Carl Radle
Encyclopedia
Carl Dean Radle was a bass guitar
ist who toured and recorded with many of the most influential recording artists
of the late 1960s and 1970s. He was postumously inducted to the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame
in 2006.
Ultimately, Radle was best known for his lifetime association with Eric Clapton
, starting in 1969 with Delaney and Bonnie and Friends and 1970 with Derek and the Dominos
, recording alongside drummer Jim Gordon
, guitarist Duane Allman
, and keyboardist Bobby Whitlock
. In 1970 he took part in Joe Cocker
's famous Mad Dogs and Englishmen
tour. He worked on all of Clapton's solo
projects from 1970 until 1979 and was a member of Clapton's touring band Eric Clapton & His Band from 1974 through 1979. Radle was instrumental in facilitating Clapton's return to recording and touring in 1974. During Clapton's three-year hiatus, Radle furnished him with a supply of tapes of Okie musicians with whom he'd been working. Dick Sims and Jamie Oldaker
were musicians who became the core of Clapton's band during the 1970s. Radle served as more than a sideman
. He also acted as arranger
on several songs, most notably "Motherless Children". Radle earned an associate producer's credit on No Reason to Cry
.
Radle became a session musician
for many of the most famous blues rock and rock and roll
artists in the 1970s. can be seen in the famous concert film, The Concert for Bangladesh
, resulting in an album from that concert released in 1972. During just those two years, by the time the album The Concert for Bangladesh was released, Radle had recorded albums with Dave Mason
, J. J. Cale, George Harrison
, Joe Cocker
, Leon Russell
, and Buddy Guy
among others. He performed with many other notable guests and can be seen in Martin Scorsese
's documentary
film, The Last Waltz
, a final concert performance of The Band
, in 1978.
Over the course of his career, Radle played on a number of gold
and platinum
singles
and albums, and garnered the respect of many musicians.
Radle was born in Tulsa
, Oklahoma
and died in 1980 from a kidney
infection, exacerbated by the effects of alcohol and narcotics.
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
ist who toured and recorded with many of the most influential recording artists
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
of the late 1960s and 1970s. He was postumously inducted to the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame
Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame
The Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame, located in Muskogee, Oklahoma, honors Oklahoma musicians for their lifetime achievements in music. The induction ceremony and concert is held each year in Muskogee...
in 2006.
Ultimately, Radle was best known for his lifetime association with Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton
Eric Patrick Clapton, CBE, is an English guitarist and singer-songwriter. Clapton is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist, and separately as a member of The Yardbirds and Cream. Clapton has been referred to as one of the most important and...
, starting in 1969 with Delaney and Bonnie and Friends and 1970 with Derek and the Dominos
Derek and the Dominos
Derek and the Dominos were a blues rock band formed in the spring of 1970 by guitarist and singer Eric Clapton with keyboardist Bobby Whitlock, bassist Carl Radle and drummer Jim Gordon, who had all played with Clapton in Delaney, Bonnie & Friends...
, recording alongside drummer Jim Gordon
Jim Gordon (musician)
James Beck "Jim" Gordon is an American recording artist, musician and songwriter. The Grammy Award winner was one of the most requested session drummers in the late 1960s and 1970s, recording albums with many well-known musicians of the time, and was the drummer in the blues-rock supergroup Derek...
, guitarist Duane Allman
Duane Allman
Howard Duane Allman was an American guitarist, session musician and the primary co-founder of the southern rock group The Allman Brothers Band...
, and keyboardist Bobby Whitlock
Bobby Whitlock
Robert Stanley 'Bobby' Whitlock is a songwriter and performer, best known as a member of Derek and the Dominos.- Biography :...
. In 1970 he took part in Joe Cocker
Joe Cocker
John Robert "Joe" Cocker, OBE is an English rock and blues musician, composer and actor, who came to popularity in the 1960s, and is most known for his gritty voice, his idiosyncratic arm movements while performing, and his cover versions of popular songs, particularly those of The Beatles...
's famous Mad Dogs and Englishmen
Mad Dogs and Englishmen (album)
Mad Dogs and Englishmen is Joe Cocker's 1970 live album, featuring a fusion of rock and soul. The album title is drawn from the 1931 Noël Coward song of the same name. Mostly Cocker's album is made up of covers, drawing equally from rock and soul...
tour. He worked on all of Clapton's solo
Solo (music)
In music, a solo is a piece or a section of a piece played or sung by a single performer...
projects from 1970 until 1979 and was a member of Clapton's touring band Eric Clapton & His Band from 1974 through 1979. Radle was instrumental in facilitating Clapton's return to recording and touring in 1974. During Clapton's three-year hiatus, Radle furnished him with a supply of tapes of Okie musicians with whom he'd been working. Dick Sims and Jamie Oldaker
Jamie Oldaker
James Oldaker is an American rock music, blues rock and country music drummer and percussionist. He was born September 5, 1951 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He is an exponent of the shuffle style....
were musicians who became the core of Clapton's band during the 1970s. Radle served as more than a sideman
Sideman
A sideman is a professional musician who is hired to perform or record with a group of which he or she is not a regular member. They often tour with solo acts as well as bands and jazz ensembles. Sidemen are generally required to be adaptable to many different styles of music, and so able to fit...
. He also acted as arranger
Arrangement
The American Federation of Musicians defines arranging as "the art of preparing and adapting an already written composition for presentation in other than its original form. An arrangement may include reharmonization, paraphrasing, and/or development of a composition, so that it fully represents...
on several songs, most notably "Motherless Children". Radle earned an associate producer's credit on No Reason to Cry
No Reason to Cry
No Reason to Cry is an album by Eric Clapton, released in 1976. No Reason to Cry was released in CD format on October 25, 1990. The album is notable for containing a duet with Bob Dylan on his otherwise unreleased song "Sign Language."...
.
Radle became a session musician
Session musician
Session musicians are instrumental and vocal performers, musicians, who are available to work with others at live performances or recording sessions. Usually such musicians are not permanent members of a musical ensemble and often do not achieve fame in their own right as soloists or bandleaders...
for many of the most famous blues rock and rock and roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
artists in the 1970s. can be seen in the famous concert film, The Concert for Bangladesh
The Concert for Bangladesh
The Concert for Bangladesh was the name for two benefit concerts organised by George Harrison and Ravi Shankar, held at noon and at 7 PM on August 1, 1971, playing to a total of 40,000 people at Madison Square Garden in New York City...
, resulting in an album from that concert released in 1972. During just those two years, by the time the album The Concert for Bangladesh was released, Radle had recorded albums with Dave Mason
Dave Mason
David Thomas "Dave" Mason is an English singer, songwriter, and guitarist from Worcester, who first found fame with the rock band Traffic...
, J. J. Cale, George Harrison
George Harrison
George Harrison, MBE was an English musician, guitarist, singer-songwriter, actor and film producer who achieved international fame as lead guitarist of The Beatles. Often referred to as "the quiet Beatle", Harrison became over time an admirer of Indian mysticism, and introduced it to the other...
, Joe Cocker
Joe Cocker
John Robert "Joe" Cocker, OBE is an English rock and blues musician, composer and actor, who came to popularity in the 1960s, and is most known for his gritty voice, his idiosyncratic arm movements while performing, and his cover versions of popular songs, particularly those of The Beatles...
, Leon Russell
Leon Russell
Claude Russell Bridges , known professionally as Leon Russell, is an American musician and songwriter, who has recorded as a session musician, sideman, and maintained a solo career in music....
, and Buddy Guy
Buddy Guy
George "Buddy" Guy is an American blues and jazz guitarist and singer. He is a critically acclaimed artist who has established himself as a pioneer of the Chicago blues sound, and has served as an influence to some of the most notable musicians of his generation...
among others. He performed with many other notable guests and can be seen in Martin Scorsese
Martin Scorsese
Martin Charles Scorsese is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, actor, and film historian. In 1990 he founded The Film Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to film preservation, and in 2007 he founded the World Cinema Foundation...
's documentary
Documentary
A documentary is a creative work of non-fiction, including:* Documentary film, including television* Radio documentary* Documentary photographyRelated terms include:...
film, The Last Waltz
The Last Waltz
The Last Waltz was a concert by the rock group The Band, held on American Thanksgiving Day, November 25, 1976, at Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco...
, a final concert performance of The Band
The Band
The Band was an acclaimed and influential roots rock group. The original group consisted of Rick Danko , Garth Hudson , Richard Manuel , and Robbie Robertson , and Levon Helm...
, in 1978.
Over the course of his career, Radle played on a number of gold
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
and platinum
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
singles
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
and albums, and garnered the respect of many musicians.
Radle was born in Tulsa
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 46th-largest city in the United States. With a population of 391,906 as of the 2010 census, it is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with 937,478 residents in the MSA and 988,454 in the CSA. Tulsa's...
, Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
and died in 1980 from a kidney
Kidney
The kidneys, organs with several functions, serve essential regulatory roles in most animals, including vertebrates and some invertebrates. They are essential in the urinary system and also serve homeostatic functions such as the regulation of electrolytes, maintenance of acid–base balance, and...
infection, exacerbated by the effects of alcohol and narcotics.
With Derek and the Dominos
- 1970 Layla and Other Assorted Love SongsLayla and Other Assorted Love SongsLayla and Other Assorted Love Songs is a blues-rock album by Derek and the Dominos, released in November 1970, best known for its eponymous title track, "Layla"...
PolydorPolydor RecordsPolydor is a record label owned by Universal Music Group, headquartered in the United Kingdom.-Beginnings:Polydor was originally an independent branch of the Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft. Its name was first used as an export label in 1924, the British and German branches of the Gramophone...
/AtcoAtco RecordsATCO Records is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group, currently operating through WMG's Rhino Entertainment.-Beginnings:Atco Records was founded in 1955 as a division of Atlantic Records. It was devised as an outlet for productions by one of Atlantic's founders, Herb Abramson, who... - 1973 In ConcertIn Concert (Derek and the Dominos album)In Concert is a live double album, recorded by Derek and the Dominos in October 1970 at the Fillmore East and released January 1973.Six of the album's nine tracks were subsequently included on the 1994 album Live at the Fillmore...
- 1990 The Layla Sessions: 20th Anniversary EditionThe Layla Sessions: 20th Anniversary EditionThe Layla Sessions: 20th Anniversary Edition released September 1990 is an anniversary edition reissue of the Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs album by Derek and the Dominos, who disbanded in 1971...
- 1994 Live at the Fillmore