The Inside Story of Rock and Roll's Best-Kept Secret
September 24, 2012
Reflecting on the great musical acts of the 1960s and 1970s, one rarely—if ever—thinks of the subject of this fascinating biography, the Wrecking Crew: a random collection of behind-the-scenes West Coast session musicians that whose talents helped the careers of countless musical superstars. Narrator Dan John Miller delivers a subdued reading that’s as honest as it is intelligent. While there’s little dazzle in his performance, Miller’s ability to compelling relate voluminously detailed information is apparent from the first sentence. Miller brings to life the stories Hartman tells with a focused delivery that manages to hold listener attention throughout. A must-have for serious music fans young and old. A St. Martin’s/Dunne hardcover.
January 9, 2012
From 1962 to 1975, one group of studio players, the Wrecking Crew, provided the tracks for records as various as “He’s a Rebel,” “Surfer Girl,” “California Dreamin’,” “MacArthur Park,” ”Classical Gas,” and “Bridge over Troubled Water.” Industry insider Hartman opens our eyes to this fascinating group of musicians, tracing the careers of three members of this group—Glen Campbell, Carol Smith, Hal Blaine—who shared little more than an innate inner drive, musical talent, and a work ethic shaped by grinding poverty. Campbell, for example, lit out on the road when he was 13 to play guitar. Eight years later, Campbell joined the Champs, whose “Limbo Rock” Chubby Checker would soon record as “The Twist.” In 1962, Phil Spector gathered Campbell, Smith, Blaine, Billy Strange, Bill Pitman, and seven other highly skilled session musicians to lay down the tracks for “Zip-a-Dee-Do-Dah,” added the voices of Bob B. Soxx and the Blue Jeans, and a #1 record and the Wrecking Crew were born. Hartman also traces the work of later members of the Crew such as Leon Russell, Larry Knechtel, and Jim Gordon, as well as the successful solo careers of Campbell and Russell. Hartman’s fast-paced tale offers dazzling insights into a little known chapter of rock and roll history.