Bruce as a session musician.

[NateRuvin]

I always hear legends about Bruce being a session player back in his teen years; apparently playing piano, guitar, and even drums, on sessions, playing with guys like Phil Spector. So what sessions did he not sing on or produce, but provide an instrumental contribution on?

[Lonely Summer]

Okay, I wasn't going to say it - but sure would like to see a list of sessions Bruce clapped on, and adjusted mike stands.

[adamghost]

It's an interesting question.

He definitely was on all the Bruce and Terry/Rip Chords stuff of course.

He played piano on Sandy Nelson's "Teenbeat" and I believe "To Know Him Is To Love Him" by the Teddy Bears, Phil Spector's first band.

Wikipedia suggests that even from the early days he was a producer first, working at Del-Fi.

Jerry Cole once told me a story about a young kid who hung around the studios and remembers him as super talented - it was Bruce - though Jerry specifically remembered him as having also played guitar at that point in time, which I raised an eyebrow at.

He of course did tons of sessions as a vocalist in the '70s after he left the band, but I guess that's a different question.

My thought would be that he did lots of sessions in his capacity as a staff producer, but probably didn't do much session work per se outside of that capacity, but being in the scene he probably wound up in the pit with the WC guys (and of course Ms. Kaye) enough to draw their notice.

[clack]

He did a lot of session work with Paul Revere and the Raiders (produced by Terry of course). I've also sometimes seen Bruce listed as guitarist as well as vocalist on the 1st Sagittarius single.

[bgas]

Checking Discogs, there's this description: >>His first band was Sleepwalkers together with Kim Fowley and Sandy Nelson. He got fame in the West Coast area of the USA and did several studio appearences. He played bass on Teddy Bears, The hit single "To Know Him Is To Love Him" and drummed in Ritchie Valens' live band. <<
 
Plus this from Wiki: >>In high school, Johnston switched to contemporary music. He performed in a few "beginning" bands during this time and then moved on to working with young musicians such as Sandy Nelson, Kim Fowley, and Phil Spector.[citation needed] Soon Johnston began backing people such as Ritchie Valens,[2] the Everly Brothers, and Eddie Cochran.[citation needed] In 1959, while still in high school, Johnston arranged and played on his first hit record, "Teenbeat" by Sandy Nelson. The single reached the Billboard Top Ten. The same year, Johnston made his first single under his own name, "Take This Pearl" on Arwin Records (a record label owned by Doris Day) as part of the Bruce & Jerry duo (Jerry Cooper was a high school friend of Bruce's).[citation needed]
 
In 1960, Johnston started his record production career at Del-Fi Records, producing five singles and an album – Love You So – by Ron Holden (all but two of the album's eleven tracks were written or co-written by Johnston).[citation needed] In 1962 and 1963, Johnston continued his recording career with a series of surfin' singles (vocal & instrumental) and an album, Surfin' 'Round The World, credited to Bruce Johnston, and another "live" album, The Bruce Johnston Surfin' Band's Surfer's Pajama Party. In 1963 came the first collaboration with his friend Terry Melcher (Doris Day's son), a mostly instrumental covers album credited to The Hot Doggers<<

This is the back of my Ron Holden LP, released in 1960; scanned in two halves to fit the scanner and for legibility: 

         

 

[punkinhead]

Ah, I love a young slicked back hair of Bruce's.

Seeing questions like this, makes me think we're begging for a book on Bruce!
The hardest part would be the title though, I'm sure it'd be a play on I Write the Songs...but I think we could come up with something better like...

"I wish they all could be Disney Girls"     Arg, that's all I could cleverly think of.

[adamghost]

Oh man, Bruce Johnston could write a hell of a book if he so chose.  Not simply about the Beach Boys per se but just being so integral to the music world in the late '50s, '60s and all through the '70s.

[SurferDownUnder]

He played piano on Sandy Nelson's "Teenbeat" and I believe "To Know Him Is To Love Him" by the Teddy Bears, Phil Spector's first band.

Was it piano on TKHISLH or bass? I remember reading that it was bass but also reading that Bruce couldn't play bass much until he learned the BB's parts so he could tour with them.

[JK]

This is the back of my Ron Holden LP, released in 1960; scanned in two halves to fit the scanner and for legibility: 

Fascinating! Thanks for posting those scans, bgas.

Seems Mr Holden was responsible for importing "Louie Louie" into the Pacific Northwest... 

[JK]

He played piano on Sandy Nelson's "Teenbeat" and I believe "To Know Him Is To Love Him" by the Teddy Bears, Phil Spector's first band.

Was it piano on TKHISLH or bass? I remember reading that it was bass but also reading that Bruce couldn't play bass much until he learned the BB's parts so he could tour with them.

It was bass, according to this helpful source: http://www.rockabilly.nl/references/messages/bruce_johnston.htm

[SurferDownUnder]

He played piano on Sandy Nelson's "Teenbeat" and I believe "To Know Him Is To Love Him" by the Teddy Bears, Phil Spector's first band.

Was it piano on TKHISLH or bass? I remember reading that it was bass but also reading that Bruce couldn't play bass much until he learned the BB's parts so he could tour with them.

It was bass, according to this helpful source: http://www.rockabilly.nl/references/messages/bruce_johnston.htm

Ah very good, I thought so!

[bgas]

Very informative page that Rockabilly!  And I tend to forget about the Back sections of Brad's book.
 here's the most pertinent concerning his Instrumental contributions  ( I can scan OK, but not so great at editing them together...):

   

   

     

   

     

     

   

[adamghost]

He played piano on Sandy Nelson's "Teenbeat" and I believe "To Know Him Is To Love Him" by the Teddy Bears, Phil Spector's first band.

Was it piano on TKHISLH or bass? I remember reading that it was bass but also reading that Bruce couldn't play bass much until he learned the BB's parts so he could tour with them.

It was bass, according to this helpful source: http://www.rockabilly.nl/references/messages/bruce_johnston.htm

Whoa!  Did not know that.

[Fall Breaks]

So, Bruce has played on a song called LSD-25? Far out.

[adamghost]

Here's the Kip Tyler & The Flips track - piano (I assume that's Bruce) enters at 1:09.  It's pretty righteous.

https://youtu.be/lrlz9W7eEts

[JK]

I tend to forget about the Back sections of Brad's book.
 here's the most pertinent concerning his Instrumental contributions  ( I can scan OK, but not so great at editing them together...):

Never mind your editing, thanks a bunch for alerting us to those pages (I have that book too). Plenty of BJ goodies to sort through!

[Mark A. Moore]

Bruce was a semi-regular at Jan Berry's garage studio in Bel Air, and Jan sometimes played piano at Bruce's house (they lived in the same neighborhood). Bruce played live with Jan & Arnie and Ritchie Valens in Pomona in September 1958.

The Bruce & Jerry "Pearl" session occurred at Goldstar in early March 1959. Bruce played piano.

When I interviewed him, Bruce told me he was not interested in writing a book. But if he did, it would certainly have substance beyond the Beach Boys. In terms of the L.A. rock 'n roll scene, Bruce was there from the beginning.

It's clear that Bruce was not merely chosen at random to join the Beach Boys. He had a good reputation and a body of work as a writer, performer, and producer.

[c-man]

According to his 1981 interview with Brad Elliott for Goldmine, Bruce was supposed to play on "To Know Her Is To Love Her", but didn't because "I chose to go out with this girl instead." And he says that he and Richie Podolor "really qualify as the writers along with Sandy Nelson" on "Teen Beat", "by virtue of how he put it together", but they were "too green to ask for a writing share." He says it wasn't the first time he appeared on record, but the first hit he played on. He also talks about backing Ritchie Valens, playing on the Nik Venet-produced Renegades single "Charge", Bruce and Jerry, etc. But he doesn't mention playing drums in anyone's band!

[Jesse Reiswig]

This list is also very useful for tracing Bruce's history:

http://www.45cat.com/45_list_view_record.php?li=1384

[NateRuvin]

It's remarkable how many records Bruce was apart of! He could to be considered as important to Surf music as Brian Wilson. He is so damn talented, yet very modest. I really hope he writes a book someday!

[adamghost]

Man I forgot about "Good Music," the Joan Jett-Beach Boys collaboration from '86.  What a cool record.

[Steve Latshaw]

Bruce also contributed a song to the fun A.I.P. 1959 drive-in classic GHOST OF DRAGSTRIP HOLLOW.  The song in question is a very Bruce-like ballad called "I Promise You" credited to Bruce Johnston and Judy Harriett.

The movie itself is a 65 minute riot... a comedy horror epic with drag racing teens in a car club up to hijinks in a haunted house, where they encounter a beast previously featured in AIP's THE SHE CREATURE.  This was the template for the Beach Party movies... GHOST IN THE INVISIBLE BIKINI (1966) was a kind of a nod to this one...

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0052844/soundtrack?ref_=tt_ql_trv_7

[bgas]

Bruce also contributed a song to the fun A.I.P. 1959 drive-in classic GHOST OF DRAGSTRIP HOLLOW.  The song in question is a very Bruce-like ballad called "I Promise You" credited to Bruce Johnston and Judy Harriett.

The movie itself is a 65 minute riot... a comedy horror epic with drag racing teens in a car club up to hijinks in a haunted house, where they encounter a beast previously featured in AIP's THE SHE CREATURE.  This was the template for the Beach Party movies... GHOST IN THE INVISIBLE BIKINI (1966) was a kind of a nod to this one...

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0052844/soundtrack?ref_=tt_ql_trv_7

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gsSsgmM3juc&list=PLbzuemRWgqAbhrdqYUWa6XmRrT0GY0GxT

[Fall Breaks]

Man I forgot about "Good Music," the Joan Jett-Beach Boys collaboration from '86.  What a cool record.

That's a good one! I was really into JJ before I discovered the BB and loved this song from the start without having heard about the Beach Boys. Kenny Laguna tells a cool story about the recording too.

[Tony S]

Good Music was a great tune......Joan on lead, Boys on BV's. Listen to it to this day!