I am starting this blog instead of writing a book about my career as a studio musician, back in the heyday of LA based studio players. Before I get started on that, a bit of history. I grew up in Los Angeles, my father and two older brothers were all…
Posts by Marty Walsh
The Life and Times of A Second Call Studio Musician Part 2
Here is the second installment of my blog “The Life and Times of a Second Call Studio Musician”. So we last left off where I was cutting my teeth in the music biz playing casuals in Los Angeles. I did this for a number of years and when I hit…
The Life And Times of a Second Call Studio Musician Part 3
Here is the latest installment of my blog “The Life and Times of A Second Call Studio Musician”. A few months ago I was in Boston thinking about when I was 23 years old and playing with Eddie Kendricks at a club on Boylston St. called “Paul’s Mall”. I searched…
The Life And Times of a Second Call Studio Musician Part 4
So after the first stint with Seals and Crofts we had a bit of a break and they were gearing up for the next summer tour. I got the call and was told that the rest of the guys were not up for going back on the road so we…
The Life and Times of a Second Call Studio Musician Part 5
The last Seals and Crofts live dates were in the first week of November 1977 in Lake Tahoe CA. Here is a backstage pass from Medford Oregon a week prior. Jesse Colin Young opened up the show. A few years ago I taught his son Tristan at Berklee. Excellent bass…
The Life and Times of a Second Call Studio Musician Part 6
We left off in the year 1978, when I was still doing quite a few demos for various songwriters. As I previously mentioned I was doing work for arranger/producer Don Costa. Don had a small studio in Hollywood where we recorded lots of demos for a songwriting team that he…
The Life and Times of a Second Call Studio Musician Part 7
So we are now entering the 80’s where I did the bulk of my session work. As I said in the last installment, when I did the Yvonne Elliman session for Steve Barri, my buddy Jay Graydon who was also on the recording date was essentially getting out of the…
The Life and Times of a Second Call Studio Musician Part 8
Before I get to more recording session news I have to tell you about the very fortuitous event that happened to me in 1979. There was a club in Toluca Lake CA called Jason’s that I started frequenting with friends of mine. Great bands played there. A fellow by the…
The Life and Times of a Second Call Studio Musician part 9
First of all I want to say Happy New Year! 🙂 Here’s the ninth installment of my blog, “The Life and Times of a Second Call Studio Musician”. Moving into 1981 my name started appearing on multiple albums, mostly produced by Michael Omartian and Steve Barri. Because of this I…
The Life and Times of a Second Call Studio Musician Part 10
Hi all! Well I must say thanks for reading, this thing seems to be really taking off……. So last Monday we left off in May of 1981. It was around this time that I left my cartage company R&R Express to join Andy Brauers cartage and rental company. The reason…