Artists 4 Children/Riverside benefit
Here are a few excerpts from my interview with veteran session guitarist Ray "The Weeper" Fuller, who organized Saturday's benefit show at the Riverside Municipal Auditorium.
Q: So George Duke provided your nickname, "The Weeper."
A: We were doing a session together and he said, 'man, you're cryin' all over my record. We'll have to call you 'The Weeper'...He's like family. We have a one on one-type relationship. He cares about children and educating artists and understands the need to give back. He nurtured me (as a musician).
Q: What do you recall about Whitney Houston's “I Will Always Love You,” one of your more commercially successful recording sessions?
A: (While on tour as Houston's guitarist), we flew into Florida and are in this hotel ballrooom. At
4 p.m, David Foster plays this Dolly Parton song from the '70s. The touring band had top session guys. By 5:30 p.m., we were finished recording and on a plane. You just knew you did something special. Whitney had to lobby to keep us on “The Bodyguard” record. The Machine just wanted to use her vocal track.
Q: Tell me about your involvement in that short-lived ABC reality series, “The One.”
A: There were too many (similar shows) on at the time. It was a mess. I served as a teacher behind the scenes who helped the kids get their songs together.
Performers on the Riverside bill include:
George Duke - The crossover jazz keyboardist is best known for his collaborations with Stanley Clarke, Frank Zappa, Jean Luc-Ponty Experience, Anita Baker and cousin Dianne Reeves, which landed him a Jazz Vocal Album Grammy as producer in 2000. He has also produced the 1981 chart topper “Sukiyaki,” by A Taste of Honey, several '80s hits for Jeffrey Osborne and Deniece Williams and countless others, notably Miles Davis, Al Jarreau, Gladys Knight and Smokey Robinson. On television, Duke spent nine years as Musical Director for the Soul Train Music Awards.
Brenda Russell - The R&B singer/songwriter/pianist first gained attention with “So Good, So Right,” a top 40 single on the pop charts in 1979. She later made a bigger mark with “Piano in the Dark” (No. 6, 1988). “Get Here,” the title track from the album, was a widespread success for Oleta Adams. Russell co-wrote score to the film “How Stella Got Her Groove Back.” More recently, she cowrote the music/lyrics to the successful Tony Award-winning Broadway musical, “The Color Purple.”
Euge Groove - A mainstay on smooth jazz radio since 2000, the saxophonist spent time in Tower of Power and did tours with Joe Cocker, Tina Turner, Eros Ramazotti and Richard Marx. His signature style is best heard on the No. 1 Expose track “Seasons Change.” Groove's notable session work includes albums by Paula Abdul, Heart, Elton John and Bonnie Raitt.