Fusion 45

I’m not much for posting video but this is too sweet. It’s those living room jam sessions that gave birth to rock and roll.

I was thinking about how envious I am of people who do great graphic work for their own websites, along with writing about music, too. People like my blood sibling IB over at sIBlingshot on the bleachers. (You’ll notice I’ve changed the color of the site for this post to GREEN, as in the color of envy.)

I’m no illustrator or graphic artist. Can’t draw a straight line, which might be to my advantage. Anything I’ve ever done with regard to the visual arts has been an idea covertly stolen. Except for photography where, once every .00067% of the time, I snap a good one.

[Can't sing, either, though I knocked out a pretty mean operatic version of Mary Had A Little Lamb as part of my 10-year old's violin practice. He's a good player who needs to be a better listener.]

Then it occurred to me: Fusion 45 is largely anonymous so what do I have to lose by posting my own stuff from time to time? So that one up there? It’s from a photo tour I did of Portland with that same 10-year old. I call it Red Light Glam Rock.

And, as a soundtrack, here’s the King of Glam:

David Bowie - Heroes

A hale and hearty “hello” and “thanks for the linkage” to our new Friends of F45: Radio.Jazz.Club and Captain Crawl

The list is a long one: The Seldom Scene, Mary Chapin-Carpenter, the Kennedys, Doc Watson, Sweet Honey In The Rock, Shawn Colvin, Robin and Linda Williams, Bela Fleck and on and on. These are just a few of the artists who have laid down tracks at Bias Recording.

The Bias, as it was known in the 1960’s, was launched by three high school friends — Bill McElroy, Charlie Muir and Bob Dawson — who moved their odd mix of recording equipment from one irritated parent’s basement to another during their first few years as recording studio owners. Later that decade, Bias was temporarily disbanded as McElroy was inducted into the Army, Dawson went to college and Muir was bought out for the astounding sum of $67 and an amplifier.

Relaunched in Falls Church, VA in 1972, Bias Recording, as it was rechristened, quickly one of the most important studios in the DC area. McElroy — who worked with the Seldom Scene and Quicksilver Messenger Service, among others — left the business in 1994. Dawson, however, continues to be the guiding vision of the studio and has produced a mile-long list of great records from John Gorka, Mary Chapin-Carpenter and his childhood friend, Nils Lofgren.

Mary Chapin-Carpenter - Stones In The Road
Mary Chapin-Carpenter - He Thinks He’ll Keep Her

Photo: Bob Dawson, from the Bias Studios website

Amigo Studios was opened on Compston Avenue in North Hollywood in the mid 1960’s by legendary producer Snuff Garrett. He used the facility while working as the staff producer and head of A&R at Liberty Records (during which time he hired Phil Spector as a producer.)

Garrett was the man behind a number of Bobby Vee’s hits (including Devil or Angel and Rubber Ball) as well as sides for the Ventures, Sonny and Cher, Gene McDaniels and Sonny Curtis. Garrett also signed J.J. Cale to Liberty Records in ‘65 and produced a band that included Cale called the Leathercoated Minds. Now an out of print cult classic, A Trip Down The Sunset Strip, was a largely experimental set of covers. But, out of that session came the seed of a future Cale classic, After Midnight.

In the 1970’s, Garrett went on to work with Ray Conniff while Amigo was sold to Warner Brothers and became the sometime recording home of a number of WB acts, including the Doobie Brothers, Gordon Lightfoot and James Taylor. Randy Newman had his own booth off the main studio, affectionately called Randy’s Room, where he hung during mixing sessions for a number of albums, including Sail Away.

In 1980, the rebuilt studio was sold to Al Kooper and renamed The Slammer. Garrett continued to be active in the music business, spending a good share of the 80’s working on movie soundtracks that including most of Burt Reynolds movies (like Cannonball Run and Sharky’s Machine). He’s now retired and living in Arizona.

The Leathercoated Minds - Psychotic Reaction
Bobby Vee - Rubber Ball
Randy Newman - Sail Away
Bobby Vee - Devil Or Angel

Photo: Garrett (center) with Clarke Rigsby (left) and Rigsby’s writing partner, Kevin Stoller (courtesy of Tempest Recording)

After a few weeks of reports on snow and Christmas and new dogs, it’s time to get back to business. Look for a new set in my ongoing Classic Recording Studios series over the next few days along with a new series on drummers. I’ll be taking the Great Session Drummers series and expanding it to cover bangers who played for just a few bands.

I’ll also be expanding into jazz and blues, inspired by some great stuff I’ve borrowed from the library lately. In the meantime, you can never go wrong with Butterfield.

Butterfield Blues Band - Get Out of My Life, Woman

BTW: the new issue of Blues Revue has hit the mail and will be available on newsstands soon. In this issue, I contributed reviews on Paul Mark And The Van Dorens and Carlos del Junco (both favorable) as well as photos of Carolyn Wonderland.