Great Post, Dawn, I am fan of the 60's and 70's studio musicians, but in my case bass players, Carol Kaye, Duck Dunn, Max Bennett, Jerry Scheff, etc, etc..

I know there are other stories like that out there.

Have you heard the new Matthew Sweet/Susana Hoffs CD?

I also just got a hold of a DVD of the old Shindig TV show from 1964. Jimmy O'Neal! Georgie Fame, The Dave Clark 5! The Beatles!
OK, I admit I'm a lib | 06.29.06 - 9:12 am | #

am -

I met Carol Kaye once, who, as you know, played studio bass with the Beach Boys. She said the experience of recording with them was memorable, but the atmosphere was occasionally creepy during the Manson period, and she said Brian Wilson was obviously a troubled man, especially after Sgt. Pepper came out. She said he was never quite the same, depressed and moody, presumably because he believed he would never match the Beatles artistic success. At least that was the talk.

She also commented, as Dawn mentioned here, that Brian Wilson had to sort of mimic the sound he wanted from his session players, but was definitely a genius.

Paul McCartney constantly comments on how he got great insights from Brian Wilson's bass arrangements. Instead of hitting the root, Brian Wilson would ground a phrase in the 5th or the 3rd, and McCartney was just pumped about that technique: "it just changes the whole ground, man!"

I can't imagine the thrill of being a session musician with those great talents. You'd think you've reached the top. Which makes it all the more impressive how Mike Deasy managed to find something much, much greater.

He sounds like a guy with lots of soul and integrity. God bless him.

Great post, Dawn.
doctor J | 06.29.06 - 10:23 am | #

Thanks, "OK" and doctor J. Very nice to see Jerry Scheff mentioned; love his stand-up bass on the Association's "Along Comes Mary."
Dawn Eden | Homepage | 06.29.06 - 11:36 am | #

You may force me to call that up on the shuffle. What a great song. I spent hours as a boy trying to learn the lyrics to that song. (Then I grew up and bought the CD and the lyrics were on the insert. Something about that made me want to cry.)

Dawn, thanks once again for "the rest of the story"!
Nightfly | Homepage | 06.29.06 - 12:16 pm | #

You're welcome, Nightfly. When I wrote the liner notes to the Association's "Just the Right Sound" anthology, a member of the group told me that when they played Disneyland, they were approached by a group of nuns who thanked them for performing that lovely song about Mary.
Dawn Eden | Homepage | 06.29.06 - 12:21 pm | #

I find the story amazing that not only did he play with all those musical legends, that he happened upon Charles Manson's camp as well. And I am happy it turned out OK in the end. Some story.
Pansy Moss | Homepage | 06.29.06 - 3:09 pm | #

The benefits of poor hearing meant that all my favorite songs from the 60's could mean exactly what I thought they sounded like. Learning the lyrics was always disappointing because they were often either trivial or vulgar. Curiousity got me to check the lyrics of Along Came Mary. What a surprise. Thanks Dawn.
Pat Patterson | 06.29.06 - 4:42 pm | #

Wait a dog-gone minute!

Elvis isn't actually playing the guitar in his own comeback special? I'm *crushed*! **Crushed!**

Oh, I'm kidding. That was a great article, Dawn. Thanks for posting it! :)
Denise | Homepage | 06.29.06 - 9:39 pm | #

Hey Dawn,

Thanks for the great article on Mike. He is definitely one of the great "unknown" musicians that made the famous artists what they were. He gets very little recognition but he's fine with that.

Traveling the country and the world with Mike and Kathie for the last 28 years, I can truthfully say that your article captured the essence of the man, especially his integrity, since his musical genius speaks for itself.

So I'd like to invite everyone to his website (www.mikedeasy.com) as well as his MySpace profile (www.myspace.com/mikedeasymusic) to learn more about the Guitarman known as Mike Deasy!

Peace and blessings,

rob w
RobW | Homepage | 06.29.06 - 9:53 pm | #

Rob W, that is high praise indeed coming from you. Thank you! I've added Mike's MySpace URL to the blog entry.

Denise, if I'm not mistaken Elvis really did play guitar during one or more solo numbers on that special.
Dawn Eden | Homepage | 06.29.06 - 10:26 pm | #

Anyone who wants to know what the tail-end of the '60s really felt like much of the time can find out by reading the opening section of Joan Didion's The White Album. It includes some of the same characters as Mike Deasy's story. I don't know the man's work but God bless him.
Maclin Horton | Homepage | 06.29.06 - 11:51 pm | #

What high school? What suburb? Immediately to the Kelly 4, then immediately the Beach Boys? I think not.

Wasn't he in the Gamblers, among other garage-style bands?

This interview reminds me of the Hal Blaine-type of book, where only the big hits are touched upon, though some of lesser known records are of greater interest to real fans.

How about some of the misses? You skate over these things to get to Elvis/Manson asap, which I think you think is your highlight reel.
steve | 07.01.06 - 7:20 pm | #

Steve, give me a break. Do you know how long Mojo wanted the story to be? Well, I'll tell you. Eight hundred words. For 800 words, you can have either an All Music Guide, Evelyn Wood-style he-did-this, he-did-that story that contains only information you already know -- or you can have juicy quotes. Since no one had ever interviewed Deasy about his Sixties past before, I opted for the juicy quotes.
Dawn Eden | Homepage | 07.01.06 - 9:21 pm | #

Give you a break. Why should I? Give us a story.

" I opted for the juicy quotes" > Spoken like a People Magazine writer.

At least you could asked his favorite color, favorite Mousketeer and hat size.
steve | 07.04.06 - 7:33 pm | #

Why should I ask him his favorite Mouseketeer when I'm so certain it would be Cubby? (He was a rocker.)

Then again, everyone adored Annette.
Dawn Eden | Homepage | 07.04.06 - 8:36 pm | #

Mike still plays great music at his church in Port Arthur, TX. At least he did 2 years ago which is when we left to fulltime missionary work in Kenya.
Johnny Brooks | Homepage | 10.05.06 - 10:12 am | #

I too, enjoyed your article. Having grown up with dad, and watched the struggles from the inside out, it was fun to read some of the highlights.

My favorite stuff is his work with Cannonball Adderly, Kenny Rankin, Lincoln Mayorga, Shorty Rogers and other jazzers. It is a little known aspect of his playing, but his first break came through Shorty Rogers and Tommy Tedesco working on the soundtrack to the movie Stagecoach. He will always really be a jazzer at heart.

thanks for an honest approach
cheers and love from Seattle town
Michael Deasy Jr
Mike Deasy Jr | Homepage | 01.26.07 - 12:56 pm | #

mike did so much during his peak years that he can't remember it all...i worked for him and am a family member and constantly ask him questions regarding that period and he honestly can't remember most things. my dad went to sessions with him on a few occasions and couldn't keep the pace even for a two day span. these guys worked day and night for thousands of producers and didn't get credit for 2 out of 3 things they played on. so, for steve to want more is understandable but sadly impossible. mike deasy jr and rob whitehurst are authorities on mike's career more than anyone. i've been researching for 17 yrs and have only scratched the surface. i did like the article dawn. he grew up in torrance and went to torrance high...same as my uncle. went on tour with the coasters at age 16? he was to only white person on that tour. there are some details! he was the prototype of the hippie and created the sountrack for a generation.
garren | 12.09.07 - 6:45 am | #

I stumbled across your site doing a search for Mike Deasy. I got an e-mail today that they really need help b/c the hurricane destroyed their house. They are living in their church sanctuary on an air mattress.

Anyway, Mike was the Dean of my school for one year when I was a freshman in H.S. I absolutely adored him and have much love and respect for him.

This was a great article. He used to wander in and out of our classes during the days and we would ask him questions about his past. These stories aren't new to me, because he shared them with us, but they brought me back to those days and I smile fondly.

His wife Kathy is equally fantastic and always expressed her heart for us girls in the high school. She sat us all down one day and told us if we were ever in trouble we could call her. No matter what it was, she would come and get us and help us.

They are just good people. :)

Kellie Herring.
Kellie | Homepage | 09.19.08 - 12:20 pm | #