Soundbites with Stars

Flash memories from Gigs with Pop Stars

I’ve gotten to play with some amazing pop and rock musicians. Here are a few flash memories from some of them.

Ray Charles- We wore white tuxedos. Portland OR.

Aretha Franklin- I ACTUALLY felt the hair stand up on the back of my neck when she sang Gospel. Massachusetts.

Bobby Rydell- at a bowling alley in Aquidneck, Rhode Island.

Liza Minnelli- wore an orange tracksuit for sound check in Maine.She also took the band to a great dinner on Thanksgiving in Las Vegas.

Bobby Lewis- the singer of “Tossing and Turning”- the rehearsal was him singing to us, we didn’t play til the show.

Donna Summer - in Midtown Manhattan. I remember thinking she she’s a great singer, much heavier than I had realized before.

Jack Jones- we played “The Live Boat” with him on a rotating stage in Buffalo NY.

Lou Rawls- said “Yeahhhh, Buddy” a lot. I played alto sax and piccolo for him.Portland OR.

Johnny Mathis - was really nice about autographs. Hyannis Mass.

Danny Seraphine - drummer from th band Chicago. we played 25 Or 6 To 5 in NY City

Mel Torme’ - ran a really efficient rehearsal. The Pierre Hotel, NYC.

Eddie Fisher- arguing with his pianist while the big band waited. Kerhonskson, NY.

Maureen McGovern - thinking of “The Poseidon Adventure” while she sang “The Morning After”. Portland OR.

Jerry Jemmott- the bassist on King Curtis, Live At The Fillmore… a gig in the Village in NYC

The Four Tops- Obie Benson, one of the composers if Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On”, turned around and said to me after an alto sax solo,”That was F-ing great!”. Kingston NY

Little Anthony and The Imperials- the only 50’s doo wop group with all of its original members. New Mexico.

Laura Nyro- she sat in with our teenage band in a rehearsal on Long Island. Rocky Point NY.

John Sebastian- signed one of my reeds.Also Long Island, NY.

Tom Scott- played a set with our band in Honolulu Hawaii.

Lenny Pickett- came to hear my band and woodwind quintet play his original music . On his birthday.

Howard Tate- recorded with this great, underrated soul singer in Los Angeles.The drummer was Pete Thomas from Elvis Costello’s band.

Dennis Chambers- got to play 2 pieces with the Parliament alumnus , with the Buddy Rich Band in NYC, including John LaBarbera’s “Dancing Men”.

David Tigger Whitworth- we toured Norway together as kids; he later sang with Earth Wind and Fire

Lynne Fiddmont- sang on that same tour… she later joined the Zawinul Syndicate with Joe Zawinul.