Danny Kortchmar

Through his extensive work with artists including <a href="spotify:artist:319yZVtYM9MBGqmSQnMyY6">Carole King</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:0vn7UBvSQECKJm2817Yf1P">James Taylor</a>, ace session guitarist Danny Kortchmar helped create the signature sound of the singer/songwriter era. A native of New York City, he first emerged during the mid-'60s in local bands including the <a href="spotify:artist:3Zog2iDlr49dG8OOwERn5X">Kingbees</a> and the Flying Machine, the latter featuring a then-unknown <a href="spotify:artist:0vn7UBvSQECKJm2817Yf1P">Taylor</a>. In 1967 Kortchmar joined <a href="spotify:artist:4tMcZ6q43cH5AbKk3mrdSi">the Fugs</a>, appearing on their Tenderness Junction LP before following bassist Charles Larkey to California, where they teamed with <a href="spotify:artist:319yZVtYM9MBGqmSQnMyY6">King</a> in the short-lived trio the <a href="spotify:artist:7sGn2EJElyIPoxp6aWVg5O">City</a>. Though the group disbanded after the commercial failure of their 1969 debut Now That Everything's Been Said, both continued backing <a href="spotify:artist:319yZVtYM9MBGqmSQnMyY6">King</a> on her subsequent solo career; in 1970, Kortchmar also reunited with <a href="spotify:artist:0vn7UBvSQECKJm2817Yf1P">Taylor</a> for the latter's breakthrough album, Sweet Baby James, and with his subsequent work on <a href="spotify:artist:319yZVtYM9MBGqmSQnMyY6">King</a>'s landmark Tapestry, he established himself among the top West Coast session guitarists of the period.

Amidst this flurry of activity, Kortchmar and Larkey also reunited in the band <a href="spotify:artist:2jxu49YuZS6MjZXNk4ujIx">Jo Mama</a>, debuting with a self-titled 1970 LP; J Is for Jump followed a year later. In 1973, Kortchmar made his solo debut with Kootch; a second effort, Innuendo, appeared toward the end of the decade, but for the most part, he remained best known as a backing musician, lending his talents to records from artists including <a href="spotify:artist:1sXbwvCQLGZnaH0Jp2HTVc">Linda Ronstadt</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:3mY9Ii0cL5SQxpOTAm8SHx">Warren Zevon</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:3RTzAwFprBqiskp550eSJX">Harry Nilsson</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:5lkiCO9UQ8B23dZ1o0UV4m">Jackson Browne</a>. In 1982 he co-wrote a number of tracks on <a href="spotify:artist:5dbuFbrHa1SJlQhQX9OUJ2">Don Henley</a>'s solo debut I Can't Stand Still, most notably the smash "Dirty Laundry"; around the same time Kortchmar began moving into production as well, helming material for a variety of motion picture soundtracks as well as recordings from <a href="spotify:artist:6v8FB84lnmJs434UJf2Mrm">Neil Young</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:6h2bWHWTJL38N8dqocVaif">Jon Bon Jovi</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:6zFYqv1mOsgBRQbae3JJ9e">Billy Joel</a>. By the mid-'90s he was also producing a new generation of performers, including <a href="spotify:artist:5aeoG3xBrai5JsTqVmmgj0">Freedy Johnston</a> and the <a href="spotify:artist:2PSiyldxmJze7xiqbz658m">Spin Doctors</a>. ~ Jason Ankeny, Rovi