studio musicians

Brady Blade was born in Shreveport, Louisiana, to the pastor of the Zion Baptist Church, Rev. Brady Blade Sr. and his wife Dorothy. At an early age Brady Jr. began playing music in the church and at community events, developing a passion for a wide range of musical styles. He worked for several recording labels before touring with Emmylou Harris in 1995 with the Spyboy Band. The group released a self-titled album three years later and toured around the world. Brady was active with Dave Matthews’ jam band project known as Dave Matthews & Friends as well as headlining for the Bonnaroo Music Festival in 2004. Two years later Brady recorded the album "Nashville" with fellow Oral History interviewee Solomon Burke. 

Hal Blaine is perhaps the most recorded drummer from the California recording studios of the 1950s-'70s.  His influential style can be heard on more than 170 number one hit songs and 450 tunes that made the top 40 on the charts during those decades.  His beat can be heard on hundreds of albums by artists ranging from the Beach Boys and Elvis Presley to the Carpenters and Barbra Streisand.  As a creative performer, Hal became one of the early studio players to gain such notoriety that he was asked to endorse drum kits, heads and sticks.  Shorty after the opening of the Museum of Making Music in Carlsbad, CA, Hal attended a drum exhibit and spoke to the guests about his long career in music.

Harold Bradley is one of the most recorded guitarists in the history of Nashville. Harold and his brother, the legendary producer, Owen Bradley, created a new feel in country music, a style known today as the “Nashville Sound.” Harold can be heard on classic recordings such as “Crazy” by Patsy Cline and “Little Sister” by Elvis Presley. Advocating music education and playing a strong role in preserving the history of music and its Nashville connection, Harold has been a popular and effective leader as President of the Musicians Union and an author of several important articles on music and music making.  

Roger Bucknall is an instrument maker who formed Fylde Guitars, which is located in Penrith, England, not so far from the Scottish boarder. Roger’s long and well regarded career as a guitar builder began as a teenager, although he actually made his first guitar when he was just nine years old. Roger’s love of tool making, woods and the process of designing and hand crafting instruments, is more than his job, it is indeed his passion.

Gary Burton, the renowned vibraphonist, provided wonderful and detailed insight into the Musser Company that he has been linked with for most of his life. He traced the company’s history through the Ludwig purchase and included his thoughts about the company’s percussive product line. He also spoke about PASIC and his memories of the NAMM Show. Luckily the interview also covered some of his many jazz career highlights.  

James Burton is a legendary guitarist in the world of rock music! In the early days of his career, James played influential licks on such 50’s hits as “Hello Mary Lou” with Ricky Nelson. He later toured with Elvis Presley as well as recording with the King of Rock and Roll for nearly a decade. James can be heard on countless recordings and toured endlessly with the likes of John Denver in the 1980s. In recent years James formed a guitar festival in Louisiana where he has gathered hundreds of guitarists each year to break the record of the most guitar players in one place.
 

Jimmy Capps has backed nearly every performer at the Grand Ole Opry as a house band guitarist since 1960! The list of artists he played with is nothing more than amazing and represents the grand old pioneers such as Roy Acuff as well as current Opry members such as Vince Gill and Garth Brooks. Along the way he was a sought after studio musician who recorded with another vast list of country, bluegrass and rock artists. His career has been historic!

Ron Carter’s name is listed in every jazz encyclopedia as a major influence on the bass.  He recorded and performed with many of the greatest players in modern jazz and spoke with great detail about the instruments he uses and the style he has developed.  At the end of the interview he listed what he feels are the three most important things for a young bass player to consider: practice long and hard, get to know your instrument, the strings you play and all other parts of the sound you make, and listen to other bass players.  

Gene Chrisman was among the celebrated studio musicians from Tennessee who played on countless recordings and helped shape the Memphis Sound during the 1960s and 70s. Gene’s creative drumming style has been cited by percussionists around the world as an influence on their own careers. Chris was the drummer in the California Recording Studio in Memphis, which produced a string of hits for artists such as Willie Nelson and Elvis Presley. For Elvis, Gene played the drums on “Suspicious Minds,” “Kentucky Rain” and “In the Ghetto.”  

Mike Clark helped established the funk-based drumming sound that emerged out of Oakland and the San Francisco Bay Area in the 1960s and 70s. In fact, his “The Funk Stops Here” was used for a radio ad before he recorded it with Herbie Hancock, as an original member of the Head Hunters. Mike’s creative and driving style has become an important part of funk drumming and his most famous beats can be heard on R&B and Hip Hop recordings by countless performers as samples.