WHAT THEY'RE SAYING ABOUT HOT ROD TWANGIN':
Extremely cooking instrumentals from 60s guitar wizard Jerry Cole: a player who's every bit as great as Dick Dale, David Allen, or some of the better-known instrumentalists of his time! The collection brings together work from a number of different albums that Cole cut for the sometimes-budget Crown label -- sides that were issued under Hot Rod, Cycle, and other gimmicky themes at the time -- but which featured extremely inventive music all around -- both in terms of Cole's approach to the guitar, and in the way the albums were produced! Jerry's masterful use of the electric is years ahead of its time here -- with riffs and strains that are far more sharp-edged than you might expect -- and further augmented by slight production tricks, echoey bits, and other instrumental accompaniment. The sound quality is excellent -- way better than dodgy old Crown vinyl -- and the CD features a whopping 24 tracks in all, material originally issued under the names Jerry Cole, Jerry Kole & The Strokers, The Scramblers, Billy Boyd, The Blasters, The Stingers, and The Winners. Titles include "Hip Hugger", "Pealin Out", "Mustang", "Ticket To Ride", "Shuffle Boogie", "Bad Rubber", "Night Rock", "Cops & Robbers", "Mojo", "Diggin The Blues", "Oil Burner", "George Played", "The Green Monster", and "Along Came Mary". - Dusty Groove America
Jerry Cole's psychedelic masterpiece from 1968 - The Animated Egg CD release party at J.C. Memorial Concert -Safari Sams - Hollywood - Oct.25 12 pm
Our dear friend JERRY COLE died Wednesday night at his home in Corona, California. Funeral services are still pending but a public memorial is also being planned for the near future. Jerry's wife Gale was with him when he suffered a massive heart attack. Jerry was 68 years old and is survived by Gale and their daughters Monique and Katrina, and son Cane. Jerry's other son, Keith, died just a year earlier at the age of 28.
Jerald Edward Kolbrack was born in Green Bay, Wisconsin in 1939. After moving to Chicago with his mother, he took her maiden name Coletta, shortened it to Cole, and started cutting his musical chops in the gritty Chicago blues scene of the fifties. It wasn't long after that he found himself playing "Tequila" with the post-hit Champs. He and Glen Campbell shared guitar duties with the group and eventually both landed in Los Angeles where he began to get studio work. It wasn't long before he was in the thick of it with a loosely knit group of stellar musicians who became known as the Wrecking Crew.
Jerry was probably one of the most recorded guitarist in history and appeared on an impressive and diverse list of who's who in American popular music including virtually all of the Phil Spector groups, many of the Beach Boys records including "Pet Sounds", Gene Vincent, B.B. King, The Byrds, Roger McGuinn, Frank and Nancy Sinatra, Lee Hazlewood, Ricky Nelson, Paul Revere and the Raiders and Roger Miller. And as Jerry liker to say, "and that was just the first day!" He also did a stint as band leader on Shindig where he performed with the likes of The Rolling Stones and Jerry Lee Lewis. He also led the band on The Sonny and Cher Show and was even in Elvis Presley's back-up band in "Kid Galahad."
He had a stellar solo career with his glorious guitar-driven instrumental projects of the Sixties, churning out numerous hot rod, surf, go-go, R&B and psychedelic lps for several labels including Capitol, Liberty, Crown, Custom and Alshire. He had a top ten vocal hit with "Meet Me at Midnight, Mary" started Happy Tiger Records with Ray Ruff, and was lead guitarist for a post-Van Morrison lineup of Them on the label.
As recently as last year Jerry recorded a beautiful, Jeff Beck-like surf guitar CD, "Back to the Boards" and in recent years got to see some of his back catalogue re-issued by Sundazed and Ace Records. In fact, on the day of his death, Jerry signed off on the Sundazed "Jerry Cole Psychedelics" re-issue series for the esteemed label. The first CD, "The Animated Egg" from 1968 is a freaked-out, fuzz exercise of pure psychedelic guitar abandon. It's to be followed by sought-after LP re-issues of "Astro Sounds from Beyond the Year 2000," "The Inner Sounds of the Id" on RCA, and Jerry's Custom label recordings. In what may be a truly fitting final tribute, Jerry and some of the original Wrecking Crew have been recording with Brian Wilson, for the first time since "Pet Sounds".
It was a great honor for me and the guys to perform with Jerry and play his unique brand of original material. He played every note like it was his last and was a real gentleman on and off the stage. It has also been an honor for me to work with Jerry on his re-issue material and we had a lot of fun with it. I found that on both sides of the Atlantic Jerry was immensely respected and revered. He was old school in every way and his life was one that only most of us can dream about. He was a real good friend and will really be missed by all who knew him.
That's about it for now, I will keep you posted on the memorial tribute in L.A. when I know something.
thanks,
Mike V.
He’s the most prolific session guitarist in music history, a master of six-string twang and ax muscle. He’s JERRY COLE, the king of hot rod guitar, and his astonishing six-decade career leaps from top of the chart classics to over 100 gold and platinum recordings.
This isn’t retro or rockabilly, it’s the real thing. As a charter member of session all-stars the Wrecking Crew, JERRY COLE bent strings with everyone from the Byrds (“Mr. Tambourine Man”) and Nancy Sinatra (“These Boots Are Made for Walking”) to the Beach Boys (Pet Sounds) and Paul Revere & the Raiders (“Kicks”). As performer, he and bandmate Glen Campbell headed The Champs after “Tequila” shot up the charts. Cole was featured guitarist on Shindig and Hullabaloo and backed up Elvis Presley in 1974. His bandleader abilities were tapped by Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Roger Miller, and Rick Nelson and he was a first-call guitarist on TV show bands for Andy Williams, Sonny & Cher, the Smothers Brothers, Laugh In, and Dick Van Dyke.
Yes, he matched Dick Dale on the surf turf, recording with the Stingers (Power Surf) and the Spacemen (Surf Age). Cole also recorded numerous instro albums under his own name and turned out the hotly collectible Guitars A Go-Go series. Yet his most unheralded contribution to modern rock is as King of the Hot Rod Guitar. While the Beach Boys and Dick Dale were making waves with surf music, Cole was revving up his guitar by making music to drive faster by. During the mid-Sixties he recorded over a dozen albums of hot rod and dragstrip songs, music that’s inspired and influenced bands from the Blasters to the Cramps and Butthole Surfers
While stand-alone record shops and the rare department store music section offered the latest in vinyl, drugstores and grocery stores were a treasure trove of gems by anonymous performers such as The Scramblers (Cycle Psychos) and Billy Boyd (Twangy Guitars). The Blasters (Sounds of the Drag) and Eddy Wayne (The Ping Pong Sounds of Guitars in Percussion). The Winners. The Hot Rodders. The Deuce Coupes (The Shut Downs). The Red Jackets (Surfers Beat). The Id (The Inner Sounds of the Id). All were JERRY COLE.
Dig a little deeper and you’ll unearth Cole as an architect of psychedelia with his proto-psych albums The Id and The Animated Egg in 1966, and Astro Sounds from Beyond the Year 2000 with 101 Strings (!). A highly collectible vinyl recording titled Organ Freakout by “The Mustang” actually featured JERRY COLE with The Id.
The list of stellar names Cole worked with as guitarist, vocalist, writer, arranger, producer, or bandleader is endless: Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison, Aretha Franklin, the Righteous Brothers, Little Richard, Dean Martin, Merle Haggard, Ray Charles, Tony Orlando & Dawn, Lou Rawls, Johnny Rivers, Gregg Allman, Lee Hazelwood, Blood Sweat & Tears, Kenny Rogers, Neil Diamond, Steely Dan, Isaac Hayes, Steely Dan …
Cole’s self-released Back to the Boards CD in 2006 revisited his beach days and the first installment of the JERRY COLE Crown Series on Ace Records was released in November of that same year. 3 Balls of Fire guitarist Burnin’ Mike Vernon is the series producer for the Ace project, with a new volume on the way. The renewed interest in JERRY COLE’s matchless body of work is, as the liner notes for The Id so presciently noted in 1967, the Unshape of Things to Come. Even 30 years later.
Girlfriend Ink maintains and handles this JERRY COLE MySpace page.
HELLO! Thank you for the Friendship. JERRY RULES!!!!! GREAT GREAT GREAT!!!!! Rock SXSW 2009 "Doggy Style" with The Dogs!! The Dogs from Lansing/Detroit Rock City celebrate their 40th anniversary w/t 2 Disks, 25 tribute bands, 3 unreleased historic tracks from The Dogs from 1971 & 1976, 28 page booklet, liner notes by John Sinclair (MC5) and cover artwork by Rockin' Jellybean!!
Carl Wilson Tribute 10 Year Anniversary Benefit Concert & Fundraiser
Venue: The Roxy Theatre Location: 9009 Sunset Blvd., W. Hollywood, CA 90069 Phone: (310) 278-9457 Donation: $100 (tax deductible) Doors: 6 p.m. Showtime: 7 p.m.
Performers: Al Jardine, David Marks, Guitar Legend Dick Dale, Carnie & Wendy Wilson, The Honeys, Adam Marsland's Chaos Band, and special guest Brian Wilson.
Tickets are available exclusively through the Roxy (cash and credit cards accepted at the door, credit cards only accepted for phone orders). The price of tickets includes light hors d'oeuvres. Seating is on a first come, first serve basis. Valet parking is available, and there is a $5 parking garage across the street in the 9000 Building. A live auction will be held during the show. Disclaimer: performers may be substituted or added without notice.
Proceeds will benefit City of Hope.
Mission statement: The aim and primary focus of the Carl Wilson Foundation is to help in the funding of cancer research and to aid those afflicted with the disease.
