Corky Laing

Last updated
Corky Laing
Corky Laing - Markthalle Hamburg 2016 06.jpg
Laing; February, 2016, Hamburg
Background information
Birth nameLaurence Gordon Laing
Born (1948-01-26) January 26, 1948 (age 76)
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Genres
Occupation(s)Drummer
Years active1965–present
Labels
Member of Cork
Formerly of

Laurence Gordon "Corky" Laing (born January 26, 1948) [1] is a Canadian rock drummer, best known as a longtime member of the pioneering American hard rock band Mountain. [1] He and guitarist/vocalist Leslie West were the only members to appear on every album.

Contents

20th century

A native of Montreal, Quebec, [1] Laing was the youngest in a family of five children. His eldest sister Carol was followed by triplet brothers, Jeffrey, Leslie, and Stephen, and then by Corky. According to Corky, his brothers called him "Gorky" because they could not pronounce his given name "Gordon". "Gorky" eventually morphed into Corky, a moniker which has remained with him throughout his career.

Getting his break playing drums for the vocal group The Ink Spots in 1961, he later played in a group called Energy, which was produced by Cream collaborator and Laing's future bandmate Felix Pappalardi. Laing left Energy in 1969 to replace drummer N.D. Smart in a hard rock outfit and heavy metal forerunner Mountain, who, with Laing at the drum kit, released three albums and the classic song "Mississippi Queen" between 1970 and 1971.

Laing, with West, Bruce and Laing, Musikhalle Hamburg, April 1973 Corky Laing.jpg
Laing, with West, Bruce and Laing, Musikhalle Hamburg, April 1973

After the band's first breakup the following year, Laing and Mountain bandmate Leslie West went on to form the blues-rock power trio West, Bruce and Laing with former Cream bassist/vocalist Jack Bruce. West, Bruce and Laing produced two studio albums and a live release before Mountain reformed without Laing in 1973 for a Japanese tour releasing the live Twin Peaks . Laing rejoined in 1974 recording Avalanche only for Mountain to break up again shortly after. The band would once again reconvene with guitarist Leslie West and Laing in 1985 for the release of Go For Your Life , and Laing has continued with them, most recently working on the band's 2007 Bob Dylan cover album Masters of War .

In late 1977 through 1978, he recorded an album with Felix Pappalardi (former Mountain bass player), Ian Hunter (from Mott the Hoople) and Mick Ronson. [2] This album was not released at the time but was subsequently released in the UK in 1999 as "The Secret Sessions".[ why? ]

In addition to Mountain, he has recorded as the group Cork, with Spin Doctors guitarist/vocalist Eric Schenkman and Noel Redding, formerly bass guitarist of The Jimi Hendrix Experience. In late 1975, he played congas on several tracks on Bo Diddley's all-star album The 20th Anniversary of Rock 'n' Roll.

In 1991, he was featured on Men Without Hats' cover version of The Beatles' song "I Am the Walrus" on drums. This is available on the Sideways album.

21st century

In 2003, Laing and Leslie West authored Nantucket Sleighride and Other Mountain on-the-Road Stories, a chronicle of their time with Mountain in its heyday and their careers in the years following.

Laing lives in Toronto's historic Liberty Village and was interviewed for the 2006 documentary film, Liberty Village - Somewhere in Heaven. He contributed the music for the film from recordings of his band Cork.

In 2007, Laing recorded Stick It!, the audio version of his memoirs with Cory Bruyea in Oakville, Ontario. Laing's interest in education led him to attend the KoSA Music Camp in Vermont for the summer of 2012.

In 2019, he released his autobiography, Letters to Sarah. [3]

Following the death of Leslie West in December 2020, Laing became the last surviving member of Mountain's classic lineup. In 2016, he formed Corky Laing's Mountain, with former Mountain bassist Richie Scarlet, now on lead guitar, and the bass slot was filled in by Mark Mikel, Joe Venti, or Bernt Ek. [4]

Collaborators

Discography

Solo

With Mountain

Studio albums

Live albums

Compilation albums

West, Bruce and Laing

With Leslie West

With Bartholomew plus III

With Cork

With Ian Hunter, Mick Ronson and Felix Pappalardi

With The Mix

With The Perfect Child

As Corky Laing's Mountain

Guest appearances

Other

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Felix Pappalardi</span> American music producer and musician (1939–1983)

Felix Albert Pappalardi Jr. was an American music producer, songwriter, vocalist, and bassist. He is best known as the bassist and co-lead vocalist of the band Mountain, whose song "Mississippi Queen" peaked at number 21 on the Billboard Hot 100 and became a classic rock radio staple. Originating in the eclectic music scene in New York's Greenwich Village, he became closely attached to the British power trio Cream, writing, arranging, and producing for their second album Disraeli Gears. As a producer for Atlantic Records, he worked on several projects with guitarist Leslie West; in 1969 their partnership evolved into the band Mountain. The band lasted less than five years, but their work influenced the first generation of heavy metal and hard rock music. Pappalardi continued to work as a producer, session musician, and songwriter until he was shot and killed by his wife Gail Collins in 1983.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mountain (band)</span> American rock band

Mountain was an American hard rock band formed on Long Island, New York, in 1969. Originally consisting of vocalist-guitarist Leslie West, bassist-vocalist Felix Pappalardi, keyboardist Steve Knight, and drummer N. D. Smart, the group disbanded in 1972, but reunited on several occasions prior to West's death in 2020. They are best-known for their 1970 smash hit song "Mississippi Queen", which remains a staple of classic rock radio, as well as the heavily sampled song "Long Red", and their performance at Woodstock Festival in 1969. Mountain is one of many bands commonly credited with influencing the development of heavy metal music during the 1970s. The group's musical style primarily consisted of hard rock, blues rock, and heavy metal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West, Bruce and Laing</span>

West, Bruce and Laing were a Scottish–American–Canadian blues rock power trio super-group formed in 1972 by Leslie West, Jack Bruce, and Corky Laing. The band released two studio albums, Why Dontcha (1972) and Whatever Turns You On (1973), during their active tenure. Their disbanding was officially announced in early 1974 prior to the release of their third and last album, Live 'n' Kickin'.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leslie West</span> American rock musician (1945–2020)

Leslie Abel West was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. He was the co-founder, guitarist and co-lead vocalist of the rock band Mountain. West was named the 245th greatest guitarist of all time by Rolling Stone in 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mississippi Queen</span> 1970 single by Mountain

"Mississippi Queen" is a song by the American rock band Mountain. Considered a rock classic, it was their most successful single, reaching number 21 in the Billboard Hot 100 in 1970. The song is included on the group's debut album and several live recordings have been issued.

<i>Climbing!</i> 1970 studio album by Mountain

Climbing! is the debut studio album by American hard rock band Mountain. It was released on March 7, 1970, by Windfall Records.

<i>Why Dontcha</i> 1972 studio album by West, Bruce and Laing

Why Dontcha is the first studio album by power trio West, Bruce and Laing.

<i>Live n Kickin</i> (West, Bruce and Laing album) 1974 live album by West, Bruce and Laing

Live 'n' Kickin' is a live album by the power trio West, Bruce and Laing, released in 1974. It was the band's third and final album, as their disbanding was announced shortly before its release.

<i>Whatever Turns You On</i> 1973 studio album by West, Bruce and Laing

Whatever Turns You On is the second and last studio album by blues rock power trio/supergroup West, Bruce and Laing.

<i>Nantucket Sleighride</i> (album) 1971 studio album by Mountain

Nantucket Sleighride is the second studio album by American hard rock band Mountain, released in January 1971 by Windfall Records in the US and by Island in the UK. It reached number 16 on the Billboard Hot 200 Album Chart in 1971.

<i>Flowers of Evil</i> (Mountain album) 1971 studio album / live album by Mountain

Flowers of Evil is the third studio album and first live album by American hard rock band Mountain. The title track concerns drug abuse in Vietnam. The first side of the album includes new studio material, while the second consists of live material recorded on 27 June 1971 at the Fillmore East in New York City. It was released in November 1971 by Windfall.

<i>Live: The Road Goes Ever On</i> 1972 live album by Mountain

Live: The Road Goes Ever On is the second live album by American hard rock band Mountain, released on 24 April 1972 by Windfall Records. It contains four songs recorded at three shows in August 1969, December 1971, and January 1972. The album was produced by the band's bassist and second vocalist Felix Pappalardi, while the artwork was created by his wife and collaborator Gail Collins. The Road Goes Ever On takes its name from J. R. R. Tolkien's 1937 novel The Hobbit.

<i>Twin Peaks</i> (album) 1974 live album by Mountain

Twin Peaks is the third live album by American hard rock band Mountain, released in February 1974 by Columbia and Windfall Records. It contains recordings from the band's performance at Koseinenkin Hall in Osaka, Japan on August 30, 1973. The album was produced by the band's bassist and second vocalist Felix Pappalardi, while the artwork was created by his wife and collaborator Gail Collins. It was Mountain's first release since returning after a year-long hiatus.

<i>The Best of Mountain</i> 1973 greatest hits album by Mountain

The Best of Mountain is the only compilation album by American hard rock band Mountain. It consists of material recorded throughout 1970-1971, culled from their first three LPs. On 15 April 2003, the album was remastered and reissued in an expanded edition with new liner notes and four bonus tracks, two of which are taken from Leslie West's first solo album, 1969's Felix Pappalardi-produced Mountain, the project which eventually led to the formation of the band.

<i>Go for Your Life</i> (album) 1985 studio album by Mountain

Go for Your Life is the fifth studio album by American hard rock band Mountain, released on March 9, 1985. It was their first studio album since 1974's Avalanche.

<i>Avalanche</i> (Mountain album) 1974 studio album by Mountain

Avalanche is the fourth studio album by American hard rock band Mountain, released in July 1974. It featured the return of drummer Corky Laing and was the band's only recording with second guitarist David Perry. It was their final album of the 1970s and the last to feature bassist/producer Felix Pappalardi.

<i>Masters of War</i> (album) 2007 studio album by Mountain

Masters of War is the eighth and final studio album by American hard rock band Mountain, released in 2007. The album consists entirely of Bob Dylan covers.

<i>Mystic Fire</i> 2002 studio album by Mountain

Mystic Fire is the seventh studio album by American hard rock band Mountain, released in 2002. It is their final album of original material, as their following album, Masters of War, would consist solely of covers.

<i>Theme</i> (album) 1988 studio album by Leslie West

Theme is a 1988 album by Leslie West. It features Jack Bruce and Joe Franco. It takes its title from the track "Theme for an Imaginary Western", first recorded by Jack Bruce on Songs for a Tailor and subsequently featured on Mountain's debut album Climbing!.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Nastos, Michael G. (2011). "Corky Laing Biography". AllMusic . Retrieved 15 February 2011.
  2. ↑ "Timeline John Cale - 1977". Werksman.home.xs4all.nl. Retrieved 2020-04-28.
  3. ↑ Corky Laing; Tuija Takala (30 May 2020). Letters To Sarah. Waterside Productions. ISBN   978-1939116697.
  4. ↑ "TOUR". Corkylaingworks.com. Retrieved 7 August 2023.
  5. ↑ "Interview:Corky Laing (Mountain, West Bruce & Laing, 'Playing God' Rock Opera) – Hit Channel". Hit-channel.com. 2014-06-20. Retrieved 2016-09-17.
  6. ↑ Joe Viglione. "Makin' It on the Street - Corky Laing | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic . Retrieved 2020-04-28.
  7. ↑ Alex Henderson (2004-08-10). "Eruption - Mountain | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic . Retrieved 2020-04-28.
  8. 1 2 "Playing God - The Perfect Child, Corky Laing | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic . Retrieved 2020-04-28.
  9. ↑ Greg Prato (2005-01-04). "Guitarded - Leslie West | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic . Retrieved 2020-04-28.
  10. ↑ "Bartholomew Plus Three - She's Mine / You're Not There (1965, Vinyl)". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2020-04-28.
  11. ↑ "Bartholomew Plus Three - When I Fall In Love (1967, Vinyl)". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2020-04-28.
  12. ↑ Stephen Thomas Erlewine (1999-06-22). "Speed of Thought - Cork | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic . Retrieved 2020-04-28.
  13. ↑ "Out There - Cork | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic . 2003-06-10. Retrieved 2020-04-28.
  14. ↑ Bruce Eder (1999-01-19). "The Secret Sessions - Various Artists | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic . Retrieved 2020-04-28.
  15. ↑ "The Mix - American Glue (1980, Vinyl)". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2020-04-28.
  16. ↑ "On Stage records". Onstage-promotion.de. Retrieved 2020-04-28.
  17. ↑ "Maverick Child - David Rea | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic . Retrieved 2020-04-28.
  18. ↑ "By the Grace of God - David Rea | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic . Retrieved 2020-04-28.
  19. ↑ Sean Westergaard. "Bobby Keys - Bobby Keys | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic . Retrieved 2020-04-28.
  20. ↑ "The 20th Anniversary of Rock N' Roll - Bo Diddley | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic . 1984-02-21. Retrieved 2020-04-28.
  21. ↑ "Charlie Karp & Namedroppers - Charlie Karp & the Name Droppers | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic . Retrieved 2020-04-28.
  22. ↑ Robin Platts. "Sideways - Men Without Hats | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic . Retrieved 2020-04-28.
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