The Guitar Man's Unsung Reprise: Tommy Tedesco's Personal Collection Comes to Auction
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I met Tommy in 1978 when he did a class at G.I.T. He handed me his Savarez classical guitar and asked me to play something Spanish, which I did. For some reason he liked me. I think it was the Bronx accent. Several weeks later a student came into other class we were in and asked if there was a Mike in the class. He said Tommy wanted me at Paramount Studios in an hour. I thought it was a joke. Apparently he remembered me and wanted me to see him in action. Another student drove me and my life changed that day. I won’t take any more space writing about his anecdotes, and his mentoring, and his awesome guitar playing I witnessed that day. But I just want to say he was a great and generous human being that will always be in my heart. God bless.
Experiences like that are life-changing - your gratitude comes through your words...
Mike Simpson
Great story! Thanks for sharing it with us!!!
..you were one lucky man, I would've loved to have met him, what an experience that must have been.
He seemed like such a down to earth guy, I just watched wrecking crew, I never realized how many musical stars that had number one hit records, never played an instrument.
I'm 62 and I've always loved music and just learned something after watching that movie/documentary.
Best to you.
Won't take up space?
Take any more space? How bout keep on goin, great story!
Used to love Tommy's columns in Guitar Player Magazine in the 70's. He'd always include the session guitars and amps and the time he worked plus the wages earned! An accomplished guitarist who showed you the business side of it too!❤
Greatest Group Ever.
All those years during the 60's when I thought I was trying to play like Carl Wilson, Mike Nesmith, and all the others, it turned out I was trying to play like Tommy Tedesco. Damn, how I wish I knew that 50+ years ago! You'll always have a special place in my heart, Tommy!
Thank you for your comment!
I think it was Louie Shelton on LAST TRAIN TO CLARKSVILLE
There is one “guy” often overlooked and you can she her in several of the studio photos, Carol Kaye. She came up with the bass line for “And the Beat Goes On”, along with playing in this group on countless hits. Check out her autobiography, she kept all her lists of session dates. Carol Kaye played both bass and guitar. In this video you hear her voice a couple of times, but they don’t mention her name.
Correct. There is a great bio of her on You Tube. It ends with her taking the cameraman back to the studio (Capitol ?) and they refused to let her in.
Post a separate video about her why detract from tedesco
@@maxsavage3998 All of them deserve recognition where they can get it.
She's not overlooked, anyone who knows about these cats knows of Kaye. She was a Beast bassist.
When I was a youngster I accompanied my Dad, Buddy Kendrick, longtime friend/ artist rep, for Leo, to a studio somewhere in LA. As I-entered the building, helping my Dad carry several guitars,, I heard Mas Que Nada playing, a hit from Sergio Mendez and Brazil 66. I was surprised to see it wasn’t a recording but the actual group playing! I was then introduced to many players, and I wish I could remember who, but one my Dad addressed as Teddy, who I believe was Tedesco! As my Dad conducted biz, I sauntered over to watch Sergio and they began playing Fool On The Hill, the Beatle cover that became one of their hits! My Dad passed in 84, but I was honored to accompany him on many occasions to meet icons, sadly, most are now gone!
Thanks for share your great experience here.. I'am a Guitar Player but not really good to be a session player,hahaa..
I'am from South East Asia,not a good place to learn Jazz,bcos most of the player here playing Rock.. The session guitarist here also the rock guy and some can't read the notation..
I'am not familiar with Jazz Fusion or the guy playing it until some day i heard Lee Ritenour..
And start interested by his playing and search if he play the other style.. Ohhh my God..
I have no idea that i listen to one of the great session player in L.A.. Then i found Carlton Four Play Sanborn and more to Jazz Fusion Funk RnB and Blues.. I don't care if someone can play 1000 note a bit,or the over flashy playing,that style not get my attention anymore..
I love if the player playing just enough to serve and support the song itself and make the song sound good... Than i realise only The Session Player playing like that,and more interested to Session Musicians than the soloist the speeder the shredder or the lightning overplay player..
The latest Guitaristi heard was the late Hiram Bullock.. I belive you knew him,he play for many artist and Guitar Player for other musicians like Sanborn Bob James Marcuss Miller John Scofield and many more..
He could play on anything but he himself i think more to the Blues Funk Fusion Rock RnB player..
I'am sorry i share nothing here but just my favorite player..
You're really lucky guy who living on the place where all the great musicians living,and i belive you also great and talented player..
Have a nice day sir..🤗🤗
Thanks to Tommy's son and those who put together the movie. What a joy seeing Glen and so many faces of the best musicians America NEVER KNEW!
Tommy Tedesco's instruments belong in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
The Wrecking Crew deserve their own display at the least.
ARE YOU LISTENING BENEFACTORS?
Thank you for your comment.
they sold some of Les Pauls guitars they may make his house into a museum
2 words Johnny Rivers.
The unseen woman sitting at that table and speaking had to be Carol Kaye.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame houses the ashes of Alan Freed. Thanks to Terry Stewart the place will have relevance in perpetuity. So no matter what your beef is with the place or the people now running it, please have at least some small measure of respect for the history that it holds within its walls.
...actually, Tommy didn't take anyone's seat...he brought his own; and no one has been able to sit in it since...cheers,
There are a lot that fill his seat and a lot better players.
Thanks to Guitar Player magazine, most of us know Tommy. I have the greatest respect and admiration for him and the Wrecking Crew. They gave us joy and a road map to playing excellence to go by. I feel fortunate to have lived during this period of music masterpieces. God bless Tommy and the gang.
I remember as a kid getting Guitar Player magazine and being impressed by his column. As the years went by and I read more and more of those stories I was thinking "is there anything that this guy didn't play on". I always loved those session stories.
I always loved reading Tommy's articles in Guitar Player magazine on his exploits;trials and tribulations;and experiences as a session player. Always had something interesting to write about.
Me, too. I wanted to have a job like Tommy T. had. I neglected to get the proper training/education to pull off that kind of gig. RIP, Tommy T.
Thank you, Denny T. for putting the Wrecking Crew Movie together.
have all these columns been collected into a book?
@@lamper2 Jeez I wish!!!!!
Sending GP an email about it. His column was ALWAYS Excellent reading.
@@rb032682 I also read his column in Australia in the late 70s, and found him a good columnist. But he didn't really discuss the Wrecking Crew years.
I respectfully disagree with you at the end here. Nobody will ever take his place. Tommy truly was one in a million. I went to MI in 93 to 94. I had the pleasure of seeing him there. It was magical to listen to such great wisdom, talent ,humor and humility all rolled up into one brilliant person. " I'm just a bricklayer from Hoboken ". He used to say. A producer wanted an Egyptian sound, " I played this". The next guy wanted an Indian sound, " I played the same thing". The next guy wanted a Spanish sound, " I played the same thing again". Etc... "They were all happy. " The man was brilliant. He knew "they didn't know shit from shinola ". Because he understood this, he always delivered what they thought they wanted.
Thank you for creating this tribute to my all time favorite musician, Tommy.
Edit. P s
Does anyone remember his skit from the Gong Show??
Him in a ballerina outfit Smokin a cigar playing his acoustic guitar.
Priceless! Wow, would I love to see a clip of that again.
He told us at school he was friends with JP Morgan and others so when a guest cancelled, he got the call often to come on the show.
th-cam.com/video/0QqyirPog7M/w-d-xo.html
@@thomashumphrey9797 ooohhh wow. Thank you so much for that. I'm going to watch that 100 times today alone. I think he did it a few times, not sure. I thought he had his beard in one or two. I might be mistaken.
I can't thank you enough for that link.
I'm with you. Surprised that the said that about his dad. That's like saying someone will replace, DaVinic, Picasso, Elvis, Sinatra, Brando or Francis Ford Coppola.
It's these types of video segments that make TH-cam so great. As a kid growing up in the 60's in Seattle, I listened to whatever was being played on the popular AM radio station and then listen to records at home or in your friends basement. At the time you have no idea how they were made or all the great history that is the backstory of this period of time in the music industry. It's so great to hear these sessions and get to know all about the great musicians that made up the "Wrecking Crew". I never would have imagined that I would become such a big fan of people like Tommy Tedesco, Carol Kaye, Hal Blaine, etc. Thanks for posting this.
The 60s was all about "The American top 40" on AM. FM? WTF is that? There weren't 1000s of stations representing every genre of music, which is how we came to know them.
Amazing how much influence on people’s lives he had and most people haven’t even heard of him.
These talented musicians made ear candy for us all...pure and simple. Blessed to have lived in these times
I went to Musician's Institue in 1989 -1990 and did the summer session too. I was in the drum school but I revered Tommy Tedesco so much I would go sit in on his counseling and master classes. What a beautiful human being. He kidded me a lot by saying, "those drums don't have strings!"...other words, "I'm glad you're here and nice to see you..."
God given talent, what a life force !Absolute legend..R.I.P.
I saw him at Guitar 84 in Toronto. He, Charlie Byrd, Joe Pass, Barney Kessel, and others were there. I miss those guys.
He played on EVERYTHING!
I just discovered this beautiful film this short segment on Tommy tedesco has to be one of the most beautifully and eloquently written pieces I've ever witnessed kudos to you young man for spotlighting your father in such a wonderful way,
Wonderful man, great great talent. RIP Tommy
How true there is no better Musicians in a recording studio this crew ever or ever will be. all rock/and blues/and pop they did it all.
I met Tommy when he gave a talk at California State University Northridge in 1979. He always tried to give back to the students. He had a lot of fun stories to tell that night.
Wonderful 👏 portrait of this amazing guitarist still watch the wrecking crew 📀
I learned a lot from reading his monthly articles in Guitar Player magazine. I did do recording session work thanks to his articles. He inspired me!
I cracked up hearing Gary Lewis telling the story that none of his guitar players could play the flamenco parts in Sure Gonna Miss Her. Gary, nobody else's guitar players could play those parts, either! I was 12 or so when that song came out, and I remember being blown away by the flamenco guitar; I thought at the time it was several harps; Tommy, you nailed that one!
Wow, thank you Tommy, and God bless The Wrecking Crew. I get it ! this stuff will never get old, the older it gets, the more it warms my heart, and i was alive to witness the 50,s -?
A guitarist guitarist no one will ever equal the recording legacy of this master. And the music lives on.
Carol Kaye right behind him.
Cher was SO BEAUTIFUL
I know this is a little off topic, I was born and raised in Redwood City California and I get a big ol smile everytime I see a piece of Ampex equipment, "Made in Redwood City, California"
I was raised In San Carlos. My old man worked at Ampex
I was an electronics nerd who used and repaired lots of Ampex audio and video gear during my career, including their early 2" videotape "quad" head VTR recording systems. In the beginning, and for many years, the television recording industry and the commercial networks owed their successes to the Ampex Corporation and those VTRs. Ampex professional reel to reel audio recorders were the industry standards. One of the best museum experiences I ever had was touring the old Redwood City plant and museum. Lots of great broadcasting history there.
Bill Church
Left in 1962. I think ampex was on its last legs by then. Silicon Valley consisted of little more than apricot and cherry trees. Hewlett-Packard has just been organized. Apple was operating out of Steve Jobs’ garage in menlo park.
I was playing music for fraternity parties at Stanford and Cal. We actually played for David packards’ daughter’s wedding reception in I think it was 1959z. Who knew?
Nothing's of topic for me Timmy - I am just a limey picker and fascinated by everything that happened in the USA - reading all these comments is an educational for me
Tommy to Desco is the most recorded musician in history or at least on guitar
Another of the Greats
Anyone who enjoyed this (if they haven't seen yet) take the time to watch The Wrecking Crew movie. Was free on TH-cam a short time ago, sadly not currently..
Listening to this Tommy video for the I don't know how many times and reading the comments from the folks who met him and shared their stories brings a tear to my eye that Tommy's gone, his talent is gone and stories like this are gone, but are still here as long as TH-cam stays free.
I read Tommy's articles in Guitar player when I went to GIT later my "Rhythm Guitar Teacher" was Tommy.
Great guy after one class we walked down the hall talking afterwards.
He'd talked about becoming Nancy Sinatra's main Guitar Guy and why...he said a lot of guys added extensions and jazz chords to everything fluffing it up to much for Folk Music.
Amazing memories now. An honor to be honest that a little part of me strumming chords and laying down demos for friends comes from him.
I use to read his column in GP every month.
Tommy was a neighbour of mine for many years and we became good friends. He gave me one particularly good piece of advice. He loved moleskin pants and wore them whenever he could. He believed that comfort was a basic requirement for creative endeavour. I’ve been wearing moleskin pants ever since. R.I.P. Tommy.
Tommy showed us that the classical guitar sounds good played with a pick.
Same thing in Detroit at Motown Records. 1 big crew of musicians made all the music for B Gordy.
Yes, I'm Livin' in Shame had some great guitar
Great musicians!
Tommy Tedesco should have his own religion. All up and coming cover musicians owe this guy a lot. I also noticed that Carol Kaye made some comments but her presence was never shown perhaps due to the internal feud with Hal Blaine and the "Wrecking Crew" name..
There is more than enough Carol on you tube!
Carol has a legit complaint about the name. Hal made the name up for his book. They were known as the Clique in the 60s and 70s.
Growing up I had a lot of different guitar player influences, then I read an article in Guitar Player and I found out they were all really named Tommy Tedseco.
Great player with a big heart and wonderful sense of humour.
His Guitar Player column was regularly hilarious.
Beyond moved by this... wow.
To leave a Mark for others to enjoy and challenge.
He had it, amazingly creative.....
When Tommy came to Coalinga to do a performance years back, I was one of his side men. Unforgettable. He broke up the house when he said if his belly grew 2 more inches he`d have to give up playing. For you who want to know one of his secrets, it is " 3 on a string". Think vertically.
In the 60s and 70s, Tommy Tedesco was a big influence on me via his monthly column in GUitar Playrer magazine and later in his book "For Guitar Players Only". He was not a natural genius but he worled hard and became succesful, partly through his people skills and partly thru his sight reading skills.
He did not play 40 differnt instruments, he played only guitar, but he retuned mandolins, banjo, oud, etc to the top four trings of the guitar.. He got paid extra on sessions for each different instrument he played and je made extra eay income that way.
BTW, he often used cheap guitars including Silvertones becasue of the travel wear and tear.. He had a lot of Fender and Gibson knock offs.
I could watch The Wrecking Crew all day long on repeat.
I have watched many videos about the Wrecking Crew and I am still utterly amazed at how many songs and genres of music that I love that they are a part of.
Fabulous. I first came across Mr Tedesco in the late 60's when he wrote a session musicians diary account for Guitar Player magazine. However he was so modest in those diaries I never realised just how important his contribution to the contemporary music of the last 60-70 years has been.
What a great musical universe that must have been to be a part of!
Tommy wrote a guitar book FOR GUITAR PLAYERS ONLY
A beautiful video of a blessed life. RIP TT
Amazing Artist and Great History... Thank You so much for the Memories...sincerely, JD
When my copy of Guitar Player Magazine would arrive, the first thing I would do was turn to Tommy's column. It was fun, easy to read and most importantly, filled with good solid advice on being a guitar player. I learned a ton from those columns.
A few years later, a good friend told me that Tommy used to be a regular customer at his restaurant in L.A., Skoby's. I said really?... do me a favor and please get Tommy's autograph for me. Tommy signed one of the cocktail napkins to me, and said that music and good food were two of the best things in life! Amen to that! RIP Tommy Tedesco, you did great things!
Thanks wrecking crew . I loved your hits that were my youth in the early 60s . GOLD
Thanks Tommy. You made me want to play that hunk of wood with strings.🎸🎵🎶🎼
This is very well edited video👏👏👏👏
A great Musician!
Fantastic mini-docu............but just slightly miffed that Carol Kaye didn't get a mention for being a part of the wrecking crew.
It's not a mini-documentary, it's just a few clips taken from The Wrecking Crew movie, primarily to reference Tedesco in regards to the sale of his instruments 5 years ago.
Thank you ❤
A great talent and great man!
Rip great one
oh man, Cher looks and sounds so beautiful Im in love
yes what a knockout she is
Nancy Sinatra is such a:
Stone
Cold
Fox!!! Timeless beauty she has been blessed with!
Yeah, no doubt about that!! She "IS" a stone cold fox!!!. She was blessed with gorgeous looks!!.
Yes yes, Yes Indeedy!
Rest in peace, Tommy.
Tommy .,..Reggie Young ,and a few others. These guys are the guitar of the early years ..Man how cool would it have been to be a session player ....
ccmkoho It was CLARENCE White. He and his brothers Roland, and Eric White had a group The Kentucky Colonels. Look them up. They were pretty a great Bluegrass Band. Clarence later played guitar with the Byrds.
I fully expect to get called in to do studio work very soon!
I definitely have the skills required!
And I like the way that the job description reads - steady work with room for advancement.
Can't wait to get started!
Start out cleaning toilets and can work my way up to washing floors!!!!!!!
Tommy was one of my teachers, he was hilarious and a great player. the stories he had! lol.
DEAR CHER, I MISS YOU... IT'S BEEN YEARS... LOST YOUR BUSINESS CARD AND NUMBERS
That really was the most moving tribute to Tommy I have ever seen. Beautiful!
So glad you appreciated the tribute. We will always be huge fans too.
He also played in the movie Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, during the dinner sequence, he was asked to play something 'exotic' so he just played the same figure over and over.
Thank you
Nancy saying "daddy?" and Frank saying sorry. wow, just wow.
What a different era it was. Different world from now.
I saw him in a music store in Madison in the early-mid-80’s and he pulled the gag with the upside down music chart. He was playing all this unlistenable nonsense, then suddenly stopped and flipped it around and began playing something familiar. He got a laugh. Pretty sure Comedian and pianist Victor Borge did it first. Doesn’t matter. Great gag! He could play!!
legend !
Very moving
There was an article in Playboy Magazine (you know, bcs the articles) about a couple of young studio guys just breaking in. The recurring gag was, in every studio there was a cartage box marked H. Blaine #12 (or #6 or whatever).
"Hal Blaine! That guy must be a billionaire(!)"
Actually, he WAS a deca-millionaire in 1970's dollars...which he lost much of to multiple divorces and tax-penalties.
I’m looking for my own wrecking crew.”
Well, you are gonna be looking for a long time, I'm afraid!!. Cats like "these" are in short supply these days!!.they were a "rare breed" of players, indeed!!.
06:48 before he would become known as the mad hatter. a beardless clean shaven Leon Russell wow. 😱
‘it’s the guitar or me’
Tommy ‘honey, the guitar doesn’t have legs, you do’
Ha, that’s gold
Tommy was the pride of Buffalo N.Y
Niagara Falls
@@tomquinn7560 that's what I've always thought too. People keep telling me different, I know I'm from the Falls.
Niagara Falls, I was born there too. Unfortunately it wasn’t something in the water , as a 45 year pro bar musician I’m still not worthy to carry Tommy’s amp to a session . Tommy was Easily the best ever to come from western New York, he’s considered a God here!
@@bryanstaddon5998 the Ontario house !
We tryed to gig there no dice ! But it was a cool place to hang out, many great jazz artists would stop in and play, passing thru from Toronto , I know Tommy played in there.
Carol Kaye
awesome
5:04 YOUVE LOST THAT LOVIN FEELING THE RIGHTEOUS BROTHERS
67..oh man way too young.
THE GREAT AMERICAN SONGBOOK
I hope they got royalties
15:14 Who do you think Tommy replaced? who was the hottest session player of HIS era?
He was in the band for the Gong Show! Probably the most visible gig of his career, and the most non representative of his stature! That band had the A-list of LA studio players!
I worked for the Gong Show band and never saw Tommy. The guitar player was Barry Zweig .
Ray Napolitano on bass, Mark Stevens on drums, Barry Zweig on guitar, none were A players. I worked for all of them.
Well, I saw him there about the same time as Fernwood. I know he played at least some.
The stories are certainly great. But, what keeps capturing my attention is seeing the name "Leon Russell", and trying to turn that guy into what Leon Russell looked like in later years. You know--with the beard and long hair.
I'm going to go back and look at some time progression photos. Maybe that will do it.
very cool little documentary. I had no idea about these people especially Tommy Tedesco. More people need to talk about these cats until they are a house hold name. Its not fair they werent recognized by the public during their days. Its a travesty really.
jimmy hoffa These clips are part of a full-length documentary called “The Wrecking Crew.” It’s available on some streaming services and it’s amazing. th-cam.com/video/-ZgBexrZvM0/w-d-xo.html
I remember hearing the solo in the Monkees song Valleri as a kid and being impressed by Mike Nesmith. But in the TV show version "playing" along with the recorded version, he couldn't even fake it well. Years later I found out that the music on record was probably played by Tommy Tedesco or Louie Shelton. Then it made sense. (I once read a quote by Peter Tork that Nesmith never did learn to play the Clarksville lick live the way it was recorded)
LightningDogg, Strangely while watching an interveiw of Louie Shelton today, I found out that it was Louie that played most of it and the solo and Larry Carlton was also taking part. They played most of the Monkees songs. Louie was also the main player in The Last Train to Clarksville. The TH-cam video that I'm referring to was Rick Hollis, an Aussie guy interviewing Louie Selton. take a look, Cheers, Chuck
@@chuckhodgskin7429 Thanks Chuck. With all the time in isolation I've been watching a lot of YT vids, especially the story of The Wrecking Crew. If you get a chance watch the full 100 minute movie. There are also a bunch of "outtakes" videos available which are usually 3-10 minutes. That's where I found the info I posted. Good stuff. Stay safe.
@@LightningDogg Thanks Lightning Dog, I have watched The Wreckng Crew and was very enlightened by what I saw. People like Glenn Campbell and Carole Kaye among others. They were exceptional musicians. Be sure to look up the Louie Shelton interveiw (The Wrecking Crew's Louie Shelton and the 1952 Fender Telecaster) Louie has settled on the Australian Gold Coast and has also set up his studio there. He travels to the States from time to time for business comitments. Happy veiwing and stay safe.
Remember that Glen Campbell was a member of the this studio band.
1 of the greats ::::
Motown had a band every bit as good. The Funk bros.
They were the music business in their time.