Kenny Gradney | |
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Background information | |
Born | February 25, 1950 |
Origin | New Orleans, Louisiana United States |
Genres | Rock, roots rock, blues rock, swamp rock, jam band, jazz rock, folk rock |
Occupation(s) | Musician Songwriter |
Instrument | Bass guitar |
Years active | 1966–present |
Website | Little Feat.net Requires flash |
Kenny Gradney (born February 25, 1950, in Baton Rouge [ citation needed ]) is an American bassist and songwriter, best known as a member of the band Little Feat.
He joined after their second album, replacing founding bassist Roy Estrada in 1972. [1] Gradney has remained their bassist ever since and coinciding with his arrival, his friend Sam Clayton also joined the band on percussion and Paul Barrere, who knew bandleader Lowell George from Hollywood High School, joined as a second guitarist and cementing the classic line-up of George, Barrere, Richie Hayward, Bill Payne, Gradney and Clayton.
In the summer of 1970, Gradney participated in a multi-group tour of Canadian stadium shows known as Festival Express as a member of Delaney & Bonnie & Friends in which all of the groups traveled together on a passenger train. He appears in the documentary film of the same name playing and partying with Janis Joplin, Bob Weir, Jerry Garcia, Rick Danko and others.
In addition to his work with Little Feat, Gradney has played and recorded with many notable musicians, including Delaney & Bonnie, The Flying Burrito Brothers, Bob Weir's Bobby and the Midnites, [2] Jazz Is Dead, jazz drummer Chico Hamilton, Warren Zevon, Robert Palmer, Mick Fleetwood, and Carly Simon.
Robert Hall Weir is an American musician and songwriter best known as a founding member of the Grateful Dead. After the group disbanded in 1995, Weir performed with The Other Ones, later known as The Dead, together with other former members of the Grateful Dead. Weir also founded and played in several other bands during and after his career with the Grateful Dead, including Kingfish, the Bob Weir Band, Bobby and the Midnites, Scaring the Children, RatDog, and Furthur, which he co-led with former Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh. In 2015, Weir, along with former Grateful Dead members Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann, joined with Grammy-winning singer/guitarist John Mayer, bassist Oteil Burbridge, and keyboardist Jeff Chimenti to form the band Dead & Company.
Lowell Thomas George was an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer, who was the primary guitarist, vocalist, songwriter and founder/leader for the rock band Little Feat. Before forming Little Feat, he was for a short while a member of Frank Zappa's band the Mothers of Invention.
Little Feat is an American rock band formed by lead vocalist and guitarist Lowell George, keyboardist Bill Payne, drummer Richie Hayward and bassist Roy Estrada in 1969 in Los Angeles. The band's classic line-up, in place by late 1972, comprised George, Payne, Hayward, bassist Kenny Gradney, guitarist and vocalist Paul Barrere and percussionist Sam Clayton. George disbanded the group because of creative differences shortly before his death in 1979. Surviving members re-formed Little Feat in 1987 and the band has remained active to the present.
Feats Don't Fail Me Now is the fourth studio album by the American rock band Little Feat, released in 1974, on the Warner Bros. label. The cover was designed by Neon Park.
The Last Record Album is the fifth studio album by the American rock band Little Feat, released in 1975 on the Warner Bros. label.
Time Loves a Hero is the sixth studio album by the American rock band Little Feat, released in 1977.
Down on the Farm is the seventh studio album by the American rock band Little Feat. The album was completed and released shortly after the death of the band's founder and frontman, Lowell George, in 1979. It was their last original work for nine years. The band had announced their break-up in June 1979 during the making of the album. Little Feat would reform in 1987.
Let It Roll is the eighth studio album by the American rock band Little Feat, released in 1988. Eight of the ten songs on the album were co-written by new band member Craig Fuller, the founding member of Pure Prairie League. Fuller also takes most lead vocals. The album attained RIAA certified gold status on February 14, 1989. It is the first Little Feat studio album without Lowell George, after his death in 1979 and is one of their most successful albums, sparking a comeback by the band. The first single, "Hate to Lose Your Lovin'", earned the band their first #1 hit on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart.
Shake Me Up is the tenth studio album by the American rock band Little Feat, released in 1991. It was the last album they recorded with frontman Craig Fuller. It is also their only album to feature no lead vocals from keyboardist Bill Payne.
Live from Neon Park is the second live album by the American rock band Little Feat, released in 1996. The name of the album was a suggestion of a Little Feat fan in commemoration of the then-recent passing of long-time Little Feat album cover artist and friend of the band, Neon Park.
Kickin' It at the Barn is the 14th studio album by the American rock band Little Feat, released in 2003. The album's name came from its recording at guitarist Fred Tackett's barn in Topanga Canyon. Tackett made his debut as a lead vocalist on this album with his own song In A Town Like This, fifteen years after he joined the group. The song also served as the title track of Tackett's solo debut, released the same year.
Alphonso Johnson is an American jazz bassist active since the early 1970s. Johnson was a member of the jazz fusion group Weather Report from 1973 to 1975, and has performed and recorded with numerous high-profile rock and jazz acts including Santana, Phil Collins, members of the Grateful Dead, Steve Kimock, and Chet Baker.
Dixie Chicken is the third studio album by the American rock band Little Feat, released in 1973, on Warner Bros. Records. The artwork for the front cover was by illustrator Neon Park and is a reference to a line from the album's third song, "Roll Um Easy".
Paul Barrere was an American musician most prominent as a member of the band Little Feat, which he joined in 1972 some three years after the band was created by Lowell George.
Sam Clayton is an American singer and percussionist, primarily focusing on drums, conga and djembe, throughout his musical career. He is best known as a supporting vocalist and percussionist with the American rock band Little Feat since 1972.
Jazz Is Dead is an instrumental Grateful Dead cover band that interprets classic Dead songs with jazz influences. The group is notable in featuring veterans of jazz and jazz fusion ensembles. The group's composition has changed over time, and T Lavitz was the band's only constant member until they reformed in 2015.
Pressure Drop is the second solo album by English singer Robert Palmer, released in 1975. Palmer is backed by Little Feat and other musicians. The title track is a cover version of the reggae hit by Toots & the Maytals. However, many other songs on the album use "New Orleans funk ... along with smooth, dated disco ballads smothered in strings". Continuing his association with Little Feat started by his cover of "Sailing Shoes" on his 1974 debut album Sneaking Sally Through the Alley, Feat was used as backing band on several cuts, most notably Lowell George's slide guitar on "Here With You Tonight". George also contributed the tune "Trouble" on which Feat pianist Bill Payne plays the intro. David Jeffries' review says that the album is considered "too blue-eyed and polished for fans of Palmer's more gutsy moments" but concludes that "Pressure Drop has grown into the great overlooked album in Palmer's discography". In June 2009, the album was ranked as No. 20 on Mojo's list of the 50 best records released by Island. The album peaked at No. 136 in the US.
Bobby and the Midnites was a rock group led by Bob Weir of the Grateful Dead. The band was Weir's main side project during the first half of the 1980s. They released two albums, but were better known for their live concerts than for their work in the recording studio. With a rhythm section that included jazz veterans Billy Cobham and, for a time, Alphonso Johnson, Bobby and the Midnites played rock music that was influenced by jazz-rock fusion.
Join the Band is a 2008 album recorded by Little Feat. Their first studio album in five years, it features no new original songs but is a set of collaborations with other artists such as Bob Seger, Emmylou Harris, Dave Matthews and Inara George. It was released on July 1, 2008.
Rooster Rag is the fifteenth album by American rock band Little Feat released in June 2012, on the Hot Tomato label. It was their only studio album to feature drummer Gabe Ford and the last to feature guitarist Paul Barrere who died in 2019.