Stuart Kimball, guitarist in Bob Dylan’s band since 2004, is 58 years old today. In addition to being a session player, Kimball is also an accomplished producer and arranger. At age eight, Kimball started picking out tunes he heard in his family’s record collection by the Kingston Trio and Pete Seeger on his father’s baritone ukulele. So they bought Stu his first acoustic guitar and he switched to the Rolling Stones, the Beatles and Bob Dylan.“What really got me was Hendrix,” Kimball said. “I first heard Are You Experienced when I was 11 and I couldn’t believe what he did with the electric guitar. Then the first Led Zeppelin album came out. Hendrix and Led Zeppelin opened up the whole world of electric guitar for me.” As a teenager, Kimball was in demand for his skills. His first paid gig was at a Manchester, New Hampshire Knights of Columbus Hall, where he was brought in as a ringer on guitar — the only minor in the band and in the bar. For a time Kimball attended the St. Thomas Choir School in New York City, where he developed his ear for harmony and vocal performance. But the core of his education began after high school, when a band he formed with some friends from New Hampshire — Face To Face — got signed to Epic Records. In 1984, the group’s eponymous debut spawned a Top 40 single, the sweet and catchy “10, 9, 8.”Face to Face would travel across the U.S. and to Japan and make two more albums, literally introducing Kimball to both the world and the music industry. “A very important part, looking back, was Jimmy Iovine and, later, Arthur Baker, who worked on Empire Burlesque, taking me under wing.” Iovine, one of the decade’s hottest producers, admired Kimball’s playing and was the first to hire him as a session guitarist. He also recruited the band for the soundtrack for Streets of Fire, and Face to Face sans lead singer Laurie Sargent, who provided the voice for actress Diane Lane, appeared in the film. Although most of Kimball’s session work was in New York City, he began producing bands in Boston, where he lived at the time, and then on Martha’s Vineyard, where he relocated and became co-owner of a studio with Carly Simon. Kimball produced several local bands and began to expand his credits, working with roots outfit Black Number Nine, ska legends Bop Harvey and New England blues group Fatwall Jack, as well as co-producing Carly Simon’s The Bedroom Tapes and Peter Wolf’s Long Line. He also played on an album for folksinger Kate Taylor with Dylan bassist Tony Garnier, a collaboration that would ultimately play a role in Kimball joining Dylan’s band.Kimball is known for his own earthy, flexible brand of six-string. He’s played on sessions for Al Green, Bruce Springsteen, Peter Wolf, Debbie Harry, Carly Simon, Clarence Clemons, Diana Ross, Kate Taylor, Nona Hendrix, Stevie Nicks, Laurie Sargent, Robbie Williams, indie rockers Twinemen and Bob Dylan. Although Kimball joined Dylan’s band in 2004, their history together dates back to 1985, when Stu played on Empire Burlesque. He also played on Dylan’s Grammy winning 2006 hit Modern Times, and is featured on six tracks on Tell Tale Signs, the latest release in the Bootleg Series. Kimball has also released One Last Wish, his own self-produced CD. Stuart Kimball on stage with Bob Dylan and taking bows with Dylan and Tony Garnier, both shots in 2009. Photos by Frank Beacham
Posted on: Mon, 01 Dec 2014 07:12:18 +0000
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