Say hello toTony Newton

[ralpht]

Hey gang, we have a treat. Super musician Tony Newton has agreed to come on the forum and talk with you. He has a new music-book CD out I'm sure you will be interested in, plus a host of concert tours. Welcome to the forum Tony. Good to have you with us.

[theboyfromxtown]

Welcome Tony. Glad to have you here.

A little introduction from Bankhousedave......

Tony Newton credits
I mentioned on another thread that I had a list of Tony's credits he gave me some years back. This is only partial list going back to when he played bass [[and saxophone) at a very young age with John Lee Hooker, T-Bone Walker and Little Walter [[1960-63).

He then joined Motown, where he worked as both a staff and touring bassist for The Supremes, Four Tops, Temptations, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, The Spinners, Martha & The Vandellas and The Miracles - for the last three of which he was also Musical Director. He was also the bassist on the Motortown Revue that toured Europe in 65.

In 1970 he moved to Hot Wax/Invictus, where he was leader/producer/composer and bass player for 8th Day, and staff bassist with Want Ads, Honey Cone, Freda Payne, 100% Proof and others.

In the late 70s he worked with Aretha Franklin [[Mr DJ LP and Carnegie Hall concert), Little Richard [[King of Rock and Roll), Mamas and Papas [[People Like Us album) Hugh Masakela and Michael Jackson/Jackson Five - I'll Be There, ABC.

In 1980 he teamed up with Gary Moore - producer, songwriter, bass and keyboards - for G-Force, played bass on the soundtracks of An Officer and a Gentleman and Breathless, worked as Thelma Houston's concert MD, and continues to busy on music projects of all kinds, from a Motown celebration band to heavy rock enesmbles, jazz groups and even a rock opera.

Among tracks he played on are:

Stop in the Name of Love
Baby Love
Where Did Our Love Go? - Supremes

Tears of a Clown [[original)
Abraham, Martin and John
Smokey Robinson and The Miracles Live

People Like Us
Step Out - Mamas and Papas

You - Aretha Franklin

More Than Happy
Ain't No Love - Stevie

ABC
I'll Be There - Jackson Five

Perfect Combination - Donny and Marie

Just Being Myself - Dionne Warwick

Nowhere to Run - Martha and The Vandellas

I Do Love You
So Long City - Paul Anka

The Love We Had - The Dells

I Feel a Song - Gladys Knight and The Pips

Houseparty - The Temptations

Contact - Freda Payne

Out There on My Own
Fish Ain't Bitin' - Lamont Dozier

King of Rock and Roll - Little Richard

What You See Is What You Get - Dramatics

She's Not Just Another Woman - Eighth Day

Want Ads - The Honeycomb

Everything Good is Bad - 100% Proof
Believe It
Million Dollar Legs - Tony Williams Lifetime

G-Force - G-Force with Gary Moore

Tony has recorded and/or toured as musical director with:

Marvin Gaye
Thelma Houston
Ray Charles
Jack Nitsche
Jimmy Lovine
Isaac Hayes
Holland Dozier Holland
Burt Bacharach
Gene Page

and many others...
Last edited by bankhousedave; 04-06-2012 at 05:56 PM.

[theboyfromxtown]

Is there anyone we can think of that is not on that list! That's some CV!

I see the Vandellas "Nowhere To Run WOW!

[MIKEW-UK]

Tony has an awful lot of interest to those of us fascinated by Motown and Invictus. In addition to his bass work at Motown and his role as principle bassist at Invictus / Hot Wax / Music Merchant, Tony was the founder of 8th Day. He also played bass on the magnificent Lamont recording "Trying to Hold On To My Woman", and much of Lamont's ABC output. He has a fantastic Youtube channel which serves as an appetiser -

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list...2CCC7717B0234&

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL3AF57D1287761F6E

[ralpht]

Also, I received this link from Tony.

http://www.GroovemonsterMovie.com

[theboyfromxtown]

That list of Invictus just goes on. I'm kinda speechless. I thought Babbitt did a lot of the Invictus stuff.

Did you do this one Tony?

[tnewton777]

Yes I did play on this song-I played on MOST of the HDH/Invictus/Hotwax recordings-Babbit did play on some however I was the main bassist. Our sound and creativity are distinctly different. My sound is a bit more beefy as well as my creativity is more fluent. Here is a link to my historical youtube channel and some of the HDH songs on youtube. Thank You for your interest! All the best-Tony
http://www.youtube.com/user/TonyNewtonHistoric

Tony Newton Historical Recordings YouTube Channel

Listen and view over 100 historical recordings and hits that Groovemonster
Tony Newton has played on in his legendary music career.

[drewschultz88]

Hey Mr. Newton - I was good friends with George Rountree, who always said you were one of the best bass players out there. I love "Proto-Cosmos." As a drummer, that's one of my favorite fusion recordings out there, I covered that in a John Blackwell ensemble at Berklee one summer! Did you come up with that line of four against Tony's three? I've also got to ask - is this one you? One of my favorite songs, and basslines:

[mark speck]

What an amazing list of credits...from the Supremes to Paul Anka...sounds like my iPod...LOL! Anyhow, welcome to the Forum, Tony!!

Best,

Mark

[StuBass1]

Just noticed Tonys name here and wanted to take just a second to pass along my very best. I first met Tony down at Smokey Robinsons house where I used to hang out when I lived down the stret from him. I got to know Tony and always tried to check out his bass playing, which was groove-on, and after to listening to Tony as a young teenager, switched from primarily upright bass playing to bass guitar, so he was indeed my first mentor on bass guitar. Seeing Tony around Detroit through the years was always cool...and when I moved to L.A. I ran into Tony and he was kind enough to record a newscast demo at his apartment [[which got me my first broadcasting gig in Southern California). I'll always remember Tony's kindness, and of course his terrific bass performances. I guess he's somewhat responsible for the whole "StuBass" thing, for which I profusely apologise LOL.

[jsmith]

Tony, could you pass along a bit of information abut the times you toued in the 1960's as a backing musician to Motown artists.
Were the 'tours' long affairs that played venues right across the States ??
How did you travel; still on tour buses or by station wagon ?
Did the 'singer's fratenize much with the musicians & did you all stay in the same hotels ?
Who were the other 'usuals' among the Motown musicians that were also along on the tours you did ?
Did the acts / singers work on 'new' songs as the tour progressed & if so, were any of these laid down in the studio when you all got back to Detroit ?
Was one of you ever called back to Detroit for a recording session mid tour ? What happened if so, who replaced you on the tour [[someone from Detroit or a guy picked up along the tour route) ?
....... SO MANY QUESTIONS, hope you can find the time to answer !!

[theboyfromxtown]

Tony

Can you share any memories of the UK from April 1965 when the Motortown Revue came to Europe.

[theboyfromxtown]

I also see you worked on the Osmonds when HDH produced them. How were those sessions. Being a soul boy I found the combination a bit hard to handle.

Did you also work on Dionne Warwick's Warner Bros album. I'm Just Being Myself was the lead track.

How about Love Factory - Eloise Laws

[tmd]

Am I to understand that you played bass on Reach Out as opposed to JJ? I have never heard that before.
Please clarify

[Boogiedown]

What a HUGE honor to get to say hello to you Tony Newton and to say thank you for your role in shaping the sound of so many significant records!

I'm a big Honey Cone fan so a big thank you especially for:



of which I wore it , and the entire album, OUT at the time.

This one too :


So much respect!

Boogiedown

[tnewton777]

Hi -Yes I created the bassline for Proto-I always try to find the right line to nurture the song/composition along. And yes, yours truly is also on this Chairman song- I believe we recorded it at the same session as "Give me just a little more time"

[tnewton777]

Damn that's a lot of questions, but here goes! There were both long[[2-3 month) tours and short ones[[2-4 weeks) sometime we traveled in a bus together and other times in a station wagon. The singers did not fraternize nor stay at the same hotel as the musicians. You'll have to read my book about the musicians there are too many to list here. Of course creativity doesn't just happen in the studio-I remember when Smokey came up with "My Girl" on the road. Tours don't work that way. When on the road you tour, when at home or in the studio you play. They do not mix. It would be a real pain in the ass to try an replace someone on the road. It ain't gonna happen!

[tnewton777]

The Donnie and Marie sessions were just like any other session- if you are a pro, style doesn't phase you, you tune into the artist and play what's right for them and their music. That's just how it is. You understand of course that music is a Universal language! Race, genre, all that separating stuff has nothing to do with classic real music. Dionne's session was a different animal because Bacharach was handling things-Hell of a producer I might add and was done at another studio[[I think it was at Mr. Terrana's place). The Eloise Laws stuff was done at HDH theater studio.

[tnewton777]

I still have to learn to use this forum-Please forgive the out-of -order posts, I am clicking on the reply under the post, but when I answer it seems to post at the bottom of the page instead of after the post-Perhaps someone can tell me what I am doing wrong-I'm good at learning from mistakes-that's how you get good at recording sessions

[bankhousedave]

You're doing just fine Tony. That's what happens, but we can make the links. It's great to hear from you again and to have you on the forum. Where is your book at?

DAVE

[bradburger]

Welcome to the forum Tony.

A couple of questions.

What was it like to work alongside Benny Benjamin and what were you memories of him.

And secondly, can you remember if it was him playing drums on Tears Of A Clown?

The reason I ask the latter is that some have said that it was actually singer/drummer Melvin Davis, but to my ears, it's always been Benny, so I would just like to confirm it.

Cheers

Paul

Cheers

Paul

[ralpht]

Brad,
Unless the song was derived from an older track, Benny had already passed at by the time this record came out.

[bradburger]

Ralph, yes the version that came out as the single in 1970 was indeed from the original track that was cut in 1966 and originally issued on the 'Make It Happen' L.P.

The U.S 1970 single version [[mixed by your brother) had new drums and a new bassline [[Bob Babbit) overdubbed, replacing Tony's original.

Cheers

Paul

[ralpht]

Paul,
Thanks for the information. Very interesting.

[tmd]

Tony

I understand that you played bass on tour with the major Motown artist.
Any original hits that you were the actual bass player on with Motown? I have a good understanding on what Babbitt and Jamerson played on.
Would be interested in hearing from you.
Thanks

[tnewton777]

You're doing just fine Tony. That's what happens, but we can make the links. It's great to hear from you again and to have you on the forum. Where is your book at?

TONY

Hi Dave: It's a www.GroovemonsterMovie.com and www.TonyNewtonGoldThunder.com - However please email me at:TonyNewton777@yahoo.com

[tnewton777]

Tony

I understand that you played bass on tour with the major Motown artist.
Any original hits that you were the actual bass player on with Motown? I have a good understanding on what Babbitt and Jamerson played on.
Would be interested in hearing from you.
Thanks

Yes there are 2 basses, JJ & Myself on: Baby Love, Where Did Our Love Go, Stop In The Name Of Love, Nowhere To Run, Reach Out, Marvin Gaye Album Forever Yours - Stevie Wonder More Than Happy

[bankhousedave]

Tony:

When you did those double recordings with JJ, how were they arranged? Did you and he come up with something together, did you play off each other, or were the parts written and played in unison?

[R. Mark Desjardins]

Here is a photo of an out of print Tony Newton solo recording. Check out that guitar on the cover! This vinyl record is commanding a very high price on eBay. Tony, have you given thought of re-releasing this so that you can make the profit on your hard work, rather than online sellers who realize that you are a hot commodity and rake in the bucks for themselves?