Robben Ford
Encyclopedia
Robben Ford is an American
blues
, jazz
and rock
guitarist
.
, United States
, but raised in Ukiah, California
, and began playing the saxophone
at age 10, picking up the guitar
at age 13. Robben and his brothers
Mark
(harmonica
) and Patrick Ford (drums
) had a band they named the Charles Ford Blues Band in honor of their father.
Ford began playing professionally at age 18 when the Charles Ford Blues Band got a gig
backing Charlie Musselwhite
. The band also recorded two albums The Charles Ford Band and Discovering the Blues. Next Ford put together a band with Bay Area musician
s that became Jimmy Witherspoon
's backup band. Ford recorded two albums with Witherspoon, Live and Spoonful. The Ford Blues Band reunites periodically, and released live album
s in the 1980s and 1990s.
In the 1970s, Ford began to branch out into jazz fusion
, and joined L.A. Express
, led by saxophonist Tom Scott
in 1974. That same year they backed George Harrison
on his American
tour. In addition to recording fusion albums, they served as Joni Mitchell
's backup band on Hissing of Summer Lawns and her live album
, Miles of Aisles
.
After leaving L.A. Express in 1976, Ford recorded his solo
album
, The Inside Story
with a band that was to become the Yellowjackets
. He went on to play a starring role on the first two Yellowjackets albums, although he was listed as a guest artist due to recording contract
arrangements. In 1982, Robben was just one of many guitarists who played and recorded for KISS's album Creatures of the Night
, playing the lead guitar on two songs "Rock And Roll Hell" and "I Still Love You". Gene Simmons
had asked Robben to join KISS
, however Robben declined stating he was more than happy to play and record for KISS but "couldn't see himself in a band situation performing all over America and the world accordingly". KISS went on to hire Vinnie Vincent
and as their new lead guitarist and tour in support of Creatures of the Night
.
Ford worked briefly with Miles Davis
in 1986; he can be heard on Davis' Montreux box set
. Ford released his next album, called Talk to Your Daughter
in 1988, a return to his blues roots. In 1989 he joined Philippe Saisse
, Marcus Miller
and J.T. Lewis in the cast of The Sunday Night Band for the second and final season of the acclaimed late-night NBC
television musical performance program, Sunday Night
. His best work in the 1990s includes Robben Ford and the Blue Line, and Tiger Walk
. In addition to recording and touring with his own blues band, Ford continued to tour and play with other bands/artists such as Jing Chi (his fusion band), Gregg Allman
and Phil Lesh
. He has received nominations for four Grammy Award
s.
Several Ford tribute bands exist. Ford was named one of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of the 20th Century" by Musician
magazine
.
Ford uses Dumble Amplifiers
since the early 1980s, and prefers Celestion G12-65 speakers. When travelling abroad he tends to use rented Fender Super Reverb
amplifier
s along with a Zendrive overdrive pedal by Hermida Audio. Guitar manufacturer Fender used to make a Robben Ford signature model, initially based on the Japanese made Fender Esprit Ultra, it was developed by Dan Smith along with John Carruthers and evolved into a US Custom Shop model, until it was discontinued in 2002.
American luthier Gene Baker also made a Robben Ford signature model. Lately, Ford tends to favour a vintage 1960 Fender Telecaster
, Gibson Les Paul
s and a custom-made guitar made by Taku Sakashta.
Ford is married
to the cabaret
singer Anne Kerry Ford
, and collaborated with her on various projects. His nephew, Gabe Ford
, is also a musician.
With Joni Mitchell
With Tom Scott
and the LA Express
With Dizzy Gillespie
With Charlie Musselwhite
With Jimmy Witherspoon
With Kiss
With Georgie Fame
With Rickie Lee Jones
With Bob Malach
With Miles Davis
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
, jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
and rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
.
Biography
Ford was born in Woodlake, CaliforniaWoodlake, California
Woodlake is a city in Tulare County, California, United States. The population was 7,279 at the 2010 census, up from 6,651 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Woodlake is located at ....
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, but raised in Ukiah, California
Ukiah, California
The average high temperature is 73.5 °F . Average low temperature is 46.1 °F . Temperatures reach 90 °F on an average of 65.6 days annually and 100 °F on an average of 14.4 days annually. Due to frequent low humidity, summer temperatures normally drop into the fifties at night. Freezing...
, and began playing the saxophone
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
at age 10, picking up the guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
at age 13. Robben and his brothers
Sibling
Siblings are people who share at least one parent. A male sibling is called a brother; and a female sibling is called a sister. In most societies throughout the world, siblings usually grow up together and spend a good deal of their childhood socializing with one another...
Mark
Mark Ford
-Life:He went to school in London, and attended Oxford University and, as a Kennedy Scholar, Harvard University. He studied for his doctorate at Oxford University on the poetry of John Ashbery, and has published widely on nineteenth- and twentieth-century American writing, including on Raymond...
(harmonica
Harmonica
The harmonica, also called harp, French harp, blues harp, and mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used primarily in blues and American folk music, jazz, country, and rock and roll. It is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes or multiple holes...
) and Patrick Ford (drums
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
) had a band they named the Charles Ford Blues Band in honor of their father.
Ford began playing professionally at age 18 when the Charles Ford Blues Band got a gig
Gig (musical performance)
Gig is slang for a musical engagement in which musicians are hired. Originally coined in the 1920s by jazz musicians, the term, short for the word "engagement", now refers to any aspect of performing such as assisting with performance and attending musical performance...
backing Charlie Musselwhite
Charlie Musselwhite
Charlie Musselwhite is an American electric blues harmonica player and bandleader, one of the non-black bluesmen who came to prominence in the early 1960s, along with Mike Bloomfield and Paul Butterfield. Though he has often been identified as a "white bluesman", he claims Native American heritage...
. The band also recorded two albums The Charles Ford Band and Discovering the Blues. Next Ford put together a band with Bay Area musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
s that became Jimmy Witherspoon
Jimmy Witherspoon
Jimmy Witherspoon was an American jump blues singer.-Early life and career:James Witherspoon was born in Gurdon, Arkansas. He first attracted attention singing with Teddy Weatherford's band in Calcutta, India, which made regular radio broadcasts over the U. S. Armed Forces Radio Service during...
's backup band. Ford recorded two albums with Witherspoon, Live and Spoonful. The Ford Blues Band reunites periodically, and released live album
Live album
A live album is a recording consisting of material recorded during stage performances using remote recording techniques, commonly contrasted with a studio album...
s in the 1980s and 1990s.
In the 1970s, Ford began to branch out into jazz fusion
Jazz fusion
Jazz fusion is a musical fusion genre that developed from mixing funk and R&B rhythms and the amplification and electronic effects of rock, complex time signatures derived from non-Western music and extended, typically instrumental compositions with a jazz approach to lengthy group improvisations,...
, and joined L.A. Express
L.A. Express
The L.A. Express was an American jazz-pop ensemble. Members of L.A. Express played on several Joni Mitchell albums, including The Hissing of Summer Lawns and Miles of Aisles ....
, led by saxophonist Tom Scott
Tom Scott (musician)
Tom Scott is an American saxophonist, composer, arranger, conductor and bandleader of the west coast jazz/jazz fusion ensemble The L.A. Express.-Biography:Scott was born in Los Angeles, California...
in 1974. That same year they backed George Harrison
George Harrison
George Harrison, MBE was an English musician, guitarist, singer-songwriter, actor and film producer who achieved international fame as lead guitarist of The Beatles. Often referred to as "the quiet Beatle", Harrison became over time an admirer of Indian mysticism, and introduced it to the other...
on his American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
tour. In addition to recording fusion albums, they served as Joni Mitchell
Joni Mitchell
Joni Mitchell, CC is a Canadian musician, singer songwriter, and painter. Mitchell began singing in small nightclubs in her native Saskatchewan and Western Canada and then busking in the streets and dives of Toronto...
's backup band on Hissing of Summer Lawns and her live album
Live album
A live album is a recording consisting of material recorded during stage performances using remote recording techniques, commonly contrasted with a studio album...
, Miles of Aisles
Miles of Aisles
Miles of Aisles is a 1974 double live album by Joni Mitchell backed by the L.A. Express, recorded on the Court and Spark tour. It reached #2 on the charts and became one of her biggest-selling records....
.
After leaving L.A. Express in 1976, Ford recorded his solo
Solo (music)
In music, a solo is a piece or a section of a piece played or sung by a single performer...
album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
, The Inside Story
The Inside Story (album)
The Inside Story is a 1979 studio album by Robben Ford. This Robben Ford's solo album can be regarded as the start of the Jazz fusion band the Yellowjackets.-Track listing:All songs written by Robben Ford unless otherwise noted....
with a band that was to become the Yellowjackets
Yellowjackets
Yellowjackets is an American jazz fusion/smooth jazz quartet.-History:The original group, called The Robben Ford Group, was formed in 1977, and consisted of Robben Ford, Russell Ferrante, Jimmy Haslip and Ricky Lawson, all top-notch L.A. session musicians...
. He went on to play a starring role on the first two Yellowjackets albums, although he was listed as a guest artist due to recording contract
Recording contract
A recording contract is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording artist , where the artist makes a record for the label to sell and promote...
arrangements. In 1982, Robben was just one of many guitarists who played and recorded for KISS's album Creatures of the Night
Creatures of the Night
Creatures of the Night is the tenth studio album by Kiss. It is the band's last album for Casablanca Records, the only label the group had ever recorded for up to that point...
, playing the lead guitar on two songs "Rock And Roll Hell" and "I Still Love You". Gene Simmons
Gene Simmons
Gene Simmons is an Israeli-American entrepreneur, singer-songwriter, actor, and rock bassist. Known as "The Demon", he is the bassist/vocalist of Kiss, a hard rock band he co-founded in the early 1970s.-Early life:...
had asked Robben to join KISS
KISS (band)
Kiss is an American rock band formed in New York City in January 1973. Well-known for its members' face paint and flamboyant stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid to late 1970s on the basis of their elaborate live performances, which featured fire breathing, blood spitting,...
, however Robben declined stating he was more than happy to play and record for KISS but "couldn't see himself in a band situation performing all over America and the world accordingly". KISS went on to hire Vinnie Vincent
Vinnie Vincent
Vincent John Cusano, better known as Vinnie Vincent, is an American guitarist from Bridgeport, Connecticut and songwriter known for his brief membership in the band Kiss.-Replacing Ace Frehley in Kiss:...
and as their new lead guitarist and tour in support of Creatures of the Night
Creatures of the Night
Creatures of the Night is the tenth studio album by Kiss. It is the band's last album for Casablanca Records, the only label the group had ever recorded for up to that point...
.
Ford worked briefly with Miles Davis
Miles Davis
Miles Dewey Davis III was an American jazz musician, trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. Widely considered one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Miles Davis was, with his musical groups, at the forefront of several major developments in jazz music, including bebop, cool jazz,...
in 1986; he can be heard on Davis' Montreux box set
The Complete Miles Davis at Montreux
The Complete Miles Davis at Montreux is a 2002 box set of 20 CDs comprising 11 appearances by Miles Davis at the Montreux Jazz Festival between 1973 and 1991.-Track listing:Disc 1...
. Ford released his next album, called Talk to Your Daughter
Talk to Your Daughter
Talk to Your Daughter is a blues-rock album by Robben Ford, released in 1988. The album's cover version of the Albert King classic "Born Under a Bad Sign" was used as a supporting soundtrack in the Clint Eastwood movie Pink Cadillac.-Track listing:...
in 1988, a return to his blues roots. In 1989 he joined Philippe Saisse
Philippe Saisse
Philippe Saisse is a French Grammy Award-nominated Smooth Jazz and New Age music keyboardist, producer and arranger.He was born in Marseille and raised in Paris. After studying at the Conservatoire de Paris he won a scholarship to the Berklee College of Music. He became the protege of Gary Burton...
, Marcus Miller
Marcus Miller
Marcus Miller is an American jazz composer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist. Miller is best known as a bassist, working with trumpeter Miles Davis, singer Luther Vandross, and saxophonist David Sanborn, as well as maintaining a prolific solo career...
and J.T. Lewis in the cast of The Sunday Night Band for the second and final season of the acclaimed late-night NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
television musical performance program, Sunday Night
Sunday Night
Sunday Night, later named Michelob Presents Night Music, was a late-night television show which aired for two seasons between 1988 and 1990. The show featured performers in a wide variety of musical genres but was particularly known as a showcase for jazz and electric music. It was hosted by Jools...
. His best work in the 1990s includes Robben Ford and the Blue Line, and Tiger Walk
Tiger Walk (album)
Tiger Walk is an album by Robben Ford. "In The Beginning" was nominated for a 1998 Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance. -Track listing:All tracks composed by Robben Ford; except where indicated # "In the Beginning" – 5:13...
. In addition to recording and touring with his own blues band, Ford continued to tour and play with other bands/artists such as Jing Chi (his fusion band), Gregg Allman
Gregg Allman
Gregory Lenoir Allman , known as Gregg Allman, is a rock and blues singer, keyboardist, guitarist and songwriter, and a founding member of The Allman Brothers Band. He was inducted with the band into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995 and received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Georgia...
and Phil Lesh
Phil Lesh
Phillip Chapman Lesh is a musician and a founding member of the Grateful Dead, with whom he played bass guitar throughout their 30-year career....
. He has received nominations for four Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
s.
Several Ford tribute bands exist. Ford was named one of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of the 20th Century" by Musician
Musician (magazine)
Musician was a monthly magazine that covered news and information about American popular music. Initially called "Music America", it was founded in 1976 by Sam Holdsworth and Gordon Baird. The two friends borrowed $20,000 from relatives and started the publication in a barn in Colorado...
magazine
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
.
Ford uses Dumble Amplifiers
Dumble Amplifiers
Dumble musical instrument amplifiers are custom manufactured in very limited numbers by Alexander "Howard" Dumble of Los Angeles, California. Dumble began making amplifiers in the late 1960s in Santa Cruz. There are reportedly fewer than 300 in total...
since the early 1980s, and prefers Celestion G12-65 speakers. When travelling abroad he tends to use rented Fender Super Reverb
Fender Super Reverb
The Fender Super Reverb was a guitar amplifier made by Fender. It was introduced in 1963 and was discontinued in 1982. This was essentially a Fender Super amplifier with built-in reverb and vibrato. The original Super Reverb amplifiers were all tube design and featured spring reverb. There were...
amplifier
Amplifier
Generally, an amplifier or simply amp, is a device for increasing the power of a signal.In popular use, the term usually describes an electronic amplifier, in which the input "signal" is usually a voltage or a current. In audio applications, amplifiers drive the loudspeakers used in PA systems to...
s along with a Zendrive overdrive pedal by Hermida Audio. Guitar manufacturer Fender used to make a Robben Ford signature model, initially based on the Japanese made Fender Esprit Ultra, it was developed by Dan Smith along with John Carruthers and evolved into a US Custom Shop model, until it was discontinued in 2002.
American luthier Gene Baker also made a Robben Ford signature model. Lately, Ford tends to favour a vintage 1960 Fender Telecaster
Fender Telecaster
The Fender Telecaster, colloquially known as the Tele , is typically a dual-pickup, solid-body electric guitar made by Fender.Its simple yet effective design and revolutionary sound broke ground and set trends in electric guitar manufacturing and popular music...
, Gibson Les Paul
Gibson Les Paul
The Gibson Les Paul was the result of a design collaboration between Gibson Guitar Corporation and the late jazz guitarist and electronics inventor Les Paul. In 1950, with the introduction of the Fender Telecaster to the musical market, electric guitars became a public craze. In reaction, Gibson...
s and a custom-made guitar made by Taku Sakashta.
Ford is married
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
to the cabaret
Cabaret
Cabaret is a form, or place, of entertainment featuring comedy, song, dance, and theatre, distinguished mainly by the performance venue: a restaurant or nightclub with a stage for performances and the audience sitting at tables watching the performance, as introduced by a master of ceremonies or...
singer Anne Kerry Ford
Anne Kerry Ford
-Early years and education:A native Texan, Ford began her career by attending The Academy of The Washington Ballet prior to her acceptance at Juilliard School of Drama at the age of 16...
, and collaborated with her on various projects. His nephew, Gabe Ford
Gabe Ford
Gabe Ford is an American musician probably best known as the current drummer for Little Feat. He was born into a musical family. His father, Patrick, is also a musician as are his uncles Mark Ford and Robben Ford. He plays drums, guitar and keyboards.-Musical career:Ford spent his early career in...
, is also a musician.
Solo albums
- Discovering the Blues Live (1972)
- Jimmy Witherspoon & Robben Ford Live (1976)
- Schizophonic (1976)
- The Inside StoryThe Inside Story (album)The Inside Story is a 1979 studio album by Robben Ford. This Robben Ford's solo album can be regarded as the start of the Jazz fusion band the Yellowjackets.-Track listing:All songs written by Robben Ford unless otherwise noted....
(1979) - Love's A Heartache (1983)
- Talk to Your DaughterTalk to Your DaughterTalk to Your Daughter is a blues-rock album by Robben Ford, released in 1988. The album's cover version of the Albert King classic "Born Under a Bad Sign" was used as a supporting soundtrack in the Clint Eastwood movie Pink Cadillac.-Track listing:...
(1988) - Robben Ford and the Blue Line (1992)
- Mystic MileMystic MileMystic Mile is an electric blues album by Robben Ford and the Blue Line, released in 1993. Chick Corea was the executive producer.-Track listing:All tracks composed by Robben Ford; except where indicated#"He Don't Play Nothin' But the Blues"#"Busted Up"...
(1993) - Handful of Blues (1995)
- Blues Connotation (1996)
- Tiger WalkTiger Walk (album)Tiger Walk is an album by Robben Ford. "In The Beginning" was nominated for a 1998 Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance. -Track listing:All tracks composed by Robben Ford; except where indicated # "In the Beginning" – 5:13...
(1997) - Supernatural (1999)
- SunriseSunrise (Robben Ford album)Sunrise is an album of live recordings made in 1972 by Robben Ford, and released on CD in 1999.Though Ford's music ranged over jazz, blues, and rock music styles, the performances on this album are strongly rooted in jazz, despite some of the songs having been composed originally by blues artists...
(1999) - A Tribute to Paul Butterfield (2001)
- Blue Moon (2002)
- Keep on Running (2003)
- City LifeCity Life (album)City Life is the third studio album by the American rhythm and blues and jazz-funk fusion group The Blackbyrds.-Reception:Produced by Donald Byrd...
(2006) - TruthTruth (Robben Ford album)Truth is a 2007 album by blues artist Robben Ford, notable for a well-received cover of Paul Simon's 1971 composition "One Man's Ceiling is Another Man's Floor." "Riley B. King" is a homage to B.B...
(2007)
Live albums
- Discovering the Blues Live (1972)
- The Authorized Bootleg (1998)
- Soul on TenSoul on Ten (album)Soul on Ten is an album by American jazz guitarist Robben Ford and The Blue Line. Recorded for Concord Records, it was released August 11, 2009. Eight of the tracks are live recordings from an appearance in San Francisco California in April 2009...
(2009)
With Ford Blues Band
- The Charles Ford Band (1972)
- Reunion Live (1984)
- As Real As It Gets(1996)
- Hotshots (1994)
- Fords and Friends (1996)
- Ford Blues Band (1999)
- Tribute to Paul Butterfield (2001)
- In Memory of Michael Bloomfield (2002)
- Another Fine Day (2003)
- Centre Stage (2004)
With Mark Ford
- Mark Ford and the Robben Ford Band (1990)
- Mark Ford and the Blue Line
Collaborations
- Minor EleganceMinor EleganceMinor Elegance is a 1990 studio album by Joe Diorio and Robben Ford. Recorded live at the Mad Hatter Studios Los Angeles and mixed at the MGI Records Studios Munich.-Track listing:...
(1990) with Joe DiorioJoe DiorioJoseph Louis Diorio is an American jazz guitarist. He has performed with legends of jazz like Sonny Stitt, Eddie Harris, Ira Sullivan, Stan Getz, Pat Metheny, Horace Silver, and Freddie Hubbard...
, Gary WillisGary WillisGary Willis is an American bassist and composer known foremost as the co-founder of the jazz fusion band Tribal Tech. Aside from his work in Tribal Tech, Willis has worked with numerous other jazz musicians including Wayne Shorter, Dennis Chambers, and Allan Holdsworth...
and Peter ErskinePeter ErskinePeter Erskine is an American jazz drummer and composer. He has enjoyed a long and successful career as a session drummer, recording and touring with many famous jazz and rock artists, including Steely Dan and Weather Report... - Jing Chi (2001) with Vinnie ColaiutaVinnie ColaiutaVincent Colaiuta is an American drummer based in Los Angeles. Originally from Republic, Pennsylvania, he began playing drums as a child and received his first full drum kit from his parents at the age of 14...
, Jimmy HaslipJimmy HaslipJimmy Haslip is an American electric bass player and record producer best known as a founding and current member of the pioneering fusion group Yellowjackets... - Jing Chi Live (2003)
- Jing Chi 3D (2004)
- Charlie Haden - Helium Tears (2006)
- Sonny Landreth - From the Reach (2008)
- With Michael Landau, Jimmy Haslip, Gary Novak - Renegade Creation (2010)
Albums played on
- F-Zero Jazz Album (1992)
- Voodoo Crossing: A Tribute to Jimi Hendrix (2003) Message To Love
- Viva Carlos - A Supernatural Marathon Celebration (2004) Blues For Salvador
- A Guitar Supreme - A Giant Step In Fusion Guitar (2006) Village Blues
- Come Together 2; Beatles Guitar Tribute (2000?) Golden Slumbers
As sideman
With Charlie MusselwhiteCharlie Musselwhite
Charlie Musselwhite is an American electric blues harmonica player and bandleader, one of the non-black bluesmen who came to prominence in the early 1960s, along with Mike Bloomfield and Paul Butterfield. Though he has often been identified as a "white bluesman", he claims Native American heritage...
- Takin' My Time (Arhoolie 1056) (1973)
- Going Back Down South (Arhoolie 1074) (1975)
With Joni Mitchell
Joni Mitchell
Joni Mitchell, CC is a Canadian musician, singer songwriter, and painter. Mitchell began singing in small nightclubs in her native Saskatchewan and Western Canada and then busking in the streets and dives of Toronto...
- Miles of AislesMiles of AislesMiles of Aisles is a 1974 double live album by Joni Mitchell backed by the L.A. Express, recorded on the Court and Spark tour. It reached #2 on the charts and became one of her biggest-selling records....
(1974) - The Hissing of Summer LawnsThe Hissing of Summer LawnsThe Hissing of Summer Lawns is a studio album by Canadian songwriter Joni Mitchell.-Reception:The album was not as radio-friendly as Mitchell's earlier work, and although the album achieved initial commercial success, reaching number four on the charts and quickly going gold, contemporary reviewers...
(1975)
With Tom Scott
Tom Scott
Tom Scott may refer to:*Tom Scott , New Zealand cartoonist*Tom Scott , member of the Canadian Football Hall of Fame*Tom Scott , coach of the North Carolina Tar Heels basketball program...
and the LA Express
- Tom Cat (1974)
With Dizzy Gillespie
Dizzy Gillespie
John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie was an American jazz trumpet player, bandleader, singer, and composer dubbed "the sound of surprise".Together with Charlie Parker, he was a major figure in the development of bebop and modern jazz...
- RhythmstickRhythmstickRhythmstick is a 1990 album and video by Dizzy Gillespie and CTI Records All-Stars.-Tracklisting:#"Barbados" #"Friday Night at the Cadillac Club" #"Nana" #"Caribe"...
(1990)
With Charlie Musselwhite
Charlie Musselwhite
Charlie Musselwhite is an American electric blues harmonica player and bandleader, one of the non-black bluesmen who came to prominence in the early 1960s, along with Mike Bloomfield and Paul Butterfield. Though he has often been identified as a "white bluesman", he claims Native American heritage...
- Where Have All The Good Times Gone (1984)
With Jimmy Witherspoon
Jimmy Witherspoon
Jimmy Witherspoon was an American jump blues singer.-Early life and career:James Witherspoon was born in Gurdon, Arkansas. He first attracted attention singing with Teddy Weatherford's band in Calcutta, India, which made regular radio broadcasts over the U. S. Armed Forces Radio Service during...
- Live at Monterey Jazz Festival (1972)
- Live (1976)
- Live at Notodden Blues Festival (1992)
- Ain't Nothing New About The Blues (1995)
With Kiss
KISS (band)
Kiss is an American rock band formed in New York City in January 1973. Well-known for its members' face paint and flamboyant stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid to late 1970s on the basis of their elaborate live performances, which featured fire breathing, blood spitting,...
- Creatures of the NightCreatures of the NightCreatures of the Night is the tenth studio album by Kiss. It is the band's last album for Casablanca Records, the only label the group had ever recorded for up to that point...
(1982)
With Georgie Fame
Georgie Fame
Georgie Fame is a British rhythm and blues and jazz singer and keyboard player. The one-time rock and roll tour musician, who had a string of 1960s hits, is still a popular performer, often working with contemporaries such as Van Morrison and Bill Wyman.-Early life:Fame took piano lessons from the...
- Cool Cat Blues (1991)
With Rickie Lee Jones
Rickie Lee Jones
Rickie Lee Jones is an American vocalist, musician, songwriter, and producer. Over the course of a three-decade career, Jones has recorded in various musical styles including rock, R&B, blues, pop, soul, and jazz standards.-Childhood:...
- Pop Pop (1991)
With Bob Malach
- Mood Swing (1991)
With Miles Davis
Miles Davis
Miles Dewey Davis III was an American jazz musician, trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. Widely considered one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Miles Davis was, with his musical groups, at the forefront of several major developments in jazz music, including bebop, cool jazz,...
- The Complete Miles Davis at MontreuxThe Complete Miles Davis at MontreuxThe Complete Miles Davis at Montreux is a 2002 box set of 20 CDs comprising 11 appearances by Miles Davis at the Montreux Jazz Festival between 1973 and 1991.-Track listing:Disc 1...
(2002)
Instructional DVDs
- The Art of Blues Rhythm
- Playing the Blues
- The Blues and Beyond
External links
- Official website
- 2007 Modern Guitars interview by Brian D. Holland
- Interview at Digital Interviews
- 'Worried Life Blues' Performed Live in Germany 1994
- Blue Rock It