Rolling Stones sideman steps into solo spotlight
By Dean Goodman
Reuters
Monday, October 16, 2006; 2:35 PM
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - He's performed in front of millions of people, but few of them know his name or his distinguished rock 'n' roll history.
Now, Blondie Chaplin is stepping out from the giant shadow cast by the Rolling Stones, who have employed him as a backing singer and guitarist since 1997, to release a solo album.
"Between Us" (Big Karma Records), an acoustic effort recorded in snatches of free time over the past few years, is on sale at
http://www.blondiechaplin.com. The album showcases a sweet, soulful vocal reminiscent of Al Green.
Coincidentally, Chaplin's voice can be heard on the big screen in "The Departed," which uses the tune "Sail On, Sailor" from Chaplin's brief stint as a Beach Boy in the early 1970s.
And, no -- to get the most obvious question out of the way first -- none of the Stones make guest appearances on "Between Us." As far as Chaplin knows, some of them may not have even heard the album yet. But Keith Richards, the Stones guitarist who brought Chaplin into the fold, liked what he heard.
"That was good enough for me then," Chaplin, 55, said during a recent telephone interview from Chicago while on tour with the Stones. "Maybe it will trickle down to somebody else. Some of the guys in the band, they take their time listening to it, but I'm getting good feedback, so that's good."
The no-budget effort features the dreadlocked Chaplin on vocals, guitar and percussion, his compatriot and co-producer Keith Lentin on bass, and Anton Fig ("Late Show with David Letterman") on drums. It was recorded at Lentin's house in New York. Chaplin said he never thought about bringing anyone else into the project.
"I just thought maybe it's all right if it just stands on its own. It's kinda nice that it came out that way."
Tunes such as "Love You Till I Die" betray Chaplin's South African roots, even though he left the country in the 1960s and has not been back in six years. He has lived near the beach in Los Angeles since the early 1970s.
Chaplin got his start in the music business playing with the biggest band in his Durban hometown, the Flames. After sailing to London in search of fame and fortune, they were discovered by Carl Wilson of the Beach Boys who brought them to Los Angeles to record an album. Chaplin then became a Beach Boy, contributing to three albums.
Since then, he has worked as a journeyman musician, recording his self-titled debut solo album in 1977, and playing with the likes of Bonnie Raitt, Phoebe Snow, David Johansen, the Band and Paul Butterfield. He helped Richards on his 1997 reggae album "Wingless Angels," which led to a gig the same year on the Stones' "Bridges to Babylon" album and tour.
Chaplin's experience with the dysfunctional Beach Boys -- no, he and Mike Love do not exchange Christmas cards -- taught him to tread carefully when entering the highly bureaucratic Stones organization. Richards eventually decreed that Chaplin should do more than help out on the high notes.
"He looked at me and goes, 'I see two hands that are not doing anything. Let 'em play the guitar,"' Chaplin recalled, often sounding eerily like the wheezy Richards himself. "I said, 'Thank you, great."'
From his slot in the wings, he strums an acoustic on many of the tunes, supplementing the electric guitar interplay between Richards and Ron Wood.
Of course, the Stones paycheck will end sometime this century, and Chaplin views his album as a way of re-establishing himself as a performer in his own right.
The night before the Stones played Soldier Field in Chicago, Chaplin performed a solo show in the city. On Sunday, after the Stones end their show in Austin, he will rush to the Continental Club to play a few songs with one-time Stones tour keyboardist Ian McLagan. No other solo shows are on the schedule yet.
"I'm definitely keen on doing more, as soon as this thing stops for a little bit, just try and do gigs, even if they're small," he said. "Hopefully I'll get some more time so people can dig some more stuff."
Reuters
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