Delaney Bramlett was born 75 years ago today. A singer, songwriter, musician and producer, Bramletts five-decade career reached peaks in creativity, performance and notoriety in partnership with his then-wife Bonnie Bramlett in a revolving troupe of professional musicians and rock superstars dubbed Delaney & Bonnie & Friends. Bramlett was born in Pontotoc, Mississippi. After a stint in the Navy, he moved to Los Angeles in the early 1960s where he established himself as a singer-songwriter, writing with fellow musicians Joey Cooper, Mac Davis and Jackie DeShannon. By 1965, Bramlett was a regular member of the Shindogs, the house band of the television show, Shindig!. During this time, he worked with J.J. Cale and Leon Russell and released some unsuccessful solo singles. One of these, Guess I Must Be Dreamin, entered the Cashbox Looking Ahead survey on May 14, 1967. In the late 1960s, British guitarist Eric Clapton joined Delaney & Bonnie & Friends on tour after which Delaney produced and co-wrote songs for Claptons debut solo album, Eric Clapton. Clapton still credits Delaney for pushing him to sing and teaching him the art of rock vocals. Bramlett produced King Curtis last LP, which had two hit singles: Teasin and Lonesome Long Way from Home. Bramlett taught then Beatle George Harrison to play slide guitar, which led into a gospel jam that resulted in Harrisons hit My Sweet Lord. Bramlett wrote, recorded or appeared on stage with many notable performers, including Joe Cocker, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Billy Preston, John Lennon, The Everly Brothers, Spooner Oldham, Steve Cropper and Billy Burnette. Members of the Friends appearing in concert or recording with Bramlett on Friends albums include a galaxy of stars and highly respected side men, including Eric Clapton, George Harrison, Leon Russell, King Curtis, Duane Allman, Gregg Allman, Dave Mason, Rita Coolidge, Carl Radle, Jim Gordon, Bobby Whitlock, Jim Keltner, Bobby Keys and Gram Parsons. In 2006, Bramlett was one of the duet artists on the Jerry Lee Lewis album Last Man Standing, singing and playing guitar on Lost Highway. In 2008, the year of his death, Bramlett released his first CD in six years, A New Kind of Blues. The Bramletts Never Ending Song of Love has been covered by others, and appears on the soundtrack of RV and A Good Year. Bramlett co-wrote the Eric Clapton hit, Let It Rain. Described in an obituary as a Southern Legend, Bramlett died from complications of gall bladder surgery on December 27, 2008, in Los Angeles. Here is a complete television special of Delaney & Bonnie and Friends from December, 1969. The “friends” in this special were the future Derek and the Dominoes.
Posted on: Tue, 01 Jul 2014 08:10:56 +0000
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