Julius Wechter
Encyclopedia
Julius Wechter was an American musician and composer who played the marimba
and vibraphone
. He also played various percussion instruments. He composed the song "Spanish Flea
" for Herb Alpert
and was leader of the The Baja Marimba Band.
Born in Chicago
, Wechter played vibes
and percussion for the Martin Denny
group in the 1950s. In the early 1960s, he moved on to movie soundtracks and television
, as well as session work for the likes of the Beach Boys, Sonny and Cher and various Phil Spector
productions.
He began his long and successful association with Herb Alpert and his Tijuana Brass when he played percussion on the Tijuana Brass's first hit, "The Lonely Bull
", in 1962. He later composed "Spanish Flea". Playing marimba and vibes on many of the songs on Alpert's subsequent albums in the 1960s, as well as writing at least one song on most of those albums, Wechter contributed much to the Tijuana Brass sound and style without receiving public credit for it at the time.
Encouraged by Alpert, Wechter formed the Baja Marimba Band
in 1964 and was quite successful. The "BMB" placed 4 chart songs in Billboard's Top 100,and many more on their Easy Listening Top 40. When the band disbanded in the mid 1970s, Wechter turned his attention to TV and movies again, scoring the Disney film Midnight Madness. He continued to play with Herb Alpert, joining his touring version of the Tijuana Brass in the mid 1970s.
In his later years, he devoted himself to psychology, earned a Master's Degree, and served as vice president of the Southern California chapter of the Tourette Syndrome Association
.
He died at his home in California of lung cancer, a day after his song "Spanish Flea" was used in the Simpsons episode "Sunday, Cruddy Sunday
".
Marimba
The marimba is a musical instrument in the percussion family. It consists of a set of wooden keys or bars with resonators. The bars are struck with mallets to produce musical tones. The keys are arranged as those of a piano, with the accidentals raised vertically and overlapping the natural keys ...
and vibraphone
Vibraphone
The vibraphone, sometimes called the vibraharp or simply the vibes, is a musical instrument in the struck idiophone subfamily of the percussion family....
. He also played various percussion instruments. He composed the song "Spanish Flea
Spanish Flea
"Spanish Flea" is a popular song written by Julius Wechter in the 1960s with lyrics by Cissy Wechter.The song is best known from an instrumental version by Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass, released as a single and on their 1965 album Going Places, both of which were No.1 hits in America...
" for Herb Alpert
Herb Alpert
Herbert "Herb" Alpert is an American musician most associated with the group variously known as Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass, Herb Alpert's Tijuana Brass, or TJB. He is also a recording industry executive — he is the "A" of A&M Records...
and was leader of the The Baja Marimba Band.
Born in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Wechter played vibes
Vibraphone
The vibraphone, sometimes called the vibraharp or simply the vibes, is a musical instrument in the struck idiophone subfamily of the percussion family....
and percussion for the Martin Denny
Martin Denny
Martin Denny was an American piano-player and composer best known as the "father of exotica." In a long career that saw him performing well into his 80s, he toured the world popularizing his brand of lounge music which included exotic percussion, imaginative rearrangements of popular songs, and...
group in the 1950s. In the early 1960s, he moved on to movie soundtracks and television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
, as well as session work for the likes of the Beach Boys, Sonny and Cher and various Phil Spector
Phil Spector
Phillip Harvey "Phil" Spector is an American record producer and songwriter, later known for his conviction in the murder of actress Lana Clarkson....
productions.
He began his long and successful association with Herb Alpert and his Tijuana Brass when he played percussion on the Tijuana Brass's first hit, "The Lonely Bull
The Lonely Bull
The Lonely Bull, released in 1962, is the debut album from Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass, and was also the first album ever released by A&M Records - which was co-founded by Alpert and Jerry Moss...
", in 1962. He later composed "Spanish Flea". Playing marimba and vibes on many of the songs on Alpert's subsequent albums in the 1960s, as well as writing at least one song on most of those albums, Wechter contributed much to the Tijuana Brass sound and style without receiving public credit for it at the time.
Encouraged by Alpert, Wechter formed the Baja Marimba Band
Baja Marimba Band
The Baja Marimba Band was a popular musical group led by marimba player Julius Wechter, initially intended by producer Herb Alpert to cash in on the "south of the border" craze started by his own Tijuana Brass...
in 1964 and was quite successful. The "BMB" placed 4 chart songs in Billboard's Top 100,and many more on their Easy Listening Top 40. When the band disbanded in the mid 1970s, Wechter turned his attention to TV and movies again, scoring the Disney film Midnight Madness. He continued to play with Herb Alpert, joining his touring version of the Tijuana Brass in the mid 1970s.
In his later years, he devoted himself to psychology, earned a Master's Degree, and served as vice president of the Southern California chapter of the Tourette Syndrome Association
Tourette Syndrome Association
The Tourette Syndrome Association , based in Bayside, New York, United States, is a non-profit voluntary organization and the only national health-related organization serving people with Tourette syndrome. It was founded in 1972 by five couples, parents of children with Tourette syndrome...
.
He died at his home in California of lung cancer, a day after his song "Spanish Flea" was used in the Simpsons episode "Sunday, Cruddy Sunday
Sunday, Cruddy Sunday
"Sunday, Cruddy Sunday" is the twelfth episode of The Simpsons tenth season. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on January 31, 1999, just after Super Bowl XXXIII. In the episode, while buying new tires for his car, Homer meets a travel agent called Wally Kogen...
".