Who are the musician's musicians?

Lenny Breau

 

Jeff Beck
Roy Buchanan

 

Yes Lenny Breau! An un-talked-about great!

 

Yes, yes, yes and yes.

This is perhaps the best response to the point of this thread, although the rest of you make very legitimate cases.

Herbie's resume is sick; he's now a jazz bassist, but he played on some of the most iconic and brilliant pieces of music in the early-mid '70s.

1. Lou Reed - Walk on the Wild Side
2. David Essex - Rock On
3. David Bowie - A Space Oddity
4. Nilsson - Jump Into the Fire

Who wouldn't want that on their resume?

 

Les Paul
Carl Wilson
Chet Atkins

 

I see earlier posters mentioned Zappa sidemen Jesse Ed Davis, Patrick O'Hearn and Scott Thunes ; how about Chad Wackerman ? I believe Thunes and Wackerman played together in some of Zappa's bands from the 80's...

 

His is a sad story due to drugs. His guitar work is great on Dylan's "Watching the River Flow"...what a talent he was and his list of musicians he played for is very impressive. I guess he was found dead in his apartment building's utility room where tenants could wash and dry their clothes. It was a heroin overdose.

 

It's interesting how few other bands had a "sound manipulator" member like this. Only example I can think if is Mission Of Burma, whose Martin Swope and later Bob Weston added sound treatments rather than playing an instrument per-se.

Anyway. The first name that came to mind here is the already-mentioned Richard Thompson. He's the kind of player you look to when shredding alone doesn't cut it anymore.

 

NRBQ

 

Frank Black aka Black Francis

 

Also Serge Gainsbourg's album Histoire de Melody Nelson, which arguably influenced Lou Reed to give him a call.

 

Not if you want to argue Ringo had something/anything to do with Beatles success.

 

Anyone who was ever allowed to play in Steely Dan or for Donald Fagen.

 

Paulinho Da Costa (courtesy Pablo Records). He played percussions with everybody!

 

Glen Campbell

 

Musical artist and producer sure.

 

If I were to name a Beatle in this thread (not that I would), it would be Ringo.

 

The Ramones-all of them

 

John French.

 

Yeah, when you check out his resume from the late 60s and early 70s, he delivered a helluva a lot of extraordinary work from Smile to Schmilsson to his work with Zappa. I like how he brought a jazzy sensibility to his playing. He's a rare rock drummer whose solos always hold my interest. Every time I hear his solo from "Farther Oblivion" on Zappa's Imaginary Diseases, my jaw just hits the floor.

Broadly speaking, I think that the Wrecking Crew took the prize in the 60s.

 

Yellowjackets
Members of Toto
The Crusaders
Paulinho da Costa
Lenny Castro
Allan Holdsworth

 

Rush

 

Joni Mitchell

 

Ry cooder

 

Ty Tabor
dUg Pinnick
Jerry Gaskill