guitarfool2002
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« Reply #4 on: August 12, 2013, 10:58:52 AM » |
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Tommy Roe was a singles artist, plain and simple. You get a better overview just listening to the singles than trying to dig into any albums, because honestly unless you're a big fan or a fan of the session players on the albums, the energy went 95% into cutting hit singles for many an artist like Tommy.
The singles are neat 60's radio singles, some classics of AM pop, others lean a bit too much to bubblegum but Sweet Pea proves that bubblegum as a sub-genre of AM pop was defined sonically by 1966 and records like Sweet Pea as opposed to the many who credit it to the many one-off, interchangeable name bands from 1969 onward (Archies, 1910 Fruitgum, Flying Machine, etc etc etc.)
Now the good stuff...hopefully some info that folks here may not have known nor thought much about when hearing the records...
Tommy Roe's records were made better by the incredible lineup of session players he had on those records. This has also led to some misunderstandings and misstatements of the history when it comes to hearing a Tommy Roe track and assuming it was Hal Blaine doing the drum break. Because Dizzy was so famous, obviously, but that was *not* Hal Blaine on Sweet Pea, yet the drum break is very similar, and some credit Blaine with that kind of drum break and groove...so here's the straight dope on Tommy Roe.
This is from Tommy Roe, as copied from a website called Forgotten Hits.
Please take note of all of the famous names who have played on these records, from the Nashville Cats of the early 60's to the assorted LA cats in the mid 60's to the Wrecking Crew in the late 60's.
This is Tommy's email reply to asking who played on his records in italics:
The 1962 hit version of "Sheila" was recorded in Nashville, produced by Felton Jarvis and recorded at RCA studio. The musicians on that session were: Drums - Buddy Harman, Guitars - Wayne Moss & Jerry Reed, Bass - Bob Moore, and Piano, which you don't really hear on the record, was performed by Floyd Cramer. The Jordanaires are singing background. My follow up release to "Sheila" was "Susie Darling." and the same musicians were on that record except for guitar, and that was Jerry Kennedy.
I recorded "Everybody," and "Carol," at Fame studio in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, and that, too, was produced by Felton Jarvis, with Rick Hall working as the engineer. The musicians on these sessions were: Drums - Jerry Carrigan, bass - Norbert Putnam, piano - David Briggs, and guitar - Bobby West, and The Muscle Shoals singers.
After Muscle Shoals I went back to Nashville and recorded "The Folk Singer" with Buddy Harmon on drums, Henry Strzelecki on bass, Joe South and Jerry Kennedy on guitar, and Ray Stevens on the keyboards, produced by Felton Jarvis and engineered by Billy Sherrill.
The musicians on "Sweet Pea," Hooray For Hazel," and "It's Now Winters Day" were: Drums - Jim Troxel and Toxie French, Bass - Jerry Scheff, Guitar - Ben Benay and Mike Deasy, Keyboards - Butch Parker and Mike Henderson. Recorded at Gary Paxtons, and CBS studio in Hollywood.
The musicians on "Dizzy," "Heather Honey," "Jam Up And Jelly Tight," and "Stagger Lee" were The Wrecking Crew: Drums - Hal Blaine, Bass - Joe Osborn, Guitar - Ben Benay and Richard Laws, Keyboards - Don Randi and Larry Knechtel, and saxophone - Plas Johnson and Jim Horne. String arrangements were done by Jimmy Haskel and Horn arrangements were courtesy of Mike Henderson. Background vocals on these records were Ginger Blake, Maxine Willard and Julia Tillman. The sessions were produced by Steve Barri and engineered Phil Kaye and Roger Nichols.
Kent this should clear it up. Best, Tommy
Note "Honey" Ginger Blake, note the incredible array of talent who would go onto success as solo artists (Ray Stevens, Jerry Reed, Joe South), note the guys who would later back Elvis live and in studio, note the players like Neil Young's favorite musical cohort David Briggs...it's a who's who of session players who became familiar names in their own right.
So that in itself is a reason to at least have a listen to Roe's singles, to hear some of the resume and history of some of the better session players of the 1960's.
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