D&B Together
Encyclopedia
D&B Together is a 1972 album by Delaney & Bonnie and Friends. It was their last album of new material, as Delaney
and Bonnie Bramlett
would divorce soon after its release.
Although released by Columbia/CBS (catalog no. KC 31377), D&B Together was actually recorded for the Atco
/Atlantic
label, under the working title Country Life. According to his autobiography Rhythm and the Blues, Atlantic executive Jerry Wexler
was dissatisfied with the album's quality upon its delivery to the label, and, upon investigating the situation and discovering Delaney and Bonnie were splitting up, sold their contract - including this album's master tapes - to CBS. CBS reordered the running sequence of the album as shown below. On reflecting on the matter in 2003, Delaney Bramlett was quoted as saying "I thought [D&B Together] was a fine piece of work, so did Bonnie. Unfortunately, Jerry Wexler didn't agree."
Guest musicians on the album include Eric Clapton
, Leon Russell
, Duane Allman
, Dave Mason
, John Hartford
, Billy Preston
, Tina Turner
, and Steve Cropper
. The standout tracks (all issued prior to the album's release as singles on Atco/Atlantic) are "Move 'Em Out," "Only You Know and I Know," "Comin' Home," and "Groupie (Superstar)
." (The inclusion of the last three tracks on this album is somewhat incongruous, as they date back to Delaney and Bonnie's first recording sessions for Atco/Atlantic in September 1969. Delaney and Bonnie were still under contract with Elektra Records
when these recordings were made; these songs' master tapes were subsequently purchased by Atco/Atlantic, and transferred to Atlantic by Elektra on 10 November 1969.)
A remastered version of the album was released by Columbia/Legacy in 2003. This version of the album, which was compiled with Delaney Bramlett's assistance, contains six additional tracks recorded by Delaney and Bonnie during 1972-73 as solo artists following their breakup. The additional tracks are:
Delaney Bramlett
Delaney Bramlett was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and producer. Bramlett's five decade career reached peaks in creativity, performance, and notoriety in partnership with his then wife Bonnie Bramlett, in a revolving troupe of professional musicians and Rock superstars dubbed Delaney...
and Bonnie Bramlett
Bonnie Bramlett
Bonnie Bramlett is an American singer and sometime actress known for her distinctive vocals in rock and pop music. This began in the mid 1960s as a backing singer, forming the husband-and-wife team of Delaney & Bonnie, and continuing to the present day as a solo artist.-Life and career:Bramlett...
would divorce soon after its release.
Although released by Columbia/CBS (catalog no. KC 31377), D&B Together was actually recorded for the Atco
Atco Records
ATCO 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...
/Atlantic
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
label, under the working title Country Life. According to his autobiography Rhythm and the Blues, Atlantic executive Jerry Wexler
Jerry Wexler
Gerald "Jerry" Wexler was a music journalist turned music producer, and was regarded as one of the major record industry players behind music from the 1950s through the 1980s...
was dissatisfied with the album's quality upon its delivery to the label, and, upon investigating the situation and discovering Delaney and Bonnie were splitting up, sold their contract - including this album's master tapes - to CBS. CBS reordered the running sequence of the album as shown below. On reflecting on the matter in 2003, Delaney Bramlett was quoted as saying "I thought [D&B Together] was a fine piece of work, so did Bonnie. Unfortunately, Jerry Wexler didn't agree."
Guest musicians on the album include 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...
, 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....
, 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...
, 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...
, John Hartford
John Hartford
John Cowan Hartford was an American folk, country and bluegrass composer and musician known for his mastery of the fiddle and banjo, as well as for his witty lyrics, unique vocal style, and extensive knowledge of Mississippi River lore...
, Billy Preston
Billy Preston
William Everett "Billy" Preston was a musician who gained notoriety and fame, first as a session musician for the likes of Sam Cooke, Ray Charles and The Beatles, and later finding fame as a solo artist with hits such as "Space Race", "Will It Go Round in Circles" and "Nothing from...
, Tina Turner
Tina Turner
Tina Turner is an American singer and actress whose career has spanned more than 50 years. She has won numerous awards and her achievements in the rock music genre have led many to call her the "Queen of Rock 'n' Roll".Turner started out her music career with husband Ike Turner as a member of the...
, and Steve Cropper
Steve Cropper
Steve Cropper , also known as Steve "The Colonel" Cropper, is an American guitarist, songwriter and record producer. He is best known as the guitarist of the Stax Records house band, Booker T...
. The standout tracks (all issued prior to the album's release as singles on Atco/Atlantic) are "Move 'Em Out," "Only You Know and I Know," "Comin' Home," and "Groupie (Superstar)
Superstar (Delaney and Bonnie song)
"Superstar" is a 1969 song written by Bonnie Bramlett and Leon Russell that has been a hit for many artists in different genres and interpretations in the years since; the best known version is by the Carpenters in 1971.-Original Delaney and Bonnie version:Accounts of the song's origin vary...
." (The inclusion of the last three tracks on this album is somewhat incongruous, as they date back to Delaney and Bonnie's first recording sessions for Atco/Atlantic in September 1969. Delaney and Bonnie were still under contract with Elektra Records
Elektra Records
Elektra Records is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group. In 2004, it was consolidated into WMG's Atlantic Records Group. After five years of dormancy, the label was revived by Atlantic in 2009....
when these recordings were made; these songs' master tapes were subsequently purchased by Atco/Atlantic, and transferred to Atlantic by Elektra on 10 November 1969.)
Track listing
- "Only You Know and I Know" (Dave MasonDave MasonDavid Thomas "Dave" Mason is an English singer, songwriter, and guitarist from Worcester, who first found fame with the rock band Traffic...
) - 3:26 - "Wade in the River of Jordan" (Traditional, arr. Delaney Bramlett) - 2:10
- "Sound of the City" (Delaney Bramlett, Joe HicksJoe Hicks (musician)Joe Hicks is an American R&B and soul blues singer and songwriter. He hailed from San Francisco, California, United States, and found limited success in the late 1960s and early 1970s...
) - 2:39 - "Well, Well" (Delaney Bramlett) - 3:03
- "I Know How It Feels to Be Lonely" (Bonnie Bramlett, Leon WareLeon WareLeon Ware is a soul music singer, songwriter and producer. Best known for crafting the hit album, I Want You, originally recorded for Ware, until friend and Motown icon Marvin Gaye was assigned to the album in 1976...
) - 3:47 - "Comin' Home" (Bonnie Bramlett, Eric ClaptonEric ClaptonEric 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...
) - 3:13 - "Move 'Em Out" (Steve CropperSteve CropperSteve Cropper , also known as Steve "The Colonel" Cropper, is an American guitarist, songwriter and record producer. He is best known as the guitarist of the Stax Records house band, Booker T...
, Bettye Crutcher) - 2:50 - "Big Change Comin'" (Delaney Bramlett) - 3:22
- "A Good Thing (I'm on Fire)" (Delaney Bramlett, Gordon DeWitty) - 2:13
- "Groupie (Superstar)" (Bonnie Bramlett, Leon RussellLeon RussellClaude 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....
) - 2:49 - "I Know Something Good About You" (Delaney Bramlett, Joe Hicks) - 4:11
- "Country Life" (Delaney Bramlett, Bobby WhitlockBobby WhitlockRobert Stanley 'Bobby' Whitlock is a songwriter and performer, best known as a member of Derek and the Dominos.- Biography :...
) - 3:38
A remastered version of the album was released by Columbia/Legacy in 2003. This version of the album, which was compiled with Delaney Bramlett's assistance, contains six additional tracks recorded by Delaney and Bonnie during 1972-73 as solo artists following their breakup. The additional tracks are:
- Delaney Bramlett "Over and Over" (Delaney Bramlett) - 2:41
- Delaney Bramlett "I'm Not Your Lover, Just Your Lovee" (Delaney Bramlett, Doug Gilmore) - 4:28
- Bonnie Bramlett "Good Vibrations" (Gordon DeWitty) - 3:13
- Delaney Bramlett "Are You a Beatle or a Rolling Stone" (Delaney Bramlett, Doug Gilmore) - 3:22
- Bonnie Bramlett "(You Don't Know) How Glad I Am" (Jimmy Williams, Larry Harrison) - 3:58
- Delaney Bramlett "California Rain" (Delaney Bramlett, Doug Gilmore) - 3:52
Personnel
- Delaney BramlettDelaney BramlettDelaney Bramlett was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and producer. Bramlett's five decade career reached peaks in creativity, performance, and notoriety in partnership with his then wife Bonnie Bramlett, in a revolving troupe of professional musicians and Rock superstars dubbed Delaney...
- guitar, vocals - Bonnie BramlettBonnie BramlettBonnie Bramlett is an American singer and sometime actress known for her distinctive vocals in rock and pop music. This began in the mid 1960s as a backing singer, forming the husband-and-wife team of Delaney & Bonnie, and continuing to the present day as a solo artist.-Life and career:Bramlett...
- vocals - Eric ClaptonEric ClaptonEric 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...
- guitar, vocals - Leon RussellLeon RussellClaude 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....
- piano, keyboards, vocals - Duane AllmanDuane AllmanHoward Duane Allman was an American guitarist, session musician and the primary co-founder of the southern rock group The Allman Brothers Band...
- guitar, vocals - Dave MasonDave MasonDavid Thomas "Dave" Mason is an English singer, songwriter, and guitarist from Worcester, who first found fame with the rock band Traffic...
- guitar, vocals - Carl RadleCarl RadleCarl Dean Radle was a bass guitarist who toured and recorded with many of the most influential recording artists of the late 1960s and 1970s...
- bass, vocals - John HartfordJohn HartfordJohn Cowan Hartford was an American folk, country and bluegrass composer and musician known for his mastery of the fiddle and banjo, as well as for his witty lyrics, unique vocal style, and extensive knowledge of Mississippi River lore...
- banjo, vocals - Steve CropperSteve CropperSteve Cropper , also known as Steve "The Colonel" Cropper, is an American guitarist, songwriter and record producer. He is best known as the guitarist of the Stax Records house band, Booker T...
- guitar, vocals - Jim GordonJim 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...
- drums, vocals - Red RhodesRed RhodesRhodes played pedal steel on many country rock, pop and rock albums with The Monkees, James Taylor, Seals and Crofts, The Byrds, The Carpenters and many other groups. He is most often remembered for his work with former Monkee Michael Nesmith on Nesmith's first solo albums in the early 1970s...
- steel guitar, vocals - Jaimoe - drums, vocals
- Billy PrestonBilly PrestonWilliam Everett "Billy" Preston was a musician who gained notoriety and fame, first as a session musician for the likes of Sam Cooke, Ray Charles and The Beatles, and later finding fame as a solo artist with hits such as "Space Race", "Will It Go Round in Circles" and "Nothing from...
- keyboards, piano, vocals - Charlie FreemanCharlie FreemanCharles Redfearn "Charlie" Freeman was an English professional football player. His clubs included Chelsea and Gillingham.-References:...
- guitar, vocals - Kenny GradneyKenny GradneyKenny Gradney, a native of New Orleans, is a member of the band Little Feat. He joined after their second album, replacing founding bassist Roy Estrada in 1972....
- bass, vocals - Bobby WhitlockBobby WhitlockRobert Stanley 'Bobby' Whitlock is a songwriter and performer, best known as a member of Derek and the Dominos.- Biography :...
- keyboards, vocals - Bobby KeysBobby KeysBobby Keys is an American saxophone player, and has performed with other musicians as a member of one of the notable horn sections of the 1970s. He appears on albums by The Rolling Stones, The Who, Harry Nilsson, Delaney Bramlett, George Harrison's All Things Must Pass, Eric Clapton and Joe...
- saxophone, vocals - James JamersonJames JamersonJames Lee Jamerson was an American bass player. He was the uncredited bassist on most of Motown Records' hits in the 1960s and early 1970s , and he is now regarded as one of the most influential bass players in modern music history...
- bass, vocals - Jerry Jumonville - saxophone, vocals
- King CurtisKing CurtisCurtis Ousley , who performed under the stage name King Curtis, was an American saxophone virtuoso known for rhythm and blues, rock and roll, soul, funk and soul jazz. Variously a bandleader, band member, and session musician, he was also a musical director and record producer...
- saxophone, vocals - Larry KnechtelLarry KnechtelLawrence William "Larry" Knechtel was an American keyboard player and bassist, best known for his work as a session musician with such artists as Simon & Garfunkel, Duane Eddy, The Beach Boys, The Mamas & the Papas, The Partridge Family, The Doors, and Elvis Presley, and as a member of the 1970s...
- bass, vocals - Darrell LeonardDarrell LeonardDarrell Leonard is a Los Angeles based trumpet player, composer and arranger.He recorded and toured with Delaney and Bonnie and Friends from 1970 through 1972.He is a Grammy winner for his work with Taj Mahal and the Phantom Blues Band....
- trumpet, vocals - Jim PriceJim PriceJim Price may refer to:*Jim Price , former NFL tight end*Jim Price , former Detroit Tigers catcher and current sportscaster*Jim Price , manager of the New York Gothams...
- horns, vocals - Chuck RaineyChuck RaineyChuck Rainey, is an American bass guitar session musician, known for playing with many well-known American musicians and acts, including Donald Byrd, Steely Dan, Quincy Jones, and Aretha Franklin.-Biography:Rainey's youthful pursuits included violin, piano and trumpet...
- bass, vocals - Larry Savoie - trombone, vocals
- Rita CoolidgeRita CoolidgeRita Coolidge is a multiple Grammy Award-winning American vocalist. During the 1970s and 1980s, she charted hits on Billboard's Pop, Country, Adult Contemporary and Jazz charts.-Career:...
- vocals - Tina TurnerTina TurnerTina Turner is an American singer and actress whose career has spanned more than 50 years. She has won numerous awards and her achievements in the rock music genre have led many to call her the "Queen of Rock 'n' Roll".Turner started out her music career with husband Ike Turner as a member of the...
- vocals - Venetta FieldsVenetta FieldsVenetta Fields is an American singer best known as session musician for leading rock and pop acts of the 1970s including Pink Floyd, Barbra Streisand, Steely Dan and the Rolling Stones...
- vocals - Merry ClaytonMerry ClaytonMerry Clayton is an American soul and gospel singer , and an actress...
- vocals - Eddie KendricksEddie KendricksEddie Kendricks was an American singer and songwriter. Noted for his distinctive falsetto singing style, Kendricks co-founded the Motown singing group The Temptations, and was one of their lead singers from 1960 until 1971. His was the lead voice on such famous songs as "The Way You Do The Things...
- vocals - Sam ClaytonSam ClaytonSam Clayton has been a singer and percussionist, primarily focusing on drums; conga and djembe, throughout his musical career. He is best known for his membership as percussionist and supporting vocalist with the American rock band Little Feat since 1972....
- vocals - Joe HicksJoe Hicks (musician)Joe Hicks is an American R&B and soul blues singer and songwriter. He hailed from San Francisco, California, United States, and found limited success in the late 1960s and early 1970s...
- vocals - Patrice HollowayPatrice HollowayPatrice Holloway was an African-American soul and pop singer.-Career:Patrice Yvonne Holloway was born on March 23, 1951 in Los Angeles, California, the youngest of three children born to Wade Holloway, Sr. and his wife, the former Johnnie Mae Fossett...
- vocals - Tex Johnson - vocals
- Clydie KingClydie KingClydie Crittendon is an American singer, best known for her session work as a backing vocalist....
- vocals - Sherlie MatthewsSherlie MatthewsSherlie Matthews is an American singer, songwriter and record producer, best known as a backing vocalist for Pop, R&B and Rock groups from the mid 1960s to the present time.-Early life:...
- vocals - Gordon De Witty - vocals
- Jay York - vocals
Production
- Producer: David Anderle/Doug Gilmore/Delaney Bramlett
- Recording Engineer: Tom DowdTom DowdTom Dowd was an American recording engineer and producer for Atlantic Records. He was credited with innovating the multi-track recording method. Dowd worked on a virtual "who's who" of recordings that encompassed blues, jazz, pop, rock and soul records.- Early years :Born in Manhattan, Dowd grew...
/James Greene - Art Direction: Howard Fritzson
- Photography: David Gahr/Beverly Parker/Sandy Speiser
- Liner Notes (2003 remastered edition): Greg Martin