Martin Taylor interviews legendary studio guitarist Don Peake of The Wrecking Crew
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- Опубліковано 28 лип 2024
- This is Part 1 of a 'Guitar Conversations' I did early this year in Los Angeles with legendary studio guitarist and film composer Don Peake. Part 2 & Part 3 is available exclusively to my Patrons over at / martintaylormusic
I'm sure most of you know who Don Peake is, but if you haven't heard his name before, then you've most certainly heard his guitar playing and his music!
Don is a guitarist, arranger, record producer, and film music composer. Starting his professional musical career as a guitarist in 1961, Peake's talent was recognized early when he toured as lead guitarist with the Everly Brothers at the age of 21, playing in the U.S. and Europe for two years. Peake returned to Los Angeles to establish himself as a recording musician, and played for many of the legendary performers under Phil Spector's production including The Righteous Brothers - "You've Lost That Loving Feeling", Ike and Tina Turner - " River Deep Mountain High", as well as recording with Mahalia Jackson, Billy Preston, Cannonball Adderly, Marvin Gaye, and Diana Ross.
In 1964, Peake became the first white guitarist to play with the Ray Charles Orchestra, touring with Charles, and recording with him for ten years. During that time, Peake studied guitar with Barney Kessel, Howard Roberts, and Joe Pass, three legendary guitarists. Peake became one of the premiere session guitarists in Los Angeles, recording for Jan and Dean, The Mamas and the Papas, Sonny and Cher, The Beach Boys, and many others. Don was inducted into an elite group of musicians led by drummer Hal Blaine known as The Wrecking Crew.
He played lead guitar for Marvin Gaye (Let's Get It On), and on all the Jackson Five's original hits, “ABC”, “I Want You Back", etc. Don was on the Commodores, Smokey Robinson, The Supremes, The Temptations, and many more Motown Artists' records as a Staff Guitarist for Motown Records.
Peake also played on John Lennon's records that Phil Spector produced, and on all of Barry White's hit records, some of which he arranged. On all of the records that Don Peake has made, he has been a major creative contributor.
It was a natural thing for Peake then to move into arranging and composing. His first arrangement was Tim Hardin's " If I Were A Carpenter" for Bobby Darin, which sold over a million records in the first week and a half of its release. Peake has been involved in some of the landmark recordings of the last twenty years. Some of these have been "breakthrough" records, like his arrangements on Gloria Gaynor's Platinum Album "Love Tracks", the first disco record to become a pop crossover.
His arrangement of "Don't Take Away The Music" for Tavares was a runaway disco hit. Peake also has a Gold Album for his arrangements on Jermaine Jackson's "Let's Get Serious" album, and a Platinum Album for his production work with Ray Parker Jr. on " Ghostbusters". Don has arranged for Roy Orbison, Kenny Rankin, The Monkees (Gold Album), Minnie Riperton, The Fifth Dimension, Sonny and Cher, Wayne Newton (Gold Album), Hank Williams Jr. and many more.
This amazing range of musical experience led Peake to composing music for film and commercials. He studied composition and orchestration extensively with Dr Albert Harris, Academy Award winning composer Paul Glass, and conducting with Broadway's beloved Maestro Samuel Krachmalnick.
To watch more Guitar Conversations like this you can become a Martin Taylor Patron over at / martintaylormusic
I’ve have the great pleasure of knowing this multi-talented and very personable human. He scored a TV pilot I made. I even talked to him yesterday. Frankly he’s a unique and fun piece of American history. Thanks for interviewing him and letting even more people know who he is and some of the great body of work he’s contributed to (and they probably weren’t even aware of). And the stories he tells are better than gold (and Bitcoin lol).
Love it and Martin just allows the stories to come forth, no ego...briliiant.
This interview took me back to those screwed up times of an era just writhing with uncertainty of humanity . Don Peake thanks for sharing the insiders modest observation and view of first person and did what you had to do to make it in the world back then .
What a delightful man. Put a smile on my face. Fast blues in F. Holy moly.
Martin Taylor - what a great name for somebody into guitars!
Ha! Yes so it is
Yes, he's a great player, too. He played intuitively at a masterful level, then later learned to read music.
Scott Brewer like when Wayne’s World thought Howitzer Explosion Gun was a good name for a media correspondent covering a war.
Ha! Good comment. I once passed myself off as Bill Gibson, both selling photographic equipment AND as a crew member on small budget shoots in LA. Gibson's a great name too.
Ya eh how'd I miss this lol
Great story telling, had me rolling on the floor. The Gov Wallace story was great: "What'd they want?", "They want the white boy." Love it.
Delightful interview. Thank you.
So enjoyable! Don Peake is a master and great story-teller. Thanks a lot for posting.
wow, could listen to his stories all day
I already made a comment upon hearing the amazing duet...but wow Don what an amazing career you've had. You've played with most of my biggest influences.
Incredible story man
I could listen to Don's stories all day.Julio Schwarts is a national treasure!
That was a beautiful interview and great great story of how Don got started. Thanks Martin!
Thanks so much for this, Martin Taylor. This whole series is wonderful!
Wow, a wonderful video! Thanks.
Absolutely delightful experience. Listening to two wonderful musicians and hearing simply moving stories. Kudos to you both!!
Those blues licks in Georgia,,,,spine tingling.
Beautiful playing.
Fantastic. Thank you Don & Martin.
That was a really great interview and an amazing story
The best of modern music history. Many thanks you two! Aloha
Well, I may have heard him played before but I never knew his name! Great stories, indeed he was always at the right place.
Fantastic interview, thanks Martin.
Great interview Martin. The Wrecking Crew guys are in a class of their own, playing & ego-wise. Most are so humble
Wonderful interview! thank you
One of the best renditions of "Georgia" ever!! Sheer, unadulterated bloody magic!! Don Peake - 1950s legend - Martin Taylor - 2000s legend!! Long may you both continue playing and inspiring us lesser mortals.
Thanks so much for this Mister Taylor. I've been so delighted to find this series!
Martin was a legend before 2000 :)
The most amazing story of the series....and there was some really interesting characters throughout!,
Great stuff Julio : ) !!!
Fantastic interview ! I would never have heard of this guy if Albert had not mentioned him - wonderful stuff !
Wow! Amazing interview.
Wow! What a story Don Tells!
Love it
Beautiful song and playing.
What an amazon story!
I love the storys and the clean sounding guitars.
Some of the best playing ever.
Many thumbs up!
Fascinating story.
Wonderful stories!
Fantastic story!
Maestros!! Peake fantastic
All these fantastic content producers, incredible people out in the world, we can access them all, the web is a true blessing
About the web
Exhilarating and terrifying _ David Bowie 1997
Martin Taylor is fab.
Great
Wow!
Damn...not only a legendary actor, Peter Fonda is an amazing guitarist!
need more stories like julio's story. music and culture.
That was special. Thank you. For letting dilettantes see and absorb that.
yes
What a gorgeous L-7C! That's my ideal guitar. Oops, ES-350! What incredible stories from Don....reminds me of Steve Lukather...somehow always in the right place at the right time.
Do those guitars sound plugged in to you? They sound rich and full to me, but I see no cords in the picture.
@@Pimp-Master They *do* sound plugged in, Peake less so; but Peake is plugged in @ 18:56. I don't see any cord on MT's guitar but it wouldn't surprise me to have the jack on the endpin on the tailpiece and he never moves his position enough to see. Even so; from say :50 to 1:30 MT doesn't really strum/pick harder nor change his rt hand to get louder/softer as I think he would have to if he was only acoustic. Also, Peake's guitar/pickup is a lot more "primitive" shall we say (60+ years older) than MT's which is probably a pretty sophisticated pickup of some sort. Also, I don't think MT would sit down & play acoustic (only) w/a player who IS plugged in.
Nobody could mess with the Wrecking Crew
20 minutes well spent!!!
I'm gonna name my first kid Fender Gibson.
You and I are on the same page. I'm naming mine Takamine D'Addario.
The last part is reminiscent of the story that Michael sembello tells about getting into stevie wonders band , they already had one white member so they told Stevie he was Italian
I'm a Yank with ancestors who fought in Georgia/CSA regiments during the American Civil War. I'll never live it down.
Needs to write a book what stories!
All these stories are in the book The Wrecking Crew. Don should sue the author (although I"m sure he told them to the author knowing they would appear in the book).
Martin, Are u using the GB grip on this tune?
“Tell ‘em about it!”
I know a gypsy in New Mills who could play alongside you guys.
I enjoyed this very much. Thanks for posting. Julio Schwartz, hilarious. It is very sad that my country has these kinds of stories in its history but it is fascinating to hear the stories of how people got through it. If everyone played an instrument maybe we could have done away with racism. No musician that I have ever known or heard of has ever cared a hoot about what color you are.
It's the price of all races coming together. There will always be people afraid of change. I hope that we realize that we can all play together and overcome the hate soon.
You would think Gibson would be suing Peerless for that headstock design. Sure looks like classic Gibson to me. Other than that, great playing. Good vid. Thx for sharing.
Took me a minute to figure out the first tune. ;)
Good stuff Martin. ( I didn't know your family had that history?)
PS/
I live in Golden green now. When you were in this area a few years ago I
didn't know otherwise I would have looked you up.
ps/
Sadly, Betty passed away a year ago.
Trying to hang in there at present.
Love to Liz...
Barry Watson.
Loved it
damn who needs a band.
👌👌👌👌👌👌😃
Wonderful video! Thank You. Don has his timelines a little mixed up, Elvis didn't play with James Burton until 1969, and Albert Lee wasn't playing with Clapton in '62, not until 1980.
He said he met Albert Lee & Eric Clapton in a club..they weren't playing together, just hanging out.
@@RAMezzone Very good.
Mike Kaylor yeah, some of these stories are a little questionable.
Well my arrangement pales in comparison...amazing gents
At the Star Club in Hamburg: The Rolling Stones, Beatles, and Everly Brothers? He said at 13:35 minutes in to this interview that this lineup of bands played, alternating sets, in Hamburg in 1962. I looked for that history on the internet, and only came up with the Beatle Bible saying that the Beatles went to see the Rolling Stones play, for the first time, at the Crawdaddy Club, after the Beatles had performed for the third time on Thank Your Luck Stars. This would have been April 14, 1963. So they met the Stones in April of 1963, according to this source. This is later than what Don said. Also, did The Beatles play at the Star Club after they were famous in England ? Is Don's memory accurate on this? Maybe somebody out there has some answers? The timeline of The Beatles performances on the TV show, Thank Your Lucky Stars, on this link. beatlevid.blogspot.com/2014/10/thank-your-lucky-stars.html
What a "'lovely" guy !!!
How about naming him National Dobro??
I hear Kenny Burrell but I can’t see him :-)
Don, You were the last white guy to, "wear the cork" ....
even Larry Parks could barely do the Al Jolson Story
gosh Sunderland.. we swear plenty but sound nothing like Cockneys!
Bloody hell. Is your middle name takemine? 😂😂
Can he groove or what?
metronomic.
Great interview, but "chitlins", is definitely not a terrible dish. Perhaps Dan's never tasted or doesn't have a taste for them...
A guitarist named Martin Taylor? Really?
Maybe Don was a studio guitar but definively not a tasted Jazz player !
That was some bad comping.