The recent passing of musician and producer T-Bone Wolk left many, including myself, saddened and shocked. T-Bone was one of those guys whose presence may not have been as apparent as the artists he was producing or directing, yet without his input, either on any of the number of instruments he played or behind the scenes, those very same artists would have had a lot less to say.
My friend Kimball suggested a "Weekend Mix" paying tribute to T-Bone Wolk, and it didn't take long for me to agree. It wasn't easy deciding on only an hour's worth of music, but with Kimball's offerings, and a few of my own, we've created this tribute.
T Bone Wolk spent the better part of the last 25 years as Hall & Oates' bass player and musical director, among other things. During that time, he also played with everyone from Carly Simon to Robert Palmer to Marc Cohn and Elvis Costello, and of course, he was G.E. Smith's musical foil and collaborator for many years on Saturday Night Live.
Really wanna see T Bone shine? Watch any episode of Live From Daryl's House.
I never met T Bone Wolk, but I know some people who have. They all agree on one thing-- not a bad word was ever spoken about the man. He will be missed.
TRACKLIST
Need Your Love/I Found You Out- Eli "Paperboy" Reed & Daryl Hall
(guitar)
The Breaks- Kurtis Blow
(bass)
Brilliant Mistake- Elvis Costello
(guitar, piano, and accordion)
Diamond In The Rough- Shawn Colvin
(bass)
Disturbing Behavior- Robert Palmer
(accordion)
Love Came To Me- NRBQ
(accordion)
Tough Love- Squeeze
(accordion)
Battlefield- Paul Carrack
(6 string bass)
Dreamtime- Daryl Hall
(guitar, bass, production)
If Only- KT Tunstall & Daryl Hall
(guitar)
That's The Way I Feel About You- Monte Montgomery & Daryl Hall
(guitar)
So Close (Unplugged)- Hall & Oates
(mandolin)
ZIP FILE
7 comments:
great post and a touching tribute
Indeed. And I'm still shocked that there wasn't any kind of obit for him in the NYT. He will be missed. Thanks for this fitting tribute.
Sal, thanks for this tribute to Bone, aka Tommy. It's too bad you never met him, especially since I think the two of you would've really liked each other. He was the embodiment of kindness and generosity, a dedicated and reliable friend, and he carried a powerful mastery of music which he never once lorded over anybody.
Off the top of my head, I have a few tunes I'd like to suggest people check out to hear him:
"Satellite" and "Last Boat Leaving" from "Spike" by Elvis Costello. On "Last Boat Leaving" he's playing bass and accordion.
"You Make My Dreams Come True" and "One On One" by Hall & Oates. "One On One" is, in my opinion, one of the greatest bass lines ever created. Thanks again.
Thanks Zev. I'm sorry he and I never crossed paths.
Thanks for this. I have to admit I didn't know Wolk existed until you brought LFDH to my attention here but then I so enjoyed how much fun he was having on the show. Hall seems to want to be seen as serious and talk about how music is a job and not about fun, but it's clear from watching how much T-Bone loved to play and sing whenever he had a chance just for the sheer joy of it.
I still can't get over it. One of the things I looked forward too every month was Live From Daryl's House and he was one of the big reasons. I had never known how accomplished he was on guitar until I started tuning in. Another thing I never knew about him was that he was the bass on The Breaks which is what made the song. The thing I did know about him from watching LFDH was how much he loved the music and what a nice guy he was. Thanks
Zev and the rest of the gang have lost a true friend. You can sense that from watching LFDH.
Post a Comment