|
THE WRECKING CREW |
| Back in the 50's, a bunch of
'jazz' musos in Los Angeles decided that recording studio session work was
a good option. Live band gigs weren't that great. They entered the
recording studio market providing their expertise to anyone who needed it.
They noticed that they needed to get away from the 'jazz', so they expanded their versatility to what was needed, adding their own 'flavor' to anything. The music industry labeled them as 'destroyers of the business', (hence, The Wrecking Crew) as they didn't do the 'norm' by playing jazz or be-bop, however working for 'cash' and working with, and satisfying the clients became very lucrative. It wasn't long before artists and producers demanded them for recordings. Artists started using the Wrecking Crew because the artists' own band wasn't up to it, or the artist didn't have any band. Producers and artists loved their flexibility and knowledge. These 'session players' became famous amongst the studios. Hal Blain, Earl Palmer, Jim Gordon, Jim Keltner, Tommy Tedesco, James Burton, Scotty Moore, Glen Campbell, Carol Kaye, Chuck Berghofer, Leon Russell, Don Randi, Plas Johnson, Jim Horn, Tom Scott, and many string, wind, brass and other players. Producers, Phil Spector, Brian Wilson, Lee Hazelwood, Snuff Garrett, Lou Adler and others loved the session players. Record companies started 'making acts up' to go with what was recorded by the session players. Milli Vanilli were only 40 years behind. The Wrecking Crew have played on over 1500 'hits'. Here are some 30 second examples of some of those hits. Have a look at 'The Wrecking Crew' movie from Magnolia Pictures. Intro MOV MP4 |
