"JAMES TAYLOR changed my life" - Lee Sklar on Sunset Sound Roundtable
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- čas přidán 2. 01. 2024
- Legendary bassist Lee Sklar sits down with Drew Dempsey at Sunset Sound to discuss how filling in on Bass one night for James Taylors band at The Troubadour changed his life. Lee tells stories of Carole King, Peter Asher, Danny Kortchmar and details how the momentum of that one night left to a 50 year friendship and bond over music and life. Lee is one of the most prolific studio and touring musicians ever, but after a gift from Peter Asher helped his band "The Section" begin and now has released three albums of instrumental rock, plus the new documentary that just came out about
'The Immediate Family". Drew and Lee also share some advice on how to get going in the music industry.
Guest: Lee Sklar : / leland.sklar
Host: Drew Dempsey: / dfdproductions
Filmed at Sunset Sound Recorders Studio 3 by Abel Bernachea
Audio Engineer : Zack Zajdel
Sunset Sound Recorders Merchandise: WWW.SUNSETSOUNDSTORE.COM
Instagram: / sunsetsoundrecorders
Facebook: @sunsetsoundrecorders
Website: www.sunsetsound.com
#jamestaylor #caroleking #sobriety #bassguitar #sunsetsound #leesklar - Hudba
I love this interview series that Drew and Sunset are doing. You guys are saving music history!!! Keep up the great work! ✌
🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏💜
here here!
Love Danny K. Too. Kouch.
@@billmccomb4629 There there!
@@gergemall he’s coming on next !!
I love Lee, he's like the super cool uncle that everyone looks forward to seeing at family gatherings. The stories this legendary man tells are always fascinating.
Lee is so clear, lucid and unpretentious, listening to him is an absolute joy.
He's like your cool uncle, except his stories are about the best players and songwriters in history.
His memory is phenomenal!
Not only is Lee the coolest cat but he's got an INCREDIBLE memory...
Lee hit the nail on the head - paraphrased: “JT was the perfect artist to start the singer-songwriter era.” Sklar is such a pleasant person - thank you, Lee, for the years of fulfilling artistry…
I think traveling singer/songwriters are around since the invention of small musical instruments but it got a well deserved attention and reward back then.
For a leading singer-songwriter most lot of his hit songs were covers. Everyday, How Sweet It Is, You've Got A Friend, Handyman, Up On The Roof.
@@donniemoder1466you clearly aren't familiar with his entire body of work. Do some homework.
Sklar is a treasure trove of music knowledge, non crappy gossip. And there is only one James Taylor.
Leland is amazing, not just as a musician, but his memory is encyclopedic. Every time I see an interview with him its always amazing stories, but always different.
Great interview! I love interviewers that let the guy speak... great stories! 60s and 70s were magical decades.
The most talented and humble man I think I’ve ever seen or heard in music! Lee Skylar still believes he’s just a music fan and not the legend he really is! What a gift to all of us!
Lee is like an old friend you never met. Love the history!
I played bass in James Taylors' brother Alexs' band in 1972 in North Carolina.
Gosh I love him. He's just the sweetest soul. And way too humble. He's such a profoundly grand musician, but he's a sweet man.
Perfectly said. He's basically an unknown national treasure.
He’s more than two mints in one! 😆 dating my lucky self! Hats off 🍀🖖☮️🐾🐾
I've met Lee twice. Once as a client, at a Collision Center, and once coming out of an Automotive Store in Pasadena on Colorado Blvd. One of the nicest guys you'd ever wanna meet. And talent beyond words!
Great interview. James Taylor is autistic. So am I. I was diagnosed 2 years ago at age 57. Undiagnosed, unsupported autism is hell. Our sensory and social differences cause enormous anxiety, and many of us turn to drugs in an effort to cope. This might explain Taylor's struggles with opiates in the 70s. He was also hospitalized for "mental illness" (depression / anxiety /autistic shutdown) as a child and has spent his entire life dealing with the condition. So have I.
Autism is not what most people think it is. It involves a host of biological / neurological traits that make us extremely sensitive to some things - like sound - and insensitive to others - like the subtle non-verbal facial expressions and body language that govern social interactions. This makes us seem odd and out of step in group settings. We are socially blind. It's probably why James worked as a solo artist for so long - bands are very difficult settings for autistic people. I've been in several, and found them impossible. So I perform solo now.
Years ago I listened to an interview with Joni Mitchel. She described the early 70s singer songwriter scene at Troubadour, and how she lived above James in a nearby apartment building. She said he'd spend hours and hours at the piano working on his songs. Far more than any other musicians she knew.
THAT is what autism is. Monofocus. Monotrophism. We are consumed by our passions, and do best when free to fully pursue them. For James, it's music... Imagine the tragedy if he'd been "cured" of his passion for music.
James Taylor is a gift to humanity.
So is Autism...
Thank you for the insight 🙏
I am convinced that I also have autism. Not diagnosed, yet. But my armchair diagnoses has answered a TON of questions. I am 52.
I didn't realize that I was autistic until my son was diagnosed when he was 2 and I was 41 that was 21 years ago, definitely explained a lot! 😂
@@robmills7611Yep. Age 56 for me the lightbulb went off when my 9 year old was diagnosed. So many aspects of my childhood and adult struggles came into focus. Thank goodness I had music (since age 9) as an integral part of my life.
@@yamco4169 Yeah me too! Started when I was 5 because my dad had a somewhat large and very eclectic record collection for those days (1963) and when we moved to a new city in 1970 I got into radio and "my own kind of music" and used that to cope. I would eventually grow up to manage new/used record stores as an adult and pretty much made music the center of my life until I got married finally in my forties and had a child and finally had people other than myself in my life that I was responsible for. It's been an amazing journey!
I've been a James Taylor fan since I was 12 in 1969. I sang "Sweet Baby James" to my kids before and after pregnancy. I used to sing in bands. I've seen James Taylor live 5 times. The first time was after "JT" was released. The Section was such an incredibly talented band with phenominal musicians. Thank you for this interview! Love ya Lee❤
Definitely one of the premier bassists of all time.
He once had an emergency call to fill in for Toto. He learned their whole catalog in 10 days and went on tour. Amazing.
I can listen to Lee for days in amazement!
Such a wonderful man & musician! ✌️❤️
At 12:52 he says it all... "the door opened and you had the goods." When opportunity meets ability!
Or “Luck is where Opportunity meets Preparation”.
Wherever Lee goes, they have to replace the floor from the names being dropped... not in a bragging way, the guys just had such an incredible life. and what a memory!, I can barely remember last year and this guy details these stories from the 60's and 70's with such clarity. Just awesome.
You know what they say about the 70’s. If you can remember, you weren’t there. A lot of drugs did a lot of damage
Amazingly Lee has always been drug free & rarely drank alcohol. I’m sure that contributes to his clear recollections.
@@woodybowen5362 we talk about it here… 🙏NOT Drinking Alcohol. Lee Sklar & Drew Dempsey share on Sunset Sound Roundtable
czcams.com/video/h4ngV3v85mQ/video.html
It ain’t bragging if it’s true
Man, I love Lee. I could listen to him tell stories for days.
First place I ever saw his name was on the back of a James Taylor album. He went on to play on some pretty important albums right up to today.
My father was a Texas guitar slinger by the name of Steve Rodriguez Davis who grew up playing in the early 50’s through the 90’s. He was a jazz, blues, and Texas swing musician who grew up playing with Leon Rhoads, Jack Peterson, Tommy Morrell, Maurice Anderson, and all of the Texas greats. He said that back in those days being a musician was highly competitive, and that is why it produced such great musicians he said if you weren’t really good, then you weren’t eating, and that’s what kept musicians playing at a high-level. He also said that you had to be a part of the scene to make the connections, and that it all happen quite naturally.
Great storyteller, great channel. Thank you.
Fantastic. I could literally listen to these kind of back stories all day. Well done!
Lee is a very Loveable human being, and a top shelf musician. Just look at his decades of work with the greatest musicians/ singer songwriters of all time!!
I was fortunate enough to cross paths with Leland Sklar in 2016-2017 (he'd just finished a Toto tour in November 2016 as I recall). It was very much just a passing acquaintance, but a nicer, more down to earth man you would be hard pressed to find. At the end, I asked for an autographed photo, and he graciously obliged. What you see is what you get with Mr. Sklar. He's the real deal all the way around.
That Group Therapy thing sounds oddly Monkee-ish. "No playing on your own record."
Now this should be a template for “Howto conduct an interview “ outstanding
This is what makes YT great. I watch so many band and musician interviews. It is just the best hearing what these guys and women did in their music lives. The Best.
This full interview was better than any movie ive seen in the last year. Bravo!!! Thank You!!!
The journey's not over yet, Lee!
Loved the interview.
I heard an interview of James Taylor in which he said that he and Peter Asher walked into the Abby Road Studio, and Peter called out, “Are there any Beatles here?”
Paul and George were and listened to James’ do a few songs for them. The signature song on his Apple album to be was “Something in the Way she Moves.” George was impressed enough to use the title as the opening of “Something” a bit later. The interviewer asked him if that bothered him, to which he said that there was a lot of borrowing going on and was flattered.
Thanks. This is just a segment of a 2.5 hr interview with Lee if you want to watch the whole thing. Make sure to subscribe and thanks for supporting this little magical indie studio
These historical recollections are very important. It's great that Lee and others are taking the time to document the evolution of the music industry and indeed the music itself. And, he does it complete with all the warts and ugliness as well as the beauty. Thanks!
Looking forward to this round table. ❤ Lee Syklar
Full interview is up
Lee Sklar 'The Interview' on Sunset Sound Roundtable
czcams.com/video/3cW2rvjomFw/video.html
It was one of the best ever!!
Great gem right at the very end when he talks about the perfect storm that has to happen for a career like this. Opportunity + chops + personality + everything else. You can practice until your fingers bleed, but there is so much more to it.
I used to love reading the credits on all my James Taylor albums. So cool to see Joni Mitchell Carly Simon and Stevie Wonder on there.
Who doesn't freaking LOVE Lee??? What an absolutely legendary, yet modest, monster.
Although I've known about Lee for decades, I'd never heard him really talk, or knew his story. He comes off very, modest, articulate & together.
That was cool. Thanks
Look up his CZcams channel. He post lots of good stuff and stories
I appreciate the respect he shows the wrecking Crew.
What impresses me is after all these years of doing this he still is full of enthusiasm. He is even interested in every place he visits. I have traveled 28 years continuously on my job. All the excitement of traveling has long ago worn off.
Love this! Lee is just the coolest guy in the room, whatever the room is but he doesn't push it . This story really shows what is usually the key to success...be ready when the "door" of your interest opens, and being there at the right time.
Thank you Lee
Saw Lee and J.T. and Carole King doing you've got a friend in 73. Just that grand piano, J.T. on a stool with a mic and an acoustic guitar. Lee on the stool next to him; playing that piece sign bass. It's older than my kids by 20+ years.
Lee is incredible. Huge Talyor fan (since flying machine) and huge fan of Lee (I produced an Arnold McCuller record)
It is mind boggling, the world Lee inhabited, moving in and out of this very large bubble of killer musicians and artists. I love the stories he tells on his CZcams channel.
Serendipity and being prepared once opportunity knocks… “chance favors the prepared mind”….
This man has humility and is old soul
Great interviewer, great guest. One of my favourite interviews. So modest and true to what he does. True genius.
How could you not like Lee immediately? Seems like such a genuinely great guy.
I have and was nourished by those early JT albums. Tapestry was my moms fave, Forever engraved in my soul.
My wife and I still listen to Tapestry. Good is good.
All these need to be put into the library of national archives. No doubt
💜💜
Simply incredible. These people played the soundtrack that I grew up to, learned guitar to.
I’m so happy you guys have been preserving and sharing the real history of some of the finest musician’s and music period. Thank you so much. Lee is a class act! ❤
Lee should write a book about his music journey 😊
His recall is amazing. And he is so so right about momentum and being in the right place at the right time.
Incredible story.
One of the grandest bass lines to me is "Theme From Mahogany." The guy is so classic, it's really too much. And the way he talks, it"s like some music historian. Insane talent.
Great storyteller Lee Sklar looks so familiar. If I saw him back in the day, it would have been at the Main Point in Bryn Mawr PA, late 60's early 70"s
This is fantastic...a real window into that remarkable world
I love this one. Lee had a girlfriend named Kathleen who we were ALL in love with. One of the most beautiful women on the planet. She went on to become a famous actress and married Thomas Dolby. Go figure. She also introduced me to my wife to whom I am still married.
James has a backup singer named Kate Markowitz who is one of the best singers on the planet. I think she just dropped her own record. Check her out!
Thomas Dolby invented electric noise reduction technology that kept being used as the rest of technology changed. I'd like to know how rich he is.
@@johnwattdotca No that was Ray Dolby. Thomas was actually sued by Ray for using the name Dolby, not his real last name. But Thomas won the suit, Dolby was just a nickname his friends started calling him in grade school in England. You are referring to Dolby noise reduction technology which Thomas, like everyone else, used but he had nothing to do with inventing it. That was all Ray Dolby of Dolby Labs in the San Francisco Bay Area. Now you know. Dolby Labs is still an active and prospering pro audio company headquartered in San Francisco. Thomas is now a professor in Baltimore teaching audio technology and entrepreneurship to students at John Hopkins University.
A great interview... Love how Lee makes you feel like your part of the inside story. His CZcams channel is excellent. Thank you.
Delightful !! Spoonie Lee blue bones….. pickin’ on a flat back bass babe !
I could listen to this guy all day
Incredible memory this guy has
What an incredible kaleidoscope of stories that few can tell. Jimmy Webb said it best: " It was fun times to be around. There was a real demand for music. There was an insatiable demand for good songs."
SawJT in 1970 still say it’s the best concert ever
Sklar is all over the map in my musical development from the 70s forward and many of the songs that shaped my mind had him on it and often when I was unaware of it. Nothing but love and admiration for Leland. It doesn't hurt looking like Gandalf either. :)
Such a lovable guy
I can listen to Lee all day tell stories. I follow his youtube and love his music and musical tales. I've seen him live with many different people, and his playing just has that certain something that completes whoever he's playing with. A true master of his instrument.
Great interview. Such a humble bass player!
this guys memory is just amazing!
Leland Sklar is just fantastic. Producer switch!
And of course, adore JT
Is great job gentleman we need to see more of them
I was a professional musician in Miami back in the 80's. It was always understood that if you're in the business for long enough you WILL get an opportunity, you just need to make sure that you're ready when it happens.
Me and my wife used to call Lee " that old man bass player" when we'd see him playing for somebody.
That was years ago.
Hes not that much older than me.
I found out about him years later along with the other great session guys.
Wow, what a great interview with Leland Sklar.
He was there at the beginning of the folk rock revolution, and tells such great stories about it.
Thanks, Leland!
Without doubt, I've lived through the best years by far as regards singer songwriters, and musicians like Lee, never to be repeated. Very thankful. ✌️😎
Iconic!!! Absolutely so informative and awesomeness!!
You have to talk to these older guys before we lose them. It's rock history.
I could listen to him all day.
The whole opening up for your own gig has always been a dream!
What an amazing life Leland Sklar has had. Great interview.
Great interview. I love hearing Lee's memories from this era because I was way into all the records he played on and I loved scouring the album jackets to see who played what and who wrote which song and who produced each record. . One small correction: "Music" was the follow up album to "Tapestry." not "Thoroughbred." "Thoroughbred" came some years later. I must confess it saddened me that Drew asked about James Taylor's heroin addiction when Lee was thoroughly focused on the more positive part of his life -- the music. Lee quickly changed the subject.
I could listen to Lee all day long with his stories. As he is talking about different music stars, I can hear the songs in my head so clear.
Lee, you have the most fantastic memory on top of being a great bass player. Your videos are absolutely fantastic with the stories, the music, the entertainment. Thank you so much and keep up the good job.
The key to good memory is good memories.
Love this guy, so down to Earth ❤❤
Lee is truly music royalty.
At 10:11 Peter Asher put names on album jacket, I also recognized Randy Meisner’s name who went on to cofound The Eagles.
My god the history of this discussion is the history of all rock and roll that we know. He mentioned early Peter asher, who was close with James Taylor. Peter's sister is Jane asher, who very famously was with Paul McCartney. To put a fine point on it... During the Beatles early hey day, most of those Beatles hits were Paul writing about Jane. And note that James Taylor was signed on Apple records by Paul. This isn't 6 degrees of separation...but one or two
Awesome interview. It was amazing that the musician were so supportive of each other. A great bunch of people, great musicians.
It's funny to see the photos of Leland's and James' early bands and in both cases I can't make out which member is who. It's like an amalgam of 60'a zeitgeist rolled up into a juicy burrito of timeless, transcendent and immutable music. The 60's sits between the 50's and 70's and for me is my home plate. Rock and roll is forever bliss.
You were stoned when you wrote this and I thank you.
Thank You Lee❤❤💯
Outstanding interesting conversation. I've seen Lees name for many years but didn't really know who he was. I can listen to him all day. Great stories. 👍
Subscribe and watch the Steve Lukather, David Paich and Steve Porcaro intv as well
Always enjoyed Lee in the concerts I attended. Not only for his solid bass lines but he'd wear wild clothes years back. I remember once his "wizard of oz lollipop kid" style boots ---- too funny!!
Lee knows literally everyone.
Thanks for this wonderful interview. Lee Sklar is so forthcoming with interesting information. I am grateful, and thank him for his openness and willingness to share this great music history!
What incredible memory for names!
Lee Sklar is the best interview in all of the music world.
So glad vids like this are recording music history for time immemorial. (Now that the guys can remember it) ha
Meeting Lee on YT in the past year has been so cool. I knew the name, knew the sound, and now I know what a peachy keen dude the person is.
thanks for letting Lee talk. that was a great interview. cheers.
Man what an interesting man. I liked his playing but enjoy hearing him speak just as much.