This is Barney Kessel in the basement of a Music Store in Oklahoma City some years ago. He is giving some tips to a local guitarist in a "Clinic" he conducted before appearing in the "Great Guitars" concert that evening.
Last Saturday night, in a futile effort to “get our money’s worth” out of the Cable Fee, we watched the Lawrence Welk Show. It was a program rerun from the ‘70’s. It was pleasant to watch Welk and his tightly wound band, swishing through some old big band standards. His arrangements were usually note for note after the original scores and often tried to emulate even original instrumental solos associated with the original recordings.
His musicians rarely made names for themselves, Henry Cuesta, an exception. But all were very professional and held the section parts together very well.
About half way through the hour long program, as the camera panned across the bandstand, I made a discovery. The guitarist was Barney Kessel. No doubt.
A couple biographies on line confirmed that Kessel often supplemented his income with gigs on the Welk television show.
Here he was, in the evening’s red band uniform suit and all. He played it straight throughout the whole program.
Just in case you are from another planet, Barney Kessel played guitar behind Julie London on the famous recording of “Cry Me A River.” It’s a classic. Well, Joe Cocker didn’t do the song any harm either.
Of course, if you only know of Justin Timberlake’s version, then you probably are on the wrong page.
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Labels: Barney Kessel, Lawrence Welk
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