Famous musicians before they were famous - guest spots

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by classicrockguy, Jun 20, 2018.

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  1. Lowell George's earliest professional recording credit may be playing the lead guitar part on the Standells hit "Dirty Water."
     
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  2. Jerry Garcia played the guitar part on Bobby Fuller's "I Fought The Law." Putting more snap into fanning the chords than most of the versions he did when he inserted the cover into the Dead's touring repertoire for the years 1993-1995, singing the lead.

    The Grateful Dead's first appearance on a recording was backing up Jon Hendricks on a barreling uptempo R&B track, "Sons And Daughters." (Not the same tune as the Neville Brothers song of the same title.) Hendricks is best known as a jazz singer, of course. The Dead called themselves the Warlocks, at the time.
     
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  3. Speaking of Frank Zappa: iirc, his first songwriting credit was a surf-rock tune titled "Grunion Run."

    By way of explanation, the grunion is a small, tasty saltwater fish the size of a sardine, related to the smelt (both are part of the same family of species as trout and salmon.) In spawning season, instead of running upstream, grunion gather on oceanside beaches and mate in the wet sand at night. (Surf rock, indeed.) And humans show up to net them, cook them, and eat them. Zappa thought this event was worthy of being commemorated with a song. A way to get his foot in the door of the music profession. So he provided a soundtrack for the experience.

    Come to think of it, I've never heard the song. It's probably up on Youtube.
     
  4. owsley

    owsley Senior Member

    Location:
    Boston
    Chrisse Hynde - Bella Lugosi (backing vocals) from Mick Farren's 'Vampires Stole My Lunch Money' lp 1978
     
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  5. lesterbangs

    lesterbangs Forum Resident

    Location:
    Southern Indiana
    Waylon playing bass for Buddy Holly
     
  6. Mark B.

    Mark B. Forum Resident

    Location:
    Concord, NC
    I think he also sang Robin Gibb's "Saved By The Bell". Not sure what year.
     
  7. keoni

    keoni Senior Member

    Snoop Doggy Dog, Nate Dogg, and Warren G. were all still unknown when they appeared on Dr. Dre's The Chronic.

     
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  8. Jerrika

    Jerrika Mysterious Ways

    Location:
    Canada
    Katy Perry did backing vocals for Gavin Rossdale before her solo career took off. She also wrote "I Do Not Hook Up" for Kelly Clarkson.
     
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  9. Lonecat

    Lonecat King Of Fools

    Location:
    Northeast
    Charlie Daniels recorded a few songs with Roy Buchanan from 1969-71 for the Prophet album, but the album was unreleased until I believe 2004 or so, although a few of the cuts were on the earlier Sweet Dreams anthology. This one is my favorite, in addition to a fairly psychedelic vocal from Mr. Daniels, it also features the now famous melody that would become The Messiah Will Come Again.

     
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  10. powerq

    powerq Forum Resident

    Don't Texans say, "Everything is big in Texas." when bragging about, well, everything?
     
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  11. PHILLYQ

    PHILLYQ Forum Resident

    Location:
    Brooklyn NY
    He was also Patti LaBelle's piano player.
     
  12. PHILLYQ

    PHILLYQ Forum Resident

    Location:
    Brooklyn NY
    OT, but her husband was the great jazz trumpeter Lester Bowie
     
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  13. Safeway 1

    Safeway 1 "mad, bad, and dangerous to know"

    Location:
    Manzanillo, Mexico
    More for his HOF resume :rolleyes:
     
  14. Beamish13

    Beamish13 Forum Resident

    Busta Rhymes’ guest appearance on A Tribe Called Quest’s The Low End Theory
     
  15. Farmer Mike

    Farmer Mike Forum Resident

    Nice guys, good band, but I don't see them as H.O.F. worthy. Sorry Honeybunch.
     
  16. Cameron.39

    Cameron.39 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Nottingham, UK
    Speaking of Elton John a few comments up, he was particularly pally with the Hollies back when he was just plain Reg Dwight. He played keyboards on two tracks on their "Evolution" album in 1967, then piano on "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother", "I Can't Tell The Bottom From The Top" and a few tracks on their superb "Confessions Of The Mind" LP. All uncredited, of course.

    He actually offered them "Your Song" as a follow up to "I Can't Tell The Bottom From The Top", which I imagine would have really suited the Hollies and Allan Clarke's voice. His publisher wanted to try issuing his demo as a single, and promised that the Hollies could have it if the single amounted to nothing, which it probably wouldn't be successful he added. The rest, they say, is history!
     
  17. pbuzby

    pbuzby Senior Member

    Location:
    Chicago, IL, US
    Hornsby was in a group of vocalists in an early 80s track by the fusion band Yellowjackets.
     
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  18. crustycurmudgeon

    crustycurmudgeon We've all got our faults, mine's the Calaveras

    Location:
    Hollister, CA
    Thomas Dolby did synthesizer work on Foreigner's "4" album, on "Waiting For A Girl Like You" and "Urgent", using the proceeds from that work to fund his debut album.
     
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  19. stillrockin

    stillrockin Forum Resident

    Location:
    United Kingdom
    I remember seeing a video performance of Sweet Dreams era Eurythmics with Eddi Reader on backing vocals. This was several years before her fame in Fairground Attraction.
     
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  20. HaileyMcComet

    HaileyMcComet Forum Resident

    Location:
    中華民國
    John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Pete Best were Tony Sheridan's backing band for a little while. I think I heard about them going on to do something.
     
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  21. Godbluff

    Godbluff Forum Resident

    Location:
    UK
    She also worked with The Waterboys for a short time in 1984, singing backing vocals on the A Pagan Place album and was also part of the first touring line-up of the band, although only on the very early shows I seem to remember.
     
  22. Tim 2

    Tim 2 MORE MUSIC PLEASE

    Location:
    Alberta Canada
    It counts, big time. :pineapple:What can I say.
     
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  23. John Harchar

    John Harchar Forum Resident

    Location:
    New Jersey
    And giving up his seat on the plane.
     
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  24. ohnothimagen

    ohnothimagen "Live music is better!"

    Location:
    Canada
    Along those lines, Robbie Robertson, Richard Manuel, Levon Helm, Rick Danko and Garth Hudson backed up some guy named Dylan for a couple of years before going off and doing their own thing as The Band.

    Donald Fagen and Walter Becker played keyboards and bass, respectively (plus some uncredited string and horn arrangements) in an early 70's version of Jay And The Americans before moving on to bigger and better things.
     
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  25. tim_neely

    tim_neely Forum Hall Of Fame

    Location:
    Central VA
    On George Harrison's All Things Must Pass album (1970), the song "Art of Dying" includes a then little-known percussionist named Phil Collins. He also might have been one of the chorus of singers on "My Sweet Lord," but I think that is unconfirmed.
     
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