Larry Knechtel dies at 69; bassist, keyboardist (You probably know some of his work.)

[Wilms]

Larry Knechtel dies at 69; bassist, keyboardist for '70s soft-rock group Bread

Knechtel played keyboards and bass with the Wrecking Crew, a group of L.A. studio musicians, before joining Bread in 1971. His arrangement of 'Bridge Over Troubled Water' won a Grammy in 1970.

By Keith Thursby

August 24, 2009

Larry Knechtel, a member of the 1970s soft-rock group Bread, who had a wide-ranging career as a studio musician, has died.

snip

Knechtel played keyboards, bass guitar and harmonica as a member of the Wrecking Crew, a group of Los Angeles studio musicians that included future headliners Glen Campbell and Leon Russell and session drummer Hal Blaine. Knechtel played with Elvis Presley, the Beach Boys, the Byrds, the Mamas and the Papas and many others.

snip

Knechtel, who was born Aug. 4, 1940, in Bell, first played with Kip Tyler and the Flips and in 1959 joined Duane Eddy, a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame guitarist. He won a Grammy in 1970 for his arrangement of "Bridge Over Troubled Water" by Simon and Garfunkel. Knechtel also played the piano on that song.

snip

Knechtel played on the Dixie Chicks' "Taking the Long Way" album and toured with the group in 2006. He had been living in Yakima since 2003.

http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-larry-knechtel24-2009aug24,0,3190712.story


Like many session musicians, Knechtel is proficient in other instruments, notably the harmonica and also the electric bass guitar (which can be heard on "Mr. Tambourine Man" by The Byrds) and on tracks by The Doors who did not have their own bass guitarist. In 1971, he joined Bread, where his many contributions include the memorable guitar solo on the hit single "The Guitar Man".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larry_Knechtel

[PSPS]

1. Wow, this guy really got around!

I looked at his biography and was astounded by the different artists he worked with. Here's just a partial list containing some better-known names:

Chet Atkins
Hoyt Axton
Joan Baez
The Beach Boys
Stephen Bishop
Bread
The Byrds
Brian Cadd
Climax
Chi Coltrane
Elvis Costello
Jackie DeShannon
John Denver
Neil Diamond
Fats Domino
Duane Eddy
The Everly Brothers
The 5th Dimension
Connie Francis
Jerry Garcia
Freddy Gardner
The Grass Roots
Richard Harris
Thelma Houston
Jan & Dean
Peggy Lipton (!)
Lobo
The Mamas & The Papas
Henry Mancini
Maureen McCormick (!)
Barry McGuire
Pat McLaughlin
The Monkees
Randy Newman
Harry Nilsson
Danny O'Keefe
Roy Orbison
Dolly Parton
The Partridge Family
Mike Post
Elvis Presley
Dory Previn
Kenny Rankin
Righteous Brothers
Johnny Rivers
Tommy Roe
Diana Ross
Tom Scott
Seals & Crofts
Simon & Garfunkel
Nancy Sinatra
Spanky & Our Gang
Phil Spector
Steppenwolf
Barbra Streisand
Tina Turner
The Turtles
Conway Twitty
Doc Watson
Hank Williams, Jr.

[Wilms]

2. Thanks for that. n/t

[old mark]

3. The Wrecking Crew was responsible for many of the best albums

recorded in LA for many years. They include many amazingly talented and professional musicians since the early 1960's.
Larry will certainly be missed, even though many people did not know his name - we all knew his music.

mark