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Waddy Wachtel

Robert "Waddy" Wachtel has played and worked with a who's who of rock throughout his years as a session musician��"Bob Dylan, The Everly Brothers, Iggy Pop, Keith Richards, Linda Ronstadt, and Warren Zevon, among many other musicians and vocalists. In the 1984 book The Guitar, Wachtel's sound was described as "the churning, badass end of the guitar's spectrum of sounds," and he was said to have the ability to play "fullblown gutsy raunch or sweet Mexican-flavored licks with equal ease. He is a high-energy player." Wachtel's talent has placed him in the company of esteemed session guitarists Ry Cooder, David Lindley and Lowell George. His behind the scenes contributions include credits as producer and songwriter.

Wachtel toured with The Everly Brothers, but began gaining attention as a session artist after backing Carole King during the recording and subsequent tour supporting her Thoroughbred'album in the 1970s. He is credited with being one of a group of musicians in Los Angeles that gave rock songs recorded in the 1970s and 1980s a decidedly raucous Southern California flair. Dave DiMartino, in Singer-Songwriters: Pop Musb's Performer-Composers, from A to Zevon, called them "the L.A. session-musician 'mafia' that dominated most recordings of the genre and era." These musicians included Andrew Gold, a multi-instrumental musician; Russ Kunkle, drums; Leland Sklar, bass; Jai Winding on piano; and a group of backing singers including Glenn Frey, J.D. Souther, Linda Ronstadt and Wendy Waldman.

Wachtel appeared on numerous rock recordings in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Frequent associates were Ronstadt, Karla Bonoff, and Zevon. "Poor, Poor Pitiful Me" was included on Zevon's 1976 self-titled album, a song which was covered successfully by Ronstadt a year later on her Simple Dreams album. Wachtel appears on both recordings. In 1978, again with Zevon, Wachtel worked on the Excitable Boy album. With Zevon he penned the classic "Werewolves of London" and co-produced the album with Jackson Browne.

During the early 1980s Wachtel began working with Stevie Nicks after she embarked on a solo career apart from Fleetwood Mac. Wachtel created the memorable guitar sound on her hit "Edge of Seventeen." He also played guitar on her subsequent recordings The Wild Heart and Rock a Little.

Wachtel was among the session musicians hired by Bob Seger in 1983 to record The Distance. Seger had long been recording as Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band. This album was issued as a Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band project, but other musicians were brought in. Using musicians-for-hire was said to have upset Silver Bullet Band guitarist Drew Abbott, causing him to quit the band. Other artists with whom Wachtel has worked include the Motels, Rod Stewart, Spinal Tap, Ron Wood, and Bonnie Raitt.

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Susan Cowsill's New CD Features Jackson Browne, the Cowsills, Waddy Wachtel and Vicki Peterson

Susan Cowsill's New CD Features Jackson Browne, the Cowsills, Waddy Wachtel and Vicki Peterson

Source: conqueroo

Special guests include Jackson Browne, The Cowsills (Bob, Paul and John), Vicki Peterson (Bangles/Continental Drifters) and session ace Waddy Wachtel

NEW ORLEANS, La. -- Lighthouse, Susan Cowsill's second solo album, once again embodies the timeless qualities of heart, soul and craft that are already known to anyone familiar with Cowsill's solo debut Just Believe It. The new album is slated for May 18, 2010 release on Threadhead Records.

Susan first entered the pop-culture spotlight at the age of eight, as ...

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