Who was the first artist to record using a Fender Rhodes?

[Freddan]

Hey Loucas, my man!
This topic is incredibly interesting and definitely one of the most "blank" sectors of the Rhodes history.
I'm afraid that Joe recorded "THE RISE AND THE FALL OF THE THIRD STREAM"  as late as 1968, and that although it's a marvellous recording and especially because Joes collaboration with Bill Fischer here is official and documented, it still doesen't preceed "Mercy, Mercy,Mercy!" wich WAS Joe's first recorded performance with an electric piano.

Sorry, but keep 'em comin'!

Freddan

[Loucas]

DEAR FREDDAN.
WHATEVER YOU SAY IS ALWAYS SO RESPECTABLE AND I HAVE NOTHING TO SAY MORE ABOUT IT  
I JUST SAW THE DATE OF THIS RECORD AND THAT ARTICLE.WHAT WAS THE ORIGINAL RECORDING DATE OF "THE RISE AND THE FALL OF THE THIRD STREAM" I CAN NOT CERTIFY ...MAYBE THE 32 RECORDS LABEL KNOWS  MORE ABOUT IT ....
IT IS A MATTER OF INVESTIGATION ANYWAY !
BY THE WAY WHEN JOE CAME TO GREECE TWO  YEARS AGO HE SAID IN AN INTERVIEW ON THE " MOOD" JAZZ MAGAZINE : " I WAS PLAYING THE EL.PIANO BEFORE MILES USE IT 'CAUSE I WANTED A NEW VOICE,A NEW LANDSCAPE.
I REMEMBER MILES TRAVELLING TO MEXICO IN ORDER TO SEE ME AND CANNONBALL ON STAGE..."

WITH GREAT RESPECT

LOUCAS GREECE

[pianotuner steveo]

The recording of Mercy.Mercy.Mercy I am familiar with is the Buckinghams version, played on a Wurlitzer. Was that Joe Z? Or did he record a version prior to that?  If so,did he use a wurli or Rhodes?

[Freddan]

Dear friends Loucas and Steveo.
I love researching early Rhodes history, and at present I'm communicating with the children of Harold Rhodes, so I'm getting to know a lot of wonderful stuff from way back. The era surrounding the actual launch of the first full lenght Electric Piano from Rhodes and CBS at NAMM 1965, is however very poorly documented and there's no official facts anywhere about who started using it and early recordings.
I'd be wonderful if we together could try and find as much info as possible.
Unfortunately there are problems like the one with the recording date for the one that Loucas suggested. It's often wrongly stated as 1965, but that's impossible. ( b.t.w. Did you know that Miles never got to hear Joe play the Rhodes in Mexico? When he came down there, the village suffered a power outage, so Cannonball did the whole gig unplugged! )
The other question about "Mercy,Mercy,Mercy!" , is that Joe had written it, and saw a Wurli in the studio he was recording with Cannonball in. This gave him the idea to suggest recording the song. Shortly after, when going on tour to promote the album ( it immediately became a hit ), Vic Feldman told Joe about the Rhodes, and he directly switched to using that instead of a Wurli.

[Loucas]

I THINK YOU HAVE SEEN THIS: http://ep-forum.com/smf/index.php?topic=1067&highlight=
I HAD FOUND IT IN A FENDER BOOK.
HAROLD AT NAMM 1967

THANKS AGAIN FREEDAN

[Loucas]

Is this one of the oldest Rhodes recordings?
I didn't find any samples to listen.Any of you maybe know ?

Israel


  1/  My Funny Valentine          (Rodgers-Hart)                                         4.20
  2/  Israel                      (John Carisi)                                          5.20
  3/  Catherine's Theme           (Francis Lai)                                          5.10
  4/  Am I Blue/ Sonnyboy         (Akst-Clarke-DeSylva-Brown-Henderson-Jolson)           4.30
  5/  Never My Love               (D. & D. Addrisi)                                      3.00
  6/  Saturday Night Is The       (Jules Styne-Sammy Cahn)                               2.55
        Loneliest Night Of The
        Week
  7/  St. James Infirmary         (Joe Primrose)                                         4.00
  8/  Django                      (John Lewis)                                           4.45
  9/  Try To Remember             (Tom Jones-Harvey Schmidt)                             4.05

       Produced by Creed Taylor
       Recorded at Van Gelder Studios
       Tracks 5 and 6 recorded on February 19, 1968
       Track 2 recorded on March 4, 1968
       Tracks 3 and 7 recorded on March 12, 1968
       Tracks 1, 4, 8, and 9 recorded on April 16, 1968

    J.J. Johnson & Kai Winding : trombone; Ron Carter : bass (2,5,6); Richard Davis : bass
    (1,4,8,9); Grady Tate : drums (1,2,4,5,6,8,9); Eric Gale : guitar (2,5,6); Bucky Pizarelli :
    guitar (1,4,8,9); Herbie Hanc**k (2,5,6) : piano, electric piano, harpsichord; Ross Tompkins
    (1,4,8,9) : piano, electric piano, harpsichord; Eugene Bianco : harp (1,4,8,9); Al Brown :
    viola (1,3,4,7,8,9); Lewis Eley, Leo Kruczek, Eugene Orloff & Tosha Samaroff : violin
    (1,4,8,9); Charles Libove & David Nadien : violin (3,7); George Ricci : cello (1,3,4,7,8,9);
    Phil Bodner, George Marge & Romeo Penque (1,4,8,9) : flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon; Walter
    Kane & Frank Schwartz (1,4,8,9) : bassoon; Bernie Glow (1,4,8,9) : trumpet, flugelhorn.

[Simon666]

Well to bring up this old thread again ....

Bobby Jackson, 1966 album called "The Cafe Extra-Ordinaire Story", recently re-released :

http://boomkat.com/vinyl/319060-bobby-jackson-the-cafe-extra-ordinaire-story

The clips there all feature acoustic piano, but there's a track with the charming name of "Flick Fluck", check this one minute excerpt :

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=O89LV3Z9

Rhodes ?

[Tim Hodges]

Rhodes ?

Yep that's definitely a sparkletop.

[Simon666]

OK, so we've got Joe Zawinul playing "Mercy Mercy Mercy" on a rhodes with Cannonball Adderley in July 1966

http://www.jazzdisco.org/cannonball-adderley/discography/

... and this Bobby Jackson album released that year. I'll check with my friend who has it to see if it's got recording dates on it

[Rob A]

Pretty sure 1966 Mercy is a Wurli.

[Simon666]

OK word back .... false alarm! The Bobby Jackson album is actually July 1970, was mis-reported as 1966 in a few places ...

[Freddan]

Hi group. Long time no see!
Joe Zawinul decided to record "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy" because a Wurli was present in the studio. All other recordings of the song is on a Rhodes, since the pre 200 Wurlis were impossible to take on the road. So both Wurli and Rhodes are correct answers, but not in this thread, since this is 1967.

This clip, on the other hand, is sensational news to me! Check it out!
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?hl=en&v=UuzFkQlpCyE&fb_source=message&gl=US

[Ben Bove]

Wow '65!

[pianotuner steveo]

I was just reading these old posts today and I need to clarify something for Beatle fans.

The Beatles only used a Wurlitzer electric piano on ONE known recording, which was when Nicki Hopkins played the solo on Revolution.(allegedly HIS piano)  They did not own a Rhodes yet at this point, and that was definitely NOT their old Hohner. Hohners did not have sustain pedals.

They used the Hohner on many recordings between 1965-1968, I believe. Getting Better  and I am the Walrus both sound a bit like a Wurlitzer but it has to be the Hohner, since they did not ( and EMI did not) own a Wurlitzer. Also, I have heard ( and own) the stripped down basic tracks of "Walrus" and it sounds far more like a Hohner. John played it on the first take.

Billy Preston played the Rhodes on the songs One After 909, Don't Let Me Down, and Get Back. I believe it was also used on other songs during the rooftop concert.

On Abbey Rd,  Paul played the Rhodes on Come Together. He liked Billy's and I believe they actually
bought two, one for Paul, and one for the studio.

Paul loves eps, and has used both Wurlis and Rhodes in his solo career. ( Live and Let Die (wurli) & My Love (Rhodes) are just 2 examples)

Once again, The Beatles never owned a Wurlitzer.

The EP that sounds like a Wurlitzer on the song Let It Be therefore must be their old Hohner pianet. It is definitely not a Rhodes.

[Freddan]

Hey!

My friend, Anders Henriksson, who worked in the studio with the Beatles during the Let It Be sessions, cleared all this up for me 6 years ago, which I also posted here in August 2006.
The Rhodes Billy plays was a gift from Rhodes to the Beatles, and it is clearly visible during the roof concert, as well as Billys first entrance into the studio for the Get back sessions, since every minute was filmed.
I'm not sure there's any Rhodes on the song "Let It Be", Paul on grand and Billy on Hammond, to my knowledge.
But this is way after 1965 when the Rhodes piano was launched, so it might be another thread.

[earlywurly89]

Any body know any good blues tracks with some Rhodes or Wurlitzers involved?

[pianotuner steveo]

In reply to Freddan's last post above, the EP on Let it Be is only during the little instrumental breaks between the chorus and the solo, and the chorus and the ending. It s not used throughout the song.