A Room Full Of Guitar Legends

I stumbled upon a great article by Jas Obrecht about the history of guitar in the music studios of Los Angeles. In 1980 Obrecht had the unique opportunity to interview guitar legends such as George M. Smith, Al Hendrickson, Bob Bain,  Mitch Holder, Tim May and Tommy Tedesco.

Historische Gitarren unter Wasser

B.B. Kings Gitarre aus der Flut gerettet (Foto: Samuel M. Simpkins/The Tennessean)

Was haben die Gitarren von Johnny Cash, Jimi Hendrix, B.B. King,  Les Paul, Tommy Tedesco, Pete Townshend und Peter Frampton gemeinsam?

Das reissende Wasser hat sie alle am 1. Mai  in Nashville beschädigt. Die Instrumente gehören zur Sammlung des Museums Musicians Hall of Fame and Music, das kürzlich seine Räumlichkeiten wegen eines bevorstehenden Abbruchs verlassen musste. Deshalb wurden die Instrumente eingelagert. Unglücklicherweise liegt das Lagerhaus am Cumberland Fluss und wurde von der Jahrtautausendflut überschwemmt.

Hier ein Video von tennesean.com mit den beschädigten historischen Instrumenten: Musicians Hall of Fame instruments destroyed in flood.

The Many Careers Of Glen Campbell

Guitarist, singer and Country Music Hall of Fame inductee Glen Campbell (72) who today releases his  album Meet Glen Campbell, had more then one career.

Together with Tommy Tedesco and Billy Strange he was one of the busy number one studio guitarists of Los Angeles during the nineteen-sixties. Among others he recorded for the Beach Boys, Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, The Mamas and Papas, Dean Martin and countless surf bands. He even replaced Brian Wilson on electric bass on tour in 1964 and 1965.

From 1966 on he became a country and pop star, releasing classics like Gentle On My Mind, By the Time I Get To Phoenix, Wichita Lineman, Galveston, True Grit, Rhinestone Cowboy, Southern Nights and many more. From 1968 till 1972 he was also a TV-star, hosting The Glen Campbell Good-Time Hour. Glen Campbell also acted in movies from time to time. In 1969 he was starring with John Wayne in the True Grit.

On his new album Meet Glen Campbell brings together songs by bands and artists as diverse as Travis, U2, Velvet Underground, Green Day, Tom Petty, John Lennon and Jackson Browne. With this album he also returns to Capitol records, the company he left in 1981.

‘Variety’ Gives Music Docu ‘The Wrecking Crew’ Thumbs Up

There’s a positive review of the music documentary The Wrecking Crew on the Variety website. The documentary features some of the Los Angeles studio musicians who recorded many of the hits of the nineteen-sixties.

The film features legendary musicians such as Carol Kaye, Plas Johnson, Tommy Tedesco, Earl Palmer, Hal Blaine, Don Randi and stars like Nancy Sinatra, Cher, Brian Wilson and Glen Campbell.

The ‘Wrecking Crew’ Movie – Documentary About L.A. Studio Musicians Of The Sixties

Denny Tedesco, son of the late studio guitar master Tommy Tedesco, made a movie called The Wrecking Crew about the great studio musicians of the sixties who worked in the Los Angeles music studios.

It features studio legends Carol Kaye, Plas Johnson, Hal Blaine, Don Randi and many more. Stars like Cher, Nancy Sinatra, and Micky Dolenz (the Monkees) are featured, too.

The documentary will be shown in March at the Buffalo Niagara Film Festival and at the SXSW in Austin, Texas. In April it will be shown at the Nashville Film Festival. You can find further information on the Wrecking Crew Movie Homepage.

See also:

• TV-Documentary About Electric Bass Legend Carol Kaye
• ‘Wrecking Crew’ Live Reunion in Los Angeles
• The Invisible Musicians Who Played On All The Sixties Hits
• Electric Bass Legend Carol Kaye: L.A. Studio Musicians Were Never Called ‘Wrecking Crew’
• Squelching Rumours About The Monkees