Louie Shelton has played on some of the biggest hit records over the last 50 years, but chances are you’ve never heard of him. He was a member of an elite group of LA session musicians known as the Wrecking Crew and they were the guns for hire when you wanted a hit. Louie Shelton’s own personal hit list reads like the roll of honour in the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame: Marvin Gaye, John Lennon, James Brown, The Jackson 5, Barbra Streisand, Boz Scaggs, Stevie Wonder, Joe Cocker, The Mamas & The Papas, Neil Diamond, Whitney Houston, Lionel Richie, The Carpenters, Seals & Crofts… the list is longer than your arm.
In may cases Louie didn’t just play on the record, he created the distinctive riff that made the songs so memorable – remember the guitar intro on the Monkee’s “Last Train To Clarksville”? That was Louie. The funky guitar work on The Jackson 5’s “I Want You Back”? Louie again. What about the uber cool urban guitar groove in Boz Scagg’s “Lowdown” or the stunning acoustic guitar solo in Lionel Richie’s “Hello”? All of them created by the great Louie Shelton.
Now that you know what he can do with an axe, tune into the Sound Distractions podcast to hear his story.
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Trev, LOVED this first podcast. I’m more of a listener than a reader, works for me while I’m doing stuff. Looking forward to part 2. Truly enjoyed seeing Louie at Broadbeach, year before last. Thanks for telling me to check him out. Keep ’em comin’! Marty Foster, you’re #1 fan
Thanks Marty, appreciate the feedback. It’s taken longer than I would have liked, but so happy that the podcast series is now up and running. Part 2 of Louie will be up in the next couple of days.