THE CAST OF CHARACTERS
unforgettable, unforgotten. Sonny’s earliest connections on the Los Angeles
for their remarkable contributions
to the American musical landscape. Later players constitute the
veritable
Who’s Who of the Spectropop genre: artists and musicians par excellence, and
characters one and all.
A&R (man) for “Artists & Repertoire
The person who selects artists and songs and often hires arranger, musicians etc. As well as the terms “A&R” there’s also “producer” and "supervision",of which Sonny can claim plenty. In the days of A&R Men, engineers had most of the clout in-studio, with arrangers having varying degrees of same. The terminologies are interchangeable – with some owners of master recordings claiming “producer” or "supervision” credits though they may not haveeven been in the same city as the actual recording session venue.
AH = AL HAZAN writes:
“Great idea honoring Sonny. He was my best friend along with Jack Nitzsche in the music business. It’s a shame they’re both gone now. Reading it here brought back many memories of those days at Gold Star with Sonny, Nitzsche, Spector, Steve Douglas, Stan Ross, Larry Levine and the many others who recorded there. Little did I realize how far he would go as a performer, and how well he could sing. I loved the guy and we remained friends long after we were both out of the music business.”
A true renaissance man, Hazan is an accomplished producer, musician, songwriter, singer and photographer. He now practices as a qualified psychologist / psychotherapist .All has some terrific memories of working with Sonny, some great music, and fascinating insider accounts of his Sixties California recording sessions online….Visit HERE
Arr = ARRANGER
The arranger of a rock’n’roll record functions at a number of levels: he may write individual charts for the band / orchestra players, he may conduct the orchestra in the studio and transpose key changes for instruments or sections or devise “head arrangements” on the spot. The arranger is invaluable in helping translate a producer’s vision of the overall sound design.
DON & DEWEY
Don Bowman Harris and Dewey Terry are seminal So-Cal rockers best remembered as writers of “I’m Leaving It All Up To You”, but Sonny & Cher and especially The Righteous Brothers were to benefit from both the Harris / Terry catalog and energetic style….Read more about the duo HERE
DC = DON CHRISTY was Sonny’s regular recording and performing name 1959-62, along with RONNY SOMMERS .
Eng = ENGINEER
The recording engineer is the guy who rolls the tape and twiddles the dials in the studio. Engineers have made enormous contributions to the art of rock’n’roll recording: they’ve developed new technology, built recording consoles and entire studios, and their know-how has helped many producers and A&R men make unique and ground-breaking records. Stan Ross engineered for Sonny on countless sessions at his state-of-the-art Gold Star Studios during most of the ‘sixties…Read about the legendary studio HERE
G&S = CHARLES GREENE & BRIAN STONE
met Sonny & Cher at the Hale & The Hushabyes session in 1964 and subsequently signed them to their business outfits: Greene-Stone Enterprises for management, Ten-East and Five-West for music publishing; and York-Pala Records for record production. York-Pala has a stake in the Sonny & Cher Atco recordings - similarly most of Cher’s Imperial recordings. Greene & Stone also shared sales royalties as writers of throwaway instrumental B-sides of Sonny-produced singles – most notably the Quetzal Songs which were actually the work of Harold Battiste Jr. The actuality of their songwriting or record production has long been questioned but their hit-rate is astonishing. Charlie & Brian are responsible for launching groups which have produced unique and enduring superstars. Early Sonny & Cher bios touted the pair as being such believers they hocked their typewriters to finance recording “Baby Don’t Go” – as hustlers they made even Sonny look amateurish…and Cher’s not certain they even owned the typewriters.During their tenure with Sonny & Cher they recruited West Coast acts for Atco Records, discovering groups like The Cake and The Rose Garden. With a post-’65 slowdown, Sonny came to resent their social and professional presence and (with much difficulty) set about firing them. He was finally able to buy out part of their contracts and Greene & Stone went on to successfully perform similar services for Iron Butterfly and Crosby ,Stills, Nash & Young. They remembered their Sonny & Cher days with a Star tabloid three-parter (“Cher’s Secret Past!”) in 1985, Sonny was still seething about them in 1991 and Cher recalls the times fondly.
HB = HAROLD BATTISTE JR writes (re Sonny & Cher):
"I am very happy that their is continued interest in their story. Among many of my jazz friends I seem to always have to explain, and sometimes defend, Sonny's gifts and insights."
Harold Battiste is respected globewide for his body of work as a musician, arranger, producer, record company executive, teacher and advocate for the music and musicians of New Orleans and the greater jazz community. Harold, a sax player, came to Los Angeles from Specialty Records' New Orleans branch. His producer / arranger credits for studio, film, stage and television include legendary records like Sam Cooke's "You Send Me", Joe Jones' "You Talk Too Much", Barbara George's "I Know" and Lee Dorsey's "Ya Ya". He introduced audiences to Mac Rebbenack as "Dr John", and produced his early albums. Earning six gold records, he spent thirty years in Los Angeles including fifteen with Sonny & Cher (on records, and later, television).
Harold's contributions to Sonny & Cher's records as (often uncredited) arranger and musician were towering inasmuch as he brought exotic musical ideas and sophisticated elements which went far beyond straight-ahead pop. Sonny - lacking extensive musicianship - relied heavily on Harold Battiste's abilities to translate grand visions of musical soundscapes into the unique Sonny & Cher recordings of the 1960's.
This site is indebted to Harold for his contributions...for more about him and his current activities visit him HERE
HBB = H.B. BARNUM
can't be accused of lacking diversity in his impressive credentials: as arranger, producer, pianist, songwriter, singer and actor he's collaborated with Sinatra, Puff Daddy, B.B. King and Sonny Bono, to name just a few. As an R&B artist he was a member of the Doo-Tones and The Robins, and arranged for The Coasters.
JN = JACK NITZSCHE
Sonny collaborated with the brilliant arranger / producer from the onset of their friendship (at Specialty Records) until 1964, when he was hired to
write lead sheets. They co-wrote songs and organized recording sessions - with Sonny as producer (and sometimes vocalist), and Jack arranging.
Their greatest success came in 1963 when The Searchers covered "Needles & Pins". Unconcerned with genre limitations or traditional approaches,
Jack Nitzsche helped many a song belie its ordinary origins. His signature string figures - whether ethereal or on-the-attack - and his percussive
surprises added delicious flavors to his confoundingly diverse rhythmic structures.
Jack Nitzsche's most respected and valued talent however was his mastery of his trade: he was able to transpose entire orchestral arrangements on the job, and with astonishing speed. Such men once walked the planet - they now no longer do...visit HERE and enter the world of Jack Nitzsche: The Sorcerer's Apprentice.
