etta James studio album. It was recorded in 2000, and was produced by Donto Metto James and Sametto James.

Personnel:

  • Etta James – lead and backing vocals, liner notes
  • Josh Sklair – acoustic and electric guitar, slide guitar, keyboards, rhythm arrangements
  • Bobby Murray – guitar
  • Leo Nocentelli – guitar
  • Mike Finnigan – Hammond organ
  • Jimmy Zavala – harmonica, tenor and baritone saxophone
  • Sametto James – bass, engineer, mixing
  • Donto Metto James – drums, engineer, mixing, percussion
  • Tom Poole – trumpet
  • Terrance Galloway – engineer assistant
  • Doug Sax – mastering
  • Julie Bruzzone – creative director
  • Sonny Mediana – design, photography
  • Rudy Calvo – make-up
  • Lupe DeLeon – executive producer

Track listing:

  1. Gotta Serve Somebody – Bob Dylan
  2. Don’t Let My Baby Ride – Deadric Malone, O. V. Wright
  3. Rhymes – Al Green, Teenie Hodges
  4. Try a Little Tenderness – Jimmy Campbell, Reg Connelly, Harry M. Woods
  5. Miss You – Mick Jagger, Keith Richards
  6. Hawg for Ya – Otis Redding
  7. You’re Gonna Make Me Cry – Deadric Malone
  8. Walking the Back Streets – Sandy Jones, Jr.
  9. Let’s Straighten It Out – Benny Latimore
  10. Born on the Bayou – John Fogerty
  11. Come Back Baby – Ray Charles, Lightnin’ Hopkins
  12. Hound Dog – Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller

Etta James: Blue Gardenia

On August 21, 2001, “Private Music” label released “Blue Gardenia”, the twenty-fifth Etta James studio album. It was recorded November 2000 – February 2001, and was produced by John Snyder.

Personnel:

  • Etta James – vocals
  • Dorothy Hawkins – vocals
  • Josh Sklair – guitar, arrangements
  • Cedar Walton – piano, arrangements
  • Tony Dumas – bass
  • Ralph Penland – drums
  • Ron Powell – percussion
  • Red Holloway – saxophone
  • George Bohanon – trombone
  • Rick Baptist – flugelhorn
  • Ronnie Buttacavoli – flugelhorn, trumpet
  • John Nelson – engineer
  • Jay Newland – engineer
  • Charlie Watts – engineer
  • Sonny Mediana – art direction, photography
  • Lupe DeLeon – executive producer

Track listing:

  1. This Bitter Earth – Clyde Otis
  2. He’s Funny That Way – Neil Moret, Richard A. Whiting
  3. In My Solitude – Eddie DeLange, Duke Ellington, Irving Mills
  4. There Is No Greater Love – Isham Jones, Marty Symes
  5. Don’t Let the Sun Catch You Crying – Joe Greene
  6. Love Letters – Edward Heyman, Victor Young
  7. These Foolish Things – Harry Link, Holt Marvell, Jack Strachey
  8. Come Rain or Come Shine – Harold Arlen, Johnny Mercer
  9. Don’t Worry ’bout Me – Rube Bloom, Ted Koehler
  10. Cry Me a River – Arthur Hamilton
  11. Don’t Blame Me – Dorothy Fields, Jimmy McHugh
  12. My Man – Channing Pollack, Yvain-Albert, Maurice Yvain
  13. Blue Gardenia – Lester Lee, Bob Russell

Etta James: Life, Love & Blues

On June 30, 1998, “Private Music” label released “Life, Love & the Blues”, the twenty-first Etta James studio album. It was recorded in 1998, at “Forth Athens Studios” in Riverside, California, “Conway Studios” in Hollywood, and was produced by Etta James.

Personnel:

  • Etta James – vocals
  • Leo Nocentelli – guitar
  • Bobby Murray – guitar
  • Josh Sklair – guitar, dobro
  • David K. Mathews – keyboards
  • Mike Finnigan – Hammond B-3 organ
  • Sametto James – bass
  • Donto Mento James – drums, percussion
  • Jimmy Z – saxophone, harmonica
  • Lee Thornburg – trumpet, valve trombone
  • Tom Poole – trumpet

Track listing:

  1. Born Under a Bad Sign – William Bell, Booker T. Jones
  2. I Want To Ta Ta You Baby – Johnny Guitar Watson
  3. Here I Am (Come and Take Me) – Al Green, Mabon “Teenie” Hodges
  4. Running Out of Lies – Paul Jordan
  5. Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler) – Marvin Gaye, James Nyx, Jr., James Nyx
  6. Spoonful – Willie Dixon
  7. Life, Love & the Blues – Etta James, Josh Sklair
  8. Hoochie Coochie Gal – Willie Dixon
  9. Cheating in the Next Room – George Jackson
  10. If You Want Me to Stay – Sylvester Stewart
  11. The Love You Save Maby Your Own – Joe Tex
  12. I’ll take Care of You – Brook Benton

Etta James: Time After Time

On May 9, 1996, “Private Music” label released “Time After Time”, the 20th Etta James album. It was recorded in 1995, at ”Conway Studios”, and was produced by John Snyder.

Personnel:

  • Etta James – vocal
  • Josh Sklair – guitar
  • Cedar Walton – piano, arrangements
  • John Clayton – bass
  • Paul Humphrey – drums
  • Donto Metto Jame – percussion
  • Eddie Harris – tenor saxophone
  • Herman Riley – tenor saxophone
  • Kraig Kilby – trombone
  • Ronnie Buttacavoli – flugelhorn
  • Patrick Karamian – engineer
  • Jay Newland – engineer, mastering
  • Joe Lopes – mastering
  • Lupe De Leon – executive producer

Track listing:

  1. Don’t Go to Strangers
  2. Teach Me Tonight
  3. Love Is Here to Stay
  4. The Nearness of You
  5. Time After Time
  6. My Funny Valentine
  7. Imagination
  8. Fool That I Am
  9. Willow Weep for Me
  10. Everybody’s Somebodys’ Fool
  11. Night and Day
  12. Someone to Watch Over Me

Etta James: Mystery Lady: Songs of Billie Holiday

On March 15, 1996, “Private Music” label released “Mystery Lady: Songs of Billie Holiday, the 19th Etta James album. It was recorded in 1995, and was produced by John Snyder.

Personnel:

  • Etta James – vocal
  • Cedar Walton – piano, arrangements
  • Josh Sclair – guitar
  • Tony Dumas – bass
  • Ealph Penland – drums
  • Ralph Penland – percussion
  • Red Holloway – alto and tenor saxophone
  • Ronnie Buttacavoli – trumpet, flugelhorn
  • Kraig Kilby – trombone
  • Jay Newland – engineer
  • Mark Guilbeault – engineer assistant
  • Jay Newland – mastering
  • Lupe DeLeon – executive producer

Track listing:

  1. Don’t Explain – Arthur Herzog Jr,. Billie Holiday
  2. You’ve Changed – Bill Carey, Carl Fischer
  3. The Man I Love – George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin
  4. I Don’t Stand a Ghost of a Chance (With You) – Bing Crosby, Ned Washington, Roger Ramirez
  5. Lover Man (Where Can You Be) – Jimmy Davis, Jimmy Sherman, Roger Ramirez
  6. Embraceable You – George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin
  7. How Deep Is the Ocean – Irving Berlin
  8. (I’m Afraid) The Masquerade Is Over – Allie Wrubel, Herb Magidson
  9. Body and Soul – Edward Heyman, Frank Eyton, John Green, Bob Sour
  10. The Very Thought of You – Ray Noble
  11. I’ll Be Seeing You – Irving Kahal, Sammy Fain