# Most Respected Session Musicians? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 30, 2017, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-respected-session-musicians/797619 "2017-09-30T00:18:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![SantaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/da6949/32.png) [@SantaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SantaMan)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2017, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-respected-session-musicians/797619/1 "2017-09-30T00:18:42Z")
As I understand it, there are certain session musicians that are widely respected in the profession. The ability to adapt to whatever band they are working with is considered quite a talent, as is persistence and reliable quality. Is this true? If so, what are the names of the most noted? ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2017, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-respected-session-musicians/797619/2 "2017-09-30T00:25:19Z")
Prolly the quintessential example is [bassist Carol Kaye](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carol_Kaye). > [@](#): > > Carol Kaye (born March 24, 1935) is an American musician, known as one of the most prolific and widely heard bass guitarists, playing on an estimated 10,000 recordings in a career spanning over 50 years.[1] > > As a session musician, Kaye was the bassist on many Phil Spector and Brian Wilson productions in the 1960s and 1970s. She is credited with the bass tracks on several Simon & Garfunkel hits and many film scores by Quincy Jones and Lalo Schifrin. One of the most popular albums Carol contributed to was the Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds. > > Besides her contributions on bass guitar, she also played twelve-string and six-string electric and acoustic guitars, contributing the acoustic rhythm guitar parts on Ritchie Valens’ “La Bamba” in one of her earliest recording sessions,[2] as well playing guitar on numerous other hit songs in the 1960s and 1970s including the 12-string electric on several Sonny & Cher songs, and six-string electric rhythm parts on the Beach Boys “Surfin’ USA”. ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2017, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-respected-session-musicians/797619/3 "2017-09-30T00:55:41Z")
the funk brothers ,wrecking crew … ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2017, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-respected-session-musicians/797619/4 "2017-09-30T01:23:58Z")
Tony Levin Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones And the recently departed Glen Campbell ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2017, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-respected-session-musicians/797619/5 "2017-09-30T01:28:00Z")
Tommy Tedesco [He was everywhere!](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tommy_Tedesco) ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2017, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-respected-session-musicians/797619/6 "2017-09-30T06:50:18Z")
> [@nightshadea](#): > > the funk brothers ,wrecking crew … The Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section, The Muscle Shoals Horns, The Memphis Horns, The Nashville A-Team ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2017, 7:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-respected-session-musicians/797619/7 "2017-09-30T07:17:45Z")
Toto guitarist [Steve Lukather](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Lukather#Session_work) has been a very popular session musician throughout his career, and has appeared on over 1500 recordings, primarily during the 1970s and 1980s. He, himself, notes that the era of the session musician has ended (the quote below is from 2011, and appears on his Wikipedia page): > [@](#): > > There is no ‘session guy’ thing any more—not like it was. It’s not like the old days when I was doing 25 sessions a week. All the studios are gone. The budgets are gone. The record companies are all gone. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2017, 10:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-respected-session-musicians/797619/8 "2017-09-30T10:01:23Z")
Paul Shaffer’s World’s Most Dangerous Band is made up of top studio cats who have played on everything. Drummers like Steve Jordan and Bernard Purdie. So many guitar players like all of the Steely Dan go-to players. Session work is its own world. Fwiw, it is my understanding that the Swampers in Muscle Shoals, compared to say the Funk Bros, Wrecking Crew or Brill Building gang, we’re not so much great, versatile musicians as a tight unit with a distinct groove. That’s not a bad thing at all - my gosh, look at what they played on! - but it points out that there’s different types of session success. **kenobi** , yeah, I’d mention Lukather. He’s the Tommy Tedesco of the past 40 years - THE gold-standard commercial session guitarist in LA. Must be so weird to be the guitar player on the biggest selling album of all time, Thriller, except for one single lead. And yeah, pocket studios, pro tools and the Internet changed session work forever. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2017, 11:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-respected-session-musicians/797619/9 "2017-09-30T11:04:30Z")
Gotta share some love for [Nicky Hopkins](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicky_Hopkins), who played piano for everybody who was anybody in the '60s, including but not limited to the Beatles, the Stones, the Who, the Dead, Jefferson Airplane, the Jeff Beck Group, and scores of others. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2017, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-respected-session-musicians/797619/10 "2017-09-30T13:14:00Z")
Steve Cropper and Donald “Duck” Dunn ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2017, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-respected-session-musicians/797619/11 "2017-09-30T14:47:18Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > Gotta share some love for [Nicky Hopkins](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicky_Hopkins), who played piano for everybody who was anybody in the '60s, including but not limited to the Beatles, the Stones, the Who, the Dead, Jefferson Airplane, the Jeff Beck Group, and scores of others. Gotta include the Kinks on that list, since Hopkins’s harpsichord was an important part of their sound on several key tracks, including, appropriately enough, “[Session Man](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZzEMEa6iOk).” ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2017, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-respected-session-musicians/797619/12 "2017-09-30T15:23:33Z")
Herbie Flowers ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2017, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-respected-session-musicians/797619/13 "2017-09-30T16:00:41Z")
Jody Linscott ---
**Author:** ![K364](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k364/32/5_2.png) [@K364](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/K364)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2017, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-respected-session-musicians/797619/14 "2017-09-30T16:26:10Z")
Mark O’Connor [https://www.youtube.com/user/markoconnor](https://www.youtube.com/user/markoconnor) ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2017, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-respected-session-musicians/797619/15 "2017-09-30T17:50:11Z")
The thing I respected most about Tedesco wasn’t his playing–it was having a cartage service to take his equipment to gigs. That is sweet! ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2017, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-respected-session-musicians/797619/16 "2017-09-30T18:04:08Z")
> [@K364](#): > > Mark O’Connor > [https://www.youtube.com/user/markoconnor](https://www.youtube.com/user/markoconnor) He’s a bit more than a session player ;). Pretty much one of the best fiddlers and guitarists out there. I saw him play Hot Club jazz with Frank Vignola, then switch to bluegrass when Chris Thile came out and sat in. Just a huge talent. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2017, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-respected-session-musicians/797619/17 "2017-09-30T21:05:12Z")
A lot of famous jazz musicians started as sidemen. One of note was drummer Buddy Rich, born to a Vaudeville family, never learned to read music, but played with the biggest names in music before leading his own orchestra. I never cared for him, but you have to admire the work ethic. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2017, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-respected-session-musicians/797619/18 "2017-09-30T21:53:04Z")
Waddy Wachtel (guitar) Steve Gadd (drums) ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2017, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-respected-session-musicians/797619/19 "2017-09-30T22:11:10Z")
Billy Preston ETA - one of the more unique sessions - Paul McCartney will be sitting in on drums for an upcoming Foo Fighters release. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2017, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-respected-session-musicians/797619/20 "2017-09-30T22:22:06Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > Gotta include the Kinks on that list, since Hopkins’s harpsichord was an important part of their sound on several key tracks, including, appropriately enough, “[Session Man](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZzEMEa6iOk).” And the song actually was about Nicky Hopkins! Others: My two favorite session guitarists: James Burton and Clarence White. I have a truckload of records on which they play on, and those are not the worst in my collection. Sly and Robbie: rhythm section for maybe half of every reggae recording ever and a big chunk of pop and rock records, too. ETA: one more who comes to mind: Ry Cooder. Besides having an extensive solo recording career of his own, he played on countless other’s, some of the biggest names. Heck, he even played on the first album by Little Feat, a band who really wasn’t in need of a goof slide player. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-respected-session-musicians/797619.md?page=2)