SIXTY KEYBOARD PLAYERS FROM THE SIXTIES

[TODD TAMANEND CLARK]

As of May 7, 2006, these are my favorite keyboard
players who released records during the 1960s:

01. Ray Manzarek (The Doors)
02. Sun Ra (Sun Ra And His Arkestra)
03. Doug Ingle (Iron Butterfly)
04. Cecil Taylor (Cecil Taylor)
05. Don Preston (The Mothers Of Invention)
06. Mark Stein (Vanilla Fudge)
07. Joseph Byrd (The United States Of America)
08. Simeon Coxe (Silver Apples)
09. Herbie Hancock (Miles Davis)
10. Goldy McJohn (Steppenwolf)
11. John Locke (Spirit)
12. Al Kooper (The Blues Project)
13. Ralph Schuckett (Clear Light)
14. Daryl Hooper (The Seeds)
15. Ralph Scala (The Blues Magoos)
16. Ian Bruce-Douglas (Ultimate Spinach)
17. Felix Cavaliere (The Rascals)
18. Ronnie Rosman (Tommy James And The Shondells)
19. Bob Gaudio (The Four Seasons)
20. David Cohen (Country Joe And The Fish)
21. Sonny DiNunzio (The Racket Squad)
22. Jack Bonasso (The Mind Garage)
23. Max Crook (Del Shannon)
24. Doug Rhodes (The Music Machine)
25. Andy Solomon (The Amboy Dukes)
26. Mark Weitz (The Strawberry Alarm Clock)
27. Larry Tamblyn (The Standells)
28. Augie Meyers (The Sir Douglas Quintet)
29. Jim Nyeholt (Aorta)
30. Rob Landes (Fever Tree)
31. Paul Venturini (The Soul Survivors)
32. Dave Michaels (H.P. Lovecraft)
33. Glenn Quackenbush (SRC)
34. Booker T. Jones (Booker T. And The MGs)
35. Burton Cummings (The Guess Who)
36. Paul Revere (Paul Revere And The Raiders)
37. Marty Grebb (The Buckinghams)
38. Jimmy Greenspoon (Three Dog Night)
39. Cork Marcheschi (Fifty Foot Hose)
40. Rosie Stone (Sly And The Family Stone)
41. Garth Hudson (The Band)
42. Larry Knechtel [Studio Sessions]
43. Mark Tulin (The Electric Prunes)
44. Jared Hendler (Davie Allan And The Arrows)
45. Jim Donna (The Castaways)
46. Jerry Storch (The Vagrants)
47. Robert Antoni (The Nazz)
48. John Durrill (The Five Americans)
49. Craig Kemp (The New Colony Six)
50. Jody Wence (The E Types)
51. Randy Boyte (We The People)
52. Don Gallucci (The Kingsmen)
53. Kent Morrill (The Wailers)
54. Rick Campbell (The Brogues)
55. Micky Dolenz (The Monkees)
56. Larry Clark (The Monks)
57. Dyan Hoffman (Neighb'rhood Childr'n)
58. John LaFrandre (Purple Underground)
59. Holly McKinley (The Music Machine)
60. Monty Harper (The Others)

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
TODD TAMANEND CLARK
Poet/Composer/Multi-Instrumentalist/Cultural Historian
The Monongahela River, Turtle Island
http://www.myspace.com/toddtamanendclark

[Brian Harvey]

Okay, I'll bite.

Where are Alan Price, Randy Newman, Rod Argent, Nicky Hopkins,
Jerry Lee Lewis, Stevie Wonder, Fats Domino?

You list a lot of group members (and one session man, which is why I have
N.H. in the above) whose keyboard playing is not the first thing you think
about in the sound of their groups. By those criteria, Paul McCartney and
George Martin belong high on the list!

P.S. Oh, yeah, B. Bumble. :-)

[BobbyM]

Post by Brian Harvey
Okay, I'll bite.
Where are Alan Price, Randy Newman, Rod Argent, Nicky Hopkins,
Jerry Lee Lewis, Stevie Wonder, Fats Domino?
You list a lot of group members (and one session man, which is why I have
N.H. in the above) whose keyboard playing is not the first thing you think
about in the sound of their groups. By those criteria, Paul McCartney and
George Martin belong high on the list!
P.S. Oh, yeah, B. Bumble. :-)

Todd automatically discounts Price, Argent & Hopkins because of their
birthright.

[Hans]

Post by BobbyM

Post by Brian Harvey
Okay, I'll bite.
Where are Alan Price, Randy Newman, Rod Argent, Nicky Hopkins,
Jerry Lee Lewis, Stevie Wonder, Fats Domino?
You list a lot of group members (and one session man, which is why I have
N.H. in the above) whose keyboard playing is not the first thing you think
about in the sound of their groups. By those criteria, Paul McCartney and
George Martin belong high on the list!
P.S. Oh, yeah, B. Bumble. :-)

Todd automatically discounts Price, Argent & Hopkins because of their
birthright.

So we'd have to leave out Georgie Fame, Kieth Emerson &
Roger Lavern (The Tornados) as well then.

[Michael Cummins]

Gary Brooker & Mathew Fisher.

And I feel like saying Alan Price and Georgie Fame again.

Michael C.

[Intheway]

No Thelonius Monk, no Bill Evans, no Keith Jarrett, no Pig Robbins, no
Richard Manuel, no Richard Tee, no Paul Griffin (all of whom could be

Post by TODD TAMANEND CLARK
55. Micky Dolenz (The Monkees)

Yep, this is credible.

Pinetop Perkins, Otis Spann, Katie Webster?

Aretha Franklin, Johnny Griffith, Leon Russell?

Allen Toussaint, Art Neville, Dr. John?

Chuck Leavell, Paul Hornsby, Spooner Oldham?

Billy Preston? Ray Charles?

Gregg Allman, Stevie Winwood?

Nah, they all step aside when Mickey Dolenz is sitting in.

[TODD TAMANEND CLARK]

Post by Intheway
No Thelonius Monk, no Bill Evans, no Keith Jarrett,

Oops, oops, and oops.

And I should have included George Russell and Alice
Coltrane.

Post by Intheway
no Pig Robbins,

Who?

Post by Intheway
no Richard Manuel,

It slipped my mind that The Band had two keyboard players.

Post by Intheway
no Richard Tee, no Paul Griffin

Who? Who?

Post by Intheway
Pinetop Perkins,

Who?

Post by Intheway
Otis Spann,

Oops, again.

Post by Intheway
Katie Webster?

Who?

Post by Intheway
Aretha Franklin,

I didn't know that Aretha played an instrument.

And I also left off Nina Simone.

Post by Intheway
Johnny Griffith,

Who?

Post by Intheway
Leon Russell?

Hell, yes!

Post by Intheway
Allen Toussaint, Art Neville, Dr. John?

Triple ditto.

Post by Intheway
Chuck Leavell,

Who?

Post by Intheway
Paul Hornsby,

Did he record during the 1960s?

Post by Intheway
Spooner Oldham?

Indubitably.

Post by Intheway
Ray Charles?

Oh, all right.

Post by Intheway
Gregg Allman,

I suppose.

Post by Intheway
Nah, they all step aside when Micky Dolenz is sitting in.

Micky Dolenz was the first person to ever play a Moog
synthesizer on a rock song ("Daily Nightly" in August 1967),
and it's one of the greatest songs of the 1960s.

= = = = = =
TODD TAMANEND CLARK
Vocalist/Synthesist/Guitarist/Percussionist
Endorsement Artist for Moog Synthesizers
http://www.moogmusic.com

[Steve Pope]

I'm glad Al Kooper is included, but confess to having no
idea what the "Blues Project" was.

I absolutely loved "I Stand Alone" when it came out.

Steve

[Intheway]

Post by Steve Pope
I'm glad Al Kooper is included, but confess to having no
idea what the "Blues Project" was.

The Blues Project was Kooper's main project after the Dylan sessions
and before Blood Sweat & Tears. An early combination of folk, blues,
R&B and jazz influences.

Post by Steve Pope
I absolutely loved "I Stand Alone" when it came out.

He's still at it, and turning out some pretty good stuff. His voice
isn't what it was, but he can still crank out some high grade
horn-driven soul. His new CD is "Black Coffee" and worth checking out.

[Intheway]

Post by TODD TAMANEND CLARK

Post by Intheway
no Pig Robbins,

Who?

Nashville "A Team" keyboard player. Worked country in the daytime and
R&B and rock at night.

Post by TODD TAMANEND CLARK

Post by Intheway
no Richard Manuel,

It slipped my mind that The Band had two keyboard players.

Two words to remind you from now on: "Stage Fright."

Post by TODD TAMANEND CLARK

Post by Intheway
no Richard Tee, no Paul Griffin

Griffin was the session keyboard player most in demand in New York for
over 30 years.

Here's a quote from a reminiscence written shortly after his untimely
death in 2000.

"Think of the organ intro to Chuck Jackson's "Any Day Now"...the gospel
piano behind Bob Dylan's "Like a Rolling Stone"and Don McLean's "Miss
American Pie"...the tack piano on B.J.Thomas' "Raindrops Keep Fallin'on
My Head" and Bob Dylan's "Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues"...Dionne
Warwick's "Walk on By"...Paul Simon's "Tenderness" (There Goes Rhymin'
Simon ) -- these all feature Paul Griffin at the keyboard."

That just scratches the surface of his resume. He may be the best
unknown musician of his time.

Tee did the sessions Griffin couldn't make, and was no slouch himself.

Post by TODD TAMANEND CLARK

Post by Intheway
Pinetop Perkins,

Who?

Seminal blues and boogie pianist. In his 90s and still going strong.

Post by TODD TAMANEND CLARK

Post by Intheway
Katie Webster?

Who?

The "Swamp Boogie Queen." 500 recording sessions from the early 50s
(while still a teenager) to the mid 60s, when she joined Otis Redding's
tour band. Great thumping left hand, very influential among southern
keyboard players.

Post by TODD TAMANEND CLARK

Post by Intheway
Aretha Franklin,

I didn't know that Aretha played an instrument.

Listen to (for 3 examples) "Do Right Woman," "Natural Woman" "Spirit In
The Dark" She just didn't play. She PLAYED.

Post by TODD TAMANEND CLARK
And I also left off Nina Simone.

Yes, you did.

Post by TODD TAMANEND CLARK

Post by Intheway
Johnny Griffith,

Who?

Motown Funk Brother - that's his dirge-like electric piano that sets
the tone on Marvin Gaye's "Heard It Through The Grapevine."
Extraordinarily skillful at doubling up Jamerson's bass with his left
hand.

Post by TODD TAMANEND CLARK

Post by Intheway
Leon Russell?

Hell, yes!

Post by Intheway
Allen Toussaint, Art Neville, Dr. John?

Triple ditto.

Post by Intheway
Chuck Leavell,

Who?

Muscle Shoals session man, and later Allman Brother. Extensive tours
with the Stones, Clapton, George Harrison and just about anybody else.

Post by TODD TAMANEND CLARK

Post by Intheway
Paul Hornsby,

Did he record during the 1960s?

Also a Muscle Shoals session stalwart.

(You may be confusing him with Bruce Hornsby, a pretty mean piano
player, but later).

Post by TODD TAMANEND CLARK

Post by Intheway
Spooner Oldham?

Indubitably.

Post by Intheway
Ray Charles?

Oh, all right.

Post by Intheway
Gregg Allman,

I suppose.

Post by Intheway
Nah, they all step aside when Micky Dolenz is sitting in.

Micky Dolenz was the first person to ever play a Moog
synthesizer on a rock song ("Daily Nightly" in August 1967),
and it's one of the greatest songs of the 1960s.

He may have been the first to record, but it isn't like no one else was
going to play a synth until they heard him. Beaver and Krause has
already demonstrated the Moog at Monterey to great curiosity several
months before that Monkees session.

[TODD TAMANEND CLARK]

Post by Intheway

Post by TODD TAMANEND CLARK

Post by Intheway
Pig Robbins

Nashville "A Team" keyboard player. Worked country
in the daytime and R&B and rock at night.

Best songs, 1960s only, please?

Post by Intheway
Richard Tee did the sessions Griffin couldn't make, and
was no slouch himself.

Songs?

Post by Intheway

Post by TODD TAMANEND CLARK

Post by Intheway
Pinetop Perkins

Songs?

Post by Intheway

Post by TODD TAMANEND CLARK

Post by Intheway
Katie Webster

Songs?

Post by Intheway

Post by TODD TAMANEND CLARK

Post by Intheway
Paul Hornsby

Songs?

Post by Intheway

Post by TODD TAMANEND CLARK
Micky Dolenz was the first person to ever play a
Moog synthesizer on a rock song ("Daily Nightly"
in August 1967), and it's one of the greatest songs
of the 1960s.

He may have been the first to record, but it isn't like
no one else was going to play a synth until they
heard him.

Dolenz was the guy who inspired me to start on
synthesizer after seeing him on television with his
modular Moog in January of 1968.

Post by Intheway
Beaver and Krause had already demonstrated the
Moog at Monterey to great curiosity several months
before that Monkees session.

And are the ones who brought a Moog to a Doors
session for Jim Morrison to play on the Strange Days
title song and Ray Manzarek to play on "Horse Latitudes"
shortly after that Monkees session.

I am still working on polishing this list. It's clearly
going to have to be extended to one hundred names.
I'm adding Stevie Wonder, Walter/Wendy Carlos, George
Russell, Leon Russell, Nina Simone, Thelonious Monk,
Paul Bley, Paul Beaver, and others, but remember this
is a favorites list, not some quasi-objective attempt at a
"best" list, so I have to have heard and liked her or his
playing on a song or songs for an artist to be included,
and the song has to have been recorded during the 1960s.
(For example, Spooner Oldham is phenomenal on the
Box Tops version of "You Keep Me Hanging On".)

So here are some questions:

What specific songs FROM THE 1960s showcase great
playing from Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Fats
Domino?

Who played the organ parts on Beach Boys masterpieces
like "Good Vibrations" and "Heroes And Villains", Brian
Wilson himself or a specific session person?

Other suggestions welcome, especially avant-garde jazz,
garage, and psychedelic stuff!

- - - - - -
TODD TAMANEND CLARK
Cultural Historian & Collector Of Psychedelic Relics
Fayette County, Pennsylvania
http://www.myspace.com/toddtamanendclark
.

[Intheway]

This post might be inappropriate. Click to display it.

[Jim Colegrove]

Post by Intheway

Post by TODD TAMANEND CLARK
Best songs, 1960s only, please?

Google is your friend, Todd.
I am going to let you have the joy of discovering who played on what,
HARGUS PIG ROBBINS
"Perhaps the greatest session pianist/keyboardist ever to grace a
Nashville recording studio, Hargus "Pig" Robbins maintained an
amazingly prolific career from the late '50s on into the new
millennium. Robbins was born in Spring City, TN, in 1938; an accident
with his father's knife resulted in the loss of an eye, and he went
completely blind before the age of four. He started taking classical
piano lessons at age seven, and as he advanced, he learned to play
country music by ear, particularly that of his idol, Tex Ritter.
Robbins played the Nashville club scene after graduating and got his
first session gig helping a friend record his demo. He subsequently
joined the musicians' union and got his first big-time exposure on
George Jones' 1959 hit "White Lightning." Over the next few decades,
Robbins played behind a who's who of country music, recording with
Patsy Cline, Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton, Connie Smith, Tanya Tucker,
Crystal Gayle, Ernest Tubb, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Bobby Bare,
the Statler Brothers, Gary Stewart, and Kenny Rogers. Additionally, his
appearance on Bob Dylan's 1966 classic Blonde on Blonde created demand
for his work among folk (Joan Baez, Peter, Paul & Mary) and pop/rock
artists (John Denver, Doug Sahm, the Everly Brothers, Ray Charles, Tom
Jones, et al.). Robbins recorded his first solo album, A Bit of Country
Piano, in 1963 and issued three more solo records on the Chart label
during the late '60s. Robbins later returned to solo recording for
Elektra, issuing a trio of albums - Country Instrumentalist of the
Year, A Pig in a Poke, and Unbreakable Hearts - over 1977-1979. Over
the '80s and '90s, Robbins was able to maintain his standing as
Nashville's top session keyboardist with a new generation of
contemporary country stars, playing with Randy Travis, Alan Jackson,
Travis Tritt, Mark Chesnutt, Vince Gill, and Reba McEntire, among
others; he also backed alt-rock pranksters Ween on their 12 Golden
Country Greats album of 1996.

Hargus also played on the following Sonny Flaharty sides:
Huron 45-22004 - Mystery Of Love / Teenage War Chant - 1961
Decca 31419 - C'mon Little Mary - 1961

All sides produced by yours truly.


Jim Colegrove
http://www.lostcountry.com

[Bob Roman]

Post by TODD TAMANEND CLARK
Who played the organ parts on Beach Boys masterpieces
like "Good Vibrations" and "Heroes And Villains", Brian
Wilson himself or a specific session person?

Al DeLory, I believe.

--
Bob Roman

[StatCat]

I'll go with Rick Wright, he had a cool sinister sound in the beginning
of pink floyd. Ray Manzarek is probably the reason the doors don't hold
up to me, really repetitive and damn they needed a bass player at shows.

[Mike G]

Post by TODD TAMANEND CLARK
I am still working on polishing this list. It's clearly
going to have to be extended to one hundred names.
I'm adding Stevie Wonder, Walter/Wendy Carlos, George
Russell, Leon Russell, Nina Simone, Thelonious Monk,
Paul Bley, Paul Beaver, and others, but remember this
is a favorites list, not some quasi-objective attempt at a
"best" list

Nor is it a quasi-objective attempt at a list which isn't fiercely
bigoted....

Post by TODD TAMANEND CLARK
Other suggestions welcome, especially avant-garde jazz,
garage, and psychedelic stuff!

As long as they're not Europeans.

[Jason Michael]

Post by Intheway

Post by Intheway
Chuck Leavell,

Who?

Muscle Shoals session man, and later Allman Brother. Extensive tours
with the Stones, Clapton, George Harrison and just about anybody else.

He was also the leader of fusion band Sea Level (C. Leavell) in the 70s.

Jason

jason michael @ canada .com

[Uni]

Post by TODD TAMANEND CLARK
As of May 7, 2006, these are my favorite keyboard

Not sure you mentioned him, but I sort of like the keyboardist from the
Zombies, whoever that was :-)

Uni

Post by TODD TAMANEND CLARK
01. Ray Manzarek (The Doors)
02. Sun Ra (Sun Ra And His Arkestra)
03. Doug Ingle (Iron Butterfly)
04. Cecil Taylor (Cecil Taylor)
05. Don Preston (The Mothers Of Invention)
06. Mark Stein (Vanilla Fudge)
07. Joseph Byrd (The United States Of America)
08. Simeon Coxe (Silver Apples)
09. Herbie Hancock (Miles Davis)
10. Goldy McJohn (Steppenwolf)
11. John Locke (Spirit)
12. Al Kooper (The Blues Project)
13. Ralph Schuckett (Clear Light)
14. Daryl Hooper (The Seeds)
15. Ralph Scala (The Blues Magoos)
16. Ian Bruce-Douglas (Ultimate Spinach)
17. Felix Cavaliere (The Rascals)
18. Ronnie Rosman (Tommy James And The Shondells)
19. Bob Gaudio (The Four Seasons)
20. David Cohen (Country Joe And The Fish)
21. Sonny DiNunzio (The Racket Squad)
22. Jack Bonasso (The Mind Garage)
23. Max Crook (Del Shannon)
24. Doug Rhodes (The Music Machine)
25. Andy Solomon (The Amboy Dukes)
26. Mark Weitz (The Strawberry Alarm Clock)
27. Larry Tamblyn (The Standells)
28. Augie Meyers (The Sir Douglas Quintet)
29. Jim Nyeholt (Aorta)
30. Rob Landes (Fever Tree)
31. Paul Venturini (The Soul Survivors)
32. Dave Michaels (H.P. Lovecraft)
33. Glenn Quackenbush (SRC)
34. Booker T. Jones (Booker T. And The MGs)
35. Burton Cummings (The Guess Who)
36. Paul Revere (Paul Revere And The Raiders)
37. Marty Grebb (The Buckinghams)
38. Jimmy Greenspoon (Three Dog Night)
39. Cork Marcheschi (Fifty Foot Hose)
40. Rosie Stone (Sly And The Family Stone)
41. Garth Hudson (The Band)
42. Larry Knechtel [Studio Sessions]
43. Mark Tulin (The Electric Prunes)
44. Jared Hendler (Davie Allan And The Arrows)
45. Jim Donna (The Castaways)
46. Jerry Storch (The Vagrants)
47. Robert Antoni (The Nazz)
48. John Durrill (The Five Americans)
49. Craig Kemp (The New Colony Six)
50. Jody Wence (The E Types)
51. Randy Boyte (We The People)
52. Don Gallucci (The Kingsmen)
53. Kent Morrill (The Wailers)
54. Rick Campbell (The Brogues)
55. Micky Dolenz (The Monkees)
56. Larry Clark (The Monks)
57. Dyan Hoffman (Neighb'rhood Childr'n)
58. John LaFrandre (Purple Underground)
59. Holly McKinley (The Music Machine)
60. Monty Harper (The Others)
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
TODD TAMANEND CLARK
Poet/Composer/Multi-Instrumentalist/Cultural Historian
The Monongahela River, Turtle Island
http://www.myspace.com/toddtamanendclark

[sdavmor]

Post by Uni

Post by TODD TAMANEND CLARK
As of May 7, 2006, these are my favorite keyboard

Not sure you mentioned him, but I sort of like the keyboardist from the
Zombies, whoever that was :-)
Uni

Rod Argent.

[Taliesyn]

Post by sdavmor

Post by Uni

Post by TODD TAMANEND CLARK
As of May 7, 2006, these are my favorite keyboard

Not sure you mentioned him, but I sort of like the keyboardist from
the Zombies, whoever that was :-)
Uni

Rod Argent.

He's probably better than most mentioned. Unfortunately, he comes from
the wrong side of "The Pond" (Atlantic Ocean".

-Taliesyn

[Bloodrock]

"[Paul] Griffin was the session keyboard player most in demand in New
York for over 30 years.

"Think of the organ intro to Chuck Jackson's "Any Day Now"...the gospel
piano behind Bob Dylan's "Like a Rolling Stone"and Don McLean's "Miss
American Pie"...the tack piano on B.J.Thomas' "Raindrops Keep Fallin'on
My Head" and Bob Dylan's "Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues"...Dionne
Warwick's "Walk on By"...Paul Simon's "Tenderness" (There Goes Rhymin'
Simon ) -- these all feature Paul Griffin at the keyboard."

"That just scratches the surface of his resume. He may be the best
unknown musician of his time."

Hey, don't forget his Hammond playing on 101 Strings' Swing With
Hammond LP - thanks to Paul Griffin, the final Robert Lowden session
for Alshire was trashed by total ineptitude.

[g***@aol.com]

Post by Bloodrock
"[Paul] Griffin was the session keyboard player most in demand in New
York for over 30 years.
"Think of the organ intro to Chuck Jackson's "Any Day Now"...the gospel
piano behind Bob Dylan's "Like a Rolling Stone"and Don McLean's "Miss
American Pie"...the tack piano on B.J.Thomas' "Raindrops Keep Fallin'on
My Head" and Bob Dylan's "Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues"...Dionne
Warwick's "Walk on By"...Paul Simon's "Tenderness" (There Goes Rhymin'
Simon ) -- these all feature Paul Griffin at the keyboard."
"That just scratches the surface of his resume. He may be the best
unknown musician of his time."
Hey, don't forget his Hammond playing on 101 Strings' Swing With
Hammond LP - thanks to Paul Griffin, the final Robert Lowden session
for Alshire was trashed by total ineptitude.

Blood, what happened to your 101 Strings bliog.I've had to use WinMX
(and the database went blank several times,luckily Freeway Fantasy I
got from "WinMX" again).

[Uni]

Post by sdavmor

Post by Uni

Post by TODD TAMANEND CLARK
As of May 7, 2006, these are my favorite keyboard

Not sure you mentioned him, but I sort of like the keyboardist from
the Zombies, whoever that was :-)
Uni

Rod Argent.

Thank you.

Uni

[sdavmor]

Post by Uni

Post by sdavmor

Post by Uni

Post by TODD TAMANEND CLARK
As of May 7, 2006, these are my favorite keyboard

Not sure you mentioned him, but I sort of like the keyboardist from
the Zombies, whoever that was :-)
Uni

Rod Argent.

Thank you.
Uni

Rod has a great ambient-prog album called "Red House". Well worth
getting. And all the Argent albums are out on 2fer1 CDs.