Anyone name any famous brass/ strings players?

were they usually established 'teams' who played on lots of recordings for particular labels?

i dont imagine many were permanent fixtures of groups for example?

anyway......?

Shane

Anyone name any famous brass/ strings players?

were they usually established 'teams' who played on lots of recordings for particular labels?

i dont imagine many were permanent fixtures of groups for example?

anyway......?

Shane

Halle Orchestra. From Manchester.

i dont imagine many were permanent fixtures of groups for example?

Rico Rodriguez was in the Specials for quite a while!

Detroit Symphony Orchestra.

Gordon Staples.

San Remo Strings.

And Jr Walker was relatively famous as well

no idea but ive heard marvin gaye liked to bang hard on the old triangle i assume they were talking percusion

i dont imagine many were permanent fixtures of groups for example?

Rico Rodriguez was in the Specials for quite a while!

I actually met him one day whilst working at Richmond station. He asked me how to get to Teddington (for TV studios), I recognised the face but couldn't put a name to it. Anyway I said he looked familiar and asked him his name, when he said Rico, you could've knocked me down with a feather. I asked him if I could shake his hand, just wish I had a record with me for him to sign.

I spent the rest of the day telling everybody about who I'd met, to which they all replied "who?" Bloody phillistines!

Of some reason Benny Hill always got the best saxplayers

no idea but ive heard marvin gaye liked to bang hard on the old triangle i assume they were talking percusion

Marvin used to bang hard on the drums.......I don't think Jack Ashford would've let him near his triangle...very territorial, our Jack

I actually met him one day whilst working at Richmond station. He asked me how to get to Teddington (for TV studios), I recognised the face but couldn't put a name to it. Anyway I said he looked familiar and asked him his name, when he said Rico, you could've knocked me down with a feather. I asked him if I could shake his hand, just wish I had a record with me for him to sign.

I spent the rest of the day telling everybody about who I'd met, to which they all replied "who?" Bloody phillistines!

Me too. Bumped into him in South Kensington Tube - Rico and his trombone in case..........recognised him and uttered the immortal lines 'You've given me more pleasure with your horn with my clothes on than any other man alive'...........it wasn't meant to come out like that...............I'll get my coat (and that's a true story)

Detroit Symphony Orchestra.

Gordon Staples.

San Remo Strings.

And Jr Walker was relatively famous as well

Um, Mike Terry

Anyone name any famous brass/ strings players?

were they usually established 'teams' who played on lots of recordings for particular labels?

i dont imagine many were permanent fixtures of groups for example?

anyway......?

Shane

Tan Tan

Don Drummond

Tommy McCook

Roland(o) Alphonso

It always amazes me how some of the lesser labels manage to have what sounds like a MASSIVE string and brass section on their tunes.

How did they do that, hire them in just for that production, the sound always sounds excellent they must have practiced before they cut the tracks ??????

Anybody with an insight into this ????

It always amazes me how some of the lesser labels manage to have what sounds like a MASSIVE string and brass section on their tunes.

How did they do that, hire them in just for that production, the sound always sounds excellent they must have practiced before they cut the tracks ??????

Anybody with an insight into this ????

Good point - one that I've been thinking about recently too ( no I dont have a life... ) . Obviously the big labels had an in house band - Stax / Motown etc. But I would guess you hired an orchestra / players on whatever rates they got / charged. Bigcities in America ( and all over the place ) have their own orchestras I guess knocking out a few records for soul labels was easy money compared to playing classical works...

Considering the cost of hiring string sections etc. the cost would be prohibitive today . Would be an intersting exercise to ' cost ' a full on 60s soul production at todays rate ? ??

ATB

Rich

Anyone name any famous brass/ strings players?

were they usually established 'teams' who played on lots of recordings for particular labels?

i dont imagine many were permanent fixtures of groups for example?

anyway......?

Shane

Definitely strings for hire Shane, I think most were serious musicians that made their lving by doing pop (i.e. soul in the 60's/70's) music, particularly the 70's Philly releases, almost always the same names on every album

Look no further for one of the biggest names from 60's till today than Larry Gold, he actually released a fantastic cd a couple o years ago of very contemporary soul music!

Cheers

Jock

PS Apologies if was a bit quiet when we spoke last week, was suffering 2nd night burnout, I am not normally known for being quite as most people will tell you!

Definitely strings for hire Shane, I think most were serious musicians that made their lving by doing pop (i.e. soul in the 60's/70's) music, particularly the 70's Philly releases, almost always the same names on every album

Look no further for one of the biggest names from 60's till today than Larry Gold, he actually released a fantastic cd a couple o years ago of very contemporary soul music!

Cheers

Jock

PS Apologies if was a bit quiet when we spoke last week, was suffering 2nd night burnout, I am not normally known for being quite as most people will tell you!

cheers jock.

no worries mate. i was a little worse for wear too. see ya soon mate

Shane

Good point - one that I've been thinking about recently too ( no I dont have a life... ) . Obviously the big labels had an in house band - Stax / Motown etc. But I would guess you hired an orchestra / players on whatever rates they got / charged. Bigcities in America ( and all over the place ) have their own orchestras I guess knocking out a few records for soul labels was easy money compared to playing classical works...

Considering the cost of hiring string sections etc. the cost would be prohibitive today . Would be an intersting exercise to ' cost ' a full on 60s soul production at todays rate ? ??

ATB

Rich

We could ask Bobby Eli.......he's on Soulfuldetroit and was part of house bands from the mid 6Ts....He started out in on Swan...and the rest is history. I'm sure, with the aid of a calculator, he could cost an orchestra for us at the rates you request and then send us his consultant's fee Seriously, if you want to find out, I'll ask.........Jo

It always amazes me how some of the lesser labels manage to have what sounds like a MASSIVE string and brass section on their tunes.

How did they do that, hire them in just for that production, the sound always sounds excellent they must have practiced before they cut the tracks ??????

Anybody with an insight into this ????

Any professional musician that plays in a full time orchestra can usually play their part from sheet music after one read through - so the briefest of rehersals was the norm - backing soul records wasn't Handel's Messiah.....

The Funk Brothers used to 'moonlight' on the smaller labels around Detroit (listen to 'Cool Jerk' issued on Karen) and even Brunswick in Chicago. Maybe, some of the smaller labels cut tracks in the larger studios, renting studio time, utilising their musicians and facilities in the 'dead' time between sessions......this is only a wild guess. But it would be interesting to find out....

We could ask Bobby Eli.......he's on Soulfuldetroit and was part of house bands from the mid 6Ts....He started out in on Swan...and the rest is history. I'm sure, with the aid of a calculator, he could cost an orchestra for us at the rates you request and then send us his consultant's fee Seriously, if you want to find out, I'll ask.........Jo

And then we could make proper soul records! Cut em on 45 - sell 'em on as new discoveries... oh hang on..thats already been done by someone..

I guess the age of the ' synth ' made it cheaper ( and a whole lot dire ) for ppl to have 'strings ' in their recordings. I guess these days its uneconomical to have a load of musicians in the studio ..

ATB

Rich

The Markeys......

Formed in Memphis, Tennessee, USA, and originally known as the Royal Spades, the line-up comprised Steve Cropper (b. 21 October 1941, Willow Spring, Missouri, USA; guitar), Donald "Duck" Dunn (b. 24 November 1941, Memphis, Tennessee, USA; bass), Charles "Packy" Axton (b. 17 February 1941, d. January 1974; tenor saxophone), Don Nix (b. 27 September 1941, Memphis, Tennessee, USA; baritone saxophone), Wayne Jackson (trumpet), Charlie Freeman (b. Memphis, Tennessee, USA, d. 31 January 1973; guitar), Jerry Lee "Smoochy" Smith (organ) and Terry Johnson (drums). Although their rhythmic instrumental style was not unique in Memphis (Willie Mitchell followed a parallel path at Hi Records), the Mar-Keys were undoubted masters. Their debut hit, "Last Night", reached number 3 in the US Billboard pop chart during the summer of 1961, establishing Satellite, its outlet, in the process. Within months, Satellite had altered its name to Stax Records and the Mar-Keys became the label's house band. Initially all-white, two black musicians, Booker T. Jones (organ) and Al Jackson (drums), had replaced Smith and Johnson by 1962. The newcomers, along with Cropper and Dunn, also worked as Booker T. And The MGs. A turbulent group, the Mar-Keys underwent several changes. Freeman left prior to the recording of "Last Night" (but would later return for live work), Nix and Axton also quit, while Joe Arnold and Bob Snyder joined on tenor and baritone saxophone. They, in turn, were replaced by Andrew Love and Floyd Newman, respectively. Andrew Love and Wayne Jackson also played alongside Robert Cray on most of his albums.

I can just add a little to the 'local orchestra' idea mentioned above... I'm sure most of you know this already though..

When I lived and worked as a singer in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, I played with a guy named Nelson who was the trombone player in Pittsburgh's regional "black music" band in the 50s and 60s. The way he explained it to me, every American city on the "tour lines" from east to west had a resident pickup band, and whoever rolled through town--many Motown, and certainly all of the smaller label artists--would save money by using the regional band in each city instead of travelling with a band. The band could include, on any given night, a whole mess of horns, strings, percussion...anything the act wanted. These guys were really amazing players (and my friend Nelson certainly was): knew basically every soul song there was, could transpose on the fly, and could all sing backups.

What a time to be alive!