James Hutchinson (musician)
Encyclopedia
James "Hutch" Hutchinson is an American bassist best known for his work with Bonnie Raitt
.
and Somerville
Massachusetts
.
in the late 1960s. He initially had played some mandolin and guitar in bluegrass bands, but focused on bass by age 12 after seeing Wilson Pickett
's band in the mid 60s. Before and during high school Hutchinson played electric and acoustic bass in several New England area bands.
After graduating high school, Hutchinson moved to San Francisco and played in some jam bands. He eventually met John Cipollina
of Quicksilver Messenger Service
and Mickey Hart
of the Grateful Dead
. He ended up playing at all types of sessions at Mickey's Ranch and joined Cipollina's band Copperhead, recording an album with them. He later played in Link Wray
's band with Copperhead drummer David Weber and at various shows with both Wray and Cipollina as well.
He later, while living in Guatemala
, formed (along with violinist Sid Page
) a Latin jazz fusion group called The Point, eventually bringing the band to Austin, Texas
. (where in 1977 they won Jazz Group of the year at the Austin Music Awards). In Austin in 1975 he was introduced to The Meters
by a mutual friend. He later got a call from Charles and Art Neville
about playing with their new band. He then moved to New Orleans and joined The Neville Brothers
Band. While playing with the Neville Brothers on the Rolling Stones 1981 Tattoo You
tour he started a friendship with keyboardist Ian McLagan
who introduced him to Bonnie Raitt
in 1982. He moved to Los Angeles
in 1983 and joined her band after her previous bassist left right before a tour. He has been playing and recording with her ever since, contributing to every recording of hers since Nine Lives.
, Ringo Starr
, B.B. King, Willie Nelson
, Joe Cocker
, Boz Scaggs
, Colin James
, Little Richard
, David Crosby
, Jackson Browne
, Ruth Brown
, Charles Brown
, Al Green
, Etta James
, Ziggy Marley
, Hank Williams, Jr.
, Delbert McClinton
, The Chieftains
, Altan (band), The Doobie Brothers
, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Bryan Adams
, Ryan Adams
and many other notable musicians.
In 2006 Hutchinson was featured along with drummer Jim Keltner
on the Jerry Lee Lewis
recording "Last Man Standing (Jerry Lee Lewis album)". He later that year played shows with Bonnie Raitt
opening for The Rolling Stones
at the MGM Grand Las Vegas
, in Los Angeles at Dodger Stadium
and in Vancouver BC, Canada at The BC Dome.
In 2008, Hutchinson participated in the production of the album Psalngs, the debut release of Canadian musician John Lefebvre
. He also in 2008 worked on Blues recordings by Mike Zito, Walter Trout
and Maria Muldaur
as well as working with Slack Key guitarist Barry Flanagan of the Hawaiian band Hapa and touring in March of said year with Steve Kimock
and Friends featuring Jerry Garcia Band
keyboardist Melvin Seals
.
On Dec. 29th and New Year's Eve 2008, Hutchinson played with Bill Kreutzmann and Papa Mali
at Charley's in Paia, Maui and at the Pauwela Cannery in Haiku, Hi. respectively.
On Monday Feb 2, 2009, Hutchinson performed as bassist and co-music director (along with Chuck Leavell) at The Surf Ballroom
in Clear Lake, Iowa with an all star band also featuring Rolling Stones keyboard player Chuck Leavell
, Stones sax man Bobby Keys
, drummer Kenny Aronoff
and Buddy Holly/Bob Wills
guitarist Tommy Allsup
at The Rock and Roll hall Of Fame's "50 Winter's Later" concert in tribute to Buddy Holly
, Richie Valens and The Big Bopper
50 years later to the day of the of their last concert.
During the summer of 2009, Hutchinson joined BK3
, a band led by Grateful Dead drummer Bill Kreutzmann
, and completed a tour with them.
Later in the summer of 2009 and through the fall of that year, Hutchinson toured with Bonnie Raitt
and Taj Mahal
playing with both artists on The BonTaj Roulet tour.
On New Year's Eve 2009/2010, he performed with Willie Nelson
and his sons Lukas and Micah, along with special guest Alanis Morissette
at Charley's in Paia, Maui Hi.
On Feb. 5th 2010, Hutchinson appeared with Doobie Brothers guitarist Pat Simmons
, former Doobie Brothers vocalist/keyboardist Michael McDonald
and Hawaiian guitarist, singer/songwriter John Cruz in Wailea, Maui at a CD release party for Maui singer Gail Swanson.
Following that he completed a North American tour with the Hawaiian band Hapa
, starting with them at Club Passim
in Cambridge, Mass. on St. Partick's Day 2010 and finishing on 4/17/2010 at The Maui Arts and Cultural Center.
On April 10, 2011, Hutchinson along with Maui residents Willie Nelson, Mick Fleetwood
, Michael McDonald and Doobie Brother Pat Simmons performed together, along with Hawaiian artists Jack Johnson (musician)
, Jake Shimabukuro
, Cecilio & Kapono
and many others on The Great Lawn of the Hawaiian Gardens in Honolulu at the benefit, Kokua For Japan.
The concert and telethon raised $1.6 million for The American Red Cross
and the survivors of the March 2011 earthquake, tsunami and resulting nuclear disaster in Japan.
He continues to work live and in the studio with Bonnie Raitt.
, Richard Davis, Cachao, Aston Barrett
, George Porter, Jr.
, Jack Casady
, John Entwistle
and James Jamerson
.
Bonnie Raitt
Bonnie Lynn Raitt is an American blues singer-songwriter and a renowned slide guitar player. During the 1970s, Raitt released a series of acclaimed roots-influenced albums which incorporated elements of blues, rock, folk and country, but she is perhaps best known for her more commercially...
.
Early life
James Hutchinson grew up in CambridgeCambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
and Somerville
Somerville, Massachusetts
Somerville is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, located just north of Boston. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 75,754 and was the most densely populated municipality in New England. It is also the 17th most densely populated incorporated place in...
Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
.
Career
Hutchinson attended some classes at Berklee College of MusicBerklee College of Music
Berklee College of Music, located in Boston, Massachusetts, is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known primarily as a school for jazz, rock and popular music, it also offers college-level courses in a wide range of contemporary and historic styles, including hip...
in the late 1960s. He initially had played some mandolin and guitar in bluegrass bands, but focused on bass by age 12 after seeing Wilson Pickett
Wilson Pickett
Wilson Pickett was an American R&B/Soul singer and songwriter.A major figure in the development of American soul music, Pickett recorded over 50 songs which made the US R&B charts, and frequently crossed over to the US Billboard Hot 100...
's band in the mid 60s. Before and during high school Hutchinson played electric and acoustic bass in several New England area bands.
After graduating high school, Hutchinson moved to San Francisco and played in some jam bands. He eventually met John Cipollina
John Cipollina
John Cipollina was a guitarist best known for his role as a founder and the lead guitarist of the prominent San Francisco rock band Quicksilver Messenger Service...
of Quicksilver Messenger Service
Quicksilver Messenger Service
Quicksilver Messenger Service is an American psychedelic rock band, formed in 1965 in San Francisco.-Introduction:Quicksilver Messenger Service gained wide popularity in the Bay Area and, through their recordings, with psychedelic rock enthusiasts around the globe and several of their albums ranked...
and Mickey Hart
Mickey Hart
Mickey Hart is an American percussionist and musicologist. He is best known as one of the two drummers of the rock band the Grateful Dead. He was a member of the Grateful Dead from September 1967 to February 1971, and from October 1974 to August 1995...
of the Grateful Dead
Grateful Dead
The Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in the San Francisco Bay Area. The band was known for its unique and eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, folk, bluegrass, blues, reggae, country, improvisational jazz, psychedelia, and space rock, and for live performances of long...
. He ended up playing at all types of sessions at Mickey's Ranch and joined Cipollina's band Copperhead, recording an album with them. He later played in Link Wray
Link Wray
Fred Lincoln "Link" Wray Jr was an American rock and roll guitarist, songwriter and occasional singer....
's band with Copperhead drummer David Weber and at various shows with both Wray and Cipollina as well.
He later, while living in Guatemala
Guatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
, formed (along with violinist Sid Page
Sid Page
Sid Page is an American based violin player who has been playing since the late 1960s. He became a member of Dan Hicks & The Hotlicks replacing violinist David LaFlamme...
) a Latin jazz fusion group called The Point, eventually bringing the band to Austin, Texas
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
. (where in 1977 they won Jazz Group of the year at the Austin Music Awards). In Austin in 1975 he was introduced to The Meters
The Meters
The Meters are an American funk band based in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Meters performed and recorded their own music from the late 1960s until 1977...
by a mutual friend. He later got a call from Charles and Art Neville
Art Neville
Art Neville is an American singer and keyboardist from New Orleans.-History:Neville is a part of one of the most famous musical families of New Orleans, the Neville Brothers...
about playing with their new band. He then moved to New Orleans and joined The Neville Brothers
The Neville Brothers
The Neville Brothers, an American R&B and soul group, was formed in 1977 in New Orleans, Louisiana.-History:The group notion started in 1976, when the four brothers of the Neville family, Art , Charles , Aaron , and Cyril The Neville Brothers, an American R&B and soul group, was formed in 1977 in...
Band. While playing with the Neville Brothers on the Rolling Stones 1981 Tattoo You
Tattoo You
Tattoo You is the 16th British and 18th American studio album by The Rolling Stones, released in 1981. The follow-up to Emotional Rescue, it proved to be a big critical and commercial success...
tour he started a friendship with keyboardist Ian McLagan
Ian McLagan
Ian McLagan is an English keyboard instrumentalist, best known as a member of the English rock bands Small Faces and Faces.-Small Faces and Faces:...
who introduced him to Bonnie Raitt
Bonnie Raitt
Bonnie Lynn Raitt is an American blues singer-songwriter and a renowned slide guitar player. During the 1970s, Raitt released a series of acclaimed roots-influenced albums which incorporated elements of blues, rock, folk and country, but she is perhaps best known for her more commercially...
in 1982. He moved to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
in 1983 and joined her band after her previous bassist left right before a tour. He has been playing and recording with her ever since, contributing to every recording of hers since Nine Lives.
Other appearances
Hutchinson has recorded and/or performed with Brian WilsonBrian Wilson
Brian Douglas Wilson is an American musician, best known as the leader and chief songwriter of the group The Beach Boys. Within the band, Wilson played bass and keyboards, also providing part-time lead vocals and, more often, backing vocals, harmonizing in falsetto with the group...
, Ringo Starr
Ringo Starr
Richard Starkey, MBE better known by his stage name Ringo Starr, is an English musician and actor who gained worldwide fame as the drummer for The Beatles. When the band formed in 1960, Starr was a member of another Liverpool band, Rory Storm and the Hurricanes. He became The Beatles' drummer in...
, B.B. King, Willie Nelson
Willie Nelson
Willie Hugh Nelson is an American country music singer-songwriter, as well as an author, poet, actor, and activist. The critical success of the album Shotgun Willie , combined with the critical and commercial success of Red Headed Stranger and Stardust , made Nelson one of the most recognized...
, 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...
, Boz Scaggs
Boz Scaggs
William Royce "Boz" Scaggs is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist. He gained fame in the 1970s with several Top 20 hit singles in the United States, along with the #2 album, Silk Degrees. Scaggs continues to write, record music and tour.-Early life and career:Scaggs was born in Canton,...
, Colin James
Colin James
Colin James is a Canadian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer, who plays in the blues, rock, and neo-swing genres. He grew up as a Quaker.-Early years:...
, Little Richard
Little Richard
Richard Wayne Penniman , known by the stage name Little Richard, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, recording artist, and actor, considered key in the transition from rhythm and blues to rock and roll in the 1950s. He was also the first artist to put the funk in the rock and roll beat and...
, David Crosby
David Crosby
David Van Cortlandt Crosby is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. In addition to his solo career, he was a founding member of three bands: The Byrds, Crosby, Stills & Nash , and CPR...
, Jackson Browne
Jackson Browne
Jackson Browne is an American singer-songwriter and musician who has sold over 17 million albums in the United States alone....
, Ruth Brown
Ruth Brown
Ruth Brown was an American pop and R&B singer-songwriter, record producer, composer and actress, noted for bringing a pop music style to R&B music in a series of hit songs for Atlantic Records in the 1950s, such as "So Long", "Teardrops from My Eyes" and " He Treats Your Daughter Mean".For these...
, Charles Brown
Charles Brown
Charlie Brown is the principal character in the comic strip Peanuts.Charlie or Charles Brown may also refer to:-Athletes:* Charlie Brown from Dumfries who played for home town club Queen of the South...
, Al Green
Al Green
Albert Greene , better known as Al Green, is an American gospel and soul music singer. He reached the peak of his popularity in the 1970s, with hit singles such as "You Oughta Be With Me", "I'm Still In Love With You", "Love and Happiness", and "Let's Stay Together"...
, Etta James
Etta James
Etta James is an American blues, soul, rhythm and blues , rock and roll, gospel and jazz singer. In the 1950s and 1960s, she had her biggest success as a blues and R&B singer...
, Ziggy Marley
Ziggy Marley
David "Ziggy" Marley is a Jamaican musician and leader of the band Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers. He is the oldest son of famed reggae musician Bob Marley...
, Hank Williams, Jr.
Hank Williams, Jr.
Randall Hank Williams , better known as Hank Williams, Jr. and Bocephus, is an American country singer-songwriter and musician. His musical style is often considered a blend of Southern rock, blues, and traditional country...
, Delbert McClinton
Delbert McClinton
Delbert McClinton is an American blues rock and electric blues singer-songwriter, guitarist, harmonica player, and pianist....
, The Chieftains
The Chieftains
The Chieftains are a Grammy-winning Irish musical group founded in 1962, best known for being one of the first bands to make Irish traditional music popular around the world.-Name:...
, Altan (band), The Doobie Brothers
The Doobie Brothers
The Doobie Brothers are an American rock band. The group has sold over 40 million units worldwide throughout their career. The Doobie Brothers were inducted into The Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2004.-Original incarnation:...
, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Bryan Adams
Bryan Adams
Bryan Adams, is a Canadian rock singer-songwriter, guitarist, bassist, producer, actor and photographer. Adams has won dozens of awards and nominations, including 20 Juno Awards among 56 nominations. He has also received 15 Grammy Award nominations including a win for Best Song Written...
, Ryan Adams
Ryan Adams
David Ryan Adams is an American alt-country/rock singer-songwriter, from Jacksonville, North Carolina. Initially part of the group Whiskeytown, Adams left the band and released his first solo album Heartbreaker in 2000...
and many other notable musicians.
In 2006 Hutchinson was featured along with drummer Jim Keltner
Jim Keltner
James Lee "Jim" Keltner is an American drummer known primarily for his session work. He has contributed to the work of many well-known artists...
on the Jerry Lee Lewis
Jerry Lee Lewis
Jerry Lee Lewis is an American rock and roll and country music singer-songwriter and pianist. An early pioneer of rock and roll music, Lewis's career faltered after he married his young cousin, and he afterwards made a career extension to country and western music. He is known by the nickname 'The...
recording "Last Man Standing (Jerry Lee Lewis album)". He later that year played shows with Bonnie Raitt
Bonnie Raitt
Bonnie Lynn Raitt is an American blues singer-songwriter and a renowned slide guitar player. During the 1970s, Raitt released a series of acclaimed roots-influenced albums which incorporated elements of blues, rock, folk and country, but she is perhaps best known for her more commercially...
opening for The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
at the MGM Grand Las Vegas
MGM Grand Las Vegas
The MGM Grand Las Vegas is a hotel casino located on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. The MGM Grand is the third largest hotel in the world and largest hotel resort complex in the United States in front of The Venetian. The MGM Grand was the largest hotel in the world when it opened in...
, in Los Angeles at Dodger Stadium
Dodger Stadium
Dodger Stadium, also sometimes called Chavez Ravine, is a stadium in Los Angeles. Located adjacent to Downtown Los Angeles, Dodger Stadium has been the home ballpark of Major League Baseball's Los Angeles Dodgers team since 1962...
and in Vancouver BC, Canada at The BC Dome.
In 2008, Hutchinson participated in the production of the album Psalngs, the debut release of Canadian musician John Lefebvre
John Lefebvre
John Lefebvre , is a Canadian musician, composer, entrepreneur, retired lawyer and philanthropist currently active as a songwriter, touring performer, and recording artist—as well as an activist and advocate who has made extensive contributions to the dialogue surrounding climate change issues.In...
. He also in 2008 worked on Blues recordings by Mike Zito, Walter Trout
Walter Trout
Walter Trout is an American blues guitarist, singer and songwriter.-Biography:Trout's career began on the Jersey coast scene of the late 1960s and early 1970s. He then decided to relocate to Los Angeles where he became a sideman for Percy Mayfield and Deacon Jones...
and Maria Muldaur
Maria Muldaur
Maria Muldaur is a folk-blues singer who was part of the American folk music revival in the early 1960s...
as well as working with Slack Key guitarist Barry Flanagan of the Hawaiian band Hapa and touring in March of said year with Steve Kimock
Steve Kimock
-External links:** at the Internet Archive's live music archive* at the Internet Archive's live music archive* at Internet Archive's live music archive*, San Francisco, April 3, 1999*, Unofficial Fan Forum...
and Friends featuring Jerry Garcia Band
Jerry Garcia Band
The Jerry Garcia Band was a San Francisco Bay Area rock band led by Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead. Garcia founded the band in 1975; it remained the most important of his various side-projects until his death in 1995...
keyboardist Melvin Seals
Melvin Seals
Melvin Seals is an American musician, best known as a long time member of the Jerry Garcia Band.-Early life and career:...
.
On Dec. 29th and New Year's Eve 2008, Hutchinson played with Bill Kreutzmann and Papa Mali
Papa Mali
Malcolm "Papa Mali" Welbourne is an American slide guitarist, singer, and songwriter who grew up in Shreveport, Louisiana, United States, and is based in Austin, Texas....
at Charley's in Paia, Maui and at the Pauwela Cannery in Haiku, Hi. respectively.
On Monday Feb 2, 2009, Hutchinson performed as bassist and co-music director (along with Chuck Leavell) at The Surf Ballroom
Surf Ballroom
The Surf Ballroom is a Historic Rock and Roll Landmark at 460 North Shore Drive, Clear Lake, Iowa. The Surf is closely associated with The Day the Music Died - early rock and roll stars Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J. P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson gave their last performances at the Surf on...
in Clear Lake, Iowa with an all star band also featuring Rolling Stones keyboard player Chuck Leavell
Chuck Leavell
Chuck Leavell is an American pianist and keyboardist, who was a member of The Allman Brothers Band throughout the height of their popularity, a founding member of the jazz-rock combo Sea Level, a frequently-employed session musician, and later, the keyboardist for Eric Clapton and The Rolling...
, Stones sax man Bobby Keys
Bobby Keys
Bobby 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...
, drummer Kenny Aronoff
Kenny Aronoff
Kenny Aronoff is an American drummer. He has played drums for many musicians, including John Mellencamp, Bob Seger, Belinda Carlisle, Elton John, John Fogerty, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Meat Loaf, The BoDeans, Gregg Alexander, The Smashing Pumpkins, Tony Iommi, Jon Bon Jovi, Vasco Rossi, Cinderella and...
and Buddy Holly/Bob Wills
Bob Wills
James Robert Wills , better known as Bob Wills, was an American Western Swing musician, songwriter, and bandleader, considered by music authorities as the co-founder of Western Swing and universally known as the pioneering King of Western Swing.Bob Wills' name will forever be associated with...
guitarist Tommy Allsup
Tommy Allsup
Tommy Allsup is an American musician.He worked with entertainers such as Buddy Holly and Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys...
at The Rock and Roll hall Of Fame's "50 Winter's Later" concert in tribute to Buddy Holly
Buddy Holly
Charles Hardin Holley , known professionally as Buddy Holly, was an American singer-songwriter and a pioneer of rock and roll...
, Richie Valens and The Big Bopper
The Big Bopper
Jiles Perry "J. P." Richardson, Jr. also commonly known as The Big Bopper, was an American disc jockey, singer, and songwriter whose big voice and exuberant personality made him an early rock and roll star...
50 years later to the day of the of their last concert.
During the summer of 2009, Hutchinson joined BK3
BK3
BK3 is an American rock band led by Grateful Dead drummer Bill Kreutzmann. Kreutzmann formed the band in 2008 with Max Creek guitarist Scott Murawski and Allman Brothers Band bassist Oteil Burbridge.-Formation:...
, a band led by Grateful Dead drummer Bill Kreutzmann
Bill Kreutzmann
Bill Kreutzmann is an American drummer who played with the rock band the Grateful Dead for their entire thirty-year career...
, and completed a tour with them.
Later in the summer of 2009 and through the fall of that year, Hutchinson toured with Bonnie Raitt
Bonnie Raitt
Bonnie Lynn Raitt is an American blues singer-songwriter and a renowned slide guitar player. During the 1970s, Raitt released a series of acclaimed roots-influenced albums which incorporated elements of blues, rock, folk and country, but she is perhaps best known for her more commercially...
and Taj Mahal
Taj Mahal (musician)
Henry Saint Clair Fredericks , who uses the stage name Taj Mahal, is an American Grammy Award winning blues musician. He incorporates elements of world music into his music...
playing with both artists on The BonTaj Roulet tour.
On New Year's Eve 2009/2010, he performed with Willie Nelson
Willie Nelson
Willie Hugh Nelson is an American country music singer-songwriter, as well as an author, poet, actor, and activist. The critical success of the album Shotgun Willie , combined with the critical and commercial success of Red Headed Stranger and Stardust , made Nelson one of the most recognized...
and his sons Lukas and Micah, along with special guest Alanis Morissette
Alanis Morissette
Alanis Nadine Morissette is a Canadian-American singer-songwriter, guitarist, record producer, and actress. She has won 16 Juno Awards and seven Grammy Awards, was nominated for two Golden Globe Awards and also shortlisted for an Academy Award nomination...
at Charley's in Paia, Maui Hi.
On Feb. 5th 2010, Hutchinson appeared with Doobie Brothers guitarist Pat Simmons
Pat Simmons
Pat Simmons was the voice of the United Kingdom's Speaking Clock from 1963 until 1985.A supervisor at a London telephone exchange, in 1963 Simmons won a £500 competition to replace Jane Cain, whose voice had been used since the service began in 1936...
, former Doobie Brothers vocalist/keyboardist Michael McDonald
Michael McDonald (singer)
Michael McDonald is a five-time Grammy Award winning American singer and songwriter. McDonald is known for a soulful baritone singing style and a multi-octave range. He began his career singing back-up vocals with Steely Dan...
and Hawaiian guitarist, singer/songwriter John Cruz in Wailea, Maui at a CD release party for Maui singer Gail Swanson.
Following that he completed a North American tour with the Hawaiian band Hapa
Hapa
Hapa is a Hawaiian language term used to describe a person of mixed Asian or Pacific Islander racial or ethnic heritage.-Etymology:In the Hawaiian language, hapa is defined as: portion, fragment, part, fraction, installment; to be partial, less. It is a loan from the English word half...
, starting with them at Club Passim
Club Passim
Club Passim is a folk music club in the Harvard Square area of Cambridge, Massachusetts. It was opened by Joyce Kalina and Paula Kelley in 1958, when it was known as Club 47 , and changed its name to simply Passim in 1969...
in Cambridge, Mass. on St. Partick's Day 2010 and finishing on 4/17/2010 at The Maui Arts and Cultural Center.
On April 10, 2011, Hutchinson along with Maui residents Willie Nelson, Mick Fleetwood
Mick Fleetwood
Michael John Kells "Mick" Fleetwood is a British musician and actor best known for his role as the drummer and namesake of the blues/rock and roll band Fleetwood Mac. His surname, combined with that of John McVie, was the inspiration for the name of the originally Peter Green-led Fleetwood Mac...
, Michael McDonald and Doobie Brother Pat Simmons performed together, along with Hawaiian artists Jack Johnson (musician)
Jack Johnson (musician)
Jack Johnson was born May 18, 1975 is an American folk rock singer-songwriter, surfer and musician known for his work in the soft rock and acoustic genres. In 2001, he achieved commercial success after the release of his debut album, Brushfire Fairytales. He has since released four more albums, a...
, Jake Shimabukuro
Jake Shimabukuro
Jake Shimabukuro is an ukulele virtuoso known for his complex finger work. His music combines elements of jazz and rock.- History :...
, Cecilio & Kapono
Cecilio & Kapono
Cecilio & Kapono are a Hawaiian music duo formed in 1973, comprising Henry Kapono Ka’aihue and Cecilio David Rodriguez, who have released 14 albums to date...
and many others on The Great Lawn of the Hawaiian Gardens in Honolulu at the benefit, Kokua For Japan.
The concert and telethon raised $1.6 million for The American Red Cross
American Red Cross
The American Red Cross , also known as the American National Red Cross, is a volunteer-led, humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief and education inside the United States. It is the designated U.S...
and the survivors of the March 2011 earthquake, tsunami and resulting nuclear disaster in Japan.
He continues to work live and in the studio with Bonnie Raitt.
Influences
Some of Hutchinson's main influences are Charles MingusCharles Mingus
Charles Mingus Jr. was an American jazz musician, composer, bandleader, and civil rights activist.Mingus's compositions retained the hot and soulful feel of hard bop and drew heavily from black gospel music while sometimes drawing on elements of Third stream, free jazz, and classical music...
, Richard Davis, Cachao, Aston Barrett
Aston Barrett
Aston Barrett , often called "Family Man" or "Fams" for short, is a Jamaican bass player and Rastafarian.-Biography:...
, George Porter, Jr.
George Porter, Jr.
George Porter, Jr. is a musician best known as the bassist and singer of The Meters. Along with Art Neville, Porter formed the group in the mid 60's and came to be recognized as one of the progenitors of funk. The Meters disbanded in 1977, but reformed in 1989...
, Jack Casady
Jack Casady
Jack Casady , is an American musician considered one of the foremost bass guitarists of the rock music era and best known as a member of Jefferson Airplane. First playing as a lead guitarist with the Washington D.C...
, John Entwistle
John Entwistle
John Alec Entwistle was an English bass guitarist, songwriter, singer, horn player, and film and record producer who was best known as the bass player for the rock band The Who. His aggressive lead sound influenced many rock bass players...
and James Jamerson
James Jamerson
James 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...
.