126 - Chad Cromwell :: Lessons from a Lifer

Chad Cromwell was born in Paducah, Kentucky, on June 14th, 1957. When he was three years old his family moved to Memphis, Tennessee, where he grew up. He started playing drums at the age of eight, wearing headphones as he played along to records in an upstairs room of his parents' home. By the age of twelve he was playing in garage bands in the local neighborhood. Among Chad's early influences were drummer Al Jackson and the artists of Stax Records, and artists such as Al Green on Willie Mitchell's Memphis based label, Hi Records. Jim Stewart, founder of Stax Records, along with Bobby Manuel, started a production company called The Daily Planet after the sale of Stax. Chad "hung out" and subsequently worked for The Daily Planet and learned more about rhythm and recording than anywhere else thus far. In fact, Jim and Bobby were key influences on Chad's style of drumming. In 1975, upon graduating high school, Chad flew to London to join two Memphians who already had gigs. Dave Cochran was playing bass for Chris Spedding, and Robert Johnson (not the legendary) was playing with Jon Entwhistle in Ox. Robert had been offered a record deal with Elton John's label, Rocket Records, and called fellow Memphian, Chad, along with David Cochran to record as Lash LaRue. Chad also got an "education" with Larry Raspberry & The Highsteppers, a very high powered rhythm and blues band. This was his first extensive touring band (piled into the back of a van, pulling a trailer).   *******SUBSCRIBE/RATE/REVIEW!!! www.richredmond.com/listen The Rich Redmond Show is sponsored by: Big Dot Lighting - Commercial LED Lighting Specialists and Bruce Cline Home Loans & Mortgage Refinance | Movement Mortgage www.musiciansmortgage.com Through associations with a recording studio in Memphis, Chad caught an ear on the West Coast. He started playing with legendary guitarist Joe Walsh in 1986, a collaboration which produced two albums, Got Any Gum? and Ordinary Average Guy, and resulted in multiple US and worldwide tours. The following year, 1987, Chad got the call to record with one of the world's most prolific songwriters, Neil Young. These sessions became Neil Young & The Bluenotes. After touring to promote this record, and producing MTV's 'Video of the Year,' "This Note's For You," Neil's interest circled back to 3-piece Rock & Roll which led to the New York and San Francisco recording sessions that ultimately became the album Freedom. In 1990, Chad moved to Nashville, got married and started a family. Richard Bennett and Tony Brown were among the first producers to call in Chad for sessions in Nashville. Richard and Tony have been extremely helpful in helping Chad to create a very successful recording career. Formal recognition from his peers came in 1996 when Chad was nominated for the Nashville Music Awards as Chad's career has seen him in the studio and on stage/TV/touring with an impressive list of major recording artists. In addition to those already mentioned, Chad has worked with Willie Nelson, Jackson Browne, Boz Scaggs, Wynonna, Bonnie Raitt and Peter Frampton. Chad recorded and toured with Mark Knopfler for the ten years. His playing can be heard on each and every solo recording of Knopfler's including his most recent Shangri La. During the Summer of 2006, Chad toured with Crosby, Stills,Nash and Young. Chad performed on Neil Young's Heart of Gold Movie directed by Johnathan Demme. Chad spent 2006 recording and touring with Neil Young and CSNY's "Freedom of Speech Tour". Chad also recorded tracks featured on a new box set release These Days by acclaimed country music star Vince Gill. Some Things That Came Up:  -Playing live versus recording -Lightning in a bottle -Hearing the nuances of the players across multiple artists -Ed Sullivan show inspired Chad -Meeting his wife via Joe Walsh -Eddie Izzard, "Death or Cake” bit -Playing for Joe the very first time without a rehearsal -Nashville celebs are just regular people, except the ones who aren't -Chad's encounter with Sting -Getting into Film and TV composition  -Thick skin and persevering through the storms and fires of life  -Rollin Stone “Unknown Legends” piece  -A+R for Craviotto drums with Sam Bacco -Getting Little Richard’s autograph  -The best martini in LA   Socials:  @chad.cromwell The Rich Redmond Show is about all things music, motivation and success. Candid conversations with musicians, actors, comedians, authors and thought leaders about their lives and the stories that shaped them. Rich Redmond is the longtime drummer with Jason Aldean and many other veteran musicians and artists. Rich is also an actor, speaker, author, producer and educator. Rich has been heard on thousands of songs, over 25 of which have been #1 hits!   Rich can also be seen in several films and TV shows and has also written an Amazon Best-Selling book, "CRASH! Course for Success: 5 Ways to Supercharge Your Personal and Professional Life" currently available at:   https://www.amazon.com/CRASH-Course-Success-Supercharge-Professional/dp/B07YTCG5DS/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=crash+redmond&qid=1576602865&sr=8-1   One Book: Three Ways to consume....Physical (delivered to your front door, Digital (download to your kindle, ipad or e-reader), or Audio (read to you by me on your device...on the go)!   Buy Rich’s exact gear at www.lessonsquad.com/rich-redmond   Follow Rich: @richredmond www.richredmond.com   Jim McCarthy is the quintessential Blue Collar Voice Guy. Honing his craft since 1996 with radio stations in Illinois, South Carolina, Connecticut, New York, Las Vegas and Nashville, Jim has voiced well over 10,000 pieces since and garnered an ear for audio production which he now uses for various podcasts, commercials and promos. Jim is also an accomplished video producer, content creator, writer and overall entrepreneur.   Follow Jim:   @jimmccarthy www.jimmccarthyvoiceovers.com