Unheralded Sideman

Zaikesman, thanks for you thoughtful reply. You make the distinction between band members and session players while I purposely glossed over the difference. I'm lumping everybody into a single group because I want to give credit to as wide a group of musicians as possible. Sure my naming of Charlie Watts is something of a strecth. He's a band member and he really isn't unheralded, but for better or worse Jagger & Richards are the frontmen. And if they are the frontmen, then I guess by definition everybody else are sidemen. It's just that in any particular song I find what Watts is doing on the drums more interesting than anything anybody else in the band is doing. I just want to give the man his props. Your pick of James Burton with Elvis is an excellent example of this phenomena. Could the Stones go on without Watts? I'll answer it with another question, could The Who go on without Keith Moon?

There's this really dorky-looking guy (big black glasses and ratty longish brown hair in his eyes) who plays KILLER lead guitar for Lucinda Williams, and I think for Buddy and Julie Miller recently too. I just can't remember his name right now. But he is a genius and has absolutely MADE some of Lucinda's songs the gems they are.

ZaIkesman nailed it. Prior to his post I was considering nominating THE GREAT Mr."Donald Duck" Dunn with Brooker T. & The MG's in the capacity of that band playing with Neil Young on a few of his records and most importantly LIVE.

Patrick

Sc53,
Are you thinking of Kenny Vaughan, who toured with Lucinda when Car Wheels on a Gravel Road came out? He's sort of a dorky Buddy Holly lookalike, but plays mean guitar. A lot of fun to watch, too, as he sometimes plays with his elbows thrust out like a lanky basketball player boxing out for a rebound.

As for sidemen, how about this "pick-up" band from The London Howlin' Wolf Sessions:

Eric Clapton
Steve Winwood
Bill Wyman
Charlie Watts

Not too shabby, as back-up bands go. Wolf sounds pretty good, too.

Sc53: The dorky looking guy is Kenny Vaughn. He also plays with Kim Richey and a few other "Austin City Limits" types. He is indeed a MONSTER guitar player.

My vote goes to Robbie McIntosh. Check him out with the Pretenders, Talk Talk, Paul McCartney, Daryl Hall, and on his solo stuff. The guy is light years ahead of most guitarists out there.