The Beatle Who Vanished by Jim Berkenstadt

Whatever happened to Jimmie Nicol? Exclusive interview with author of new book, ‘The Beatle Who Vanished’

Published by Daytrippin.com

By Marshall Terrill

Jimmy Nicol performing in London on the day it was announced that he was to replace Ringo Starr for The Beatles World tour; photo courtesy Jim Berkenstadt

Jimmie Nicol played with the world’s most famous rock group for 13 days…and then years later he walked out of his London flat and disappeared without a trace. In his new book, “The Beatle Who Vanished”, author Jim Berkenstadt uncovers the twisting trail of intrigue that has followed Jimmie Nicol since his disappearance in the late sixties. 

“The Beatle Who Vanished” is the first account of Jimmie Nicol, an unknown drummer whose journey from humble beginnings to improbable climb – rescuing The Beatles’ first world tour from disaster by stepping in for an ailing Ringo Starr – was only part of his legend. Though his 13 days of fame made headlines, the true mystery of Nicol’s account is riddled with blacklisting, betrayal, drug abuse, bankruptcy and an eventual disappearance that leads many to question whether he is dead or alive.

Berkenstadt, the author of several Beatles books, spent six years of his life gum-shoeing the life of Nicol. In this exclusive interview with Daytrippin’, Berkenstadt discusses why the Beatles selected Nicol, his unforgettable 13-day tenure with the Fab Four, and how his 15 minutes of fame turned into nearly a five-decade hangover.  
Q: As you so aptly state in the opening of the book, Jimmie Nicol was a classy footnote in Beatles history. So what made you decide to dedicate six years of research and writing to this project?

JB: “The Beatle Who Vanished” really started out as a challenge to see if I could find enough information to write an article about Jimmie Nicol’s life.  He only ever merits one sentence in Beatles history books and no mention in British music histories.  I got lucky early on finding out the general chronology of his career by locating bands he had played in and then finding members of those bands to talk to me about their lives with Jimmie.  I found that almost universally his friends loved him very much and found him to be generous and highly talented. They all seemed to be rooting for him to succeed.

After a while, I was being connected to various band members from Colin Hicks & His Cabin Boys to Vince Eager & the Quiet Three, the Shubdubs and Spotnicks. This led to my compiling Nicol’s amazing discography and helped piece together the chronology of his career. The recordings I found all over the world, helped me to learn about Nicol’s amazing and creative gift as a drummer, composer, arranger and producer.

The years of writing and research were an amazing journey and challenge. Nicol was an enigmatic character. He always seemed to erase his trail when he moved on, rather than preserve it. The best way to describe my years of research is like a treasure hunt to find thousands of pieces to a giant puzzle. Then after finding all the pieces, one has to use interviews, photos, articles, video, recordings and memorabilia (i.e. posters) to fit the pieces together to create the portrait of Jimmie Nicol that readers will see in the book.

Q: You’ve been a part of the Beatles world for close to 25 years, including working as a consultant on the reissue of “All Things Must Pass” and the Traveling Wilburys box set. Not to mention your other books (“Black Market Beatles: The Story Behind The Lost Recordings” and “The Beatles Digest”) on the Fab Four. How did this help in terms of locating sources for your research?

JB: The two projects you mentioned, along with some of my work for Apple (The Beatles “Help!” DVD and the Cirque Du Soleil “Love” show) involved treasure hunts and connecting with the right people who were eyewitnesses to history. As an attorney, I became adept at research and finding almost anything on the Internet. This would include locating people who are hard to find, long lost news articles in foreign languages and lost audio and video.

Q: Like most people, I have never given much thought to Jimmie Nicol. Were you surprised by the fact that he was such an accomplished drummer before he was asked by the Beatles to fill in for Ringo Starr?

Colin Hicks and The Cabin Boys EP with Jimmie Nicol on drums; courtesy Jim Berkenstadt

JB: I did not know what to expect of Jimmie Nicol’s drumming at first. It took about a year to locate some early 1950s live video performances (which I will put up on my web site at www.thebeatlewhovanished.com) and listening to 45s and LPs that I collected from all of the bands he recorded with before and after his stint with The Beatles. Once I heard the music he had played on, I was blown away by his ability to play not only great rock and roll, but Ska, Big Band, Jazz, R&B and really anything. As the readers will discover, not only was Jimmie a great rock drummer who could step in at the last minute for Ringo, but through a stroke of fate, he already knew the parts to The Beatles current concert set list when they chose him.

Q: How would you compare Nicols’ style of drumming to Ringo Starr’s?

JB: It is interesting to use film clips of both Ringo and Jimmie playing drums with The Beatles, to compare and contrast.  The Beatles were musically a very tight unit. They breathed, moved and played together as one. Imagine how difficult it must have been for them to launch a world tour with a brand new person to drive their rhythm? Nicol came through for them based upon his experience.
From a technique standpoint, both Nicol and Starr employed the matched-grip style of holding the sticks. This was still a new approach to drum technique in 1964.  The matched-grip approach positions the weight of the arms over the stick, allowing the weight to assist in producing a bigger sound. Briefly, Ringo’s style is defined by his staying low to the drums and cymbals for the most part, using his strong/powerful wrists to get a beat that is clear, communicative and which helps define and serve key sections of the song. In contrast, Nicol’s style is more staccato than Starr’s. Nicol employs more of a whipping arm motion from a higher plane down into the drums  which produces a brighter tone (Nicol also sets his stool higher than Starr for this purpose). His performances with The Beatles also highlight more of his R&B and Big Band influences in the way he breaks away from the beat and plays strong fills to set up changes in the tune.

Both styles work well to hold The Beatles together, yet of course; Ringo had recorded the songs in his style, which would be more familiar to fans. However, what fans could actually hear The Beatles at these concerts in 1964?!

Q: You cast a very large net when it came to researching Jimmie Nicols’ life – including trips to England, Holland, and Mexico. I imagine it was a surprise that this book took you around the world?

JB: Almost everything I came to learn about Jimmie Nicol’s life was a surprise. He was the definition of an independent spirit. He often chose the unexpected path. No one could tell him what to do or how to think. Each time he vanished in his career, it would take me awhile to locate where in the world he would show up next! He usually never said goodbye… just walked out the door… to another spot on the globe. Very mysterious. I tried to retrace his footsteps by traveling to England, Sydney, Adelaide and Melbourne to get a feel for the places he had lived and worked. I call that Frequent Flier Research…

Jimmie Nicol drumming for The Beatles in Adelaide, 1964;
photo courtesy Jim Berkenstadt

Q: I was also surprised in your book by the amount of newspapers articles that existed on Nichols in addition to some of the memorabilia and photos you were able to unearth. How lucky were you in this regard?

JB: The articles were not too difficult to find. I would Google rock historians in other countries who had an interest in their country’s music history. They often had links that directed me to what I needed. Google books were very helpful in locating “Billboard” magazine issues mentioning Nicol.  I collected the key British music magazines at EBay in the UK.

Beatles historian Mark Lewisohn was very generous and helpful in pointing me in certain directions and helping me find obscure facts. Kudos to Mark! Many rare photos of Nicol with his various bands such as Vince Eager, The Shubdubs and The Spotnicks were generously loaned to me by band members.

The rare handbills, programs and memorabilia were found on EBay or loaned from collectors worldwide. The Beatles era video and photos are available to watch or license at archives such as Getty. I picked up a set of Beatles autographs with Jimmie Nicol that was signed on their first plane ride for a flight attendant on BEA at Sotheby’s Auctions in 1985. Priceless…. for $200. The first night concert set list from The Beatles First World Tour, (illustrated in the book) was hand-written by Neil Aspinall. He gave it to Lennon, who gave to Nicol, who used it on his bass drum. After the show, Nicol left it. Torben, the drummer for the warm up band The Hitmakers, picked it up as a souvenir and kept it for decades.

LPs were the hardest to locate. I found a Mexican LP Nicol produced and played on in the late sixties called Nicolquinn. It is the only copy in the world I have ever seen. Out of Nicol’s 10-page discography I compiled, I think there is only one 45 record I was unable to locate; likely due to anemic sales at the time.

Q: What were some of the attributes Brian Epstein was looking for when replacing Ringo Starr for the tour, and why do you think they ultimately decided on Jimmie Nicol?

JB: This was an emotional and scary time for Epstein. He had to find a fill-in for Ringo or the entire tour would collapse into a disaster of financial ruin, lawsuits against NEMS and catastrophic bad PR for The Beatles. There were no “out” clauses for illness to postpone tours in 1964. The show must go on! Epstein needed a competent drummer who could drive The Beatles bus while they could comfortably sing and play the songs out front. But he also needed someone who was mature enough not to let the experience go to his head. Maturity, diplomacy and discretion were most needed to fill in. The person chosen would be seeing and experiencing things on tour that did not fit into the current “mop top” family-friendly image, such as sex and drugs.

There are other factors as to why and how Nicol was chosen, but I will leave those to be discovered by the readers.

Q: After the elation of The Call in which Nicol was notified that he would be touring with the Beatles, what sort of pressure do you imagine he was facing?

JB: By the time of The Call, Nicol was a pro. He had played in some of England’s best first generation rock bands, led his own big band and was one of the top 5 session drummers at the time in London. He was a confident and strong player and in the book I explain in detail how he already knew most of Ringo Starr’s drum parts. I think he became nervous once all of the fan attention and media started to surround him. He realized that this was no normal gig and no everyday band. He had the stress of driving the best rock band in the world and he wanted to do his job well.

Q: And conversely, it sounded as if Ringo Starr, though he shouldn’t have been worried, was much more upset than originally reported. What do you think he was going through?

JB: Ringo felt helpless in a hospital bed watching his buddies on TV head off on their first world tour. Keep in mind, Pete Best had been replaced by Ringo after only two years. Now Ringo was being temporarily replaced (two years after Best) by Jimmie Nicol, a well-known London drummer who was in the hottest live band in town, Georgie Fame and the Blue Flames. He was likely a little insecure and worried…

Jimmie Nicol (left) with Paul, George and John at a press conference in Amsterdam, June 1964; photo courtesy Jim Berkenstadt

Q: The most telling quote I found in the book was when Nicol got his first taste of Beatlemania. He said: “The day before I was a Beatle, not one girl would look me over. The day after … they were dying just to get a touch of me. Strange and scary all at once. It’s hard to describe the feeling but I can tell you it can go to your head. I see why so many famous people kill themselves.” That quote is in some ways a cautionary tale…

JB: This is a cautionary tale. In the words of Grammy Producer Butch Vig (Paul McCartney, Nirvana, Green Day), “This is a fascinating and mysterious must read for hardcore Beatles fans, and anyone who wants to understand the meteoric rise to pop stardom and the subsequent crash landing.”

Q: Despite all of the mayhem, it sounds like the Beatles burned the candles at both ends during this tour and Nichol had to force himself to keep up. Amsterdam, in particular, sounded like a wild time.

JB: The whole tour was pretty wild for its time, as readers will see. Keep in mind, Nicol was a few years older than The Beatles and he had done this all before. It is hard to come off stage after a Beatles concert of wild, crazy screaming and simply go to sleep. So, a good time was had by all.

Q: Nicol also endured subtle and not so subtle slights throughout the tour, including a protest by an Australian DJ for not hiring a drummer from Down Under. This must have put a few dents in his armor?

JB: Nicol was very independent and proud. He felt he deserved more respect for his subbing and “saving” the tour from cancellation and disaster. The Beatles were very friendly and respectful. They introduced him at the shows too. But others were not so kind. Along the way, managers of other bands would volunteer their drummer or a DJ would protest the loss of jobs for their country. In addition, the posters and programs all portrayed that Ringo was behind the kit – not Jimmie. Surely this annoyed Nicol, who felt at times like he was under-appreciated. I think over the years, these and other issues revealed in the book, had an impact on his psyche.

Q: They say every picture tells a story, but that photo in your book of Jimmie Nicol sitting alone in the Sydney Airport after his tenure was over is haunting…it’s almost as if you can read his mind: “My life just peaked.”

JB: That photo is quite haunting. Nicol is deep in thought. One day you are on top of the entertainment world. The next day, you are on your way home. What does the future hold? Can it ever be as amazing as what you have just gone through? Can one ever go back to their everyday life? What does 15 minutes of fame do to someone? I will leave it to readers to see what Jimmie had to say about that amazing photo. I found it in the archives of an Australian newspaper and licensed if for the book. In my mind it had to be a full page, to convey its intensity.

Nicol performed the job admirably received a 500-pound bonus and a gold watch. I can’t help but feel that he felt hollow inside.

How he felt about The Beatles experience seemed to change over the years. I don’t want to give away the story, but it is quite interesting and mysterious.

Jimmie Nicol with all four Beatles in Melbourne;
photo courtesy Jim Berkenstadt

Q: Thanks to your meticulous research, the Jimmie Nichol story doesn’t end in 1964. Can you give readers a brief sketch of what he did in the sixties, seventies and eighties?

JB: The research was intense. Over 700 footnotes. Hundreds of interviews with his friends, bandmates and eyewitnesses.  Before The Beatles, Nicol played rock, jazz, big band, R&B and Ska in a number of bands from the late 1950s to 1964. He then started to get involved in recording sessions and arrangements. He created a pre-Beatles band called Jimmie Nicol & the Shubdubs, which he also carried on with later. Nicol rode a roller coaster of successes with different tours, recording projects and non-musical occupations. He also had failures along the way, including band breakups, bankruptcy, divorce and more.

Q: If there is a message or subtext to “The Beatle Who Vanished,” what would you like you to convey?

JB: I think this is an interesting story on two levels. First, piecing together the career of someone who is really forgotten in history is one part detective work and one part jigsaw puzzle assembly.  There were thousands of pieces to Nicol’s puzzle; especially because he had the ability to vanish and move to another country. More importantly, a portrait emerged about a very talented person who experiences a huge ride to the top of the entertainment world – at a very young age and for a very short time. I wanted to explore what those 15 minutes of fame were like and how it then affects the rest of their life. Hopefully, I have been successful in conveying Nicol’s story, which is clearly a cautionary tale.

Note: Visit the official website for “The Beatle Who Vanished” at www.thebeatlewhovanished.com where you can read a free excerpt and watch the official video promo. You can “friend” the author, Jim Berkenstadt on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/RockAndRollDetective
 
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Marshall Terrill is the author of 16 books. His next literary endeavor will be a photo/passage book with guitarist Laurence Juber called “Fifty Years on Six Strings.” It will be published in November 2013 by Dalton Watson Fine Books.

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Stumbling On Open Ground to be published Jan. 15

STUMBLING ON OPEN GROUND REVEALS

MUSIC INDUSTRY ICON’S FAITH IN THE FACE OF CANCER

NASHVILLE, Tenn.— GRAMMY® Award-winning former Beatles executive and music industry icon Ken Mansfield chronicles a deeply personal journey of faith and struggle in his highly-anticipated fourth title, Stumbling on Open Ground: Love, God, Cancer, and Rock ‘n’ Roll (Thomas Nelson, January 15).

Revealing ongoing trials with two bouts of cancer, Mansfield’s memoir thoughtfully frames his spiritual struggle and physical pain in the light of ultimate healing and triumph. Sharing personal prayers and honest insight alongside remarkable moments from his storied music career, he confronts his failing body, a faith that both falters and soars, and the questions that aren’t supposed to be asked—but need to be answered.

Stumbling on Open Ground also features contributions from Mansfield’s wife of 25-years, Connie. Offering a candid glimpse into a marriage facing one of life’s greatest challenges, the couple trace the work of an extraordinary God who has transformed them both in the process.

 

“Dealing with cancer is not as linear as most books describe the ordeal,” Mansfield shares. “Going into it, going through it, and coming out of cancer is not that orderly. The battle is more of a hanging on, a falling apart, a sense of loss, and a lot of lonely flailing among the rubble.”

“This is a quest for deeper comprehension, a desire to dip beneath the opaque surface,” he adds. “As a child, I would ask my earthly father how to do things. As a child of God, I am asking my heavenly Father how this all works between Him and me.”

Ken Mansfield’s legendary career in the music industry includes tenures as the U.S. manager of the Beatles’ Apple Records, an executive at Capitol Records, a vice president at MGM Records, and president of Andy Williams’ Barnaby Records (CBS Records), among numerous influential roles. He has worked with such artists as the Beach Boys, James Taylor, Roy Orbison, Glen Campbell and Lou Rawls.

Instrumental in launching country music’s “Outlaw” movement in the 1970s, Mansfield was involved in the careers of Waylon Jennings and Jessi Colter, among others. He produced Colter's #1 hit "I'm Not Lisa," as well as Jennings’ 1975 landmark recording, Are You Ready For The Country. He also produced the Gaither Vocal Band’s GRAMMY® Award-winning 1991 Homecoming album. The seminal release precipitated the resurgence of Southern Gospel music and the Gaither Homecoming series of recordings, videos and concerts.    

Since devoting his life to Christ more than two decades ago, Mansfield is now an ordained minister and sought-after speaker. He appears at churches, special events and colleges across the nation and has authored The Beatles, The Bible and Bodega Bay (B&H); The White Book: The Beatles, the Bands, the Biz: An Insiders Look at an Era (Thomas Nelson); and Between Wyomings (Thomas Nelson).

Stumbling on Open Ground: Love, God, Cancer, and Rock ‘n’ Roll ($15.99), a 256-page trade paper title, will be available January 15 from Thomas Nelson.

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Juber will host birthday bash at McCabes

 Laurence Juber invites fans to his 60th birthday celebration this week at McCabes

Grammy artist Laurence Juber will celebrate a milestone in grand style with a birthday bash at a SoCal institution.

Family, friends, fans and well-wishers are invited to join Juber help ring in his 60^th birthday with a concert performance set for 8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 8, 2012, at McCabes Guitar Shop, 3101 Pico Blvd., Santa Monica, Calif. Tickets are $20.

“I always look forward to my annual McCabes gig. I celebrate my birthday as the anniversary of first picking up the guitar,” says Juber. “I can’t imagine a more appropriate place to play than this legendary guitar store and concert venue.”

The former Wings lead guitarist and virtuoso just may be the busiest man in the music industry. In addition to recently playing a part on tribute albums to Bob Dylan and Linda McCartney, Juber performs almost 100 dates a year, has regular session work, conducts professional workshops, performs on soundtracks for feature films and television. His latest effort, “Soul of Light,” was released this past April. Early 2013 will see the release of two new projects: “Under An Indigo Sky” showcases the jazz/blues 'Noir' side of his playing; “Catch LJ Live” is a concert set CD/DVD combo.

A world-class guitar virtuoso solo artist, composer and arranger, Juber fuses folk, jazz, and pop styles and creates a dynamic multi-faceted performance that belies the use of only one instrument. As a studio musician, he can be heard on recent albums from artists as diverse as Barry Manilow, Donovan, Al Stewart and Dan Hicks & the Hot Licks. He is also featured on the soundtracks to hundreds of TV shows and movies including the Academy Award-winning “Good Will Hunting”, the James Bond thriller “The Spy Who Love Me”, the 1987 smash “Dirty Dancing” and most recently, “The Muppets”. He is also featured on the new Paul Williams digital single “Still Alive”, from the documentary film of the same name.

Known to his fans as ‘LJ’, Juber has released 20 acclaimed solo albums. His celebrated arranging skills are featured on two volumes of LJPlays The Beatles, the first of which was voted among the all-time top ten acoustic guitar records. Juber says fans never tire of hearing him play their songs and he remains endlessly fascinated by their catalog.

"Every time I hear a Beatles record I gain a new appreciation for them," Juber said. "Above and beyond the analytical part of it and creating the arrangements, when I start deconstructing Beatles songs, I find unexpected things. I can never listen to a Beatles record twice and hear exactly the same thing. There’s always something that I’ve missed, or a new discovery where you say, 'Wow, what was that little guitar lick?' Or the way in which the backing vocals come in…there’s always something new to discover in their work."

If you go:

What: Laurence Juber

Where: McCabes Guitar Shop, 3101 Pico Blvd., Santa Monica

When: 8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 10

Information: 310-828-8037 or www.mccabes.com

Guitarmania to Beatlemania featuring Laurence Juber

Grammy guitarist Laurence Juber

The Musical Instrument Museum (MIM) and C. F. Martin & Co. are proud to present in August “Guitarmania to Beatlemania: The Evolution of the Acoustic Guitar,” featuring renowned Grammy Award-winning guitarist Laurence Juber. 

The show begins at 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 9, 2012, at the MIM Music Theater, 4725 E. Mayo Blvd., Phoenix. Tickets range from $22.50 to $27.50 and can be purchased by calling 480.478.6000, visiting online at theMIM.org or visiting the MIM Ticket Office.

Acoustic guitar aficionados are in for a rare treat during an evening that will showcase one of America’s favorite instruments and feature a concert performance by a true guitar virtuoso. Presented by Dick Boak, Martin’s museum director and archivist, Juber will discuss his work composing, recording, and performing as the lead guitarist with Paul McCartney in his band Wings and Juber’s own successful solo career. 

LJ plays the Beatles' "Drive My Car"

“The Beatles inspired me play guitar. Martin build the guitar that I am inspired to play and it’s an honor that this historic company make my signature instrument,” Juber said. “I’ll look forward to performing my concert set at MIM and accompanying Dick Boak as he explores the history of the C.F.Martin company and of the acoustic guitar in America.” 

Juber embarked on a career as a solo artist, composer, and arranger after years spent playing lead guitar with Paul McCartney and Wings. Juber’s solo albums include "LJ Plays the Beatles", one of Acoustic Guitar magazine’s all-time top recordings. Boak, author of Martin Guitar Masterpieces and Martin Guitars: A History, is also a woodworker, draftsman, guitar designer and builder, Martin’s public relations liaison, guitarist, and is responsible for some of the most unique collaborations with top celebrity guitarists to design and build the finest instruments made at C. F. Martin & Co. 

LJ interviewed by Jim Deeming

This past April Juber released “Soul of Light” (Solid Air Records), his 20^th solo project. He recently contributed to “Chimes of Freedom”, an Amnesty International benefit disc on which he joins Seal and Jeff Beck for a version of Bob Dylan’s “Like a Rolling Stone.” Diablo 3, the latest version of the popular video game, features his music. An instructional app for the iPad is also in the works and he and his wife Hope, just inked a deal with a New York City producer bring “Gilligan’s Island: The Musical” to Broadway.

Juber closes out tour in SoCal

Two-time Grammy-Award winning guitar artist Laurence Juber will close his latest tour with a homecoming concert in Southern California.

Juber will play 8 p.m. Saturday, June 16, 2012, at Boulevard Music, 4316 Sepulveda Blvd., Culver City. Tickets are $17.50. Juber will also host a two-hour guitar workshop preceding the concert from 4 to 6 p.m. The cost is $40.

The workshop and concert appearance closes out a six-month tour, which started in January.

Known for playing lead guitar in Wings from 1978 to 1981, Juber, known as ‘LJ’, has since had a distinguished career as a solo finger-style guitarist. A world-class guitar virtuoso solo artist, composer and arranger, LJ fuses folk, jazz, and pop styles and creates a dynamic multi-faceted performance that belies the use of only one instrument. 

Laurence has released 20 acclaimed solo albums since Wings folded, including two volumes on The Beatles and one on his former group with McCartney. His latest, Soul of Light, is a retrospective collection of original compositions that span over 30 years of creative work on solo guitar. All newly recorded, some of these tunes may be familiar from being heard on TV and radio, while others have been touchstones of the solo guitar. 

“I started out as a composer for solo guitar and I’ve written well over a hundred tunes. The compositions on Soul of Light reflect a particular mood – one of romance,” Juber says. “Not only pure love songs, but also in the sense of using imagination and narrative to expand and transcend the traditional solo guitar genre. It also serves as a complement to the blues/jazz direction that my current composing and arranging is taking me.”

As a studio musician, he can be heard on recent albums from artists as diverse as Barry Manilow, Al Stewart and Dan Hicks & the Hot Licks. He is also featured on the soundtracks to hundreds of TV shows and movies including the Academy Award-winning Good Will Hunting and Dirty Dancing, the James Bond thriller The Spy Who Love Me and 2011's The Muppets.

For more information visit:

http://laurencejuber.com/

What: Laurence Juber 

Where: Boulevard Music, 4316 Sepulveda Blvd., Culver City

When: 8 p.m. Saturday, June 16

Cost: $17.50

Information: 310-398-2583 or http://www.boulevardmusic.com/

Juber heads to Boulevard for next gig

Two-time Grammy-Award winning guitar artist Laurence Juber is heading to the Boulevard for his next gig.

Juber will play 8 p.m. Saturday, June 16, 2012, at Boulevard Music, 4316 Sepulveda Blvd., Culver City. Tickets are $17.50. Juber will also host a two-hour guitar workshop preceding the concert from 4 to 6 p.m. The cost is $40.

Known for playing lead guitar in Wings from 1978 to 1981, Juber, known as ‘LJ’, has since had a distinguished career as a solo finger-style guitarist. A world-class guitar virtuoso solo artist, composer and arranger, LJ fuses folk, jazz, and pop styles and creates a dynamic multi-faceted performance that belies the use of only one instrument. Laurence has released 20 acclaimed solo albums since Wings folded, including two volumes on The Beatles and one on his former group with McCartney.

His latest, Soul of Light, is a retrospective collection of original compositions that span over 30 years of creative work on solo guitar. All newly recorded, some of these tunes may be familiar from being heard on TV and radio, while others have been touchstones of the solo guitar. “I started out as a composer for solo guitar and I’ve written well over a hundred tunes. The compositions on Soul of Light reflect a particular mood – one of romance,” Juber says. “Not only pure love songs, but also in the sense of using imagination and narrative to expand and transcend the traditional solo guitar genre. It also serves as a complement to the blues/jazz direction that my current composing and arranging is taking me.”

As a studio musician, he can be heard on recent albums from artists as diverse as Barry Manilow, Al Stewart and Dan Hicks & the Hot Licks. He is also featured on the soundtracks to hundreds of TV shows and movies including the Academy Award-winning Good Will Hunting and Dirty Dancing, the James Bond thriller The Spy Who Love Me and most recently The Muppets Movie.

For more information visit: http://laurencejuber.com/

What: Laurence Juber Where: Boulevard Music, 4316 Sepulveda Blvd., Culver City 
When: 8 p.m. Saturday, June 16 
Cost: $17.50 Information: 310-398-2583 or http://www.boulevardmusic.com/

Wings guitarist lands in Valparaiso

Two-time Grammy-Award winning guitar artist Laurence Juber will make an appearance in Valparaiso this weekend. Juber will play 7 p.m. Sunday, May 20, 2012, at Cornucopia Coffee Co., 210 E. Lincoln Way, Valparaiso. Tickets range from $20 to $25. Known for playing lead guitar in Wings from 1978 to 1981, Juber, known as ‘LJ’, has since had a distinguished career as a solo finger-style guitarist. A world-class guitar virtuoso solo artist, composer and arranger, LJ fuses folk, jazz, and pop styles and creates a dynamic multi-faceted performance that belies the use of only one instrument. Laurence has released 20 acclaimed solo albums since Wings folded, including two volumes on The Beatles and one on his former group with McCartney. His latest, Soul of Light, is a retrospective collection of original compositions that span over 30 years of creative work on solo guitar. All newly recorded, some of these tunes may be familiar from being heard on TV and radio, while others have been touchstones of the solo guitar. “I started out as a composer for solo guitar and I’ve written well over a hundred tunes. The compositions on Soul of Light reflect a particular mood – one of romance,” Juber says. “Not only pure love songs, but also in the sense of using imagination and narrative to expand and transcend the traditional solo guitar genre. It also serves as a complement to the blues/jazz direction that my current composing and arranging is taking me.” As a studio musician, he can be heard on recent albums from artists as diverse as Barry Manilow, Al Stewart and Dan Hicks & the Hot Licks. He is also featured on the soundtracks to hundreds of TV shows and movies including the Academy Award-winning Good Will Hunting and Dirty Dancing, the James Bond thriller The Spy Who Love Me and The Muppets Movie. For more information visit: http://laurencejuber.com/

What: Laurence Juber Where: Cornucopia Coffee Co., 210 E. Lincoln Way, Valparaiso When: 7 p.m. Friday, May 20 Cost: $20 to $25 Information: 219-405-1000 or http://cornucopiacoffee.net/

Juber to appear at Stargazers in Colo. Springs

Two-time Grammy Award-winning guitar artist Laurence Juber is heading to the Rockies with a Colorado Springs appearance.

Juber will play at 8 p.m. on Saturday, March 10, 2012, at Stargazers Theatre, 10 S. Parkside Drive, Colorado Springs. Tickets range from $15 to $20.

“I played Stargazer’s last year for the first time, sharing the stage with Peppino D‘Agostino. It’s a cool venue and I’m happy to be making a return trip with a solo headline concert,” Juber said. “I’ll be bringing some new compositions and arrangements to this show, so be prepared for few surprises as well as some favorites.”

Best known for playing lead guitar in Wings from 1978 to 1981, Juber, known as ‘LJ’, has since had a distinguished career as a solo finger-style guitarist. A world-class guitar virtuoso solo artist, composer and arranger, he fuses folk, jazz, and pop styles and creates a dynamic multi-faceted performance that belies the use of only one instrument.

Juber has released 19 acclaimed solo albums since Wings folded. His celebrated arranging skills are featured on two volumes of LJ Plays The Beatles, the first of which was voted among the all-time top ten acoustic guitar records.

The San Francisco Chronicle wrote of Juber: "He gloriously articulates the melodies and never succumbs to show-off playing. The notes spin out of the songs with such finesse and musical agility, it's hard to believe he has only 10 fingers and six strings. His playing is just short of sleight of hand and, like all magicians, he makes it seem effortless."

As a studio musician, he can be heard on recent albums from artists as diverse as Barry Manilow and Dan Hicks & the Hot Licks. He is also featured on the soundtracks to hundreds of TV shows and movies including the Academy Award-winning Good Will Hunting, the James Bond thriller The Spy Who Love Me and most recently, The Muppet Movie.

For more information visit: http://laurencejuber.com/

What: Laurence Juber
Where: Stargazers Theatre, 10 S. Parkside Dr., Colorado Springs, CO
When: 8 p.m. Saturday, March 10
Cost: $15 to $20
Information: 719-476-2200 or http://www.stargazerstheatre.com

LJ still on course and on the run

More than three decades after Wings folded, Laurence Juber is a man still on the run.

The former Wings guitarist and virtuoso just may be the busiest man in the music industry.

In addition to recently playing a part on tribute albums to Bob Dylan and Linda McCartney, Juber performs almost 100 dates a year, has regular session work, conducts professional workshops, performs on soundtracks for feature films and television and has three upcoming CD releases.

"There's always something going on. Knock on wood, I'm as busy these days as I've ever been, including my days with Wings," says the affable two-time Grammy Award-winning guitar artist.

Juber is scheduled to make an East Coast swing in early 2012 with a handful of appearances in New York, New Hampshire, Connecticut and Massachusetts.

"This trip finds me playing at some new venues and making my solo Broadway debut. The jazz club ambiance of Times Square’s Iridium will no doubt encourage me to stretch out," Juber said. "I’m also looking forward to sharing the bill with Boston Blues Artist of the Year, guitar ace Johnny A, at a pair of shows at TCAN in Natick, Massachusetts. This will be my first time at New Hampshire’s excellent listening room the Tupelo Music Hall. I round out the run with an afternoon show at the Greenwich Library which I’m told has a fantastic concert hall.”

A world-class guitar virtuoso solo artist, composer and arranger, Juber fuses folk, jazz, and pop styles and creates a dynamic multi-faceted performance that belies the use of only one instrument. As a studio musician, he can be heard on recent albums from artists as diverse as Barry Manilow and Dan Hicks & the Hot Licks. He is also featured on the soundtracks to hundreds of TV shows and movies including the Academy Award-winning Good Will Hunting, the James Bond thriller The Spy Who Love Me and most recently, The Muppet Movie.

Known to his fans as LJ, Juber has released 19 acclaimed solo albums. His celebrated arranging skills are featured on two volumes of LJ Plays The Beatles, the first of which was voted among the all-time top ten acoustic guitar records. Juber says fans never tire of hearing him play their songs and he remains endlessly fascinated by their catalog.

"Every time I hear a Beatles record I gain a new appreciation for them," Juber said. "Above and beyond the analytical part of it and creating the arrangements, when I start deconstructing Beatles songs, I find unexpected things. I can never listen to a Beatles record twice and hear exactly the same thing. There’s always something that I’ve missed, or a new discovery where you say, 'Wow, what was that little guitar lick?' Or the way in which the backing vocals come in…there’s always something new to discover in their work."

For more information visit: http://laurencejuber.com/

Tour dates are as follows:
1/11 NYC - The Iridium Jazz Club
1/12 Londonderry, NH - Tupelo Music Hall
1/13 & 1/14 Natick, MA - TCAN Center for the Arts
1/15/12 Greenwich, CT - Greenwich Library


Photo credit Randi Anglin - taken at Nashville’s historic Ryman Auditorium Nov. 2011

Q & A with Will Turpin on "The Lighthouse"

Q: How does The Lighthouse differ musically from Collective Soul?

WT: Well, all of the melodies and music came out of my head as opposed to Ed Roland's. Obviously Collective Soul works as a band when we make records and this is all me. I play piano, acoustic guitar, bass, vocals and singing harmonies. It's more from one person's brain rather than five who comprise a group called Collective Soul.

Q: Why did you title it The Lighthouse? Does it have any significance?

WT: It does. There's a track on the record called "Sailor" and that song is about the fact that you can't help people unless they want to be helped. "I can't save the sailor from the storm" is the lyric and when talking about a lighthouse, if you don't follow the lighthouse you can't necessarily be saved.

Q: What made you finally decide to do solo project outside of Collective Soul after 18 years?

WT: That's somewhat true; I have produced some stuff here and there, singer Michael Tolcher for one. Collective Soul has pretty much been a full-time job and we've stayed busy over the years, so there hasn't been much of a chance to go out and experiment on our own.

Q: It seems like this is the year that everyone in the group has a solo project going on - Joel Kosche has released Fight Years; Dean Roland partnered with Ryan Potesta on Magnets and Ghosts and Ed Roland is heading up The Sweet Tea Project. Was that a conscious decision the band made or something that just evolved?

WT: We pretty much sat down and decided we're going to take some time off from Collective Soul and recharge our batteries. We did it before in 2001 but this time it's a totally different set of circumstances. This time was a lot more thought out than our first break.

Q: Why an EP of five songs as opposed to say an entire album?

WT: I started off with 14 tunes and as I got into it, I realized how much I wanted to do. I simply didn't have as much time and resources as I wanted, so I picked fives tunes to represent a little bit about what's going on musically with myself and wanted to get it out as soon as possible. That's really the thought process behind it. The songs I chose were the ones that came together the easiest and the best in terms of representation.

Q: How long did it take to produce The Lighthouse?

WT: Eight months but some of the songs have been around for a few years. I know that "60 Seconds" and "Her Name" are at least three to five years old. Some of the songs and lyrics had been written but from the time I whittled the list from 14 to five songs, that process was about eight months.

Q: Let’s talk about the studio where you cut most of these songs – Real 2 Reel Studios – a studio your father founded and where acts like .38 Special and Wet Willie once recorded. It must be a second home for you?

WT: It felt very natural and my father raised a family on that studio. I've recorded there so often throughout the years, I'm now 40, and the last 18 years have gone by in the blink of an eye. I'm glad I did my first solo work at Real 2 Reel because of the comfort level and the crew helped the songs get to be where they needed to be. The room is just beautiful, amazing. When you're there you're hunkered inside and working. It's a very functional place that I just so happen to have a key.

Q: You’re known for your bass playing, but most of songs on The Lighthouse are piano-based. That's going to be a bit of a surprise to your fans.

WT: I started off on the piano and received lessons starting at eight and continued until I was 12. I was also a music major in percussion in college when I went to Florida State University and Georgia State University. I was playing percussion in many different ways between private lessons and hand drums with Jimmy Buffett cover bands to marimbas in symphonies. I was doing that when we got signed to Atlantic Records back in the early 1990s. Music is pretty much all I've ever done and it's always flowed through me. My friends say I can pick up any instrument and make it sound good, so I guess there's something to that.

Q: And that leads to my next question: is melody something you're born with or something you have to work at?

WT: That's sorta like the evolution question...which came first, the chicken or the egg? I think that might an intrinsic quality you're born with. I certainly believe there's an aptitude for it and perhaps it is something in the genes.

Q: Melody seems to flow naturally out of Collective Soul and you on this new EP.

WT: Right. It has always felt natural to me and I hope it feels that way to everybody else. And of course, the Beatles have always been a big influence on me when it comes to melody.

Q: Let’s talk about the five songs on the EP, starting with “60 Seconds.” Tell me what the song's about?

WT: That song is about making a small but very bad decision. The kind of decision that's crucial and yet not affecting the entirety of your life. Maybe more specifically when someone chooses to have random sex with someone they don't know (laughs).

Q: Going back to “Sailor”, it almost sounds as if you were describing a person who needed saving, perhaps a person with substance abuse problem?

WT: There's a tinge of that in the song. I have a very close friend, Shane Evans, our former drummer, and I saw some of that in him. It's about not being able to save someone even if you're showing them the way, they still have to come to that decision on their own.

Q: "My Star," is the real standout track in my opinion. The song is very emotional. Who is it about?

WT: That's about my wife, Donna. She's my star. We've been married 17 years and have three boys. The song is also about me. I'm the guy, who "couldn't be stopped, who shoulda been shot," all that stuff.

Q: "Her Name" is the second song you co-wrote with band mate Ed Roland ("Sailor" was the first). What was that experience like?

WT: They were just songs we wrote when hanging out together. The exception being the songs were my ideas, not Ed's and so he helped me flesh them out. "Her Name" is about someone who's always the center of attention. Everyone knows that someone who walks into a room or party and it becomes lively, thus "everyone knows her name." Then when they get home, they're just the opposite. They're quiet, maybe a little depressed and find it hard to deal with themselves. Joel Kosche plays classical guitar on that and gives it a real Spanish, Julio Iglesias vibe.

Q: You also called upon former Collective Soul drummer Ryan Hoyle to drum on the tracks. You obviously have a lot of musicians in your circle of friends, so why did you go with Ryan?

Q: Ryan's a very musical drummer and that's very hard to find. He's a perfectionist and he takes it to the most finite detail as far as how he approaches drums as an instrument. He's a great player and he's got a helluva studio. He's got every drum you can think of and his studio is like a toy store. Ryan can play it, engineer it, and got all the drums and microphones ready to go. I'd say the songs were about half-way done when Ryan got them and he's so smart he knew exactly where the direction of the songs were going. Some keeper vocals were on there and some he received with scratch vocals, it just depended on the song. But Ryan's drumming just enhanced whatever I did and gave it the full power it needed. The amazing thing was we didn't spend a whole lot of time talking about the arrangement of the song. He just played and he found the most important parts real quickly.

Q: "Sanity"?

WT: "Sanity" is more specifically about substance abuse or getting into any kind of rut and using something as a crutch. It's the most ambitious track on The Lighthouse and bridges the gap to the next batch of songs I'm working on. I wanted to give everyone a taste of where I'm heading. There's one song I'm working on that's pretty epic. In fact, the working title is "The Fall and Epic." I'm trying to find more resources and outlets for my music and continue to put out the songs.

Q: What did you learn about yourself after producing, distributing, starting your own label and now promoting The Lighthouse?

WT: It's kind of daunting when you invest and promote yourself as an artist, so that's the first thing I learned. It's a lot of work, but the experience has been rewarding. Luckily, the reaction has been really good. I've learned I want more for myself and I feel good about finishing the songs and I want to finish more.

Q: Does this mean we might see more Will Turpin songs show up on Collective Soul releases in the future?

WT: Possibly. I'd like that.

The Lighthouse is available for download on iTunes.com and in disc form through CDBaby.com. For more information, visit www.willturpin.com

Will Turpin's thoughts on "The Lighthouse"

Cold wind, blowin’ down the street the sun is not out today
All night, thinkin’ bout a way to put things back in their place
I can’t put the fire out alone,
I can't save the sailor from the storm

The Lighthouse
Gooey Music, 2011

Rhythm, harmony and melody’s been a theme in my life as far back as I can remember
—and I’m 40. Having a sense of melody is sorta like the evolution question...which
came first, the chicken or the egg? It’s an intrinsic quality you're born with. I
certainly believe there's an aptitude for it; and, perhaps it’s something in the
genes.

My father, Bill Turpin, had those genes. He was a touring musician before opening
Real 2 Reel Studios back in 1976 in Jonesboro, Georgia. He raised his family there
and that’s definitely where part of my aptitude for music grew. It just felt
natural. I'm glad I did my first solo work at Real 2 Reel because of the comfort
level. The crew helped me get the songs where they needed to be.

I’ve worked hard to make my new stuff on The Lighthouse very personal, textured and
rich in melody. They’re songs of love, hope, friendship, vanity, addiction,
despair, bad decisions and positive solutions—you know, Tree of Life stuff.

My three boys are very musical and have great rhythm. They’ll learn that Tree of
Life stuff as they get out into the world. Right now we just play a lot of soccer
and spend a lot of quality time together. They think Dad’s being a rock star is
just one of those things you can do in life. I’ve started a little band with them
and we’ve even written a song together. We jam together. If my boys decide they
want a musical career, I’ll support them. My wife, Donna, and I facilitate anything
positive that they want to do and help them learn the tools to accomplish those
things. We’ve been together 17 years now. She’s “My Star.”

In the meantime, I hope that everyone enjoys The Lighthouse. The EP was hard work
and took eight months to whittle 14 songs down to five. It’s highly personal,
representing what’s going on with me musically and personally. When all’s said and
done, I’ll keep doing what I always do, try to be a good dad, put food on the table,
keep making music and count my blessings.

Look around and let the world explain...

WT

Laurence Juber makes Cave Creek appearance

Two-time Grammy-Award winning artist Laurence Juber will make a rare and intimate appearance this weekend at the Cave Creek Coffee Company, 6033 E. Cave Creek Road in Cave Creek, Arizona. The show starts 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 15. Tickets are $18-$22.

Often considered most famous for playing lead guitar in Wings from 1978 to 1981, Juber has since had a distinguished career as a solo finger-style guitarist.

A world-class guitar virtuoso solo artist, composer and arranger, Juber has released 15 critically acclaimed solo albums since Wings folded. His latest, LJ Plays The Beatles Vol. 2 (Solid Air Records), is a solo acoustic guitar arrangement of 15 songs by John Lennon and Paul McCartney.

For more information, call the Cave Creek Coffee Company at 480-488-0603 or visit www.cavecreekcoffee.com/

Cars keyboardist records Beatles tribute CD

The Beatles Uke

by Greg Hawkes

Greg Hawkes is paying tribute to The Beatles almost 45 years after they enticed him to get into the music business.

The famed keyboardist and co-founder of The Cars, said everything musically begins and ends with the Fab Four.

“My first concert was seeing the Beatles in 1964,” Hawkes said. “They changed my life. Indeed, they changed the world.”

The release of The Beatles Uke (Solid Air Records, 2008), a cover of Hawkes’ favorite Beatles classics – is a timeless testament to the inspiration and influence of the legendary group’s music and on his career.

The 15-song collection of Beatles songs is played entirely on the ukulele and multi-tracked to create a “Ukesymphonic” orchestra.

Perhaps it’s not such a far-fetched idea after all when you consider that George Harrison, a known ukulele enthusiast, is considered the spiritual leader of the current wave of interest in the music. Fellow ex-Beatle Paul McCartney also plays the instrument, and compellingly so when he paid tribute to his fallen friend on “Something” during his 2002 world tour.

Hawkes, who helped define the sounds of the 1980s with his signature keyboard stylings on Cars hits such as “Just What I Needed,” “Let’s Go”, and “Shake It Up,” and “Heartbeat City,” took a new direction with his music in 2001 when his wife gave him a ukulele as a gift. He’s been hooked ever since.

Hawkes started collecting ukuleles and got involved in the “Uke” scene in and around Boston, which led him to try duplicating Beatles string parts. Longtime friend and former Cars guitarist, Elliot Easton, put Hawkes in touch with James Jensen of Solid Air Records, who suggested an entire CD of Beatles tunes. The result is The Beatles Uke.

“The ukulele has made playing music fun again,” Hawkes said.

For more information on The Beatles Uke, visit www.greghawkesmusic.com or www.acousticmusicresource.com.

Track listings for The Beatles UKE:

1. Penny Lane

2. And I Love Her

3. Strawberry Fields Forever

4. Here Comes the Sun

5. Eleanor Rigby

6. Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite

7. The Fool on the Hill

8. Yellow Submarine

9. Piggies

10. She’s Leaving Home

11. Honey Pie

12. For You Blue

13. Yesterday

14. Blue Jay Way

15. Goodnight