Lester Abrams
Encyclopedia
Lester Abrams is a singer, songwriter, musician and producer who has played with such artists as B.B. King, Stevie Wonder
, Peabo Bryson
, Quincy Jones
, Manfred Mann
, Brian Auger
, The Average White Band
, The Doobie Brothers
, Rufus
and many others. Two of his co-compositions appeared on the Grammy Award winning album "Minute by Minute
". He has also composed songs for film and television; two of his works can be heard in the Oliver Stone
-produced movie, "South Central
".
Lester Abrams was also a member of and/or associated with several other bands and people, including Leslie Smith, Arno Lucas, Rick Chudacoff, The Les Smith Soul Band, L.A. Carnival, Crackin' and more recently, Connie Price and the Keystones
.
Lester's introduction to music was sitting next to his grandmother at her piano. However, although he “tinkered around” with the piano, his instrument of choice was the drums. His skill was such that his junior high bandleader, Harold Smith, allowed him to play with the high school dance band. By the time he started high school at high school
in 1960, he had been playing in the dance band for nearly two years.
.
In his early twenties, he took the lead of The Fabulous Impacts, with Joe Olivo on bass, Dave “Barney” Barnhart on guitar, Ed Finney on organ, Harry Roberts on trumpet and sax and ex-El Dorado Mike Hatfield on lead vocals. Funded by Olivo’s father, and recorded at Sears Recording Studio by local label owner Eddie Haddad, the group crafted two 45s – the Abrams’ composed “A Thousand Years” b/w “Cry Cry” (both featuring Lester on lead vocals) and Allen Toussaint
’s “Get Out Of My Life Woman” backed with “Tell Me”.
and singing lead in the band "Sights and Sounds" with, amongst others, schoolmate Ron Cooley on guitar and a bass player from Central High, Rick Chudacoff. After a series of personnel and name changes, including the addition of Arno Lucas, they became the Les Smith Soul Band.
After some time, Leslie invited Lester to a performance at a local high school, and subsequently to sit in on a rehearsal. At the rehearsal, Lester joined in, and by the end of the sessions was part of the band. He immediately took over control of the band, and it went from being a soul band to being a funk
band with the lineup:
In 1969 the band cut three tracks, all written by Abrams: the soulful “Blind Man”, the Arno Lucas lead “Bad Luck”, and an instrumental funk number, “Blues for LA”.
Under that name, they released only one single, "Blind Man" b/w "Color" on Skip Wilson’s Pacific Avenue label. Abrams arranged for an appearance in California on the Johnny Otis
’ show, but Rick, Ron, and Percy had student deferments and couldn't leave Omaha. ("Had we left school in Omaha, we would have been drafted and sent to Vietnam.”)
By the time their single was released, the band members had other priorities. Leslie had returned from the army and signed on for HAIR
’s nationwide tour, Rick and Arno were readying to join funk-rock outfit “Crackin’”, and Ron had joined a rock band called Pilot. As Rick Chudacoff recalls, "L.A. Carnival quietly faded away".
Performers common to all four of the LPs were: Rick Chudacoff (bass), Leslie Smith (vocals), Arno Lucas (vocals and percussion), Bob Bordy (guitars), and G.T. Clinton (keyboards). Lester Abrams (vocals & keyboards) performed on the first three, Peter Bunetta (drums) performed on the last three, and Brian Ray (guitars) on the last two.
Rick Chudacoff and Peter Bunetta went on to produce many albums, among them Often, Rick, Peter, Leslie, Arno, and Bob also performed on the albums. Chudacoff has also been referred to as "Noted Nashville hitmaker Rick Chudacoff (The Temptations
, Smokey Robinson
, Alison Krauss
)".
On 30 September 2006, a performance at the Casino de Paris (in Paris
) involved many of these artists.
1979 Grammy award winning Minute by Minute
album. He arranged "What a Fool Believes
", which won two 1979 Grammy award
s for Record of the Year and Song of the Year. He is credited with piano and vocals on the album. He co-wrote the "Minute by Minute" single with McDonald
, and "Open Your Eyes" with McDonald and Henderson
.
Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist...
, Peabo Bryson
Peabo Bryson
Peabo Bryson is an American R&B and soul singer-songwriter, born in Greenville, South Carolina...
, Quincy Jones
Quincy Jones
Quincy Delightt Jones, Jr. is an American record producer and musician. A conductor, musical arranger, film composer, television producer, and trumpeter. His career spans five decades in the entertainment industry and a record 79 Grammy Award nominations, 27 Grammys, including a Grammy Legend...
, Manfred Mann
Manfred Mann
Manfred Mann was a British beat, rhythm and blues and pop band of the 1960s, named after their South African keyboardist, Manfred Mann, who later led the successful 1970s group Manfred Mann's Earth Band...
, Brian Auger
Brian Auger
Brian Auger is a jazz and rock keyboardist, who has specialized in playing the Hammond organ.A jazz pianist, bandleader, session musician and Hammond B3 player, Auger has played or toured with artists such as Rod Stewart, Tony Williams, Jimi Hendrix, Sonny Boy Williamson, Led Zeppelin, Eric Burdon...
, The Average White Band
The Average White Band
Average White Band is a Scottish funk and R&B band, who had a series of soul and disco hits between 1974 and 1980. They are best known for their million selling song, "Pick Up the Pieces". The band name was initially proposed by Bonnie Bramlett...
, 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:...
, Rufus
Rufus
Rufus may refer to:People * Milan Rúfus , Slovak poet and writer* Rufus * Rufus , consul in 457* Several Saints Rufus* Rufus , French actor...
and many others. Two of his co-compositions appeared on the Grammy Award winning album "Minute by Minute
Minute by Minute
Minute by Minute is the eighth studio album by American rock band The Doobie Brothers, released in 1978. The album contains their biggest hit, the Grammy-winning "What a Fool Believes". "Depending on You" and the title track were also released as singles...
". He has also composed songs for film and television; two of his works can be heard in the Oliver Stone
Oliver Stone
William Oliver Stone is an American film director, producer and screenwriter. Stone became well known in the late 1980s and the early 1990s for directing a series of films about the Vietnam War, for which he had previously participated as an infantry soldier. His work frequently focuses on...
-produced movie, "South Central
South Central
South Central may refer to:* South Los Angeles , an area in Los Angeles, California* South Central Alaska, a region containing Anchorage metropolitan area* South Central Railway Zone , a part of Indian Railways...
".
Lester Abrams was also a member of and/or associated with several other bands and people, including Leslie Smith, Arno Lucas, Rick Chudacoff, The Les Smith Soul Band, L.A. Carnival, Crackin' and more recently, Connie Price and the Keystones
Connie Price and the Keystones
Connie Price and the Keystones are a modern-day deep funk/"new funk" group from Los Angeles. Though the name connotes a female lead, Connie Price & the Keystones is in fact a project helmed by Los Angeles-based guitarist/producer/multi-instrumentalist Dan Ubick and his friend trumpeter/arranger...
.
Biography
Lester's maternal grandmother moved the Abrams family from the Southwest to Omaha in the early 1900s; Lester’s multi-racial father met his bi-racial mother there. Lester was born in 1945, and, as a child, had serious problems explaining his cultural background, which included ancestry from both Native and Black America.Lester's introduction to music was sitting next to his grandmother at her piano. However, although he “tinkered around” with the piano, his instrument of choice was the drums. His skill was such that his junior high bandleader, Harold Smith, allowed him to play with the high school dance band. By the time he started high school at high school
Technical High School (Omaha, Nebraska)
Technical High School was a public high school that was located at 3215 Cuming Street in Omaha, Nebraska. Opened in 1923, the school was said to be the largest high school west of Chicago. It was the largest in the Omaha area before it was closed in 1984...
in 1960, he had been playing in the dance band for nearly two years.
Early years
Abrams first band was the El Doradoes, with Michael Hatfield on rhythm guitar, Louie Walker on lead guitar, Danny Williams on tenor sax and Greg Williams on baritone sax. Through his teen years he developed his own style of drumming, adding a funk rhythm to established riffs, and playing in clubs in Omaha's Near North SideNear North Side (Omaha, Nebraska)
The Near North Side of Omaha, Nebraska is the neighborhood immediately north of downtown. It forms the nucleus of the city's African-American community, and its name is often synonymous with the entire North Omaha area...
.
In his early twenties, he took the lead of The Fabulous Impacts, with Joe Olivo on bass, Dave “Barney” Barnhart on guitar, Ed Finney on organ, Harry Roberts on trumpet and sax and ex-El Dorado Mike Hatfield on lead vocals. Funded by Olivo’s father, and recorded at Sears Recording Studio by local label owner Eddie Haddad, the group crafted two 45s – the Abrams’ composed “A Thousand Years” b/w “Cry Cry” (both featuring Lester on lead vocals) and Allen Toussaint
Allen Toussaint
Allen Toussaint is an American musician, composer, record producer, and influential figure in New Orleans R&B.Many of Toussaint's songs have become familiar through numerous cover versions, including "Working in the Coalmine", "Ride Your Pony", "Fortune Teller", "Play Something Sweet ", "Southern...
’s “Get Out Of My Life Woman” backed with “Tell Me”.
The Les Smith Soul Band
As Lester was developing the "Fabulous Impacts" and a reputation as "the baddest drummer in town", Leslie Orlando Smith (born 1949 in Detroit) was attending North High SchoolOmaha North High School
Omaha North High Magnet School is a public high school located at 4410 N 36th Street in Omaha, Nebraska. The school is a science, technology, engineering and mathematics magnet school in the Omaha Public Schools district. North has won several awards, including being named a 2007 Magnet Schools of...
and singing lead in the band "Sights and Sounds" with, amongst others, schoolmate Ron Cooley on guitar and a bass player from Central High, Rick Chudacoff. After a series of personnel and name changes, including the addition of Arno Lucas, they became the Les Smith Soul Band.
After some time, Leslie invited Lester to a performance at a local high school, and subsequently to sit in on a rehearsal. At the rehearsal, Lester joined in, and by the end of the sessions was part of the band. He immediately took over control of the band, and it went from being a soul band to being a funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
band with the lineup:
- Lester Abrams – drums, vocals, organ, acoustic piano, percussion
- Arno Lucas – vocals, percussion
- Leslie Smith – vocals
- Rick Chudacoff – electric bass, backup vocals
- Ron Cooley – electric and acoustic guitar
- Geno DeVaughn – trumpet
- Percy Marion – tenor saxophone, flute
- Michael Patterson – alto saxophone
In 1969 the band cut three tracks, all written by Abrams: the soulful “Blind Man”, the Arno Lucas lead “Bad Luck”, and an instrumental funk number, “Blues for LA”.
L.A. Carnival
In 1969, Leslie Smith was drafted into the army and stationed in Seoul. Abrams changed the band’s name to L.A. Carnival (L.A. as in Lester Abrams). Vocal duties were assumed mainly by Arno, with Abrams singing backup from behind the drum kit.Under that name, they released only one single, "Blind Man" b/w "Color" on Skip Wilson’s Pacific Avenue label. Abrams arranged for an appearance in California on the Johnny Otis
Johnny Otis
Johnny Otis is an American singer, musician, talent scout, disc jockey, composer, arranger, recording artist, record producer, vibraphonist, drummer, percussionist, bandleader, and impresario.He is commonly referred to as The Godfather Of Rhythm And Blues.-Personal life:Otis, the son of Alexander...
’ show, but Rick, Ron, and Percy had student deferments and couldn't leave Omaha. ("Had we left school in Omaha, we would have been drafted and sent to Vietnam.”)
By the time their single was released, the band members had other priorities. Leslie had returned from the army and signed on for HAIR
Hair
Hair is a filamentous biomaterial, that grows from follicles found in the dermis. Found exclusively in mammals, hair is one of the defining characteristics of the mammalian class....
’s nationwide tour, Rick and Arno were readying to join funk-rock outfit “Crackin’”, and Ron had joined a rock band called Pilot. As Rick Chudacoff recalls, "L.A. Carnival quietly faded away".
Crackin'
In the mid-70's, Lester became involved with Crackin', who released 4 LPs between 1975 and 1978. Lester played on three of these LPs.- 1975 Crackin'-1 (Polydor PD6044)
- 1977 Makings of a Dream (Warner Bros. BS2989)
- 1977 Crackin' (Warner Bros. BS3123 )
- 1978 Special Touch (Warner Bros. wb3235)
Performers common to all four of the LPs were: Rick Chudacoff (bass), Leslie Smith (vocals), Arno Lucas (vocals and percussion), Bob Bordy (guitars), and G.T. Clinton (keyboards). Lester Abrams (vocals & keyboards) performed on the first three, Peter Bunetta (drums) performed on the last three, and Brian Ray (guitars) on the last two.
Rick Chudacoff and Peter Bunetta went on to produce many albums, among them Often, Rick, Peter, Leslie, Arno, and Bob also performed on the albums. Chudacoff has also been referred to as "Noted Nashville hitmaker Rick Chudacoff (The Temptations
The Temptations
The Temptations is an American vocal group having achieved fame as one of the most successful acts to record for Motown Records. The group's repertoire has included, at various times during its five-decade career, R&B, doo-wop, funk, disco, soul, and adult contemporary music.Formed in Detroit,...
, Smokey Robinson
Smokey Robinson
William "Smokey" Robinson, Jr. is an American R&B singer-songwriter, record producer, and former record executive. Robinson is one of the primary figures associated with Motown, second only to the company's founder, Berry Gordy...
, Alison Krauss
Alison Krauss
Alison Maria Krauss is an American bluegrass-country singer, songwriter and fiddler. She entered the music industry at an early age, winning local contests by the age of ten and recording for the first time at fourteen. She signed with Rounder Records in 1985 and released her first solo album in...
)".
On 30 September 2006, a performance at the Casino de Paris (in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
) involved many of these artists.
The Doobie Brothers
In the late-70s, Abrams moved to California and became involved with The Doobie BrothersThe 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:...
1979 Grammy award winning Minute by Minute
Minute by Minute
Minute by Minute is the eighth studio album by American rock band The Doobie Brothers, released in 1978. The album contains their biggest hit, the Grammy-winning "What a Fool Believes". "Depending on You" and the title track were also released as singles...
album. He arranged "What a Fool Believes
What a Fool Believes
"What a Fool Believes" is a song written by Michael McDonald and Kenny Loggins. The best-known version was recorded by The Doobie Brothers for their 1978 album Minute by Minute. The single reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 on April 14, 1979, remaining in that position for one week...
", which won two 1979 Grammy award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
s for Record of the Year and Song of the Year. He is credited with piano and vocals on the album. He co-wrote the "Minute by Minute" single with 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 "Open Your Eyes" with McDonald and Henderson
Rev. Patrick Henderson
Reverend Patrick Henderson is a gospel keyboard player, songwriter and producer. He has written several songs in collaboration with Michael McDonald, playing on a number of his and the Doobie Brothers albums. Henderson has long associations with many other artists as well, including Leon Russell,...
.
1980s
- Lester Abrams became involved with the animated films: The Last UnicornThe Last Unicorn (film)The Last Unicorn is a 1982 fantasy film produced by Rankin/Bass for ITC Entertainment and animated by Topcraft. The film is based on the novel of the same name written by Peter S. Beagle, who also wrote the film's screenplay...
, The Hobbit, and The Return Of The KingThe Return of the King (1980 film)The Return of the King, also known as The Return of the King: A Story of the Hobbits, is a 1980 animated television special created by Rankin/Bass and Topcraft. The film is an adaptation of the third volume in The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R...
.
- 1982 Leslie Smith released his first album "Heartache" (Elektra) produced by Peter Bunetta and Rick Chudacoff, which contains cover versions such as Airplay's "Nothin' You Can Do About It" and Ned Doheny's "Love's A Heartache"
- 1988 The song "Love Light", written, produced and arranged by Lester Abrams, appeared on the soundtrack to the 1988 movie "The Party".
1990s
- 1992 Leslie Smith releases "'LES' IS MORE" Polydor (POCP-1271).
- 1992 Lester Abrams became involved with the film South CentralSouth CentralSouth Central may refer to:* South Los Angeles , an area in Los Angeles, California* South Central Alaska, a region containing Anchorage metropolitan area* South Central Railway Zone , a part of Indian Railways...
.
2000s - Resurgence of L.A. Carnival
- In 2002, four of the members of L.A. Carnival reunited in Malibu Canyon, resulting in the complete set of L.A. Carnival / Les Smith Soul Band songs being re-released by Now-Again Records in 2003. As part of that process, "Egon" (and friends) from Now-Again Records produced a 6 minute "feature film" which includes an interview with Lester, and two partial renditions of "Flyin", one of which also includes Les Smith.
- Also in 2003, Abrams composed "Bring It On" as a charity single in support of the Juvenile Diabetes Research FoundationJuvenile Diabetes Research FoundationJDRF is the leading global organization focused on type 1 diabetes research. Driven by volunteers connected to children, adolescents, and adults with this disease, JDRF is the largest charitable supporter of T1D research...
.
- "On 30 May 2004, Abrams and Smith joined forces with young funkateers Connie Price and the KeystonesConnie Price and the KeystonesConnie Price and the Keystones are a modern-day deep funk/"new funk" group from Los Angeles. Though the name connotes a female lead, Connie Price & the Keystones is in fact a project helmed by Los Angeles-based guitarist/producer/multi-instrumentalist Dan Ubick and his friend trumpeter/arranger...
to bring the L.A. Carnival sound back to life, with a live performance at the Independent in San Francisco". - Abrams and Smith appear on Connie Price and the KeystonesConnie Price and the KeystonesConnie Price and the Keystones are a modern-day deep funk/"new funk" group from Los Angeles. Though the name connotes a female lead, Connie Price & the Keystones is in fact a project helmed by Los Angeles-based guitarist/producer/multi-instrumentalist Dan Ubick and his friend trumpeter/arranger...
2004 album "Wildflowers".
- In 2005, Lester, along with Arno Lucas and Leslie Smith, (ex-L.A. Carnival and Crackin' members), were inducted into the Omaha Black Music Hall of FameOmaha Black Music Hall of FameThe Omaha Black Music Hall of Fame, or the OBMHoF, is a nonprofit organization founded in 2005 to celebrate, document and honour the legacy of the many top vocalists and musicians whose musical careers began in the metropolitan area of Omaha, Nebraska...
.
Compositions
- 1967 "A Thousand Years" - performed by The Fabulous Impacts
- 1969-71: A dozen songs performed by L.A. Carnival and/or The Les Smith Soul Band: "Bad Luck", “Black Man’s March”, "Blind Man", "Blues for LA", "Can You Hum a Tune", "Color", “Flying”, “Pose A Question”, "Scratchin'", “Seven Lonely Steps” (also titled "7 Steps to Nowhere"), “The Klan” and “We Need Peace” (also titled "We Need Peace and Love")
- 1975-77: Over a dozen songs appearing on various Crackin' LPs, including: Wanna Dance, Fall in Line, Starring You, Turn It Over, The Force is Watching You (with Michael Omartian and Leslie Orlando Smith), Fallen Dancer, I Know You Can (with Rick Chudacoff and L. Lovingood), Do You Need More Time (with Arno Lucas and Leslie Orlando Smith), The World's A Fool for You.
- 1979 "Minute by Minute" (with Michael McDonaldMichael 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...
)- Performed by The Doobie BrothersThe Doobie BrothersThe 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:...
: Appears on several Doobie Brothers albums, and on many, many compilation albums. - Others who have recorded a performance of "Minute by Minute include: Stanley ClarkeStanley ClarkeStanley Clarke is an American jazz musician and composer known for his innovative and influential work on double bass and electric bass guitar as well as for his numerous film and television scores...
, Larry CarltonLarry CarltonLarry Carlton is an American jazz, smooth jazz, jazz fusion, pop, and rock guitarist and singer. He has divided his recording time between solo recordings and session appearances with various well-known bands...
, Bobby LyleBobby LyleBobby Lyle is a jazz, soul jazz, and smooth jazz pianist. He was born in Memphis, Tennessee but grew up in Minneapolis, Minnesota in a home near the corner of Park Avenue and 32nd Street. His father, reportedly, was a sports writer for the Star Tribune newspaper.He had his first gig at 16 and...
, Kim PensylKim PensylKim Pensyl is a pop-jazz and New Age music keyboardist. He attended Ohio State University, and the University of California, Northridge for graduate school and had several CDs produced by Shanachie Records. He has worked in bands with Al Hirt, Don Ellis, Hubert Laws, Gerald Wilson, and Guy Lombardo...
and Peabo BrysonPeabo BrysonPeabo Bryson is an American R&B and soul singer-songwriter, born in Greenville, South Carolina... - Larry CarltonLarry CarltonLarry Carlton is an American jazz, smooth jazz, jazz fusion, pop, and rock guitarist and singer. He has divided his recording time between solo recordings and session appearances with various well-known bands...
won a Grammy in 1987 for his version of the song.
- Performed by The Doobie Brothers
- 1979 "Open Your Eyes" (with McDonald and HendersonRev. Patrick HendersonReverend Patrick Henderson is a gospel keyboard player, songwriter and producer. He has written several songs in collaboration with Michael McDonald, playing on a number of his and the Doobie Brothers albums. Henderson has long associations with many other artists as well, including Leon Russell,...
) - performed by The Doobie Brothers, and also by Maria MuldaurMaria MuldaurMaria Muldaur is a folk-blues singer who was part of the American folk music revival in the early 1960s...
- 1986 "You Want It Your Way, Always" (with Sandee Burnett) - performed by Fizzy QwickFizzy QwickFizzy Qwick is an American singer and songwriter who has recorded in various musical styles ranging from R&B to New Wave. Her recordings from the early 1980s have become popular among fans of Northern Soul since the early 21st century.-Biography:Born Debravon Lewis on February 9, 1953 in Solano...
- 1988 "Love Light"
- 2003 "Bring It On"
1967 The Fabulous Impacts
Two 45s- “A Thousand Years” b/w “Cry Cry”
- “Get Out Of My Life Woman” backed with “Tell Me”
1969 The Les Smith Soul Band
The band cut three tracks- “Blind Man”
- “Bad Luck”
- “Blues for LA”.
1975-1978 Crackin'
- Crackin'-1
- Format: LP.
- Released: 1975
- Label: Polydor
- Catalog No: PD 6044
- Playing Time: 33:21
- A1. Wanna Dance (3:41) (Lester Abrams)
- A2. Nothin' to Fear (4:30) (Rick Chudacoff/Leslie Orlando Smith)
- A3. Fall in Line (4:23) (Lester Abrams)
- A4. Starring You (2:50) (Lester Abrams)
- A5. Turn It Over (0:53) (Lester Abrams)
- B1. Right as Rain (3:24) (David S. Andersen)
- B2. What Ta Day (4:41) (Rick Chudacoff)
- B3. Live Life Simple (3:58)(Leslie Orlando Smith/Rick Chudacoff/Arno Lucas)
- B4. Jump Up (3:24) (David S. Andersen)
- B5. Get Crackin' (1:37) (Lester Abrams/Bob Bordy/Rick Chudacoff/George Clinton/Lou Gordon/Arno Lucas/Leslie Orlando Smith)
- Makings of a Dream
- Format: LP
- Released: 1977
- Label: Warner Bros.
- Catalog No: BS2989
- Crackin'
- Format: LP.
- Released: 1977
- Label: Warner Brothers
- Catalog No: BS 3123
- Playing Time: 35:23
- A1. It Just Takes Awhile (3:29) (Rick Chudacoff/Arno Lucas)
- A2. The Force is Watching You (4:32) (Lester Abrams/Michael Omartian/Leslie Orlando Smith)
- A3. Fallen Dancer (3:55) (Lester Abrams)
- A4. I Know You Can (3:00) (Rick Chudacoff/Lester Abrams/L. Lovingood)
- A5. Do You Need More Time (3:37) (Arno Lucas/Lester Abrams/Leslie Orlando Smith)
- B1. Don't You Wish You Could Be There (4:46) (Rick Chudacoff/Arno Lucas/Leslie Orlando Smith)
- B2. You Know Where I Am (3:50) (Arno Lucas/Michael Omartian/Leslie Orlando Smith)
- B3. The World's A Fool for You (4:24)(Lester Abrams)
- B4. You'll Feel Better (3:50) (Rick Chudacoff/Arno Lucas/Peter Bunetta)
- Special Touch
- Format: LP
- Released: 1978
- Label: Warner Brothers
- Catalog No: BS 3235
2003 L.A. Carnival / Les Smith Soul Band re-releases
In 2003, the complete set of L.A. Carnival / Les Smith Soul Band songs, all written by Abrams, were re-released by Now-Again Records.- "Color" b/w "Blind Man"
- NA7003 / STH7024 - 7" single - 2003 - Produced by Scott Abrams
- 1. Color
- 2. Blind Man
- "Blind Man"
- NA2003 / STH2053 - 12" single - 2003 - Produced by Lester Abrams
- A1. Blind Man (vocal)
- A2. Blind Man (instrumental)
- A3. Blind Man (acapella)
- B1. Blind Man (Cut Chemist remix)
- B2. Blind Man (original version)
- "Pose a Question" b/w "Can You Hum a Tune"
- NA7011 - 7" single - 2003 - Produced by Lester Abrams
- 1. Pose a Question
- 2. Can You Hum a Tune?
- "Would Like to Pose a Question"
- NA5009 - 2LP/CD - 2003 - Produced by Lester Abrams
- A1. Flyin'
- A2. We Need Peace and Love
- B1. (We'd Like To) Pose a Question
- B2. Seven Steps to Nowhere
- B3. Blind Man
- C1. Can You Hum a Tune?
- C2. Color
- C3. The Klan
- D1. Black Man's March
- D2. Ron's Tune
- CD tracklist:
- Flyin' 4:48
- We Need Peace and Love 4:03
- (We'd Like To) Pose a Question 3:22
- 7 Steps to Nowhere 4:57
- Blind Man 2:59
- Can You Hum a Tune 2:00
- Color 2:30
- The Klan 7:42
- Black Man's March 3:14
- Ron's Tune 4:34
- Scratchin' [Live] 5:41
- Ron's Tune [Alternate Take - Live] 6:34
- Bad Luck [Live] 3:06
- Blues for L.A. [Live] 2:49
Filmography Credits
- 1982 The Last UnicornThe Last Unicorn (film)The Last Unicorn is a 1982 fantasy film produced by Rankin/Bass for ITC Entertainment and animated by Topcraft. The film is based on the novel of the same name written by Peter S. Beagle, who also wrote the film's screenplay...
- Character design - 1988 The Party - Song ("Love Light")
- 1992 South CentralSouth CentralSouth Central may refer to:* South Los Angeles , an area in Los Angeles, California* South Central Alaska, a region containing Anchorage metropolitan area* South Central Railway Zone , a part of Indian Railways...
- Songs - 1992 South CentralSouth CentralSouth Central may refer to:* South Los Angeles , an area in Los Angeles, California* South Central Alaska, a region containing Anchorage metropolitan area* South Central Railway Zone , a part of Indian Railways...
- Song Performer ("Love Light" "Drink the Water") - 2005 The 40-Year-Old VirginThe 40-Year-Old VirginThe 40-Year-Old Virgin is a 2005 American buddy comedy film about a middle-aged man's journey to finally have sex. The film was written and directed by Judd Apatow and co-written by its lead star, Steve Carell, though the film itself features a great deal of improvised dialogue...
- Song ("Minute by Minute")
External links
- Lester Abrams website.