Glen Campbell Forums

As a followup to our discussion below, "The Wrecking Crew" studio musicians' names are on display at the Musicians Hall of Fame located in downtown Nashville.
I took this photo in April 2014.

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With regard to Guitar Center's Hollywood Rock Walk event (http://www.rockwalk.com/inductees/handP ... 180&disp=2" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;) held in honor of "The Wrecking Crew" on June 25, 2008, I couldn't find Carol Kaye in the event or press photos (but she could have been there). We have to "hand" it to her, she is commemorated with other studio musicians including Glen Campbell on this tribute plaque:

PHOTO CREDIT: Hollywood Rock Walk - The Wrecking Crew - Ultimate Studio Musicians by ramalama_22, on Flickr

Also, Rock Walk's plaque:

PHOTO CREDIT: Hollywood Rock Walk - Legends of rock'n'roll music by ramalama_22, on Flickr

Carol is obviously still very hurt by the treatment that she received at the hands of Tommy Tedesco, I can only imagine this has gone very deep with her, as she still feels resentment at her treatment (Quite rightly too). Carol was a trail blazer in what was a man's world at that time and it appears Tommy didn't have any respect for her, or her work. It also appears he had a large ego problem and couldn't accept been out shone by someone he obviously felt didn't belong there.
I have a copy of the DVD, but as Cowpoke mentions, I didn't feel there was much negativity in the documentary.
My main feeling was that, as Carol says, it probably left out many musicians who played a major part at that time.It comes across a if there was just a band of 10-12 guys who did the bulk of the work. As we know it was more like 50-60 people.
I personally would have like a bigger portion of the programme given to the stories of several of the members and what they went on to achieve else where.
Dee, I agree with you about the poster. If that was done to mock Carol, that was unforgivable.

Thanks for finding and posting the Billboard ad, Cowpoke.
Perhaps I had shared with you previously that the jokes next to the musicians' names relate to them personally and were "all in fun".
For example, studio musician Jimmy Bond was into the stock market ... thus, sell, sell, sell.
Now look at the words behind Carol's name.
Apparently, Carol spoke with a stutter or so I was told by someone who had a family member in this circle of musicians.
Unless she was in on writing this salute to "Clem" or had always been open about her stutter, if she did have a stutter, then (imo) the words next to her name are not the least bit humorous.
In any case, this ad is curious, and we don't know who wrote it for Billboard other than "The Dirty Dozen" (perhaps another insider's joke).

Randy, Cowpoke...I haven't yet watched the final cut of "The Wrecking Crew". Is there much footage of Carol in this documentary now?
Definitely she has strong feelings about the doc's facts, the WC label, certain individuals, feels the doc's perspective is not balanced, etc.
Based on a court's review and decision about bullying by name-calling, she apparently won her slander / harassment suit. Very telling.
I can't judge, wasn't there, don't know the facts, etc.
Surprised about the Hartman book comments.

In any case, and this is just my opinion, it could not have been easy for a woman (and mother) working in the male-dominated music industry in the sixties and seventies, pre and during the women's rights movement. I am not surprised that someone in her musician's circle thought he could refer to her or any woman as a "b*tch" and get away with it -- and do worse things against her. (Still happens...you see this outrageous, criminal behavior on social media all the time.) As an aside, read up on why Bobbie Gentry walked away from the music biz. Based on my perceptions of what I have observed of Carol Kaye (interviews, her official website, her posts and lessons on Facebook), she is the consummate professional, a musician and teacher who shares her passion with others and also keeps the good ol' studio session stories alive.

Carol shares a story that explains "the way we were" from around 1974 on her website (Randy had previously posted it for us, here it is again if you missed it: https://www.carolkaye.com/index.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;):

I have to tell you a story: one time I was doing a Glen Campbell date about 1974 in a Hollywood studio and we were done recording, walking out the door together when an excited fan rushed up to our group looking for "Carol Kaye" in the front part of the studio. Everyone pointed to me and he looked shocked "but you're a woman"! "Yes" I said, "my ex-husband, my kids, my boyfriend, everyone thinks I'm a woman"! The guys including Glen just roared....they love this kind of stuff. I think that poor guy took was still shaken as I signed an autograph for him, probably took awhile to get over that.

From a October 10, 1970 issue of Billboard Magazine which has a 20 page section devoted to Glen...

To me there seems to be quite some history between her and Hal Blaine/Tommy Tedesco. From her post it's not entirely clear to me what exactly is wrong with the film. For me as an outsider, the movie didn't come across as negative towards other people. But maybe I'm missing something. I do think the term Wrecking Crew has been made up afterwards. And it wasn't a small group either. I once saw an ad in Billboard Magazine in which some of Glen's studio musician friends congratulated him with his success as a solo artist. They didn't sign it with "The Wrecking Crew" but I forgot which name they used. Mind you this was in the late sixties, early seventies so quite close to the heyday of the so-called Wrecking Crew. I will see if I can find that Billboard Magazine ad.

Am curious to know what others here think. I will say this, I find it hard to believe she is just randomly making this stuff up out of malice. Two sides to every story and in this case more, but I myself am inclined to believe her.

Carol Kaye provided another perspective to "The Wrecking Crew" documentary on her Facebook page (and website) 4 years ago and longer. I had heard that she was not at all happy about this doc but was unaware of her specific grievances until I recently read her post. This is Carol's perspective with regard to the film and related topics. (Note: strong language)

Carol Kaye II
April 4, 2012 ·
Some ignorant people are trying to push that STUPID FILM again, why I'm re-posting this:
>>>>>>>After viewing the final version of "wrecking crew" film-doc some years ago, I put up the following statement on my website:
>>>>>>>>>MESSAGE: "I'm always deeply devoted to the cause of studio musicians being recognized for the talent and full scope of their depth in helping to create the 1960s-70s hit records. Sadly, the Denny Tedesco film-doc doesn't tell the real story as I was told it would, I don't support it, and regret my appearance in this re-edited film."
-Carol Kaye.
<<<<<<<<<<That belies my feelings about this, as I was opposed to appearing in this film but got sold on it by Denny Tedesco because I felt sorry for his loss of his dad, and he kept saying it's about "all of us, and do it for your buddies and the ones who died" - it's NOT about us, but a flawed limited slanderous and phony film (some creditable journalists call it a "a piece of Hollywood fluff" another says "poorly put-together" and it's all those things and more.......I even supplied the names of those who finally agreed, after noting I agreed to the interviewing, to be interviewed also. I had to once sue Universal Studios for Tommy Tedesco's "dumb cunt" name-calling and his harassments and won a money-settlement through a public women's harassment legal counsel in Van Nuys, in 1983 - it's a matter of public record. He's the only one who ever called me names ("dumb cunt" which I sued for and got monies for!) and it had to be out of jealousy - it only happened when other musicians hollared "great Carol" on special takes.....other musicians were wonderful to work with.
He has completely slandered me, changing his story why I "don't like his film" with all his showings, and lying about a supposedly funny but demeaning incident in the film about me, which NEVER took place, as well as using US to raise money and saying it takes "millions" to license recordings (not true - where is the money going while he burns it in expensive-taste spendings on limousines, and parties etc.? the non-profit status doesn't mean Denny is not getting the money at all) and soon the other musicians found out like I did, and are angry also - they all know now it's a scam too, that we were ALL USED as a backdrop for Tommy and Hal Blaine....imo, this is a continuation of the lowlife and limited jealousy viewpoints of Tommy Tedesco and also of Hal Blaine who Denny calls his "dad" (he said he never really knew his dad Tommy) -- this is the Hal Blaine-Tommy Tedesco story not about us at all and is totally skewered.
The false phony scenes also angers the general public with its skewered viewpoints and re-edited version of Hal Blaine's book which also slanders the VIP film studio musicians who NEVER said "wrecking crew" or "we're going to wreck the business"...I know for I worked with them almost every day....they complimented us. It's because Hal Blaine never was good enough to do movie and TV-film work imo why he slandered them. He has a habit of making people he's jealous of his "nemesis" or if his ego feels slighted in any small way.
Hal and I were never "close" at all, we tolerated each other (and usually Hal made fun of me, was terribly jealous of my work, and even back-stabbed other drummers to get their gigs)..he called women "bitches" all the time and unfortunately my son 8-9 yrs. old also heard some really awful things Hal said about me....there's more but enough said..... I've always said some nice things about all the work he did, but he is not the most-recorded drummer, Earl Palmer is..and Earl would have never been in that film either had I wisely turned it down like Leon Russell did. Al Kooper and Jack Nitzchie both, like Leon Russell, were angry about Hal Blaine's self-promotion with his stupid "wrecking crew" monicker and now, so are we. BTW, Joe Osborn talked about how Hal can't keep time in a magazine, and I've always had to keep his time straight for him too.
The term "wrecking crew" is a name Hal Blaine invented in 1990 (borrowing it from a east-coast rock group of that name)...we were NEVER known as that ugly term, Leon Russell, others have always said that too....and Hal wouldn't have ha a book published if I hadn't felt sorry for his "apparent suicide attempt in 1990" and introduced him to a publisher....there's more about all this but how would you like it if someone invented your history and even a NAME for you?
We were ALL totally independent free-lance studio musicians, sometimes called the "CLIQUE", never called by Hal Blaine's self-promo invented in 1990 name, and never an organized band at all, the 50-60 of us responsible for most of the hits coming out of the Hollywood 1960s studios...and most of us were known jazz musicians, with top careers for years before any of us did studio work. And to have a "film of this flawed slanderous one-man's limited viewpoint is outrageous and it's NOT about us, it's about Tommy & Hal...with all the supposed "charity-monies" going directly into Denny's pocket!
PS. After viewing that film years ago, I pulled out of ALL my free support (doing free interviews, etc.) from that film seeing how biased it was, favoring a few but slandering others, leaving out such giants as Mike Melvoin #1 studio pianist, creating a negative scene of Howard Roberts, inventing screwy stuff and changed our interviews leaving a misognist biased illusion with lies about me and slander against the wonderful movie musicians I worked with every day because Hal Blaine wasn't good enough to work in the movie studios......when I pulled out all my support and got threatening emails and phone calls, not only from Denny but from 2-3 investors of his film too as a result, they were really ANGRY........real producers don't threaten like that! I had done nothing but stop doing free support!
I want my images and my name OFF of this lying skewered misogynist slander-film....named by someone (Blaine) who 'wrecked his life' and now is 'wrecking ours'....it's a low-life film probably attractive to a few who like it that we appear like "them" with the silly "macho" stuff, when those 2 had deep problems with pills and other addictions....a few people will go which way the wind blows, but most of our group are angry since they're nothing like what this phony film suggests, thereby ruining our reputations for the general public who need no excuse to dislike musicians.<<<<<<<<<<<
The book "wrecking crew" by "Kent Hartman" is nothing but a made-up baloney fraud, obtained with the lying statements "your interview is for a magazine, nothing about 'wrecking crew' at all"...then he skewered the interview, making up what he wanted to say about all of us, put Hal Blaine (who for years has said "Brian Wilson is crazy", slandering him all the time too!) on almost every page as well as made up stories subtly putting women musicians DOWN. Hartman is a UK self-announced "writer" who wrote what he wanted to, with a book of slander, fraud, and errata on all pages, another made-up phony book for $$$$ and for his obsession of wanting to re-invent our music history, a world he wants to be a part of. He used us all as "bait" to make money off of us - don't buy that nutty idiotic book either, if you did you wasted your time and money on it, it's NOT about us at all but USED US for his, Hartman's agendas, another BS book made up by someone fraudulent and greedy who wants to "be in our music business"......
--

From Glen Campbell (Official) on FB:

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Big Geek Daddy chose Glen's William Tell Overture performance as The Video of the Day! Woohoo! Hi-Yo, Silver! Away! (There you go, Jay; hope you have this lyric analyzed by now! LOL)
(Video is from Glen Campbell Forums YouTube Channel and now has 693,742 likes! It is a fan favorite, a tremendous performance by Glen!)

Read "Dad's" comments here: http://biggeekdad.com/2016/04/william-t ... -campbell/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

And watch the video here for full audio and visual: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUBhE00h9U0" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

See Glen Campbell Join Johnny Cash for ‘Folsom Prison Blues’
Wild Open Country

See: http://www.wideopencountry.com/campbell ... son-blues/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Rolling Stone Country also posted the same video last year and with a more in-depth review of Glen and Johnny's performance on the Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour:

One of the show's most electrifying moments was Campbell's duet with Cash on the Man in Black's enormously popular "Folsom Prison Blues." Strumming acoustic guitars and harmonizing beautifully on the classic railroad-prison tune, the two superstars are flanked by a casual-looking crowd, giving the whole thing a very laid-back vibe. But Campbell's lightning-quick guitar and Cash's cry of "soo-ey" inject their performance with spine-tingling energy. Campbell, who routinely reacted with high-pitched exclamations (as he does at the end of the above clip), even manages to also hit the song's low note at the end of the line, "and that's what tortures me."

See: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/video ... s-20150422" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;