The confluence of Simon and Garfunkel galavanting anew throughout the land and the SACD release of classic Dylan albums led me to think about one of the most unusual and amazing figures in recent recording history.…
"A sinister cabal of superior writers."
Article comments
26 - John Richo
Tom was my lifetime best friend, and I gave the eulogy at his memorial service. Phyllis,,, I spoke ewith T last evening and asked that he give you my contact info. Some years ago I made an effort to get Tom into the R&R Hall of Fame. I am a bit PO'ed by some of Tom's contempories lack of interest, and sensed some jealousy. T and I will be making another effort.
27 - Johnny Indovina
I am so happy to see this. Frustrating to me that he is mentioned so seldom. I have often wished that he could have worked with me on my albums. Count me in any demonstrations that are needed to get Tom a Hall induction.
Johnny indovina
28 - kate hungerford
I knew Tom for the last year of his life....funny, today I passed Avenida del sol and thought of him...I looked up to find the house but couldn't spot it...probably gone by now, so much building in Coldwater....I was on a job in New York and was to call him from the airport when I arrived, but left message after message and got no answer. Finally I left my number...and sure enough, I got a call from
Cara de Menil, who told me the sad news. Tom had already suffered a heart attack and had no intention of living life as an invalid....This was not someone who would ever 'take it easy'.....
Lost track of Cara some time ago....T....might you be in touch with her? Katie
29 - Jonathan
FANTASTIC article, Eric! I hope that you'll do the book eventually :) The only error I could find was pointed out earlier in the thread: Lou Reed was, in fact, born Lewis Alan Reed(see Bockris, "Transformer", 1995). He has occasionally gone on record as saying that his real last name is "Firbank", but this is actually an oblique reference to the English author Ronald Firbank, one of Reed's favorite writers.
I've been listening to a lot of Dylan, VU, and Simon & Garfunkel lately, and I'm amazed that there is so little information available on the obviously brilliant producer of all those classic records. Do us all a favor and write the Tom Wilson bio!
30 - GoHah
Eric: I'm glad this article got a second wind--I also was familiar with Wilson's name but not his background. Thanks for filling in the gaps.
---Gordon
31 - Eric Olsen
thanks Jonathan and Gordon, it has been deeply gratifying to find I am no theonly one out there who thinks Tom deserves a much more prominent role in our cultural history. And with all the contacts who have come forth, I am much more optimistic about being able to do a real bio at some point.
Thanks again to everyone!
32 - djg
I remember when I was in Jr. High the New York Times Magazine did a feature on Tom Wilson... I'm sure that's available, if not on-line...
...
Thanks for this - it's better than Ritchie Unterburger's profile which otherwise dominates the available info on Wilson.
Let me add my voice to those urging a BOOK - or at least a made for TV movie
33 - Darien wilson
Hi! I am Tom's daughter, Darien Wilson. I am also trying to gather the ridiculous amount of money and energy they demand in order to get my Dad a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Bon Jovi? Adam Sandler? C'Mon!!!! That is so sad that they are honered and good ol' Tom Wilson is but a memory. If anybody wants to pledge, I will generously donate and get in touch with Richo to give us his excellent Bio to submit with a check for $15,000.00 They only award one posthumous "star" a year, so I am sure this will not be an easy feat.
You all are fantastic for keeping his spirit alive...THANK YOU!
Darien Wilson
34 - Alex
Darien, I'm writing a book on rock and roll, and am (and always have been) interested in your father. I'd love to speak with you (or anyone else who knew him) about him, if you're willing and have the time. You can email me at moistworks at gmail.com. Eric, lovely stuff - all these folks are right; you should do a book!
35 - Doug Rathbun
Eric,
Been out of the states and noticed T and Darien lurking about. # 17, 21 & 33.
I can't seem to find them using the usual suspects. Can you give me a clue?
Doug Rathbun
[Personal contact info deleted]
36 - Lise Delaplace
Hi, and Thank you for the wonderful article.
I have known the Wilsons in Cambridge, in 1965-67. I lived with the Wilsons: Beverly, Darien and T. and continued to see Tom when later I lived in New York. I am amazed that I could not find out about you guys, earlier. I searched for you in Cambridge many times, and never new Tom passed away so soon, too soon ... Tom was such a cool guy, and his influence in the NYC music scene, was fantastic then, how could he be forgotten? Yes a book about him should be written. If T. or Darien or Beberly can send me a short note, I would appreciate. I hope you're all fine.
37 - Emily Hall Sullivan
Dear Darien It's me ... Emily,
Was listening to Simon & G this am and thought I would look up your Dad online ... sure enough there was a photo with Dylan, then you and T. e-mailing on this ... I'll call Ginny ... I've wanted to get to you since you came to visit Peabody that one time ... Em
38 - Jason Rose
Fantastic piece! I am a big fan of this man's work. Thanks for writing this most informative article.
39 - jack
Rick wrote : Eric, great article. I worked for Tom's recording studio in 1975. He was a beautiful man with great vision. Yes, that is him laughing at the beginning of Bob Dylan's 115th Dream. He told me Bob liked recording with Tom because he would come in run the songs down on acoustic guitar and leave. Tom would overdub the band later.
This is not true. The Dylan tracks were recorded live in the studio (Dylan & band playing together, as the tape rolled). Listen to any outtake as proof.
The only exception was 4 tracks that Wilson o/d backing musicians on, December 1964, and never issued.
40 - Steven Prazak
After communicating with Eric Olsen and Al Kooper as well as a number of my own colleagues, I've decided to start work on a full fledged bio on Tom Wilson. Rather amazed no one has done one by now, to be honest. I very much look forward to communicating with many of you who knew and worked with this fascinating cat. This is obviously a story worth telling. Anyone who'd like to get in touch in advance, feel free: srprazak(at)aol(dot)com
Steven Prazak
Atlanta
41 - S. Salvatori
OMG I had no idea Tom Wilson was so instrumental in launching Zappa’s career. I’ve been a Zappa fan all my life and never bothered to look at the production credits of his first recordings. Not sure if George Duke was in the band that early. Wonder if he knew Tom Wilson? If so, he’d probably be a great guy to contact.
I know of Mr. Wilson’s work through “The Last Ritual” - one of his lesser-known psychedelic projects for Lumumba Productions. Recording and remix engineer: Jack “Super Baby” Adams. Advice printed on the rear album cover: “Achtung! IS VERY HEAVY MUSIC. PLAY LOUDLY AS POSSIBLE. YES!” And it actually does sound better the louder you play it. Interestingly, the music was quite dynamic. During the quiet interludes it’s just dripping with an awesomely wet reverb that sets an incredibly sensual “mood”. You can sometimes find a copy of this in a record shop on Bleeker Street, NYC. Actually, I sometimes see it online for $30. Wonder if anyone from that project ever got any royalties?
The production was top notch, using only the best NY session musicians. My Dad played Bass Trombone in that band. A few years earlier he had graduated from Berklee in Boston with some greats…Gary Burton, Steve Marcus, Sadao Watanabe, Graham Collier, et. al. He took "The Last Ritual" gig thinking it would be financially beneficial. I know it certainly wasn’t his musical forte. I remember he dragged our whole family to a club (The Circus?) for a rare afternoon appearance. I was around eight years old - it made a life-lasting impression. It was so LOUD! The women were so HOT and the energy was so ELECTRIC " it was sensory overload for a pre-pubescent kid. Looking back I probably inhaled a lot of second hand funny stuff that day; though I’m sure my parents would never have brought us if they’d had any clue that kind of stuff would be happening right in the club. Dad still shudders at the mention of that band. Says he could never hear himself playing because it was too loud; but of course as a kid I really dug it and I played the record over and over again (to his chagrin).
Another great NYC horn player in that band was Sharon Moe. She played French Horn and I think she sang some of the ooh la la la’s. She is still a very well respected NYC “Classical” horn player. Someone mentioned the guitar player, Gabriel, in an earlier post. Anyone know if he’s still alive? He had an awesome sound that was cutting-edge late 60’s! If anyone wants more scoop on this project, email me and I’ll see if I can pick Dad’s brain for any more details. He’s getting old now and I haven’t talked to him about this stuff in years but he’s still amazingly lucent at times.
42 - Eddie Rabin
To S. Salvatori - -
I am the "someone" who posted earlier about Gabriel, guitarist of The Last Ritual. I too, saw them at the Electric Circus in about 1968,only I believe I saw them at night. Incredibly, the 2 other then-unknown groups on the bill were Alice Cooper and Sha Na Na ! ( sorry if this is getting a little OT )The sax player was Kenny Lehman, who I knew from Juilliard, and who went on to a successful Disco-producing career.
Dead or alive ? This is the kind of speculation Gabe would LOVE, and let's hope it's the latter.
If you need to contact me, I'm in the book ( phone or Union. )
43 - retail
Tom Wilson is the greatest unsung hero of rock & roll. He invented folk rock. Before Wilson and his work with Dylan and Simon & Garfunkle, rock & roll was bubblegum. It didn't say anything. Wilson realized before anyone else that rock could have a message. His work with Dylan preceded The Beatles' "Rubber Soul" when Lennon & McCartney began to write serious lyrics and their music took an adventurous turn. Tom Wilson is as important as Sam Phillips and Sir George Martin in the development of rock as a cultural force. The music industry could use someone like him in these times when mediocrity and crass stupidity is celebrated on MTV.
44 - retail
Wilson's work with the Velvet Underground also puts him at the conception of punk.
45 - Cassandra
RE: JIM BOURGET
Your last post was on October 5, 2005 but apparently you were in a car accident, which resulted in a fatality, in Nigeria in October 2001. I was told that you had no family. Please contact me, a fellow Bourget, to verify some things. You may contact me at my URL or just by posting another message.
46 - nosehair muthatrucker sash
Tom was the man ..Met and know his daughter Darien who is a character if there ever was one.. I think thay should do a movie about his life and it would be cool.I told my wife about 20 years ago a movie about Ray Charles would be good and they did it...Anyways I never knew just how influential he was with other bands besides Velvet Underground......He was groundbreaking and great...A star ?Give him a street!
47 - Segun
Wow! How beautiful to find this tribute!
I was just listening to Nico's fabulous "Chelsea Girl". I've always loved the chamber folk production by Tom Wilson, which has influenced so many folk recordings since. And I was amused to discover that Nico wanted a full rock band instead with no strings or flute. Seems that Tom Wilson just ignored her, another wise decision from a master producer!
Someone should really do a film about him. It's not often that record producers are celebrated, but Tom was in a pivotal position straddling 60s avantgarde and mainstream pop.
For me, a black man into folk, rock & punk, he is mos def a true black role model.
& so sweet to see his friends & family commenting here too!
48 - Daniel Abraham
I've wondered for over 25 years why nobody seemed to care about Tom Wilson. Glad to see I was wrong, hopefully someone will finally write a book about him.
The VU's Banana lp, the Soft Machine's 1st lp, Like a Rolling Stone, and probably the most successful 'remix' ever - Simon & Garfunkel's Sound of Silence... That alone should get the man's name etched in stone somewhere as one of the most important producer of the last 50 years.
Listen to the Dolph's acetate to realize how sensitive TW was in handling the VU. For that record alone, he is for me one of the all-time greats.
49 - che
I was just thinking of the Last Ritual and have that album in my collection. I need to convert it to a cd before I lose it.
50 - Leonard
Mr. Salvatori,
Would like as much info as you can muster about the Last Ritual.
I bought this lp when it first came out in'69 and have played it regularly ever since, i posted it on my blog awhile ago, so if anyone wants to hear it, head over to Redtelephone66
i also have the Chelsea Biege lp that included most members of The Last Ritual. speaking of Tom Wilson's productions, does anyone know what ever became of Harumi? that was another fantastic record!!!
51 - Jim
Obviously he had quite a track record for a relatively brief whil. I've long had a vinyl 12" of a VU radio intv (Reed/Cale) on-air with Wilson as host. One of those overpriced pic-disc things, it's brief but worth getting for fans. Just don't buy it as a collectible: it's only 7 minutes or something. Anyway, Wilson comes off as a too-cool hepcat, in a notably mellow mood (such as I try to maintain myself) but the talk gives away precious little about him. At most, he seems comfortable with Lou and John (both in an unusually relaxed mood themselves, very pleasant with their host, unlike certain other later interviews with others) but he seems oddly unfamiliar with some of their music. No criticism intended, but you'd have to hear it to understand my intent here.
52 - paul payson
I see that T Wilson #20 or 21 was interested in getting in touch with me, can you give me his contact info? [Personal contact info deleted]
53 - steven stancell
my name is steven stancell, music producer, former columnist and author of the first rap encyclopedia. i decided to do a book on tom wilson in 2001. we had many similarities, and as a black man into rock, folk and a bunch of other stuff, i thought it would be a perfect fit, especially since i was already into most of the artists he worked with. i spoke with a few people back then who knew him like clarence avant, al aronowitz, and especially gail zappa and phyllis smith. both ladies were really sweet and abundantly helpful. (phyllis even provided pictures.) then 9/11 happened and that was it. publishers weren't interested in this at all. a few years later i tried again and the response from them was the same. i'm glad to see that there are people who know how important this man was.
steven stancell
54 - howard gilliam
eric icanfill you in ontoms activities in los angeles. iwas his partner in angel city sound our recording studio in hollywood.he was aprodecer for motown los angeles at the time. we recorded several motown artists.tom also wrote amovie script which he gave to me.titled "birth of a nation part 2. one of the major magazines did a double fold color spread of ton and all the famous artists he recorded he wasin hiswhite suit and no socks his usual atire.we were very close friends and hung out a lot.Tom and I were the same age.a small story of tom and frank zappa. tom took him to new york to meet the record people. coming out of thr plaza hotel tom could not get a taxi to stop when they saw zappas wild wild hair. i cantell you many stories about Tom but i am not too coputer oriented. howard gilliam.
55 - howard gilliam
To add to my previus comments.at angel city sounds we recorded John Mayols best album.also recorded fleetwood Mac and numerous other top artists.Tom Wilson was producer.I actualy was named executive on one of them. Howard gilliam.
56 - Manderley (Kim) MacArthur
Twilson. T.....this is Kim. Now my name is Manderley since 35rys. Would love to contact you if you see this blog. In Cambridge at present. M
57 - BobBerkeley
The first photo I saw of Tom Wilson was on the cover of the Mothers' "We're Only in It for the Money" album, standing apart, wearing a letterman's sweater and looking competent and cool as all hell. Which he undoubtedly was.
58 - Dennis Leroy Kangalee
Wonderful article, thanks for this little gem...that celebrates a "hidden" gem -- especially in the African American canon of great artists/musical curators of the 20th century. I have had drop down, dragged out fights with folks about Tom Wilson and have repeatedly had to defend his varied contributions due to the fact that a lot of people are ignorant of his contributions and then "alienated" when they discover he was black. But that's their own hang ups and problems. I have always admired Wilson's contributions and many of the artists he's collaborated with. I appreciated Richie Unterberger's desire to have interviewed Wilson and its nice to see folks on this thread give their respect to him...I mentioned him in public at the premiere performance of my solo play/performance "Gentrified Minds" -- when someone asked me who was an inspiration, I blurted Tom Wilson. When asked why? I said because he was so dynamic and radical for his time and worked with such a variety of artists, no matter who or what or when they did or came about. I am writing a "sketch" about Wilson for AfroPunk next month.
59 - Stephen Yanicak
Reading the bio and blog comments about Tom Wilson makes me feel so blessed that I attended grammar school during the 1960s...and listened to all that fantastic music. The span (variety) of all the music he produced during that period was what the 1960s were all about.. I have many of his major productions (Dylan to Simon and Garfunkel to the Velvets to the Mother's) and frequently contaminate my 14 yr-old daughter's iTunes collection with my favorite picks (much to her delight). Tom Wilson rightfully deserves his "Founding Father" seat in the R&R Hall of Fame.
60 - Paul payson
I would like to find T Wilson, he was trying to find me , 20 & 21. I knew him and his sister back in Cambridge in the 60s. We had a blast with Beverly in Cambridge and up at some farm in New Hampshire. I know Jim W. Was also interested in finding T and Darian.
Thanks for any help you can give me........