Felix Pappalardi
Felix A. Pappalardi Jr. (December 30, 1939 – April 17, 1983) was an American producer, songwriter, vocalist, and bass guitar player.
As a producer, Pappalardi is known for his work with the psychedelic, blues-inspired rock trio Cream, beginning with their second album, Disraeli Gears. As a musician, Pappalardi is widely recognized as a bassist, vocalist, and founding member of the American hard rock band Mountain, a band born out of Atlantic Records asking him to work with The Vagrants. Mountain's "Mississippi Queen" is still heard regularly on classic rock radio stations.
Pappalardi studied classical music at the University of Michigan. Upon completing his studies and returning to New York, he was unable to find work and so became part of the Greenwich Village folk-music scene where he made a name for himself as a skilled arranger; he also appeared on Tom Paxton and Fred Neil albums for Elektra Records. From there he moved into record production, initially concentrating on folk and folk-rock acts for artists such as The Youngbloods and Joan Baez. However, it was Pappalardi's late-1960s work with Cream that established his reputation. He contributed instrumentation for his imaginative studio arrangements and he and his wife, Gail, wrote the Cream hit "Strange Brew" with Eric Clapton.
Pappalardi was forced to retire because of partial deafness, apparently from his high-volume shows with Mountain. He continued doing studio work and released a solo album and an album with Blues Creation.
Pappalardi was shot and killed by his wife, Gail Collins Pappalardi, on April 17, 1983 in Manhattan. Gail was subsequently charged with murder. She claimed it was an accident, and was found guilty of criminally negligent homicide. He is interred next to his mother at Woodlawn Cemetery in Bronx, New York.
He was known for playing a Gibson EB-1 violin bass through a set of Sunn amplifiers that, he claimed, once belonged to Jimi Hendrix.
Discography
As Bassist
As Songwriter
Felix Pappalardi was the main vocalist for a 1967's project named The Devil's Anvil.
As Producer
- We Have Come For Your Children (Dead Boys)
"Killin' Time" (Gasolin')
After Cream had split Jack Bruce was asked to assemble a sound-alike rock band. He refused. Having already recorded the Things We Like album, he started working on his first solo album of songs. Produced by Felix Pappalardi, Songs For A Tailor (1969) is a masterpiece, sporting a variety of styles that's simply mind boggling. In fact, it's not easy at first to notice that the album is pretty short - this being also true of all the individual songs - since the sheer variety of styles on the album and the internal variety of the songs themselves make for a very rich experience. From the sides-opening, exuberant, horn-assisted Never Tell Your Mother She's Out Of Tune and The Ministry Of Bag, to the cello ballad Rope Ladder To The Moon, to the double vocal melodies of Boston Ball Game, 1967, to the complex - but very natural-sounding - Tickets To Waterfalls, He The Richmond and Weird Of Hermiston, all is a joy. This was the only Bruce album that charted, and in a way it's not too difficult to see way: his songs were (are) totally unsuitable for mass consumption - they're too intense, too rich, too unconventional. Only the (incredibly beautiful) Theme For An Imaginary Western can be considered "accessible" - in fact, at the time it was covered by a few artists. High praises go to drummers Jon Hiseman and John Marshall, guitarist Chris Spedding and to Bruce's deeply felt vocals, his piano, organ, cello and - of course! - bass.
External links
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