By the mid to late 60s, a new breed of session players began to take a foothold in the Hollywood recording studios. Not only were these guitarists master technicians and readers, they had also been nurtured on rock music. They possessed the feel, the sounds, the latest equipment, electronic effects and other gadgetry required to accurately represent the genre – a rock musicmind set, if you will. Hence, many of the established session players readily passed the gauntlet over to their younger collegues. These unheralded Hollywood session guitarists have been heard on thousands of recordings, television and movie soundtracks and commercials. And, as with their respected predecessors, they continue to maintain the highest standard of music.
At the helm of the West Coast recording scene, studio giant Bob Bain earned his place as the number one guitarist for many Hollywood studios. The heart of the book contains a biographical account of Bain’s personal musical contributions, experience and recollections over his prestigious career of more than 60 years.
Bain spent years on live radio; worked with big name artists such as Tommy Dorsey, Harry James, Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole and Peggy Lee; and held the guitar chair for one of the greatest television orchestras of all time—The Tonight Show Band.
During the 1930s and '40s, the Big Band Era and national radio broadcasts found the guitar slowly emerging from its status as a rhythm instrument to a viable, natural melodic voice. A minute number of guitarists would later capture the infectious sound of the guitar in the recording studios, releasing lasting audio impressions of the instrument, on a grand scale, onto the masses via records, early television and motion pictures.
Featuring jazz and studio guitar pioneers, a recording studio legend, and Hollywood session players,
Strings of Memories contains a definitive collection of stories and interviews of many unheralded guitarists whose playing has filled the ears and touched the hearts of millions and continues to inspire and influence guitar players and music lovers everywhere. Along the way, several important guitarists segued from the recording studios to expound, develop and create the standards of jazz guitar.
All told, Strings of Memories provides the reader not only valuable insight into the actual mechanics of the recording process, but also the names, places, events and musical milestones that played a significant role in the evolution of American popular music. This book is a must-read for guitar aficionados, as well as anyone interested in the history of recorded music.