ERNIE FREEMAN : THE MUSIC PRODUCER : FROM OUR ARCHIVES POST 208

Post (208) ERNIE FREEMAN THE MUSIC PRODUCER from November 7 2008

I started hanging out at the Musician's Union when I didn't have anything else to do, though I was busy - so busy! - in those years. Ernie was an African-American pianist arranger who "Made The Strings Jump." (He also produced but was rarely credited for it.)

Like many other musicians who worked in the studio playing first, Ernie had a lot of studio recording experience before he started arranging.

The Musician's Union was a great place to meet accomplished musicians, singers, arrangers, producers, and songwriters and network.

Linked at the title: Here's the Rockin' Country Style discography for Ernie Freeman, who in 1962 was the arranger for the Buddy Knox album that made it Gold, with the song "All By Myself" on it that Buddy and I wrote.

Here's a link to great information on Ernie's career as an album maker that has a picture of him.

UPDATED APRIL 2012 THIS NEW GREAT VIDEO!

(209) DRUMMER EARL PALMER - A "SECRET" HIT MAKER

Another great musician that I met at the Musician's Union and became friends with was Earl Palmer.
Earl just went into Eternal Life September 18, 2008 - several weeks ago - at the age of 84.

He worked with Elvis. He worked for Motown and Phil Spector. The Righteous Brothers. Frank Sinatra.

I used to go into the Union looking for Earl and get on him about being from Louisiana in the way that only one Southerner can get on another Southerner. Out in LA it seemed like no matter what your race or background, being from the South was like being from the hood.

And he earned it; Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002, here's Earl's link there.

ROCKHALL : EARL PALMER BIO
updated March 2014

(208) ERNIE FREEMAN - THE MUSIC ARRANGER

I started hanging out at the Musician's Union when I didn't have anything else to do, though I was busy - so busy! - in those years. Ernie was an African-American pianist arranger who "Made The Strings Jump." (He also produced but was rarely credited for it.) Like many other musicians who worked in the studio playing first, Ernie had a lot of studio recording experience before he started arranging.

The Musician's Union was a great place to meet accomplished musicians, singers, arrangers, producers, and songwriters and network.

Linked at the title: Here's the Rockin' Country Style discography for Ernie Freeman, who in 1962 was the arranger for the Buddy Knox album that made it Gold, with the song "All By Myself" on it that Buddy and I wrote.

Here's a link to great information on Ernie's career as an album maker that has a picture of him.

http://www.rocky-52.net/chanteursf/freeman_ernie.htm

UPDATED APRIL 2012 with this video!

(207) THE MUSICIANS UNION - A WISE MEMBERSHIP

I joined the Musicians Union when I was still in New York City, and when I moved to Los Angeles, I transferred my membership to California. I still think of membership in The Musician's Union as an important step for any musician. Of course I'm no fool when it comes to the fact that then as there is today there is a lot of non-union work and that musicians are often "between jobs" and can't necessarily afford to turn down a non-union job. But it's the musician union that tries to keep the pay livable and through documentation of recording projects, provides a pension.

Click on the title above to be taken to link for the Musician's Union, Professional Musicians Local 47.

When I joined the headquarters were in Hollywood on Vine near Melrose and Max Herman was the President - The God Almighty! - for years. He had several terms. He was tough - ruthless some thought - and he threw more than one friend of mine out of the Union. He had people going around from one recording studio to the next busting in to find non-union sessions.