Most Famous Person you played with?

[cmatthes]

49 minutes ago, Stike said:

Where's the GIF version of this? 😄

No idea… 

[stedge]

I borrowed a bass in college from a guy who played with tom morello. 
 

i own a guitar played by many famous folks.  It doesnt help. 
 

i have a pick from Big Al 

 

 

yep.  That is about it. 

[django49]

When in LA, it was not unusual to bump into some top level musician when guitar trading. Many times they were selling off a guitar to make their rent saying, "No problem, I can pick one up again later". (Of course, back then, you could pick up a 335 or 175 for $300-400, sometimes less). Long ago and many names escape me. Of those I do recall, Brian Setzer came by the house a couple times. (Cannot say I actually PLAYED with him). Jeff Ross may not be a household name, but was a great player. He was an occasional fill in member of the Hellecasters following their early days of jamming at the Palomino in N Hollywood. Later, he was a bandleader and guitarist with the Candye Kane band, (I have a few funny stories!). Besides guitar trading, I took some lessons from him, so we did some playing, but nothing in public. I think it did make me a better player with his insights. Last I did that (Very long ago) he was just getting into gypsy jazz, Django style. WAY above my head. He also had great behind the scene stories of his long time friendship with Leo Fender.

[LucSulla]

Nobody super famous. 

Did a few AC/DC and Rolling Stones tunes with Kenny Olson a few years back at a jam in Nashville.  Have a couple of gigs with an American Idol finalist coming up. Opened for Dave Evans back when I was living in Austin. Was supposed to open for Foghat once when I was still in Nashville, but they cancelled last minute. Good thing too, though the four bikers at the venue were mighty unhappy to just get us. 

My favorite "famous" person encounter as a player was tricking Joe Barresi into thinking my band was A Perfect Circle back when we were tracking demos at Quad Studios circa 2001. 

 

Edited February 10 by LucSulla

[django49]

If my wife counts, she can be fearless. All 98 pounds of her.....Shared a mic with Keeley Smith at a Hollywood jazz club. (I deferred to her when Keeley pushed the mic toward me, saving the audience's ears!) And she jumped up on stage to join in at the House of Blues Gospel Brunch in LA. We also spent a fair amount of time with the most unlikeliest of jazz singers, Steve Tyrell, around LA. Cannot say we PLAYED with him, but did have some good times in those clubs.......With his musical connections (Herb Alpert, Burt Bacharach, etc), he was always accompanied by great musicians. Few people have as many stories as Steve....Never would have fallen in with him except that he was our son's Little League coach and he had a soft spot for our little lefty pitcher.

IF there is one thing I miss about LA, it is those little jazz clubs......

[tommy p]

21 hours ago, LucSulla said:

My favorite "famous" person encounter as a player was tricking Joe Barresi into thinking my band was A Perfect Circle back when we were tracking demos at Quad Studios circa 2001. 

That's funny.  Years ago one of my bands stopped a McDonald's on our way to a gig.  We were all young long-hairs back them and the people there asked if we were in a band and when we said yes they asked the name.  We said "Stone Temple Pilots".  STP were just starting to catch on so nobody knew who that was.  We said "Just remember STP - you'll be hearing about us soon!"  Little did we know how huge that band would become.  I wonder if those people still tell the tale of how they met STP before they hit it big.

[django49]

42 minutes ago, tommy p said:

That's funny.  Years ago one of my bands stopped a McDonald's on our way to a gig.  We were all young long-hairs back them and the people there asked if we were in a band and when we said yes they asked the name.  We said "Stone Temple Pilots".  STP were just starting to catch on so nobody knew who that was.  We said "Just remember STP - you'll be hearing about us soon!"  Little did we know how huge that band would become.  I wonder if those people still tell the tale of how they met STP before they hit it big.

Another funny one.....We had a little garage/top 40 type band in the late 60s. Mostly simple stuff, though our drummer liked to wander off into 5/4 time like Quicksilver. No particular talent aside from our lead guitarist, an English guy that grew up learning Shadows material. Very good with then current music---Santana, Mitch Ryder, Stones, whatever. Anyway, that lead guitarist went off into the Navy (Vietnam era). So, the band was dead. Our former lead vocalist refused to recognize that we were done and decided to make a few bucks by finding us a new gig. 

He called a place WAY outta town that was always desperate to find a band. "Hey, you guys wanna have the "Chains of Illusion" back?" "Nah, they played here before. Anyone else?" So Scott adlibs, "How about the Warlocks?". "Sure, book 'em!"

Pretty sure Scott was not aware that the real Warlocks (before they renamed as the Grateful Dead) was playing all over the west coast. And we most definitely we re NOT them. 

But WTF, we had a gig. What could we do? No leader, no vocals......We hooked up with a local guitarist who was 17, but was playing like Jeff Beck already. Two rehearsals where all I could do was try to keep up. We arrive at the high school, way out in the sticks. Drummer picks up the one mic plugged into a guitar amp (no PA) and announces, "Our singer has the flu and is home puking his guts out". That was the last "vocal" of the 3 hour evening. So, we jammed. Everything from "Green River" to "Greensleeves" to "Jailhouse Rock" to "Superstition" (ala Beck). That crowd had no idea what was going on. And we barely did. Few in the crowd hung out until the end. But it was the era.....And we did get paid.

So I did not exactly play with the Dead.....Though our music mighta smelled like it.🤔

[Kookaburra]

Stage hand or opener, but never with…

[Biz Prof]

On 2/7/2026 at 3:33 PM, The Shark said:

I played catch with Roberto Clemente as an 9 year old child.  Top that!

 

No one is gonna top that shit, Dave.  Damn. How cool.

[ARM OF HAMER]

5 hours ago, Biz Prof said:

No one is gonna top that shit, Dave.  Damn. How cool.

                                                    TRUE THERE!

[ARM OF HAMER]

                            I was privileged to have played more than a few times with Mike Elliot. great guitarist. Gibson endorser and rep. He was local to Minnesota and he was the leader of this band. I'd be very surprised if anyone here knows of him or the band but they were fantastic.     

[polara]

I can't match Roberto Clemente. Damn. But actually played with or recorded with? I've been lucky.

Chris Robinson (Black Crowes) sang at one of our rehearsals. We shared the room with his girlfriend's band, Doll Squad, as well as with The Jody Grind, who had a horribly tragic ending and are still revered in the Southeast today. He came to some of our shows and hung out backstage.

In that same band, Billy, the keyboard player from Follow For Now played on one of our tracks. That was a great band.

My next stint was a couple years with Anne Richmond Boston. I consider her a big deal, as her old band The Swimming Pool Qs, were on A&M and later Capitol and made a bunch of top ten critic lists and toured with Lou Reed. Rolling Stone named her a Top Ten Names to Watch one year. Her husband, Rob Gal, was our guitarist and also had been in the Coolies, who were pretty big on the college/indie scene. We had some famous people on the album I played on: Syd Straw, Marti Jones, Don Dixon. Oh, and Terry Adams, the keyboard player from NRBQ, played on one track. It was cool hearing Syd Straw doing harmonies on a song I wrote.

I jammed with Collective Soul and Ed Roland asked if I wanted to come back, as he had not found Will yet to play bass. I declined. Ed is a really good player and a super nice guy. Also around then I jammed with Magnapop, who got fairly big.

Then I putzed around with different people. I had a band with the guitarist from Crossfire Choir. They were signed to Geffen and did an album with Steve Lillywhite, and Eddie was a hell of a good guitarist. But they kind of fizzled for really crazy reasons. Then I started a band with Leah Song, who achieved a good bit of fame with Rising Appalachia, doing the world tour and legions of fans stuff. She's a sweetie. After that I had a band with Joshua Lamar, who was the drummer from Mondo Generator (Nick Oliveri's band after Queens of the Stone Age.) Josh is a hell of a drummer and I really liked playing with him. I know Hoss had also played with the Queens or maybe Desert Sessions, as Troy knew him when he came up in a conversation we had.

The last album I did with I Am a Rocketship, as well as the last Aerolinea album, had Kellii Scott on drums on one song each. He was in Failure, as well as Veruca Salt, Christina Aguilera, Pink, and a Troy Van Leeuwen album or two. He's very funny, and a freaking monster drummer.

It's interesting to play with people at that level. They generally are super responsible, come prepared, and are fast learners. It's not so much about mad chops (though my goodness Terry Adams can play the shit out of a piano) as just "getting it" very quickly, musically speaking.

[The Shark]

18 hours ago, Biz Prof said:

No one is gonna top that shit, Dave.  Damn. How cool.

It's a great story.  My father the doctor in Orange City Florida had a lab that he used exclusively that was owned by a man named Fran Monaco.  Fran was best friends growing up in Pittsburgh with Tony Bartirone (the Pirates trainer).  So, I got to be a batboy for three days in Bradenton during Spring Training in 1971.  I was in charge of shagging foul balls at the games for those days.  When you shagged one in right field, you threw it in to the right fielder (Clemente).  I'd throw the ball to him and he would throw it on a line to the catcher (Manny Sanguillen).  Everyone would marvel at Roberto's arm strength.  After the game the second day, he jumped the fence and I threw him the last ball I'd shagged.  He threw it back to me and we played catch for about five minutes.  My dad has the end of it on Super 8mm film somewhere, but I've just not found it yet (Dad died in 2022).  I know he had it transferred to DVD, but I've just not wanted to go through all that stuff yet.  

October 13 of 1971, I was a ball boy for one inning at the first World Series night game ever at Three Rivers.  I ran four balls to the home plate umpire and they took a picture.  As I was running back to go through the dugout to my seat, Clemente shook my hand.      

In January 1972, I was invited to be the guest of The Sickle Cell Anemia Foundation started by Willie Stargell.  Willie's sons had the trait.  So, they couldn't fly.  They drove all the way to Daytona Beach for the event at the Americano Hotel (Mob owned I found out later).  Major League Baseball gave 25K to Willie's charity.  I presented the check to Willie.  We have Super 8 of that too.  At one point, Willie is asking me a question during dinner.  He then takes his fork and starts to eat my vegetables off my plate.  Everyone in the video laughs.  He asked me, "You going to eat those vegetables"?  I said no.  The next day, I taught both his boys how to body surf.  A great weekend.  I have the picture of Willie and I in his hotel room before the dinner on my credenza in my office.

Needless to say, I'm a Pirate fan through thick and thin.  Mostly thin...

 

Edited February 12 by The Shark

[mathman]

Shark,  Cool Cool story.

One of the greatest things about being in Florida is Spring Training.

[Kerry Marchman]

I've jammed in my music room with Van Temple (The Producers), Tinsley Ellis, Peter Stroud (Sheryl Crow), Spencer Bean (Gladys Knight and the Pips), Kevn Kinney (Drivin N Cryin), Spencer Kirkpatrick (Hydra), Glenn Phillips and Mike Holbrook (Hampton Grease Band), Jeff Calder and Bob Elsey (Swimming Pool Q's), and Col. Bruce Hampton RIP..

 

I work on their guitars.. So, I try to steal licks from them.. Ha!

Edited February 13 by Kerry Marchman

[hamerhead]

On 2/7/2026 at 2:10 PM, BadgerDave said:

@Hamerhead is the only one who will recognize these names, but I hung with the Madison bar band crowd in the 80's: Swad, Gil Jevne, John Masino, Robby "Strange" Alexander, Rich Hayne (Little Vito), ........ Those were the best of times.

Good list, Dave!

It's Swad's birthday today. I re-roofed Jevne's house. Masino jammed with us fairly recently when he ran sound for our band one night. His little brother Jeff sang at our wedding. Turned down Robbie's offer to join his band ('Strange' is too apt). A roommate was in 'Little Vito' for a while, so I got to know all of them pretty well (they may or may not have quite frequently powdered their noses).

I can't believe our paths didn't cross back then....I mean, they may have and I just don't remember any of it (we had a lot of fun), but that's a pretty familiar circle.

[The Shark]

15 hours ago, Kerry Marchman said:

I've jammed in my music room with Van Temple (The Producers), Tinsley Ellis, Peter Stroud (Sheryl Crow), Spencer Bean (Gladys Knight and the Pips), Kevn Kinney (Drivin N Cryin), Spencer Kirkpatrick (Hydra), Glenn Phillips and Mike Holbrook (Hampton Grease Band), Jeff Calder and Bob Elsey (Swimming Pool Q's), and Col. Bruce Hampton RIP..

 

I work on their guitars.. So, I try to steal licks from them.. Ha!

The first time I saw Tinsley and the Heartfixers he was standing on the sidewalk wailing with a 100' cord.  They were awesome.  I think it was Harlow's in Atlanta.

[murkat]

While i was finishing up on Steve Miller's lp special at my bench,

Robbie Kruger looks at me, speaking towards me,"hey", as i turn to him to nod at his presence, he looks in me,

"you wanna jam?"... i gasped. So many eyes on "us". We jammed. 
He played his cs renissue sg i just finished up while I played Steve's newly lps as he on looks. Good times.

[polara]

On 2/13/2026 at 2:58 AM, Kerry Marchman said:

I've jammed in my music room with Van Temple (The Producers), Tinsley Ellis, Peter Stroud (Sheryl Crow), Spencer Bean (Gladys Knight and the Pips), Kevn Kinney (Drivin N Cryin), Spencer Kirkpatrick (Hydra), Glenn Phillips and Mike Holbrook (Hampton Grease Band), Jeff Calder and Bob Elsey (Swimming Pool Q's), and Col. Bruce Hampton RIP..

 

I work on their guitars.. So, I try to steal licks from them.. Ha!

Glenn Phillips is a BEAST of a player. We definitely have a Venn diagram going if you know Calder and Elsey. Bob ended up doing some guitar on the last Anne Richmond Boston album I was on, which finally came out at the end of 2025 on DB Recs.

I once was at the old Cotton Club and for some reason Elsey, Phillips, and Rob Gal were all jamming to All the Young Dudes, so it was as epic a 90s Atlanta head-cutting session as you can imagine. Well, Shawn Lane would have been something there. 

[Kerry Marchman]

16 hours ago, polara said:

Glenn Phillips is a BEAST of a player. We definitely have a Venn diagram going if you know Calder and Elsey. Bob ended up doing some guitar on the last Anne Richmond Boston album I was on, which finally came out at the end of 2025 on DB Recs.

I once was at the old Cotton Club and for some reason Elsey, Phillips, and Rob Gal were all jamming to All the Young Dudes, so it was as epic a 90s Atlanta head-cutting session as you can imagine. Well, Shawn Lane would have been something there. 

I have often wondered how we never met. I used to own a store in Tucker called Too Many Guitars. I'm pretty much retired, but I still help my old buddies with repairs, mostly set ups, electronics and such. Bob is a monster player, Glenn taught him how to play. I put together the white Strat that Bob plays. The one with the Tele pickup in the bridge, and the humbucker in the neck. Great guitar!. Shawn Lane was unreal. I wish I had been able to see him. RIP. 

BTW, I'm loving the 25th Anniversary Hamer that you traded to GC. 

Edited February 15 by Kerry Marchman

[Kerry Marchman]

On 2/13/2026 at 12:51 PM, The Shark said:

The first time I saw Tinsley and the Heartfixers he was standing on the sidewalk wailing with a 100' cord.  They were awesome.  I think it was Harlow's in Atlanta.

Yep! I used to see him at The Harvest Moon Saloon on Piedmont when he would do that. Great guy.

[beezerboy]

dang... thought of another one... Elvin Bishop

[The Shark]

9 hours ago, Kerry Marchman said:

Yep! I used to see him at The Harvest Moon Saloon on Piedmont when he would do that. Great guy.

It was the Harvest Moon Saloon!  I couldn't remember.  Cool.

[velorush]

On 2/14/2026 at 11:52 PM, Kerry Marchman said:

Shawn Lane was unreal. I wish I had been able to see him. RIP. 

Standing feet away from Shawn Lane live was one of the most dumfounding experiences of my life. There are some grainy videos on YouTube, but I've seen nothing that even hints at the incredible but absolutely beautiful barrage of musical ideas raining from the stage. The closest thing I can think of is he accomplished completely what Coltrane's 'sheets of sound' was attempting. And an absolute sweetheart of a guy, to boot. 

[Kerry Marchman]

14 hours ago, velorush said:

Standing feet away from Shawn Lane live was one of the most dumfounding experiences of my life. There are some grainy videos on YouTube, but I've seen nothing that even hints at the incredible but absolutely beautiful barrage of musical ideas raining from the stage. The closest thing I can think of is he accomplished completely what Coltrane's 'sheets of sound' was attempting. And an absolute sweetheart of a guy, to boot. 

I've seen those vids, and know a few people that knew him well. He seemed like a tortured genius from what they told me. But they all agreed he was a really good soul with other worldly talent.

Edited February 17 by Kerry Marchman