In Praise of Sidemen

Subject: RE: In Praise of Sidemen
From: iancarterb
Date: 07 Mar 06 - 11:48 PM

Peace said this, but not enough. Bruce Langhorne with the Farinas was a worthy exemplar for a number of old (now- young then!)geezers on less unacceptable uses of ee-lectick gittars forty-plus years ago. Not many did it then. Few did it better than he.

Subject: RE: In Praise of Sidemen
From: Cluin
Date: 07 Mar 06 - 10:13 PM

Jerry Douglas on dobro with EVERYBODY.

Subject: RE: In Praise of Sidemen
From: Once Famous
Date: 14 Dec 04 - 04:10 PM

I can't believe one of the greatest sidemen has not been mentioned.

Don Helms steel guitar in The Drifting Cowboys literally defines the Hank Williams sound.

It almost defines the whole genre of country music.

Subject: RE: In Praise of Sidemen
From: Cluin
Date: 13 Dec 04 - 04:42 PM

Just listening to Rebecca Campbell's fine back-up work on a Lynn Miles CD and it brought back memory of this thread. I remember her work with Fat Man Waving and Three Sheet to the Wind too.

I was also listening to some old Gram Parsons recordings the other day and remarked at how much Emmylou Harris had added with her backup vocals to his sound. A lot of his earlier stuff tended to sound almost like demo quality, I always thought (which is not necessarily a bad thing all the time). He also influenced her quite a bit too, it seems. She perhaps "oversang" in the beginning, maybe trying for a Joan Baez thing, when he first started with her, but I think she learned a few things about stripping songs down to their bones and pumping more feeling into them. By the time she went solo (after GP passed on), she really could knock your socks off. And she still does a lot of great back-up work today.

Subject: RE: In Praise of Sidemen
From: Cluin
Date: 19 Oct 04 - 12:00 AM

Sounds like we're twin sons of different mothers, Rich.

Subject: RE: In Praise of Sidemen
From: RichM
Date: 18 Oct 04 - 04:31 PM

Cluin, you must hear the same sounds in your soul that I do!

Your first list included people that have affected my taste, and style of music--


Willie P. Bennett with Fred Eaglesmith

Red Shea and Dick Haynes (guitar and bass, respectively) with Gord Lightfoot

Colin Linden (played with lots of greats)

Rebecca Campbell (vocals) a favorite of mine since I first heard and saw her in the mid 80's

David Woodhead (bassman extraordinaire)
David is da bomb on da bass! And the reason I stepped up to the plate and bought a fretless bass.


Ian LeFeuvre (great lead and fill guitar-work with Lynn Miles)
Ian exemplifies the zenith of accompanists; He tailors his breaks and backup to enhance and support the melody---doesn't merely string a buncha tasty licks together...to carry the tailor metaphor further, his breaks are custom made rather than off the rack suits.

Rich McCarthy

Subject: RE: In Praise of Sidemen
From: Cluin
Date: 18 Oct 04 - 03:02 PM

Yep, seen lots of these names all over some of my favourite recordings.

I'll throw a couple more out there:

Flaco Jimenez (Tex-Mex accordion)
Rebecca Campbell (vocals)
David Woodhead (bassman extraordinaire)
Wendell Ferguson (lead guitar)
Ian LeFeuvre (great lead and fill guitar-work with Lynn Miles)

Subject: RE: In Praise of Sidemen
From: pdq
Date: 14 Oct 04 - 07:41 PM

More of a "dream team" than a list of sidemen, but...

Dobro - Mike Auldridge

Twin Fiddles: Vasser Clements and Buddy Spicher

Lead Guitar - David Grier or Tony Rice or David Bromberg

Rythm Guitar - Joe Stuart or Norman Blake

Mondolin - Red Rector or John Duffey or David Grisman

Bass - Tom Grey or Roy Huskey, Jr.

Banjo - Bill Emerson or Bill Keith or Eddie Adcock

...hopefully all backing a great singer like Bill Clifton.

Subject: RE: In Praise of Sidemen
From: Peace
Date: 14 Oct 04 - 07:19 PM

While I didn't really care for Baez's rendition of "Walkin' Down the Line", Langhorn's guitar work on that was exceptional. Wow.

Subject: RE: In Praise of Sidemen
From: Wesley S
Date: 14 Oct 04 - 01:10 PM

How about David Rawlings with Gillain Welch ? That cheap little epiphone archtop guitar he plays MAKES the sound of that duo come alive.

And Norman Blake with anybody.

Subject: RE: In Praise of Sidemen
From: Midchuck
Date: 14 Oct 04 - 10:47 AM

Andrew Hardin - Tom Russell's permanent guitarist. If I could have anyone in the world just to back me (on guitar, anyway) while I'm singing, he'd be it.

Grady Martin - particularly his "Mexican flavored" stuff on the old Marty Robbins cowboy recordings - "El Paso," etc.

Jack Lawrence - has been Doc Watson's "sideman" for lo these many years. If he weren't in Doc's shadow, and there were any justice, he'd be considered one of the greats in flatpick guitar in his own right.

Kristina Cady, a/k/a Mizchuck - can follow anything I can sing on fiddle, or sing harmony to it, as needed. A more trad. fiddler asked her once how she improvised fiddle parts and fills so easily. She just said, "I just play the part I'd sing if my voice range went that high." Other fiddler said "Oh," and wandered away muttering to himself.

Peter.

Subject: RE: In Praise of Sidemen
From: GUEST,MurkeyChris
Date: 14 Oct 04 - 10:43 AM

Danny Thompson double bass player with Pentangle, Richard Thompson, Linda Thompson, Julie Murphy, John Martyn, Nick Drake, Peter Gabriel, Donavan, The Blind Boys of Alabama and so many more. You can always recognise his distictive fluid sound and it always gives me goosebumps!

Subject: RE: In Praise of Sidemen
From: GUEST,DrWordSansBiscuit
Date: 14 Oct 04 - 09:39 AM

Russ Savakus [?sp] & Bruce Langhorn backing Odetta sings Dylan
It don't get any better!
cheers
Dennis

Subject: RE: In Praise of Sidemen
From: Roger the Skiffler
Date: 14 Oct 04 - 09:17 AM

On the UK blues scene Sam Kelly plays drums with everyone and Pete Stroud on bass (with Peter Green & Papa George etc.) are two I'd want in my band (if I had a band!).

RtS

Subject: RE: In Praise of Sidemen
From: Paco Rabanne
Date: 14 Oct 04 - 06:31 AM

Spyboy. End of thread. You can't top them, so there!

Subject: RE: In Praise of Sidemen
From: Peace
Date: 14 Oct 04 - 01:12 AM

Bill Garrett--guitar
Paul Mills (CB Stubbs)--guitar
Barry Keene--drummer
Rick Whitelaw--electric guitar
Pepe Francis--electric guitar
Randy Kempf (Rockin' Randy)--electric bass
There's yer basic group that can handle ANYTHING.

Subject: In Praise of Sidemen
From: Cluin
Date: 14 Oct 04 - 01:06 AM

I was listening to some old Buck Owens today and noting how much Don Rich contributed to the distinctive instantly recognizable sound of the Buckaroos... his distintive harmonies plus his guitar and fiddle work. I don't know if I'd want to hear much of him singing the lead, but he certained shone as a sideman. Having done a bit of sideman work myself (as most of us do from time to time) I can appreciate talent like that.

A few other great sidemen:

Willie P. Bennett with Fred Eaglesmith (the best thing about Fred's band was Willie's contribution IMO, except that I also like Willie P.'s solo work too--even moreso). Saw Willie P. play simultaneous DIFFERENT leads on harmonica and mandolin, then come flawlessly out of it into a high harmony behind Fred who I'm not sure knew how good he had it.

Red Shea and Dick Haynes (guitar and bass, respectively) with Gord Lightfoot in his best days in the late 60s & early 70s... the classic trio always works.

Ditto for Mike Taylor and Dick Kniss with John Denver.

And Dwight Yoakam owes a lot to lead guitarist/producer Pete Anderson for his success too.

Colin Linden (played with lots of greats) is my hero. If I see his name on a recording as producer, I know I'll love it.

Then, of course, there's Curly Boy Stubbs...



So, what sidemen do you like? Put together your dream band.