Showing posts with label AEROSMITH. Show all posts
Showing posts with label AEROSMITH. Show all posts

9.11.2015

STEVE HUNTER GETS PAID: AEROSMITH/ALICE COOPER ROYALTIES TRIUMPH!

Steve Hunter

After 42 years, Guitar Player Steve Hunter is finally going to start receiving airtime performance royalties for guitar solos he played that helped make rock history!

This has come after the collection of sufficient evidence for his name to be officially connected with seven tracks that he did not get credit for when the albums were released.

At the top of the list is ‘Train Kept A Rollin’ from ‘Get Your Wings’ which was released in 1974 and although it has been common knowledge amongst many rock fans that Hunter did the opening half solos, that did not equate to any performance royalties until now.

The other six tracks are from the original Alice Cooper Groups album ‘Billion Dollar Babies’. Once again these albums were released without Hunter receiving credit for his solos on Hello Hooray, Raped and Freezin, Billion Dollar Babies, Unfinished Sweet, Generation Landslide and Sick Things.


Back in the 60’s and 70’s it was common to have musicians perform on records without getting credit, when record labels wanted to keep the fans focused on the main band or artist. There are numerous examples of this including the late Dick Wagner who also played guitar un credited on ‘Get Your Wings’ and of course the practice was well documented on ‘The Wrecking Crew’ film.

In those days things were often more informal or kept quiet, but as the digital age has grown, the documentation of who did what has become more pertinent.

These ‘ghosting’ players got paid a nominal session fee at the time, but unless their work was officially part of the album credits there could be no acknowledgement of their contributions with airplay performance collection agencies around the world. Unfortunately, the US does not pay airtime performance royalties to non featured players.


Often such contributions went unnoticed, a rhythm track here or there, but occasionally a contribution was made to a recording that in small part helped advance the career of the main artist as it went global with radio play. Peter Gabriel recently credited Hunter for coming up with the guitar parts on ‘Solsbury Hill’ in a new Daryl Easlea biography. This recording is also now paying Hunter airtime performance royalties.

‘Train kept A Rollin’ certainly helped Aerosmith move forward after it became a rock radio mainstay. It also became a part of Aerosmith’s ‘Guitar Hero’ ‘Legends Of Rock‘ video game, which sadly this performance royalty triumph does not cover.

However, any performance royalties are welcome at a time when Hunter needs it most as he is going blind with Pigmentary Glaucoma and touring is impossible without assistance.

There are many unsung heroes in rock music so it’s great to report that some justice has been done for Steve Hunter and this should give others hope.



There are many unsung heroes in rock music so it’s great to report that some justice has been done for Steve Hunter and this should give others hope.

2.06.2015

WHO REALLY PLAYED GUITAR SOLOS ON TRAIN KEPT A ROLLIN


STEVE 'The Deacon' HUNTER

‘Train Kept A Rollin’, was written by Tiny Bradshaw in 1951. The song was given new life by The Yardbirds in 1965 then again by the inimitable Aerosmith when they recorded it for their second album ‘Get Your Wings” in 1974.

Their version is actually a two-part song, the first has a slower groove arrangement, while the second uses that of the Yardbirds. Aerosmith turned it into a hard rock standard and a staple of classic rock radio; it remains one of their most popular tunes.

But few people know that they had a little help along the way when, during the recording, Record Producer Jack Douglas saw the now legendary session man Steve Hunter sitting outside the studio taking a cigarette break from a different session and he asked Steve to play a solo over the first half of the track.

It was very quick Steve recalls, he got his own guitar which he thinks would have been a 1959 Les Paul TV Special. They took some time to get a sound, then, ran through the track. But, as he did not have the vocal in his headphones they ran through it again this time with the vocal in, and Steve nailed it.

He got paid about $750 for doing it, then, as it turns out, 'Train' had a huge impact on the career of the young, inexperienced Aerosmith. They went on to bigger and better things, becoming one of the highest paid, most domineering bands in Rock Music.

Unbeknownst to Steve, Douglas also enlisted his session companion Dick Wagner to play the solo over the second half simulated live ‘Yardbirds’ section.

Neither Hunter or Wagner got a credit on the album, as ‘ghosting’ as it’s sometimes called was fairly common practice at that time.

Hunter has no idea why he was asked to record the solo; as he says, it was none of his business. The rest of the band we’re all there, they were very nice to him and he was never asked to teach anybody what he played.

In 2013 Joe Perry played a solo on Steve's solo album 'The Manhattan Blues Project' (The Brooklyn Shuffle) alongside his buddy Johnny Depp, so clearly there are no hard feelings and why should there be.

Statement from Steve Hunter

"Aerosmith was in Studio C of The Record Plant and I was doing work with Bob Ezrin in Studio A. I had a long wait between dubs and was waiting in the lobby. Jack Douglas popped his head out of Studio C and asked "Hey, do you feel like playing? I said sure, so I grabbed my guitar and went in" "I had two run thru’s, then Jack said "great' that's it! That turned out to be the opening solos on 'Train Kept A Rollin’ " steve hunter 2/1/2015

Here is a selection of other classic solos from Steve Hunterer




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