Under-appreciated backup musicians

[Bobby_Jim]

Listening to the Jimi Hendrix Experience, I was struck that his drummer - Mitch Mitchell - was really good, and a key part of the overall sound of that group. But how many people even know his name.

Got me thinking, are there other examples like that, where a backup musician or lesser-known member of a band or even a studio musician is really good, but doesn’t get much credit for it?

By the way I don’t want to include Ringo Starr in this, because practically everyone acknowledges that he’s underrated as a drummer, and if everyone says he’s underrated, then he’s not underrated anymore.

 

[Janimoso]

Perhaps you could keep my friend and I in your prayers. We are not big scale, but we are classically trained musicians who put our careers on hold to have families and now we just want to play. Background music for cocktail bars, restaurants, weddings. We are playing at a daycare centre and getting 1/4 of our fee but that’s ok cause we wanted to give back to the community. It’s just a bit slow getting out there, so some prayers would be much appreciated.

Thanks:thumbsup:

 

[johnnyc176]

Listening to the Jimi Hendrix Experience, I was struck that his drummer - Mitch Mitchell - was really good, and a key part of the overall sound of that group. But how many people even know his name.

Got me thinking, are there other examples like that, where a backup musician or lesser-known member of a band or even a studio musician is really good, but doesn’t get much credit for it?

By the way I don’t want to include Ringo Starr in this, because practically everyone acknowledges that he’s underrated as a drummer, and if everyone says he’s underrated, then he’s not underrated anymore.

I certainly know of Mitch Mitchell (and Noel Redding).

I guess if you are really into music you would know about these people…

Members of the Funk Brothers who played on all the Motown records. James Jamerson (bass), Benny Benjamin (drums) and Robert White (guitar). There are quite a few others.

Members of the Wrecking Crew who played on a huge amount of hit songs in the 60s and 70s. Some are more famous than others like drummer Hal Blaine. Others were Tommy Tedesco and Billy Strange (guitar), Joe Osbourne and Carol Kaye (bass), Steve Douglas and Jay Migliori (sax), Earl Palmer and Jim Jim Keltner (drums) and Larry Knechtel (keyboards)

Muscle Shoals musicians including Roger Hawkins (drums) and Jimmy Johnson (guitar) who played on many of the R&B and soul music hits of the 60s and 70s.

 

[Bobby_Jim]

Members of the Funk Brothers who played on all the Motown records. James Jamerson (bass), Benny Benjamin (drums) and Robert White (guitar). There are quite a few others.

Members of the Wrecking Crew who played on a huge amount of hit songs in the 60s and 70s. Some are more famous than others like drummer Hal Blaine. Others were Tommy Tedesco and Billy Strange (guitar), Joe Osbourne and Carol Kaye (bass), Steve Douglas and Jay Migliori (sax), Earl Palmer and Jim Jim Keltner (drums) and Larry Knechtel (keyboards)

Muscle Shoals musicians including Roger Hawkins (drums) and Jimmy Johnson (guitar) who played on many of the R&B and soul music hits of the 60s and 70s.

Great examples all of these. Those Motown records have such a great sound, and most people only remember the vocalists. Would you refer to these groups as studio musicians, or did they perform/tour/record on their own?

I was thinking more along the lines of bands that are famous in their own right, but certain members of which seem to be overshadowed by their more famous bandmates. Sticking with the drummer theme, most people remember Cream for Eric Clapton, but the sound just wouldn’t be the same without Ginger Baker. I’m not referring of course to people who are really into music who would of course know Ginger Baker (and Jack Bruce), but your average music listener who would say, “Oh yeah, Cream. White Room. Eric Clapton.”

 

[Bobby_Jim]

Perhaps you could keep my friend and I in your prayers. We are not big scale, but we are classically trained musicians who put our careers on hold to have families and now we just want to play. Background music for cocktail bars, restaurants, weddings. We are playing at a daycare centre and getting 1/4 of our fee but that’s ok cause we wanted to give back to the community. It’s just a bit slow getting out there, so some prayers would be much appreciated.

Thanks:thumbsup:

Prayer request duly noted. I appreciate what you are doing, and the difficulties you face. Maybe seeing music performed by live musicians will inspire some kids at the daycare to themselves learn to play? My wife and I are trying to give that opportunity to our kids, starting with piano but every time my kids see somebody playing something whether it’s guitar or violin or cello or tuba they want to do that too.

 

[Jared2914]

The average person can’t pick out specific instruments or sounds in music. They connect with the overall melody, not specific instruments. Most times the vocals follow the melody very closely, so they remember in their head the person singing the vocals. I think this is just the natural way most people perceive music. Only the people that really get into the music will learn who the other band members are. I’m sure everyone has a few favorite bands or artists and know all the band members in those acts. It’s very different these days though. Most of the popular artists are solo. The “band” consists of several freelance musicians hired to help with a tour or studio recording. In the next tour or album, they may have a whole new set of backup musicians.

 

[christofirst]

the guitarist Waddy (Robert) Wachtel comes to mind. I never knew who he was, but he used to frequent a store where I worked years ago. A coworker told me who he was, and all about the great work he did as a sideman.

 

[Janimoso]

It’s an elderly care centre

 

[randomuser]

The average person can’t pick out specific instruments or sounds in music. They connect with the overall melody, not specific instruments. Most times the vocals follow the melody very closely, so they remember in their head the person singing the vocals. I think this is just the natural way most people perceive music. Only the people that really get into the music will learn who the other band members are. I’m sure everyone has a few favorite bands or artists and know all the band members in those acts. It’s very different these days though. Most of the popular artists are solo. The “band” consists of several freelance musicians hired to help with a tour or studio recording. In the next tour or album, they may have a whole new set of backup musicians.

There was a movie - a couple recent movies, actually, including the Best Documentary Oscar winner - “Standing in The Shadows of Motown,” and then “30 Feet From Stardom,” and I think there was another one for opera, too. I did think “30 Feet From Stardom” was very insightful insofar as it would be good ammo for those who think contemporary music is terrible - i.e., one of the underlying messages of “30 Feet From Stardom” was that it’s precisely because fewer backup singers and studio musicians that the resulting recording material is consequently inferior. The Rolling Stones, according to this movie, are the one of the few bands that still retains a back-up singer for their tours. I don’t agree that contemporary music is terrible (far from it: there’s more outstanding and awesome music today than there has ever been), but I do think mainstream major-label music is way more “overproduced” to make up for the penny-pinching in the studio: I definitely hear the difference on a major label versus an independent label, and I think most music enthusiasts hear a difference as well.

 

[johnnyc176]

Great examples all of these. Those Motown records have such a great sound, and most people only remember the vocalists. Would you refer to these groups as studio musicians, or did they perform/tour/record on their own?

Mostly studio but I believe that members of the Funk Brothers may have cut a few instrumentals under various names.

I was thinking more along the lines of bands that are famous in their own right, but certain members of which seem to be overshadowed by their more famous bandmates. Sticking with the drummer theme, most people remember Cream for Eric Clapton, but the sound just wouldn’t be the same without Ginger Baker. I’m not referring of course to people who are really into music who would of course know Ginger Baker (and Jack Bruce), but your average music listener who would say, “Oh yeah, Cream. White Room. Eric Clapton.”

Hmm let’s see…John Enwistle (bass) of The Who? Kinda hard to do this because I know of these people and they are not underated to me.

 

[AlTheCollegeGal]

Shout out to Elliot Easton from The Cars (for that matter, I also think that Ben Orr was incredibly underrated), Steve Howe from Yes, and Johnny Winter (yeah, I know he’s mostly known for his solo work, but he’s still under-appreciated!).