Tune Tag #66 with Dee Rambeau "Of a Sober Mind": Bonnie Raitt, Subdudes, Stephen Michael Schwartz, Jackson Browne, Melissa Manchester, Johnny Rivers, Chaka Khan

Two Texans Tune Tag 'til the cows come home, driving right pasture house! A little rock, a little pop, and most likely, a lot of barbecue to top it all off!

Tune Tag’s happenin’ down at the Center today, Dee, and it looks like rain! Grab a ‘brella…I brought snacks!

Tune Tag proudly welcomes

Dee Rambeau

, who creates Of a Sober Mind on Substack!

Dee is a seasoned entrepreneur and business generalist with 20 years in sports television, and 20 years in media software development. A passionate volunteer and donor supporting dog rescue with 4 of his own, he also works to heal the horrible disorder of addiction as a member of the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation National Philanthropy Board.

Dee hosts the “The Empowered Community” each Friday from 7-9am on KWVH, 94.3-FM, Wimberley’s (TX) Community radio station. His mindful pursuits include recovery, fitness and wellness, travel, motorcycles, and golf. He is currently writing a book about the history of KWVH Radio.

Last week, we enjoyed the company of singer/songwriter,

Matt McClure

:

Tune Tag #65 with Matt McClure: Lilys, Lickerish Quartet, Beck, Mavis Staples, Wilco, Three O'Clock, Steve Earle, Quick

Next week, join us as we welcome

Sonny Rane

of The Gen X Jukebox!

Dee’s song #1 sent to Brad: The Subdudes, “Too Soon to Tell,” 1996

Dee’s rationale: I had seen The Subdudes in the early ‘80s at Tipitinas in New Orleans during a Mardi Gras run with some college friends. A decade later, I had relocated in Vail, Colorado, and began seeing them touring the ski towns and picking up followers from their play on KBCO/Boulder and some of the Mountain Radio Network stations. I was working in sales and development for the Mountain, so I saw a lot of their artists come through.

Brad’s song #1 sent to Dee: Bonnie Raitt, “Give It Up or Let Me Go” (live, approx. 1975)

Bonnie (l) with “The Texas Nightingale,” Sippie Wallace (1898-1986), mid-’70s. Bonnie has spent her career selflessly lifting up and showcasing the legendary blues artists who have influenced so many (including herself), and have been left forgotten by the industry, and the record-buying public.

Dee’s response: After Brad came back with Bonnie Raitt’s “Give It Up or Let Me Go,” it triggered a lot of possibilities, since Bonnie has played with so many musicians over her amazing career. What direction to go?

Bonnie covered the Jackson Browne song, “Under the Falling Sky,” which has long been a favorite of many of JB’s tours. I fell in love for the first time in the summer of 1978 seeing Jackson Browne at the Mississippi River Festival on the campus of Southern Illinois University in Alton, IL, and have been a fan for decades.

Brad’s rationale: Bonnie played guitar and sang on Dee’s Subdudes’ track, “Too Soon to Tell,” from their 1996 Primitive Streak album. We travel back 2 decades for a live take on Bonnie’s “Give It Up or Let Me Go,” which was originally recorded on her sophomore album, Give It Up, released in 1972 on Warner Bros. Records, and produced by Michael Cuscuna.

50 Years Later: Meeting Bonnie Raitt at the Beginning of Her Career, Backstage in Houston, 1972

Keyboardist, Jef Labes, plays piano in the above video. Jef was married, in the ‘70s, to Hollywood casting director, Eve Brandstein, who, among many other credits, would end up casting the classic 1984 mock-rockumentary, the Rob Reiner-directed This is Spinal Tap.

But, in 1978, she was casting for “a David Cassidy type” for Please Stand By, a proposed new TV sitcom, and approached RCA recording artist (and exclusive FRONT ROW & BACKSTAGE contributor), Stephen Michael Schwartz, after an L.A. gig, and asked if he’d be interested in auditioning. That story’s here:

"Please Stand By": Stephen Michael Schwartz & The 1978 Network TV Sitcom-EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW PT. 7

Recently, Brandstein co-produced and co-directed 2022’s The Lost Weekend: A Love Story, a full-length documentary about May Pang’s life and relationship with John Lennon.

Dee’s song #2: Jackson Browne, “Under the Falling Sky,” 1972

Brad’s response: Jackson’s well-known longtime friendship with Bonnie (I’m guessing) prompted Dee’s choice here. I should’ve seen that coming, and just sent Bonnie’s studio version!

Otherwise, I’m perfectly happy to listen to these two great friends and artists play and sing together….so much so that…..well, see below…not Bonnie and Jackson, but Bonnie singing Jackson! I almost can’t NOT play it! It’s a 1976 appearance by Bonnie and band on UK’s Old Grey Whistle Test program, with Freebo on fretless bass, far right:

Brad’s song #2: Jules & The Polar Bears, “You Just Don’t Wanna Know,” 1978

Dee’s response: Brad’s next one challenged me. Being new to Tune Tag, I kept trying to figure out how Jules and the Polar Bears’ “You Just Don’t Wanna Know” had anything to do with The Subdudes.

I wasn’t familiar with Jules Shear, but once I was advised by Brad of the “chain of one,” I moved on from that and finally found that Jules Shear had performed with 2019 Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee, Jack Tempchin (who wrote The Eagles’ “Peaceful Easy Feeling,” and co-wrote their “Already Gone”) in The Funky Kings.

The connection to Tempchin opened up a ton of possibilities, as Tempchin is a 2019 Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee and has written for numerous major artists and once opened for and toured with Jackson Browne!

Brad’s rationale: Multi-instrumentalist, Jim Gordon (above, not to be confused with the noted L.A. session drummer, the late Jim Gordon, who also played with Derek and the Dominos), played the organ on Dee’s Jackson Browne “Under the Falling Sky” track, and he played bari sax on this 1978 Jules and the Polar Bears track, “You Just Don’t Wanna Know,” on Columbia Records.

Born in Pittsburgh in 1952, Jules Shear wrote the 1984 Cyndi Lauper hit, “All Through the Night,” and The Bangles’ 1986 hit, “If She Knew What She Wants.” He also conceived of the original concept (and hosted the first 13 episodes) of the MTV series, Unplugged, 1989-1990. Worth looking for is Jules’ debut solo album from 1983, Watch Dog, produced by Todd Rundgren, on EMI America Records.

Dee’s song #3: Johnny Rivers, “Swayin’ to the Music (Slow Dancin’),” 1977

Brad’s response: Very shrewd tag, Dee! Jack Tempchin wrote this ‘77 Top Ten hit for Johnny Rivers. Tempchin was in The Funky Kings with Jules Shear, pre-Polar Bears, and recorded the song, in 1976, as “Slow Dancing.” In 1979, it was a Top Ten country hit for Johnny Duncan.

Here’s Rivers (at 71) at the Saban Theatre (the old Fox Wilshire Theatre) in Beverly Hills, 2014:

Brad’s song #3: Stephen Michael Schwartz, “Get It Up For Love,” 1974

Dee’s response: Brad came back with Stephen Michael Schwartz and his “Get It Up For Love” 1974 cover. I was stumped. I read a couple of Brad’s exclusive posts on Substack that include Schwartz in his own words (like the one below), but it took me awhile to figure out the link.

Ned then…..

I finally found a link to Ned Doheny (above). Working the ‘70s Malibu scene relentlessly, Doheny has song links to Dave Mason, the late JD Souther, Jackson Browne, Eagles, and Linda Ronstadt.

Ned now.

Staying clear of those “too-obvious” links, I found a couple of songs that Doheny had written for other artists that achieved some renown in a different musical category. One of them was a personal favorite: Chaka Khan’s “Whatcha Gonna Do for Me” (featured below).

Brad’s rationale: Kinda sorry, Dee….another one I just couldn’t NOT play! This is a one-step-removed tag, so here ya go: Stephen was the first person on the planet to record this Ned Doheny original, “Get It Up For Love,” for Stephen’s 1974 debut album on RCA Records (David Kershenbaum producing)! The second person to record the song was just a few short weeks later in ‘74: Johnny Rivers on Atlantic Records, followed later, in 1975, by David Cassidy, for (coincidentally enough) RCA!

Johnny Rivers’ 1974 single of “Get It Up For Love.” Note the copyright date at very bottom (just above the red curved Atlantic Records address).

The chronology of Ned Doheny’s “Get It Up For Love”:

Inside Tracks #3: Ned Doheny "Get It Up For Love," 1976 + Covers by Stephen Michael Schwartz & Johnny Rivers (1974) & David Cassidy (1975)-EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEWS

Dee’s song #4: Chaka Khan, “What’Cha Gonna Do For Me,” 1981

Brad’s response: Ned Doheny wrote “Get It Up For Love,” and co-wrote “Whatcha Gonna Do For Me” with Average White Band’s Hamish Stuart, with Arif Mardin producing and arranging the horns. The year before (‘80), Stuart’s Average White Band recorded the song. Stuart has also played in two former Beatles’ bands….Paul McCartney’s recording and touring band and Ringo’s All-Starr Band on the road.

Brad’s song #4: Melissa Manchester, “A Love of Your Own,” 1977

Dee’s response: Brad fired back at me with his 4^th song: Melissa Manchester, with “A Love of Your Own,” from her 1977 Singin’ album, produced by Vini Poncia. 

I discovered that this cut was written by Ned Doheny (and Hamish Stuart of AWB) and, as with “Get It Up For Love,” put out on his second album, Hard Candy (on Columbia in 1976), but also covered by a bunch of artists including Manchester and the Average White Band. 

The funk of The Subdudes had taken us around the U.S., and landed us squarely in the Arista artistry of the early years through a chain of artists and songs that I did not know were previously linked in those ways!

Fun process, and I’ll do Tune Tag again one day with the Master!

Thanks, Dee!