Hi Bob,<\/p>\n
A couple of pertinent comments\/corrections on Garland Jeffreys.\u00a0 First off, scores of people still around can verify that waaay back in the 1970’s yours truly was 100% responsible for bringing him to A&M.\u00a0 Had been a fan since his only Atlantic lp years before. with a great track, “She Didn’t Lie.” \u00a0The original single of “Wild In The Streets” \u00a0came later.\u00a0 FYI, it was actually a legit hit 45 in a few markets, particularly Cleveland and Boston.\u00a0 Also, it received major airplay\u00a0on fm album rock radio throughout the northeast! \u00a0 Between his Atlantic & A&M\u00a0signings, Arista released a\u00a0weak 7 inch single by Garland, \u00a0“The Disco Kid.” \u00a0And it deservedly bombed.\u00a0 Song was an\u00a0insult to his\u00a0artistic integrity!<\/p>\n
Garland’s A&M debut, “Ghost Writer” had some good original songs like “35mm Dream” \u00a0and “Spanish Town.”<\/p>\n
Both garnered much AOR play. \u00a0“Wild…” had never been in an album and was actually then unavailable.\u00a0 I conspired with Garland (who owned the master) that we HAD to get it on his lp.\u00a0 Jerry Moss did not want this ‘old song’ used and initially rejected it.\u00a0 Finally, Garland had to reshuffle all the tracks (including “Wild”) \u00a0when he presented his ‘final mix’ in a ‘one on one’ meeting with Moss.\u00a0 Jerry gave the whole thing a yes. as he ok’d the mix. \u00a0 After that, Garland mentioned that “Wild” was in there!\u00a0 Moss smirked realizing he had been had and allowed it to happen!<\/p>\n
BTW, without the benefit of anything near a hit single, this album did initially sell over\u00a0100,000 units.\u00a0 Having “Wild\u00a0\u00a0on the album made it sell!\u00a0 Song later became an anthem.<\/p>\n
Also, as you wrote, the two later A&M releases did not do anything.\u00a0 Yet, this great performing talent was able to then record three albums with the giant Epic label. Throughout his A&M and Epic tenure, he toured \u00a0Europe; where he\u00a0became\u00a0a major live draw in France, Germany and elsewhere.\u00a0 Yes, his\u00a0‘star’ actually did rise in Western Europe far more than here.\u00a0 Soooo Garland did indeed achieve success and was able to enjoy it!<\/p>\n
I look forward to seeing the documentary about him.<\/p>\n
Stay well Bob.<\/p>\n
Ron Farber<\/p>\n
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Garland was not easily categorized and that’s what made him so special. As an African-American and Puerto Rican, Garland would blend rock and roll,\u00a0reggae,\u00a0blues, and\u00a0soul. I admired Garland’s cross genre music from the first time I heard his Atlantic album and the song “Ballad Of Me” in 1973. Years later I signed Garland to Epic following his 2 A&M albums including “Ghostwriter”, a classic album IMO with not only “Wild In the Streets” (which is licensed for synch regularly) but “I May Not Be Your Kind”, “New York Skyline” and “35 Millimeter Dreams”. “Matador” on the followup “American Boy and Girl” was indeed a hit across Europe. The first album we made for Epic, “Escape Artist”, became the best selling album of his career and was named by Time Magazine as one of the top albums of 1981.\u00a0The album was produced by Garland and\u00a0Bob Clearmountain\u00a0and the musicians included members of the\u00a0E Street Band,\u00a0the Wailers and\u00a0the Rumour, as well as guitarists G.E. Smith,\u00a0Chuck Hammer\u00a0and\u00a0Adrian Belew.\u00a0 A rocking cover of “96 Tears” went top 5 at album radio and charted pop as did the followup single R.O.C.K Rock.\u00a0 His live shows were universally acclaimed and we cut a great live album in NY and Paris and a much mellower album “Guts For Love” before I left to become head of A&R at PolyGram. After a break from recording Garland returned on RCA with a brave and controversial album entitled “Don’t Call Me Buckwheat” which was a powerful\u00a0statement about race relations in America which RCA naturally had difficulty\u00a0promoting. Of his more recent albums his 2011 album “The King of In Between” is an undiscovered gem (https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/album\/4x5N46AlPoxpKL7ruYQA8e) and also the title of the excellent documentary.<\/p>\n
I can honestly say that Garland is one of my favorite artists I ever worked with and his amazing wife and manager Claire Jeffreys along with daughter Savannah made this documentary to preserve Garland’s legacy as he is suffering from severe Alzheimers.<\/p>\n
Dick Wingate<\/p>\n
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Hi Bob – I wrote & produced a few songs with Garland for a woefully under-heard album called \u201cWildlife Dictionary\u201d in the mid-nineties.<\/p>\n
We became very close friends, though time, & life, gradually led us different directions.<\/p>\n
I have such love for that man. Just a pure artist & soul who knows what he wants to hear & is joyful as a newbie when he hears it. It was a blast creating with Garland.<\/p>\n
He was also a pretty damn savvy investor and introduced me to some great stocks and mutual funds; he even gifted me Warren Buffet\u2019s biography when I had my first kid – it wouldn\u2019t surprise me at all if his investment choices supported him just fine during any fallow periods in this confounding business.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s one of the tracks we did together. I\u2019ve always loved it<\/p>\n
\u201cBoys & Girls\u201d<\/p>\n