Ross didn’t want me to sit next to Jimmy Page.  Based on what I’d written on my WEBSITE!

But I love Led Zeppelin!  I just didn’t want to see them reunite and ruin the legacy.  It’s tragic that John Lennon and George Harrison are deceased, but we’re saved from the spectacle of old men traipsing around the world in pursuit of money they don’t need just so people who weren’t there can get a peek at history…a calcified recreation of what once was.  It would be like reuniting with a summer camp squeeze and expecting it to feel the same as when you were ten.  That’s impossible.

But I didn’t care.  I was displeased with the misperception of my feelings towards Jimmy, but I didn’t need to sit next to him, I didn’t even need to meet him, the music was enough.

So I sat a bit further down the row, and endured an introduction on a P.A. so weak that all I could do was punch out tweets on my BlackBerry.  I got worried. What if the movie’s amplification was just as poor?

But it wasn’t.

"It Might Get Loud" is a summit meeting between three legendary guitarists, Jack White, the Edge and the aforementioned Mr. Page.  They ultimately unite for a confab on a soundstage in Burbank, where they ruminate on where they’re coming from and eventually play a great take on "In My Time Of Dying" and a superfluous, weak "The Weight".  And in between, we go into each of the three’s roots.

Edge is without pretense.  He says it’s all about effects.  Plays us demos from "The Joshua Tree".  Goes back to school and tells us how U2 came to be, interspersed with some hilarious video from before they were the biggest band in the world.

Jack White takes a page from Bob Dylan.  You’re not sure what’s real and what’s a put-on.  But he does come up with the film’s best line, saying the audience KNOWS!  If you’re for real.  If you said the same thing the night before.  If you’re employing the same set list.  Maybe this is why he’s got an ongoing career and so many of today’s wannabes don’t.  It’s about understanding the audience, not the media.

And then there was Mr. Page.

Just as I was getting comfortable in my seat, just as I’d settled into WATCHING this movie, Jimmy strapped on a sunburst Les Paul and started to play…

A tingle just shot through my body thinking about it.

You know how Jimmy holds his guitar so low, down by his pubic area, like it’s a sexual being, not a musical instrument?  He’s not just playing, he’s romancing the entire instrument, the neck is bobbing and weaving, the body of the Gibson is throbbing, and with his nimble fingers, Jimmy Page is playing RAMBLE ON!

The track has not been overdubbed after the fact, the original master has not been stripped in, this is the guy who wrote and played it standing there and WHIPPING IT OFF!  And in classic "Led Zeppelin II" fashion, he’s not playing to the last row, there’s that subtlety that separated the band from its imitators, they could be quiet as well as heavy.

And speaking of quiet, when Jimmy sat on a stool in the garden of Headley Grange and played "The Battle Of Evermore", I got goosebumps.

But "Ramble On" was the peak.  Better than Jimmy playing the riff from "Whole Lotta Love" on the soundstage.  There was a lyricism, a whole story was unfolding in his playing.

I played "Led Zeppelin II" for a week straight.  After buying it the day of release.  I thought I never needed to hear it again.  But years later, when the focus was no longer on it, it turned out to be one of those mementos of youth that was just as vital today as it was back then.  Somehow, music can do that. People age, but not tunes.  Not the best ones.

My leg is bouncing, my body is twisting.  I’m surveying the theatre, I see no concomitant movement.  How can this BE?  Has our nation been castrated to such a point that viewers need to take their cues from television?  Can they only be infected, jump up and down when they’re in front of the stage at an overpriced gig?  This performance of "Ramble On" was the essence of the experience.  It was the zenith of rock and roll.  Jimmy said how the critics didn’t get it.  And he was right.  But the public did.  Led Zeppelin was instantly successful.

But the band didn’t become gods, didn’t become truly legendary until the fourth, untitled album.

That’s the one with "Stairway To Heaven".

But dedicated listeners, even casual ones, the album sold double digit millions, are familiar with the closer, the last song on the second side, "When The Levee Breaks".

The heaviest track ever recorded.

That’s what I call it.  It’s like being beaten over the head with a sledgehammer…AND LIKING IT!

Like I said, they shot a bunch of footage at Headley Grange, where the fourth album was cut.  Jimmy hasn’t been there in a long lonely, lonely, lonely, lonely, lonely time.  He’s overwhelmed at first.  Then he starts telling stories.  About the mobile truck outside (and a picture is flashed…that truck was HUGE!)  They ran cables up the stairways, out the windows, it was key to be in an environment unsullied by everyday life.

And John Bonham ordered a new set of drums.  And his tech set up this kit in the entry hall, with its multiple story ceiling, so Bonzo could check it out.  And once Bonham started to play, they decided to record RIGHT THERE!

Then Jimmy claps his hands.  As he’s standing in this entry hall.  And you hear that unmistakable echo, the sound of late night seventies parties, of lying on your bedroom floor in the dark, listening to "When The Levee Breaks".

It was ASTOUNDING!  It sounded JUST LIKE THE RECORD!

At the afterparty, Ian Montone introduced me to Jack White.  Who did a double take, and then said "The Lefsetz LETTER"?

I LOVED that!

And since Peter wanted to meet Jimmy, Marc ended up introducing us.  We ended up having a conversation about being best man at failed weddings. Had to give Jimmy credit, he knew how to play this game, he knew how to be warm and personable.  And how do you not love a man who lets his hair go gray, who owns his age?

It’s been a long strange trip.  From discovering a left behind guitar in a new abode to playing sessions to being in the biggest band of its era, the second biggest band of all time.

Yes, the Beatles were bigger.  But they were different.  They were the darlings, the sunny boys who could be endorsed by the media, cheeky and lovable. Zeppelin were different.  There was an inherent darkness.  You hear it in the music.  They’re looking for satisfaction, but still living along the way.  And life is hard.  It’s dark and creepy with a bit of exuberance sprinkled in.  Like Led Zeppelin’s music.  Zep’s music wasn’t one note, it was like life, it covered the spectrum of emotions.  And for this reason, we cannot forget it.

When you see Jimmy Page play these tunes up close and personal in this movie you’ll be flabbergasted.  It’s not like a concert, where you can hear but not really see.  When you see Jimmy’s fleet fingers fly across the fretboard, when you see his right hand pick out the notes, you experience the true spirit of rock and roll, in all its power and glory.  These moments are not only worth the price of admission, they’re what we live for!

It might get loud

I’m very saddened to hear about Barry Beckett’s passing. He played organ and keyboards on my very first LP "I’m Just A Prisoner" for Rick Hall’s Fame label in 1969. A lot of people give Rick credit for the Muscle Shoals southern soul sound and he deserves it. But, Barry also deserves a lot of that credit because Rick picked him and Eddie Hinton, David Hood and the rest of those guys to help create and establish that sound.

I got to see Barry again back in 2005. After being away from R&B music for over 20 years, Honest Jons label in London got me in the studio to record "His Hands" at Mark Nevers’ Beech House studio in Nashville. Mark thought it would be cool to get some of the people who played on my first album and he reached out to Barry and he came and we had a nice reunion. It was so good to see him again. He was walking really slow but once he stood at that organ, no one could out run him. His fingers were as nimble and fluent as they ever were. He was a special man and I loved the sounds he made.

One day during a recording break on "His Hands", Chip Young, who had played guitar with Elvis and and so many others, and I sat on the swing as Barry and Chip were trading war stories. I’ll never forget that day.

Candi Staton

___________________________________

Jeez

Ya left out Beckett’s electric piano on Dylan’s "You Gotta Serve Somebody" and fearful, you might have missed it, I am enclosing one of the HEADFUCKS of ALL TIME – Don Covay’s reggae take on Chuck Berry’s "Memphis" one of Muscle Shoals greatest exports featuring Barry’s wonderfullness.

Al Kooper

___________________________________

I made my second album in Muscle Shoals with Beckett and the Rhythm Section. It was an eye opening experience, I was really just a kid. He was great to me, they all were. I met him again many years later when I lived and worked in Nashville, and we were always happy to see one another.
I am so sorry to hear of his passing. He was a giant talent, quiet and brilliant,  and a very good man.
So sorry.

Wendy Waldman

P.S. he was only 66. wow.

___________________________________

When I was about 20 years old I met this drummer, Mark.  I was trying to put together a band and we got together to ‘jam’.  We met at his old man’s house to play in some underground basement like kids do.  We played a few things.  New songs, old songs.  Good covers, bad covers, etc.  About 30 minutes in we tried an original that I’d written.  We finished, the door opens and it’s Barry Beckett.

Shit Mark’s last name is…… Beckett….. his DAD is Barry Beckett, didn’t put that together.  Sorry, I was 20! Anyhow, he said, "What was that?"  I gave him the title.  He said, "Did you write that?"  "Yes sir."  A sly, semi-approving grin and then, "Pretty good. Keep it up."  
It felt like high praise to me at the time.  Mark and I never started a band.  I’ve seen him again off and on over the years.  To he and his whole family my most sincere condolences.

Will Hoge

___________________________________

I had the pleasure of working with Barry Beckett in 1978 while playing sax with Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes. We went to Muscle Shoals to record the album, "The Jukes", and I’ll never forget the feeling of awe I had during those sessions. Beckett was warm, enthusiastic but, as he should have been, unsparing in his desire to get the best performances out of us. Sadly, I never worked with him again. What an amazing musician.

Stan Harrison

___________________________________

Barry and I decided we were going to make an album with Lonnie Mack somewhere back in the ’80’s. Barry’s first order of business was to spend several hours discussing EXACTLY how far behind the beat the kick drum should be in order to create maximum grease in the pocket. What a great lesson in priorities. God bless him.

Larry Hamby

___________________________________

Bob, Sad to read this news! Barry Beckett was the absolute best!!!! A very nice guy to boot. He produced "Gotta serve somebody" if my memory serves me well. Sad. He was a one of a kind genius.

Are you aware that a great and generous guy in Nashville named Joe Chambers has made a "Musicians Hall of Fame" to honor the great unheralded studio players. It’s a block from the country Music Hall of fame here in Nashville. He’s spent a fortune to honor the session players who’ve for the most part been ignored. It’s fabulous! Not to be missed. I can put you in touch with Joe if you’d like. You’ll love the whole deal. Henry (Gross)

___________________________________

Barry Beckett was once very nice to me, when he didn’t have to be. I was the new kid at Warner Bros. in Burbank, a lowly creative services writer, and they sent me to Nashville because I was from Texas and they thought I’d dig the division. It was in an old home for unwed mothers near Music Row. Cool, with an Austin vibe. But I wandered around the building and didn’t know anyone. I came across Beckett, who invited me into his office and asked me what I did. We started talking about music, and he quickly discovered not only was I a huge soul music fan, I knew all his playing. But that didn’t matter to him, really. He just liked to talk about singers and songwriters and what was going on in music. It was 1986, and he made a very observant comment: he said the next ten years were going to see who kept growing: George Strait or Randy Travis. Well, we know who won that race, but Barry was talking about how each would be challenged with material and players and how they really defined themselves. Barry Beckett was one of the greatest keyboard players who ever lived, but even more he was an elegant and intelligent man who was nice to strangers. That’s what made him truly great.

Bill Bentley

___________________________________

In late 1980 I took my first trip to Muscle Shoals to meet Barry and plug songs for his upcoming Delbert McClinton session.

I will never forget the hospitality shown me by Barry and his entire staff, family, and friends.

Unlike L.A., where I was living and working at the time, everyone in Muscle Shoals opened their doors, and invited me in.

It was at Halloween and Barry invited me to come to his home for a costume party. I’ll never forget when I arrived at his spectacular home a beautiful woman with Dolly Parton size breasts, whom I had never met, approached me and asked me to dance. In the middle of a slow dance she reaches down and pulls two balloons out of here top and says to me, "now, isn’t that better?" The beautiful woman was of course Barry’s wife, Diane. Barry definitely met his match with Diane. Barry, Diane, and their son Mathew, all had a way of making you feel right at home. In later years I had the great opportunity of working with Barry at Warner Bros. Nashville. Barry produced a young singer/songwriter I was working with at the time by the name of Pam Tillis. If you ever get a chance to hear the first single release that Barry produced on Pam at WB’s it is a knock-out "One Of Those Things".

I have had many exciting and wonderful music business experiences over the past 30 odd years but getting to know Barry and his sweet family rank right at the top.

My heart goes out to you Barry, Diane, and Mathew.

Your pal,
Randy Talmadge

___________________________________

Hi Bob,

My very first day in the studio as a greenhorn was at Criteria in Miami, circa 1974. I was the gopher on a Paul Stookey record, and Barry Beckett was arranging and more or less conducting the string section. Everybody took a break after they nailed the take and the double track. I remained in the control room with Barry. I looked at him and said, "Wow, that guy’s really good." Meaning the artist.

Barry looked at me and responded, "You have no idea who that GUY is, do you?" I knew who Peter Paul and Mary were, but never knew Paul by his last name.

Ten years ago, I met with Barry while in Nashville. It was the first time we’d seen each other since that day in 1974. He was old and somewhat shakey. I reminded him of our first meeting, and he said, "I’m surprised you’re still in the business. You weren’t smart enough to bullshit me back then, and you were dumb enough to remind me of it today…. actually, you might be PERFECT for the music business!"

He roared with laughter, tapped me on the head with his cane, gave me a little wink and hobbled away.

Long may you run Barry,

Michael Laskow

___________________________________

You are absolutely right that this is one of the best albums ever, and Barry Beckett’s contribution was enormous.

I consider this to be Phil Ramone’s classic as well. The sounds, textures, balances, and arrangements are all exquisite. Listen to it with headphones and your eyes closed. The way he mixes, he identifies the one moment where an instrument is at it’s most interesting, and then pushes it in the mix. The result is a feeling like the parts are randomly but majestically exploding like fireworks.

Barry Beckett is truly great. So is Paul Simon. A room full of greatness orchestrated by one of the top producers of all time. No wonder it’s a classic.

Michael McCarty

President
EMI Music Publishing Canada

___________________________________

Barry Beckett…the first impression could be of this giant of a muso with the reputation to dwarf anyone – Dylan’s first Grammy, Paul Simon, Rod Stewart, Joe Cocker, Traffic, Delbert McClinton, Kenny Chesney, Hank Jr,..oh uh…gruff, intimidating, large……but then…the twinkle in those blue eyes, that sardonic grin…and you were swept away by his quiet magnetism, his eternal love of music and you were comforted and assured by his deep knowledge of how a studio "works" and how a musician feels…that was Barry Beckett the producer…Barry the player? ..books will be written, stories will be told about that undefinable groove and magic that he brought to every song he played on.

I worked with him several times…once with a very well known band from Europe. They came to Nashville to record an album. After the first studio meeting..not session…he took me aside and said, "we can do this two ways. 1, they can play on the album…it’ll take weeks and it’ll sound like shit…2, they can sing and I’ll get the players. It’ll take a few days and it’ll sound like a real record"

Initially the band – who had been together for years and had many platinum records etc, were a little put out…so Barry said, "OK, you guys try..and then let me try my way". So they did. They did try…and this wasn’t a country record

Barry played keys and booked the most suitable Nashville studio players for that particular sound he was going for…The band did all the vocals and harmonies.

It took a few days, the band had the most incredible fun in the studio, made a huge selling album, made  life long friends with Barry    and it sounded like a real record..

Barry was generous, humorous, curious, particular, warm.and frighteningly groovy.

We lost a great one on Wednesday….and Heaven got a great player with impeccable taste.

RIP.

Paul Zamek.

___________________________________

Don’t forget Mavis Staples calling Barry’s name on "I’ll Take You There," too.

Richard Pachter

___________________________________

I’m a lifelong Nashvillian you’ve never heard of.  About four or five years ago,  I worked at a small talent agency/management company that had an all girl band trying to get a deal.   Barry was producing the demos.  This was before he was in a wheelchair full time.  I remember how arduous it was watching him go from his PT Cruiser to the office.

A guy with his kind of accomplishment in this modern music world would bury you in a narcissitic frenzy.  I knew some of the things he did, but unfortunately his obituary opened up my eyes even farther.  He didn’t know me from Adam’s housecat, but looking back I am stunned at how unassuming he was.  In a PR driven world where shoplifters become gangsters to pump up their street cred, it’s nice to remember that talent brings it’s own credibility.

Thank you,

Scott Hogue

___________________________________

It was 1974 and my band was at RCA studio D in NY doing a demo for one of the RCA A&R guys…We were having all kinds of problems on 2 of our songs as we need piano for the song to sound correct and we did not have a piano player….We didn’t know what to do when out of nowhere a voice came from the control room in a southern twang, " you boys look like you could use a hand, I will be glad to take a shot for you, How bout it" we didn’t have any idea who it was but we needed help so we said yes…When the A&R guy introduced us to him and we found out it was Barry Beckett we freaked as we totally knew who he was and what Muscle Shoals was all about..My God he had played on some of our favorite records and he was willing to sit in with us on our demo….We only had the studio for 2 more hours but Barry pulled the A&R guy out of earshot and when he came back we were told we could stay until we were satisfied we did the best demo we could….Needless to say we did not get signed but I will never forget what a gentleman he was and later when I ran into him numerous times in Nashville I would always thank him for that day and he would smile and say" nothin to it buddy""Glad I could help"….R.I.P.  Barry…There aren’t many more like you around…

Al Marks

___________________________________

Right on again, Mr Bob

Charlie Gillett

___________________________________

bob, this is beautiful.

barry and i were in leadership music together in 2000. he was a giant of a man with a sweet, gentle spirit. we talked for hours about all those sessions. the record he did with delbert mcclinton is still one of my favorites. his son mark is now playing drums on the grand ole opry. he was really proud. he used to share his love of model trains with my kids. god bless you for this wonderful, insightful eulogy.
billy

Billy Block

___________________________________

Bob – Alongside the industry facts that make Barry a giant and a legend, I want to share my memory of him as a generous teacher.  Years ago, he brought me to MS to play guitar on an album project.  I was young, and, as became clear to me after one day with the MS guys, inexperienced.  Barry could have given me the "Look, it’s just not working" speech.  But, each evening, hanging out in the Beckett kitchen, he would find ways to encourage and school me in how to raise my game.  I remain grateful.

Dave Perkins

___________________________________

Like you, I followed Barry’s career via liner notes but I met him once and was very impressed by him. I think it must have been at the time he was working at Warner Bros. in Nashville.  A wonderful guy to talk music to.

And I have been to Muscle Shoals and my buddy Rodney Hall, Rick’s son, still runs the Fame Studio there and you can feel the magical presence of all of those early Swamper sessions there even though many of the  players long migrated to Nashville where there was more work (some have drifted back into town). But the feel is still there.

I deeply mourn Barry’s passing.

Larry LeBlanc

___________________________________

As former studio manager of Ocean Way Nashville, I had the honor and the pleasure to work with Barry on a few occasions in the studio. I can honestly say that Barry was the real deal. He demanded and nurtured the best from the people around him and it was all about how it moved him or made him feel. He produced and played keyboards from his soul, not from his head. He was a good man and truly one of the pioneers of our industry. He and his ability to create something amazing, brilliant and life changing out of an emotion will be sorely missed. Rest in peace Barry. Music Row will never be the same.

Sharon Corbitt-House

___________________________________

Beckett on Communique: still my favorite Dire Straits album – the production on that captures an atmosphere that made me play it ad infinitum!

Neville Klotz

___________________________________

I bought Etta James’ Seven Year Itch in the early 90s when I was about 22 years old – around the time when Muscle Shoals became the center of my music universe. I would pour over the credits, too, trying to learn about players and producers and such.

Barry Beckett produced that album.  Check out her incredible take on "The Jealous Kind." I’ve been trying to do that version justice since then.

Thank you for recognizing Mr. Beckett today.

Kristi Johnston

___________________________________

So sorry to hear that about Barry. He was a player’s player but also had the knowledge & understanding about the business to create a musical Mecca of "feel" & "grooves" in the middle of nowhere ( Muscle Shoals, Alabama) He was, ( and his rhythm section of players) for the most part the sound of Muscle Shoals. If you wanted that fat back beat, skanky, swampy groove, that could make U move, Muscle Shoals Sound had it goin’ on.

As a young session player, I transplanted myself from NY to Alabama in the late 70’s just to be part of that scene. I did the right thing. RIP BB.

Michael Panepento

___________________________________

Amen Bob. Traffic on the Road was my first introduction to Traffic, and imagine my shock when I discovered that Barry Beckett and David Hood and Roger Hawkins were not regulars of the band and were not on the other more famous albums!

Doctor Alias

___________________________________

RE: Re-Barry Beckett/Fire Inside

Bob :

So THAT’S Bobby Beckett, playing piano on the greatest song Springsteen never wrote and Roy Bittan never played on?  Amazing work, on an amazing song. Talk about songs you wanna hear blasting out of your car stereo, windows rolled down, pedal to the metal,  screaming down an open highway in the middle of the night.

Russ Novack

___________________________________

Thank you for your great words  about a great man-Barry.  He was a gentle giant whom Mavis Staples urged to "play on it, play on it, play your piano" in I’ll Take You There.  And another great record by Mel and Tim- Starting All Over Again- was  co-produced by Barry and Roger Hawkins.__

I knew him well and saw him work with Wexler a lot.  He will be greatly missed.__

Thanks again  Bob,_
Charlie Feldman

___________________________________

You’re wrong about the "was." He lives on in every "southern" or soulful musician, singer-songwriter…whether they knew him or not. The real music transcends anything as puny as death. John "hound" brown

___________________________________

i worked with barry in nashville in the 1980’s.

thank you for bringing this legend to light.

miss you barry.

randy singer

___________________________________

…he was a humble, lovable guy who just liked to play piano as part of the process…no ego….just "let’s go."

Mitchell Fox

___________________________________

Bob,

I read your articles weekly, if not daily.  Great stuff, and without blowing "smoke", I truly thank you for providing insight at a much-needed time in our business.

I especially thank you for giving honor and a tip of the cap to Barry
Beckett; I had the honor of spending some time with him while he was still with us, and he will be missed here in Nashville.

Best regards,

George Ducas

___________________________________

This is the first I’ve heard of Barry’s demise. Damn.

He was a monster player, but also a true gentleman. I facilitated his getting the production gig for Jason & The Scorchers when I was with A & M, and later had the pleasure of pitching songs to him on numerous occasions (one of which he actually cut). He was always gracious, funny, and willing to tell a good story.
We’ll miss him here on Music Row.

Best,

Max Hutchinson

___________________________________

Dear Bob,

Barry Beckett was my friend. Not a close friend, but as music publisher, he , being a record producer, always took my calls, told me what artists he was looking for, or what sessions were coming in to the studio. He always listned to the songs I sent him and he always told me the truth….If he hated a song, he told me, and if he liked it, he would file it away in his song file.

To me, he was always a straight shooter and he cut a lot of songs of mine with his artists. We last spoke a few years ago. We were both laughing at me giving up my carear to be a "house mom" to my daughter and about him producing country artists….Where life takes us is always a mystery. Yes, he was an incrediable talent, but to me he was always a great human being…one who left this place called earth, a much better place to be, simply because he was here!
R.I.P. Barry Beckett
Always and forever my friend

Stephen-Craig Aristei
Creative Talent Management
The Rights Company

___________________________________

Very sad, and also sad that he might get more attention now than he did when he was alive.

Barry also produced Phish’s album, Rift, which might be their best studio album from beginning to end (in my opinion).

Marc Lawrence

___________________________________

I loved his keyboard work with Bob Seger.That was the first I had heard of him.

On a "Against the Wind" the subtle touches that he added were just perfect,not a note out of place.

Thanks Barry R.I.P

And thanks Bob for reminding us of him and many others that we sometimes take for granted when listen to our favorite music.

Tino Perez

___________________________________

In the early ’80s I went to Muscle Shoals to interview Barry Beckett for a British radio series. Fascinating as our conversation was for a fan of ’60s R&B like me, I remember thinking it wouldn’t make such ear-catching radio as a more excitable man exclaiming, "Wow, we really nailed it that night!" In spite of his crucial contribution to some of the greatest records ever made, what I got on tape was a working musician talking about his job with strikingly diffident modesty – a trait shared by just about every other Southern musician I was lucky enough to talk to.

Best
John Pidgeon

___________________________________

He was a truly a good man. He loved music, made great records and treated people (particularly songwriters) with the respect they deserved. Although there are too many great performances to accurately pick a "best", I personally loved the piano on the end of "I Go Crazy" by Paul Davis. May a great man rest in peace and his family find comfort in this sad time.
Brian Rawlings

___________________________________

Wait until well after midnight, turn off all the lights save one candle, pour a long pull of your favourite drink, turn the tuner up to 10 and drop the needle on "Loan Me A Dime" from Boz Scaggs’ 1st album recorded with Duane Allman and the Muscle Shoals house band. Boz dives to the depths of his soul, Duane reaches for the sky but the first thing you hear is Barry Beckett framing this piece with a keyboard riff that sets up one of Rock’s most emotive tracks.

Andrew Forsyth  
___________________________________

Barry Beckett will be remembered by all as one of the greatest "groovemeisters" of all time He once produced tracks to try to get me a deal on Warner Bros. He could dial in a feel for the track by the way  he played time He cut slot of my songs through the years and I was always so proud, cause he honestly loved the music. I’ve already been missing seeing him anymore, I’m glad he’s free now as he was when he made music

Gary Nicholson

___________________________________

Hi,Bob! I was so very happy that you led off your tribute to Barry Becket by mentioning his out-of this- world work on the wonderful Paul Simon track "One Man’s Ceiling".Many years ago,a sort of semi-supergroup lurked in these parts comprised of all the best players in town not otherwise occupied.For a spell this band worked the bar circuit here(I live in Winnipeg,Manitoba).For a time I found that if I hustled,I could wrap my gig up and get to a club to see Papa Pluto(featuring Kurt Winter of Guess Who fame on guitar),thrash out an insanely wonderful version of the Simon chestnut,featuring a young gentleman named Fred Redeckop on piano and vocals.Some nights I can still the shivers doen my spine recalling the song,the band,(to a man,they all deserved to go farther,can’t say enough about the talent level).Many years later,I found myself laid over in Florence,Alabama,and slipped over to Fame Studios for a look.During my time there I was fortunate enough to meet Barry,(and a couple of other local legends),And found him to be a genuine kind-hearted’down-to-earth guy.He clued me in on where to see some great live music and some of the very best bbq it’s ever been my privilige to overindulge in.There were giants in those days.Ernie B.

___________________________________

TRIBUTE TO BARRY BECKETT
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0dEwSYj_wo

Jeffrey Ainis

___________________________________

In late 1983, when Phil Ramone was asked by Ahmet Ertegun to produce John Lennon’s son, Julian, Phil was determined to make the best album possible. Phil knew it would be a daunting task with John Lennon having left us just a few years earlier, but he was of the firm belief he could do it.  (And if you know Phil Ramone, you know he does what he puts his mind to!)

Phil listened to Julian’s demos, had several creative meetings with Julian and Ahmet and suggested we go and cut basic tracks at Muscle Shoals, where he did the legendary Paul Simon masterpiece There Goes Rhymin’ Simon.

I was just a few years older than Julian and we spent quite a bit of time together.  Julian didn’t know the legacy of the place we were about to inhabit, wasn’t perfectly sure this was the right move, yet had faith in Phil. I knew that once we hit the searing heat of the South and learned about this vaunted venue, Julian would know why we were there.

We arrived at the local airport, picked up our 12 seat white Dodge
passenger van, which I drove as the young production manager, dropped off our gear and bags at the local Holiday Inn and made our way to one of the most historic recording studios on the planet. (Yes, right up there with A&R Recording and The Hit Factory in NY, Air Studios and Abbey Road in London, Criteria in Miami, Guillaume Tell in Paris, Oceanway, The Village Recorder, Conway, Westlake and so many others in Los Angeles.

Muscle Shoals Studios was a legendary recording studio not only because of its stellar clientele—Aretha, Paul Simon, Wilson Pickett, the Staple Singers–as well as all the local products who made memorable records there, but because of the best rhythm section on the planet. THAT WAS WHY WE WERE GOING TO MUSCLE SHOALS.

On a boiling hot day, Phil, Julian, myself, his manager and his guitar
player walked into an old, battered shell of a recording facility in the deep South. Everyone’s reaction (excluding Phil’s of course) was, sheesh, what is this?  Nothing fancy, incredibly-plain looking, dull white walls, older than old, quite ordinary.

One by one, out of the kitchen area stepped David Hood, Roger Hawkins, Jimmy Johnson and the one and only Barry Beckett to introduce themselves. Humble, introspective, quiet, warm. It was the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section. They were delighted to see Phil and sincerely happy to meet Julian and his entourage.

We sat around and Phil laid out his plan on how this two week jaunt was going to play out. Then Barry start to talk. I’ll always remember Barry for how well he treated Julian and us. Like a father figure, listening to Phil and Julian’s creative ideas, guiding them, the band and the boy wonder, Julian, to his million-plus selling debut release.

He was the band leader for our dates, but so much more.  His storytelling was amazing and it wasn’t just from all the dates the Rhythm Section played on in their life. He had a true sense of caring and it lived in all the stories he shared. His keyboard playing was indescribable:  fluid, melodic, sweeping, grand, rhythmic and much more.

Etta James, Aretha Franklin, Bob Dylan, Laura Nyro, Bob Seger, Leon Russell, Linda Ronstadt, Boz Scaggs, Willie Nelson, Rod Stewart and so many others.  Just a snapshot of those he played with and/or produced.

He was a major, major star, producing Dylan, playing on scores of massive hits and he was the complete humble Southern gent to a t.  I think of Barry often and cannot believe he’s gone.

Session Player. Producer. Teacher. Friend.

My trip to Muscle Shoals at a young age remains one of many deeply-ingrained magical memories in my mind.

Go in peace, Barry. There was no one like you.

Joe D’Ambrosio

___________________________________

Bob,

Thanks for this, studio players like Barry were artists themselves in their ability to bring these great songs to life with groove, imagination, melody and soul.

I’ve had the pleasure of playing with quite a few great session players from that era (some you would know and some who have remained in obscurity), these individuals are our greatest teachers and very very few young cats coming up today have had the opportunity to learn directly from these masters (the way guys like Barry did in the 40s/50s when a vibrant music community was essential at all levels).

In 2009, with no "studio scene" or even a vibrant "club scene" for live music, music education has moved into the schools where it is turning out lots of great technicians who then graduate and have no way to make a living and no strut in their step. Great musicianship used to be earned with the hard knocks of late nights gigging and begging to get on the band stand only to finally get on and get screamed at by old bad asses like Barry Beckett! That makes you go home and practice! I was lucky enough to come up in Milwaukee in the early 90’s where clubs like the Up & Under guaranteed this environment, even for a 16 year old who snuck in and jammed…that era appears to be gone.

We need to embrace our great rhythm sections again (the old and the new), music does not truly come alive without them, the groove is in the rub and that comes from flesh and bone communication, soul to soul.

I’ve had the honor of playing guitar in Gregg Allmans band since 2008. This band has the legendary Jerry Jemmott on bass (playing his ass off), check out his discography (after all, he is also one of the GREAT muscle shoals session men)! The great Steve Potts (from Booker T and the MGs) is on drums, this section cooks! The band is rounded out with even more incredible talent, Bruce Katz on keys, Jay Collins on sax and Floyd Miles on percussion and vocals. Not to mention Gregg who is singing his ass off!

Not that this band needs props or an advertisement. But I would encourage you and your readers to come hear this band, and hear someone like Jerry Jemmott play the bass while they still can! (hes not going ANYWHERE soon but now IS the time!!) We’re about to do a west coast run:

www.greggallman.com

Come support the Barry Becketts of old and new, yours in protection of the groove,

Scott Sharrard

___________________________________

Barry’s legacy continues with his sons Matthew, a fine engineer and Mark an incredible ,  up and coming session drummer . Like their father, they are both kind and upstanding gentleman . I know their father was proud !

Bruce Bouton.

___________________________________

Hello Bob..

I just wanted to take a minute and say thank you for the letter you wrote on your site about my father..Barry Beckett.  A musician buddy of mine sent it to me and I have read it numerous times…welling up or crying everytime I do so.  It does me proud to know that you and so many other people thought so much of him and his talents.  He truly was one of a kind.

I will be putting together a memorial for him at the Musicians Hall of Fame very soon….Please come if you can.  It would be nice to see you.

Thanks
Mark Beckett

Somewhere tonight…….   Someone listens to their favorite song.  Maybe on the radio…. Maybe on satellite….  Maybe on cd or vinyl ….   Odds are barry beckett is playing piano..   He produced my first two albums.   He Taught me!  Inspired me! Made me reach for more. He was one of the first to ever believe in a kid from Knoxville, Tennessee who used to sit out in the back yard in the middle of the night and stare at an open sky…..  Knowing that there was something more….  I loved him…..    I will take barry everywhere!   I always have and I always will.  He taught me to put a smile in everything.   That’s important in life and especially to those of us who have music on our lives.  Who are consumed by it…. My life is consumed by it and Barry Beckett is to blame and I am forever grateful !!!!

Kenny Chesney

Sent from my iPhone

__________________________________

Thanks for what you wrote……   I am in moline, Illinois tonight…..  Just finished a show and tonight I am so proud to be a music man…..   Barry taught me how along with countless others……  Kenny

Sent from my iPhone

__________________________________

I had the great honor of working with Barry on the Bob Seger record he was producing "The Fire Inside" many years ago.
He was such a great guy and a total pro and I was the weird guy from LA in Nashville before Nashville became what it is today. I remember him taking me in to the hallway of the studio saying "we do things a little slower here so just relax and enjoy". He was referring to the fact that in LA everything was done at a faster pace. I guess I was a little nervous working with legends.
He was a gentleman’s gentleman and one of the very best keyboard player/Producers I have had the pleasure of working with. I learned alot.  He will be missed. God Bless him.

Luke
(Steve Lukather)

__________________________________

I had the pleasure of working with Barry Becket in 1971 down in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. Ahmet Ertegun had just signed Mark Rodney and myself and that’s where he wanted to produce our first album, Off The Shelf. I was 18 years old at the time and had never heard of Muscle Shoals but I am so glad I got to enjoy that experience. Barry was clearly the leader but the rhythm section of Roger Hawkins, David Hood and Jimmy Johnson. They were the perfect choice for Mark and myself. I would sit with Barry and he would chart out the songs for the other guys. I don’t think he’d seen the likes of us before and at one time during writing the charts he looked up and asked, "How do you come up with this stuff?"

Most of the takes we did were first takes including "Can You See Him" which had a four minute jam which sounds as if we’d played it forever. I realize that our record was not nearly as famous as many Barry and the gang played on but his piano part on "Working Man, Blind Man" was made up on the spot as we cut the track and it was great. His parts were subtle but fantastic! I later ran into to him hanging out  at the Troubadour when he was touring with Traffic and he got me some tickets for their Long Beach show which I thought was very cool and they sounded great!

John Batdorf

Someday, long after Paul Simon’s dead, people are going to realize "There Goes Rhymin’ Simon" is one of the best albums of all time.

Paul Simon is not lovable.  And he’s not dangerous.  And without those two qualities, you get neither a victory lap nor a ton of gossip ink.  But the work, the work endures.

Paul’s first solo album ended up with a couple of hits, but the intimacy didn’t register with the cognoscenti, hipsters avoided it.  And missed out on intimate tracks like the almost creepy because it’s so personal "Duncan" and the exquisite "Armistice Day".  Almost pissed that he didn’t get his due, Paul went back into the studio with something to prove.  And recorded "There Goes Rhymin’ Simon", an album with no losers, as perfect in its own way as "Who’s Next".

But although "Baba O’Riley" and "Won’t Get Fooled Again" cleaned up on the FM, "Kodachrome" and "Loves Me Like A Rock" were gigantic on the AM, in an era when Top Forty was pooh-poohed, considered a joke.  "There Goes Rhymin’ Simon" was purchased by millions, but without that hipster FM play, no one seems to remember the album cuts.

But I do.

The reason I’ll never forget "Rhymin’ Simon", the reason I speak of it today, bring it up in conversation on a regular basis, is Barry Beckett’s playing on "One Man’s Ceiling Is Another Man’s Floor".

It’s like a fairy emerged in the twilight and started walking upon the keyboard in your bedroom, and when you were finally startled awake, this fairy said BOO!

Someone with a degree can explain the technical magic, how Barry does it, all I know is Mr. Beckett’s playing on "One Man’s Ceiling Is Another Man’s Floor" is the essence of music.  With no words, no visual cues, this piano player creates an entire mood, you’re brought to a special place, with all of your history and emotions in your kit bag.

I’m not sure even Barry could have explained it.  Tons of practice, tons of sessions, and this stuff comes out on instinct.

There are great songwriters, great singers, but let us never forget the great players, without whom the songs would be just tracks, not classics.

I learned Barry Beckett’s name by reading the credits.  Over and over again as the LP spun.  I memorized who did what not because there was going to be a quiz, but because I needed to know.  I needed to know everything about the cats who made this music.  My only goal was to get closer.

That’s what blew up this business.  We were like lemmings.  Our minds were absent.  Like some zombie movie, we just had to get closer to the sound.  Not only did we want to go to the gig, we wanted to go to the studio, be a fly on the wall, to find out how these records were made!

Barry Beckett made a lot of records.  His name is strewn over countless classic tracks.  He, more than any other player, not to denigrate his compatriots, made Muscle Shoals, Muscle Shoals.  It sounded so exotic!  It was hard to believe it was just an industrial room in a backwater town.  Because from inside came the sound of life itself!

Barry played with Traffic.  Never mind Aretha and Duane Allman.  You went to Muscle Shoals to get that sound, of the swamp.  Where it was dark, but definitely alive.

I followed him like you do an older brother who’s left home.  Examining every clipping, digging deep whenever I found a reference.  I bought Lenny LeBlanc’s "Breakthrough" just because Barry produced it.  And if you don’t know "Somebody Send My Baby Home" you’re at a true loss, because in my pantheon, this is the number one track about being left behind.

Check allmusic.com.  Or the Wikipedia.  You’ll be stunned who Barry Beckett was.

Yes, was.

Yesterday Barry Beckett died.  He may be a footnote in the press, but in music, he was truly one of the giants.

Barry Beckett, founding member of Swampers, dies after long illness