Page 77 - The Westerner Magazine Halloween 2018
P. 77
Morris came in and confided in me, “I’m How do you manage artists in the studio?
quitting the business. I got these chocolate
chip cookies that I take around the labels. Some come in prepared and do their thing.
Everyone loves them so much. I think I’m When I left the music business I went to
going into the cookie business. We’re going career counselling in LA and it all came
to call it Famous Amos.” I said, “Why down to me becoming a therapist. “What in
would you want to do that? You’re so good the hell do you think I’ve been doing all
at this!” John ended up working with him. these years?” I said. “That’s what a record
What do I know? producer is.” You take one look in their eyes
when they arrive to record and see how
I’m also the one at Bell records who had much of them is there that evening. One
Daryl Hall sing on a demo for me and I said, night, Willie Hutch couldn’t sing his songs.
“I’ll sign you if you don’t bring your partner “Not tonight,” he said. The next night he
along.” Dumb. I said, “Well, he only sings came in and sang all eleven back to back.
backup—and plays with you. You write You’ve got to understand the inner workings
them all and sing. What do I want him for?” of the artist.
I also turned down “Hey, Mickie” by Toni Johnny Mathis—you were offered and
Basil, which was a big hit single eventually. recorded him. Did you want to make a
Three bonehead moves that I can think of different kind of album? Did he choose all
while I was at Bell. the tracks?
Interestingly, though, Bell seems to have Neither. The setup is that the head of A&R
had a good eye for talent, as they were for CBS New York said if you do Ronnie
turning out a lot of contemporary hits… Dyson (who was the star of Hair at that
time) for free, I’ll give you the next Mathis
In terms of things that were happening at album. When they called for me to do
that time. Bell was exploding as a singles Mathis, they dictated what we would record.
company. At RCA we didn’t know that we They chose all the cover tunes. Thom Bell
were kind of dying. Bell had great stuff had tried something new on the last Mathis
going on. The only thing was when Clive album and we were told to go back to covers
took over and got rid of the Fifth for this album. Johnny Mathis selected the
Dimension. Fifth were the biggest selling act eleven we finally recorded from the twenty
on the label when Larry Uttal was running or so that Columbia had sent over. I had
things. When I got the Fifth, I thought very little input. D'Arneill Pershing who had
nothing could go wrong. They were the worked on the last eleven Mathis albums
number one act on the label. Clive, more and worked with him on tour created the
times than not though, knows what he’s arrangements. The album was meant to be
doing. He did masterful stuff. Larry Uttal full orchestra, recorded quickly and cheaply.
was very single-orientated, and Clive came Boom. My check for that album was almost
in and said, “The money is in album sales” identical to the one I got from RCA for
and he did a masterful job of it.
major hit singles. It didn’t even sell that
