Jim Horn

If fate had not intervened, Jim Horn might be laying bricks right now or playing The Star Spangled Banner for the U.S. Navy instead of for Garth Brooks. But thanks to a musical mom ,'50s idol Duane Eddy, and a Herculean drive, Horn chose a career and succeeded in a field that is usually noted for its ruthlessness.

Born in Los Angeles, California and raised in the era of Elvis, the '50s were, literally, rocking. As teenagers bopped and twisted to the latest rock and roll tunes, Jim was playing saxophone at his junior high school dances. But it was the great rhythm and blues saxophone solos that inspired the young Horn to pursue a career in music.

While other kids were spinning Elvis and Chubby Checker albums on their stereos, Horn was practicing to the hip sax solos of King Curtis, Plas Johnson, Hank Crawford and Clifford Scott.The practicing paid off. After sitting in high school classes all day, Horn would sit in with bands in various L.A. nightclubs. The skills attained from nightclub experience and a friendship with fellow saxophonist Steve Douglas led Horn to Duane Eddy.Rock and Roll Hall inductee (1994) Eddy, of Peter Gunn fame, was the '50s and '60s twang guitarist whose distinct sound produced scores of hits such as the 1958 smash Rebel Rouser. While twang-struck teens were practicing their newly bought electric guitars in hope of emulating their idol, Horn, just a teen himself, was learning all of Eddy's songs. He eventually won a prized gig as a member of Eddy's road band, The Rebels.

Duane Eddy once turned down a fantastic opportunity to perform at The Grand Ole Opry Due to his need for a saxophone player. He explains in The Duane Eddy Anthology liner notes, "One night Chet (Atkins) took me backstage at the Opry. Maybelle Carter was there, and Chet said, 'Mother, play a little Wildwood Flower for Duane'.And she fingerpicked these beautiful, chimey licks. They asked me if I wanted to go out and do a couple of songs, and it was like, be still my heart. Of course I do. Let me get Jim, my sax player. They said, 'Oh, no. We don't allow no saxophones on the Grand Ole Opry. That's the instrument of the devil'.And there was only a little cocktail drum--snare and high hat. I could deal with that, but I had to have my sax. I didn't want to go out there and sound that different--with a steel guitar playing a sax solo--so I had to turn it down".

ater, Jim jammed with the legendary King Curtis. It changed Horn's sound forever.In the early '60s, the exposure from touring with Eddy landed Horn in the band on TV's Shindig! and into Phil Spector's Wall of Sound recording sessions. That's Jim playing horns on The Righteous Bros. You've Lost That Lovin Feelin and Tina Turner's River Deep, Mountain High, both produced by the great Spector. These were some of Horn's favorite sessions to play on due to the spontaneous recording of the musicians, comparable to the old Sun Records sessions.

Jim, by this time, was one of the hottest reed men on either coast. During this period of the 60's, he played with countless artists and groups who went on to become legends, including The Beach Boys, Van Dyke Parks, The Carpenters and The Mamas and The Papas. Here's how Jim recalls being asked to play for The Mamas and The Papas (from an upcoming book by music journalist Matt Greenwald entitled Creeque Alley: The True Story Of The Mamas & The Papas--An Oral History):

"I remember the Creeque Alley session. Back then, I was doing like,three and four sessions a day. Anyway, this one night, I had gotten home about 11:00 pm, and Lou Adler called me, and said, "What are ya doin'?" I told him that I was just about ready to go to bed. He told me that John heard a flute on this song called  Creeque Alley  that they were working on, and would I come down. So I got in my car and drove down to the studio, and I arrived there at about midnight. They were all there,waiting' on me, 'cause I guess they wanted to see what I was going to do. While they were getting the tape ready, I had a few minutes, so I went and talked to all of 'em. They were really great. Really fun people to be around. Cass and I would talk about everything from world affairs to babies, everything. She was really well-read. Really fun and a lot of fun to talk to."

     "I was just talking to 'em, and Michelle was sitting down reading this book, and she didn't say 'hi' or anything, and I thought, she was really into this book. But later on when we were taking a break, I sat down next to her hand we just talked and talked, she was just the sweetest person, she was great."

     "John just told me to play some funky flute, so I just figured I would play something with a blusey edge to it"

     "Lou Adler and Bones Howe like jazz musicians, so they hired a lot of us to play on those dates. I did both. I had played Rock & Roll saxophone for five years straight with Duane Eddy, and through him I met a lot of contractors, who started getting me on sessions. Later on I played Oboe and English Horn on all of The Carpenters records."

As the '70s progressed, Horn recorded albums with Leon Russell, George Harrison, and Joe Cocker. He was invited by Cocker to play on the infamous Mad Dogs & Englishmen tour, and followed up with Harrison's 1971 benefit Concert For Bangladesh and 1974 Dark Horse tour.By the close of this explosive musical decade, Elton John, Warren Zevon and Steely Dan had also added their names to Horn's roster.

The Concert For Bangladesh was the largest and most publicized in those days. I was honored to be asked by George to head the horn section and write the charts as well.
       It was amazing that he was able to call on all his friends to help out his long time friend Ravi Shankar. Ringo, Bob Dylan, Leon Russell, Eric Clapton, Badfinger and The Hollywood Horns were there for his support.
       Ravi Shankar is one of the most humble and dearest men I have ever worked with. He opened the concert with only two other musicians playing his beautiful Indian Music.
      We played two shows that night and the second one had the same energy as the first one. It was recorded live which makes you perform even better. I'll never forget that night.

Horn recalls, " John Denver's music was always a challenge for me. He enabled me to express myself on my instruments more than with any other artist I have ever performed or recorded with."
     " In 1979, John called and said he wanted to try something new in his music. He thought the flutes, recorders and saxophone would be a nice addition to his songs. From then on, I was the wind, water and birds in his music. Calypso was one of my favorite songs to play. John would turn around a give me a big smile when he heard me emulating the sounds of the ocean and the sea gulls. That was our way of communicating on stage."
      "I've travelled all over the globe with John, and learned so much about life from the experiences we had out there on the road. I walked on The Great Wall of China, saw the Pyramids of Egypt and tasted the foods around the world. John respected his musicians and made sure they were comfortable and happy out there. He always let you know how much he appreciated your contribution to his music."

       " John shared some great moments with all of us. One morning in Kansas City, I flew with him in his bi-plane. He handed me a leather cap, goggles and a parachute. I said I wouldn't need the parachute but he, in his orderly way, said PUT IT ON AND DON'T ARGUE WITH ME. I said "Yes,sir", and we climbed up into the plane. When we got up to 1,000 feet he let me take the stick. There's not a ride in DisneyWorld that could replace that moment in the sky with John that day."
      " John's music changed from country-folk to songs with a message. He really cared about the planet, hunger and the unnecessary wars being fought. I believe John's music will be heard for a long time to come. I'll miss John's friendship, and his strong spirit, which I know is still here."

Scores of musicians and music industry personalities fled the L.A. music scene in the early 1980s and flocked to the quiet, slower-paced rhythm of Nashville's Music Row. Horn followed suit after meeting his wife, Denise, at a Jimmy Bowen session.His ground-breaking solo on Ronnie Milsap's Lost In The Fifties(In The Still Of The Night), set a new standard and added a new dimension to Country Music.  Later, he played sax on the hit tune Angel of Harlem with the Irish super-band U2 at Memphis Sun Studios. Portions of the session were filmed for U2's musical documentary Rattle and Hum, so Jim can be seen playing his saxophone alongside the talented efforts of the four boys from Eire.

He also produced two solo albums,Neon Nights and Work It Out for Warner Brothers.Horn continued to produce and perform into the next decade, sharing his talents with the soulful Delbert McClinton, touring with Japanese singer Kioshiro (1992), and crooning a superb soprano sax on Can't Tell You Why, Vince Gill's cover of the Eagles classic. Proving that country really is cool, Jim played sax on a number of top-selling country albums, breaking the Titanic iceberg that separated hip R & B, Jazz and Rock from the "We don't allow no saxophones on the Grand Ole Opry. That's the instrument of the devil" mentality that has pervaded the country music scene for the last 35 years. Two giant artists helped hand out the ice-picks: Garth Brooks and Wynonna. Brooks invited Jim to play on his #1 album,In Pieces, which features Jim's critically acclaimed sax solo on One Night a Day. Horn also played on Wynonna's triple-platinum album Tell Me Why. He played on the Black and Wy (Clint Black-Wynonna) tour, and spent the better part of a year touring solely for Wy who "is really cool because she didn't tour with just one horn, but three".

In September of 1997, Jim was a part of the massive Garth Brooks in Central Park HBO special, seen by millions around the world, during which he was featured soloing with Garth and Billy Joel on New York State Of Mind.

One recent project, The HIT List, is a collection of 14 hit songs featuring classic performances by Jim, the solos that helped to make these records great. Among these are  Christopher Cross Ride Like the Wind, Elton John's Little Jeannie, U2's Angel of Harlem, and The Beach Boys Good Vibrations.

          Chances are, when you're listening to the radio, you'll hear Jim Horn.....now you can order these songs, played in his legendary style, for your own collection.

Another recent addition to Jim's discography is his Jim Horn : A Tribute To John Denver. 12 songs penned by the immortal John Denver as interpreted by his long-time collaborator and friend, Jim Horn. Songs like Country Roads......Annie's Song.....Calypso.....Sunshine On My Shoulders and 8 more.

Next up was a warm collection of Christmas songs, arranged and performed by Horn accompanied by a solid group of musicians. Titles like What Child Is This....Angels We Have Heard On High.....Mary Did You Know.....and  8 others round out this must-have seasonal.

What followed was a triumphal return to Jim's jazz roots, this time in a 10-song collection of original smooth jazz. Called Northern Reflections, this one perked ears at Smooth Jazz radio and is still being felt. 

A return of another sort is evident on Jim's NEW RELEASE entitled simply A Beatles Tribute. Which is just what it is.....14 Beatle classics served up with love and affection from the only musician who can claim to have played with all 4 Beatles individually. You've Got To Hide Your Love Away....Eleanor Rigby.....We Can Work It Out...Something....the list goes on and on. Beatles fans everywhere just got a BIG gift.

To buy his various albums check Jom Horn's website

www.jimhorn.com

or

call the phone number 1-877-GET-MYCD.