Don Randi Explained

Don Randi (born February 25, 1937) is an American keyboard player, bandleader, and songwriter who was a member of the Wrecking Crew. He is the father of bassist and singer Leah Randi.

Career

Don was born February 25, 1937, in New York City.^[1] He was raised in the Catskill Mountains and studied classical music.^[2] In 1954, he moved to Los Angeles and became a studio musician. During the next year, he began working at record distribution company where he was influenced by jazz musicians, particularly Horace Silver.^[3]

He began his career as a pianist and keyboard player in 1956, gradually establishing a reputation as a leading session musician. In the early 1960s, he was musician and arranger for record producer Phil Spector's Wall of Sound. He played piano on "These Boots Are Made For Walkin'" by Nancy Sinatra and on her albums, as well as being a member of her touring band for decades. He performed on the Beach Boys' "Good Vibrations" and "God Only Knows".^[3] He recorded live albums of piano jazz as a solo performer and as the leader of the Don Randi Trio with Leroy Vinnegar and Mel Lewis.^[2] Randi wrote film scores during the 1970s, including Bloody Mama (1970), Up in the Cellar (1970), J. W. Coop (1972), Stacey (1973), and Santee (1973).

In 1970, he opened The Baked Potato jazz club in Studio City, California, and formed Don Randi and Quest as the house band. The band recorded over 15 albums and was nominated for a Grammy Award in 1980 for the album New Baby.^[3] In 2010, the Baked Potato was named Best Jazz Club by Los Angeles magazine.^[4]

In 2008, as a member of the Wrecking Crew, Randi was inducted into the Hollywood RockWalk.^{[5] [6]}

Discography

As leader

• Feelin' Like Blues (World Pacific, 1960)
• Where Do We Go from Here? (Verve, 1962)
• Last Night/with the Don Randi Trio (Verve, 1962)
• Mexican Pearls (Palomar, 1965)
• Revolver Jazz (Reprise, 1966)
• Live On the Sunset Strip! (Reprise, 1967)
• 3 in the Cellar (American International, 1970)
• At the Baked Potato (Poppy, 1972)
• Don Randi & the Baked Potato Band (JAS, 1975)
• Bermuda Triangle (Dobre, 1978)
• New Baby (Sheffield Lab, 1979)
• California 84 (Bee Pee, 1983)
• Baked Potato Shuffle (Baked Potato, 1988)
• Don't Look Back (Headfirst, 1989)
• Wind and Sea (Headfirst, 1990)

As sideman

With David Axelrod

• Songs of Experience (Capitol, 1969)
• Earth Rot (Capitol, 1970)
• Strange Ladies (MCA, 1977)
• David Axelrod (Mo Wax, 2001)

With others

• Susie Allanson, Susie Allanson (ABC, 1976)
• Harold Betters, Funk City Express (Reprise, 1966)
• Bob B. Soxx & the Blue Jeans, Zip-A-Dee Doo Dah (Philles, 1976)
• Pat Boone, Texas Woman (Hitsville, 1976)
• James Brown, It's a New Day So Let a Man Come In (King, 1970)
• James Brown, Get On the Good Foot (Polydor, 1993)
• Roy Brown, Hard Times (Bluesway, 1973)
• Thumbs Carllile, On His Own (Gemini, 1973)
• Jerry Cole, Outer Limits (Capitol, 1963)
• Cass Elliot, Cass Elliot (RCA Victor, 1972)
• England Dan & John Ford Coley, Fables (A&M, 1972)
• Gale Garnett, Gale Garnett Sings About Flying & Rainbows & Love & Other Groovy Things (RCA Victor, 1967)
• Lee Hazlewood, The N.S.V.I.P.'s (Reprise, 1964)
• Lee Hazlewood, Love and Other Crimes (Reprise, 1968)
• Jack Jones, What I Did for Love (RCA Victor, 1975)
• Dean Martin, Once in a While (Reprise, 1978)
• Bette Midler, Broken Blossom (Atlantic, 1977)
• The Monkees, Listen to the Band (Rhino, 1991)
• Sandy Nelson, Rock 'n' Roll Revival (Imperial, 1968)
• Jack Nitzsche, The Lonely Surfer (Reprise, 1963)
• Michelle Phillips, Victim of Romance (A&M, 1990)
• Elvis Presley, NBC-TV Special (RCA, 1991)
• Michael Quatro, Gettin' Ready (Prodigal, 1977)
• Emitt Rhodes, The American Dream (A&M, 1970)
• Nelson Riddle, Contemporary Sound of Nelson Riddle (United Artists, 1968)
• Tommy Roe, Beginnings (ABC, 1971)
• The Ronettes, Presenting the Fabulous Ronettes Featuring Veronica (Philles, 1964)
• Nancy Sinatra, Sugar (Reprise, 1966)
• Stone Poneys, Evergreen Vol. 2 (Capitol, 1967)
• Townes Van Zandt, Our Mother the Mountain (Poppy, 1969)
• Stephanie Winslow, Crying (Warner Bros., 1980)

Notable singles

Based on information from Randi’s book, You’ve Heard These Hands.^[7]

Charting for singles is on the US singles charts.^[8]

Notable albums

A list of notable albums that Randi played on.^{[7] [10]}

External links

• • Don Randi at Discogs.com
• Deane Ogden podcast, March 12, 2014
• Don Randi Interview - NAMM Oral History Library (2016)

Notes and References

1. Web site: Don Randi on Apple Music . Apple Music.
2. Web site: Yanow . Don Randi . AllMusic . 3 October 2020.
3. Web site: Biography at Baked Potato website . 2010-09-16 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160803145116/http://thebakedpotatodocumentary.com/donrandi.html . 2016-08-03 . dead .
4. News: Best Jazz Club . Los Angeles . August 2010 . 14 January 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140812224202/http://www.lamag.com/guides/bola/Details.aspx?id=5440 . 12 August 2014 . dead .
5. http://www.modernguitars.com/archives/004559.html Lynne Margolis, Glen Campbell, Don Randi and Hal Blaine Honored at RockWalk, 5 August 2008
6. Web site: The Wrecking Crew at Hollywood's RockWalk . 2010-09-16 . 2018-05-28 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180528052100/http://www.rockwalk.com/inductees/inductee.cfm?id=180 . dead .
7. Randi, Don, with Karen "Nish" Nishimura, You’ve Heard These Hands: From the Wall of Sound to the Wrecking Crew and Other Incredible Stories, Hal Leonard Books 2015 pp.227-230
8. Whitburn, Joel The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, Billboard Books, New York, 1992
9. Hartman, Kent, The Wrecking Crew: The Inside Story of Rock and Roll’s Best-Kept Secret, Thomas Dunne Books, St. Martin’s Press, New York, 2012 p. 120
10. Whitburn, Joel, The Billboard Book of TOP 40 Albums, Billboard Books, New York 1991
11. The 25 Greatest Christmas Albums of All Time . . 30 November 2019 .