Rock And Roll Sax- The Last Ten Years-Who's Interesting

39000 Views 80 Replies 33 Participants Last post by DrWill, Mar 1, 2019

Neil Sharpe

Discussion Starter · Sep 21, 2003

We've had a lot of interesting discussion about great songs and sax players from the past. What about more recently, say the last ten years. One song of note is "Superstar" by K-os featuring a great repetitive sax riff by Bill Runge that stitches everything together.

Also, in the early nineties, I heard some great sax work on a song with the lyrics "had enough of your politics, had enough of your dirty little tricks, now we're out on the dance floor having a ball." Of course, the radio announcer didn't tell who did the track and I never heard it again -despite some heavy looking- but the sax was great and memorable.

Any rock sax work in the last ten years that has caught your ear?

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OnyxSax

· #41 · Jan 12, 2004

As far as the saxophone not being a traditional country axe...well, neither are the electronic keyboards and synthesizers that a lot of groups use...

...and let's not forget Shania Twain, before she arrived, no female country artists dared to expose their midriffs. Now a lot of them do...so country tradition can change. I'd definitely say seeing Shania Twain's midriff is a change for the better.

John Laughter

· #42 · Jan 12, 2004

Here are just a few songs that were probably heard in many country and western bars/clubs over the years on the jukebox. Some are crossover but still found a wide appeal;

TUMBLING TUMBLEWEEDS-BILLY VAUGHN- JUSTIN GORDON- ALTO w/ SAX SECTION
DON’T BE CRUEL-BILL BLACK’S COMBO- ACE CANNON - TENOR
TUFF-ACE CANNON-ALTO
RUNNING BEAR-JOHNNY PRESTON- LINK DAVIS- TENOR
SMOKIE-BILL BLACK’S COMBO- MARTIN WILLIS- TENOR
SWEET NOTHIN’S-BRENDA LEE- BOOTS RANDOLPH- TENOR
THAT’S ALL YOU GOTTA DO-BRENDA LEE- BOOTS RANDOLPH- TENOR
DUM DUM-BRENDA LEE- BOOTS RANDOLPH TENOR
(GHOST) RIDERS IN THE SKY-RAMRODS- RICHARD LAN-E TENOR
OLE BUTTERMILK SKY-BILL BLACK’S COMBO- ACE CANNON- TENOR
THEME FROM DIXIE-DUANE EDDY- JIM HORN- TENOR
BLUES STAY AWAY FROM ME- ACE CANNON- ALTO
ROCKIN’ AROUND THE CHRISTMAS TREE-BRENDA LEE-BOOTS RANDOLPH- TENOR
THE WANDERER-DION- BUDDY LUCAS- TENOR
YAKETY SAX- BOOTS RANDOLPH- TENOR
JUST A LITTLE BIT-ROY HEAD- TOMMY MAY- TENOR
ALL MY ROWDY FRIENDS ARE COMING OVER TONIGHT-HANK WILLIAMS JR. ? TENOR
I DON’T NEED YOU-KENNY ROGERS- “REV” DAVE BORUFF- ALTO
THERE’S NO GETTING OVER ME-RONNIE MILSAP-RONALD EADES- ALTO
LET IT BE ME-WILLIE NELSON- JON MARETT- TENOR
HURT-JUICE NEWTON- JON JOYCE- TENOR
LOST IN THE FIFTIES TONIGHT-RONNIE MILSAP-JIM HORN- TENOR
BOP-DAN SEALS - JIM HORN - ALTO
WALKIN’ A BROKEN HEART-DON WILLIAMS- JIM HORN - TENOR
TAKE IT BACK-REBA MCNTIRE- JOE MCGLOHON- TENOR
TELL ME WHAT YOU DREAM-RESTLESS HEART- WARREN HILL- ALTO
WHY HAVEN’T I HEARD FROM YOU-REBA MCNTIRE-JOE MCGLOHON TENOR
YOU CAN’T TAKE THE COUNTRY OUT OF THE GIRL- ? TENOR
BROOKS & DUNN-CD credits (horns); Jeff Coffin, Jim Horn, Steve Patrick and Samuel Levine.

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Bill Mecca

· #43 · Jan 13, 2004

Onyx,
I hear ya. my wife has taken to listening to a country station, so it's always on in the car when I get in. She says "country music today is what rock and roll was years ago." I think she has got something. For one thing, there are lyrics!, song form, musicianship etc.

I heard the tail end of a tune on that station the other day, sax ride out at the end, but of course being radio (coutnry, soft rock or otherwise) they didn't back sell it the tune or artist, so I have no idea who or what it was.

Question: where have all the rock and rollers gone?

Answer: they've gone Country!

This is not your father's country music.

Mike Ruhl

· #44 · Jan 13, 2004

billmecca.com said:
This is not your father's country music.

And I blame Bocephus... 8)

kingperkoff

· #45 · Jan 13, 2004

For John Laughter- I don't know if he's playing on that recording but Hank Williams Jr.'s sax player is Jerry Mckinny an old pal of mine who used to play in Elvin Bishop's band in the SF Bay Area in the 80's.

John Laughter

· #46 · Jan 13, 2004

king; if you can confirm it for the book I would sure appreciate it. Are you still in contact with him? I sent an email to several Hank Williams JR’s' web sites but never got a response so any help would be appreciated so that we can give credit to the correct players!

saxduck

· #47 · Jan 13, 2004

Yeah, Hank Jr. is pretty hard to pry out. Don't hold your breath. If you can get him 'lubricated', like when he tries to fly that private plane (with no training or license), you might get him to talk to you. If not, don't waste your time.

And what he says to you may or may not be true. Don't waste your time.

SaxDuck

kingperkoff

· #48 · Jan 14, 2004

I don't have a way to contact him. Ask Tim Price, he might know.

John Laughter

· #49 · Jan 14, 2004

king, I believe that I just found the answer;

http://www.artistdirect.com/store/artist/album/0,,185859,00.html

If you will send me your name I will add it to the "thanks page" of the book! J[email protected]

Tim Price

· #50 · Jan 14, 2004

kingperkoff said:
I don't have a way to contact him. Ask Tim Price, he might know.

I think it had to be Jerry; in between his periods with Elvin Bishop.

I have no idea about him-OTHER THAN...I heard Jerry at an Elvin Bishop gig and he was blowing down the house. ( :lol: )
What a unsung alto player.

Wonder what ever happened to him. I'd sure like to hear him more.
He was inspiring.

John Laughter

· #51 · Jan 15, 2004

Another interesting site about Jerry;

http://home.earthlink.net/~lraspberry/alumni.htm

John Laughter

· #52 · Jan 18, 2004

GHawk, I still have not caught up with Jerry Peterson but I did find an old email from Billy Vera which states, in part, "Jerry played alto sax, not tenor, on At This Moment."

HonkBopSax

· #53 · Jan 23, 2004

Jerry Peterson played on the last few albums by sixties soul icon Jerry 'Swamp Dogg' Williams. He's been doing a lot of studio work in CA, from what I've heard.

Neil Sharpe

Discussion Starter · #54 · Jul 26, 2007

Antibalas (formerly known as the "Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra"), who describe their music as "Afro-beat/ Funk/ Experimental", find their roots in the great, horn driven, funk bands of the 1970's.

Antibalas presently features Stuart Bogie on tenor sax and Martin Perna on baritone. Tracks from their new album can be heard at this link
http://myspace.com/antibalas

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antibalas

http://forum.saxontheweb.net/showthread.php?t=35775&highlight=antibalas ("Horn Bands of the 60's and 70's")

And here are some live performances:

(tenor cuts in around the two minute mark)

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dagnabbit

· #55 · Jul 26, 2007

Frank D said:
The group Morphine comes to mind as a recent innovative use of bari sax in rock. I can't cite specific songs or solos, but everything of theirs that I heard really had a rock feel, w/o veering into other genres, and the playing was good.

Definitely!

Morphine's final CD came out in 2000, so they just make the 10-year requirement, but I really can't think of a rock band that used the saxophone more prominently (or better). Given that Morphine really only used two other instruments (drums & bass), Dana Colley's bari was an absolutely essential element of their music on every track. They were fantastic live.

Budget Explosion

· #56 · Jul 26, 2007

just as good as Antibalas is BUDOS BAND...they are an instrumental afrobeat band from Staten Island and they are on DAPTONE RECORDS, a label that puts out CDs with amazing retro production values.

knighttrain

· #57 · Jul 26, 2007

Agree totally about Morphine. I believe I have every recording they did except that live bootleg with the awful sound. -and I'm not even from Boston. BTW - you guys have put out some great sax players over the years. Must be the waters (or the schools).

martysax

· #58 · Jul 27, 2007

dagnabbit said:
They were fantastic live.

~15 years ago, my blues band opened for them at Edible Rex in Billerica. They had just started out relatively recently. My guitarists kept laughing at Mark with the two string bass and a slide on his pinky to boot. I kept telling them to shut up so I could hear it. They were into a deep but relatively quiet sound residing at the bottom of the range, I think they called it low-rock. It was an acquired taste, like good scotch.

Spooner

· #59 · Jul 27, 2007

SKERIK!!

Check out this youtube clip of him playing with Garage a Trois:

Skerik kicks into his solo at about the 4 minute mark......

I've been a big fan of his ever since the Sadhappy days back in the early nineties. I don't know if his playing really fits into the "rock" or "jazz" genre but I don't think it really needs to "fit" anywhere.

Good stuff.

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Bill Mecca

· #60 · Jul 27, 2007

Does nothing for me, why play sax if you're going to use all those effects? why not just learn guitar? seems useless.

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