The Nashville A-Team
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (March 2009) |
The Nashville A-Team was a nickname given to a group of session musicians in Nashville, Tennessee, who earned wide acclaim in the 1950s, 1960s, and early 1970s. They backed dozens of popular singers, including Elvis Presley, Eddy Arnold, Patsy Cline, Jim Reeves, Bob Dylan, Moon Mullican, Jerry Lee Lewis, Brenda Lee, and others.[1]
The Nashville A-Team's members typically had backgrounds in country music but were highly versatile. Examples of their jazz inclinations can be found in the Nashville All-Stars album with Chet Atkins titled After the Riot at Newport; the Hank Garland LP entitled Velvet Guitar; Tupper Saussy's Said I to Shostakovitch; Kai Winding's Modern Country; Gary Burton's Tennessee Firebird; and Chester and Lester by Chet Atkins and Les Paul.
In 2007, The Nashville A-Team was inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville.[2]
Members
Notable members of "The Nashville A-Team" included:
- Bass: Bob Moore, Ernie Newton, Henry Strzelecki, Junior Huskey, Floyd "Lightnin' " Chance,[3] Joe Osborn
- Drums: Buddy Harman, Jerry Carrigan, Farris Coursey, Larrie Londin (1970s), Kenny Buttrey
- Keyboards: Floyd Cramer, Hargus "Pig" Robbins, Owen Bradley, Bill Pursell, Steve Nathan
- Guitar: Chet Atkins, Grady Martin, Hank Garland, Ray Edenton (also mandolin, ukulele, and banjo), Harold Bradley, Velma Williams Smith, Paul Yandell, Pete Wade, Jerry Kennedy, Norman Blake, Jimmy Capps, Spider Wilson, Fred Carter, Jr., Billy Sanford, Wayne Moss, Jimmy Colvard, Chip Young.
- Fiddle: Tommy Jackson, Johnny Gimble, Buddy Spicher, Dale Potter, Vassar Clements, Brenton Banks
- Steel Guitar: Pete Drake, Jerry Byrd, Buddy Emmons, Ralph Mooney, Lloyd Green, Buck West, Shot Jackson, Jerry Kennedy, Maurice Anderson, Hal Rugg, Weldon Myrick, Little Roy Wiggins
- Banjo: Earl Scruggs, Buck Trent, Sonny Osborne, Bobby Thompson
- Mandolin: Jethro Burns
- Saxophone: Boots Randolph
- Harmonica: Charlie McCoy (also keyboards, brass, percussion, and guitar), Jimmy Riddle
- Harp: Mary Alice Hoepfinger
- Backup singers: The Jordanaires, The Anita Kerr Singers, The Harden Trio, The Nashville Edition
See also
References
- ^ Sanjek, Russell. (1988). "American Popular Music and Its Business: the first four hundred years". Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-504311-1.
- ^ http://www.cmt.com/news/country-music/1575159/unsung-heroes-honored-at-musicians-hall-of-fame-induction.jhtml
- ^ Paul Kingsbury (1998). "The Encyclopedia of Country Music". Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-504311-1.