Jimmy Maelen


Jimmy Maelen was an American percussionist from the 1960s to 1980s, who worked with many artists including Roxy Music, Bryan Ferry, Peter Gabriel, James Taylor, Dire Straits, Barry Manilow, Alice Cooper, Kiss, Madonna, Bryan Adams, Michael Jackson, Mick Jagger, David Bowie and John Lennon. He also played on hit records by Bob James, Duran Duran, Carly Simon, Barbra Streisand, Yoko Ono, Meatloaf, Alice Cooper, BJ Thomas, and many others.
Maelen worked with Michael Barbiero and John Luongo and overdubbing on Gonzales' "I Haven't Stopped Dancin' Yet", The Jacksons' "Blame It on the Boogie" and "Shake Your Body ", Dan Hartman's "Vertigo/Relight My Fire", Jackie Moore's "This Time Baby". He can be heard playing seven tracks of percussion on Barry Manilow's classic hit "Copacabana". As a percussionist, he also appeared on the album, Desire Wire, made from 1978, done by Cindy Bullens. His working relationship with Barbiero and Luongo led to a solo album for Epic/Columbia in 1980, produced by the trio and entitled Beats Workin.
Maelen toured with Peter Gabriel on his first solo tour in 1977. He contributed to Roxy Music's critically acclaimed final album Avalon and appeared with Bryan Ferry at Live Aid in London in 1985. Also in 1985 he performed on the Dire Straits Brothers in Arms album.
Maelen worked as a studio musician on Alphaville's 1986 album, Afternoons in Utopia. At the time of his death he was producing his first rock band Cherri Red, along with Gary Chester at the Edison Recording Studio in New York City. Subsequently, one of the songs "Be With You Tonight" which was written by John Bussi, was used in the film See You in the Morning directed by Alan J. Pakula.
Jimmy Maelen died of leukaemia on January 14, 1988. He was 47 years old.

Discography

Solo album
  • Beats Workin
With Bryan Adams
With Peter Allen
  • I Could Have Been a Sailor
With Alphaville
  • Afternoons in Utopia
With Blood, Sweat & Tears
  • No Sweat
With Irene Cara
  • Anyone Can See
With Desmond Child
  • Desmond Child & Rouge
With Linda Clifford
With Jude Cole
  • Jude Cole
With Tim Curry
  • Read My Lips
  • Fearless
  • Simplicity
With Ron Dante
  • Street Angel
With Mink DeVille
  • Coup de Grâce
With Karla DeVito
  • Is This a Cool World or What?
With Dion DiMucci
With Duran Duran
  • Notorious
With Bryan Ferry
  • Boys and Girls
With Roberta Flack
  • Blue Lights in the Basement
With Peter Gabriel
  • Peter Gabriel
With Gloria Gaynor
  • Experience Gloria Gaynor
  • Glorious
With Debbie Gibson
  • Out of the Blue
With Steve Goodman
  • Say It in Private
With Amy Grant
  • Never Alone
With Henry Gross
  • Show Me to the Stage
  • Love Is the Stuff
With Gwen Guthrie
With Hall & Oates
  • X-Static
  • Private Eyes
With Dan Hartman
  • Relight My Fire
With Tramaine Hawkins
  • The Search Is Over
With Loleatta Holloway
  • Love Sensation
With Janis Ian
  • Janis Ian
  • Night Rains
With Paul Jabara
  • Paul Jabara & Friends
With Garland Jeffreys
  • Escape Artist
  • Guts for Love
With Al Johnson
  • Peaceful
With Kiss
  • Love Gun
With Ben E. King
With Gladys Knight & the Pips
  • Still Together
  • The One and Only
With Kool & the Gang
  • Something Special
  • As One
  • Emergency
With John Lennon and Yoko Ono
  • Milk and Honey
With O'Donel Levy
  • Windows
With Nils Lofgren
  • Wonderland
With Barry Manilow
With Barry Mann
  • Lay It Out
With Jimmy McGriff
  • The Mean Machine
  • Red Beans
  • Tailgunner
With Frankie Miller
  • Dancing in the Rain
With Stephanie Mills
  • If I Were Your Woman
With Laura Nyro
  • Smile
With Odyssey
  • I Got the Melody
  • Happy Together
With Yoko Ono
  • It's Alright
With Tony Orlando and Dawn
  • Tuneweaving
With Tony Orlando
  • Tony Orlando
With Leslie Pearl
  • Words & Music
With Lou Rawls
  • Shades of Blue
With The Ritchie Family
  • Bad Reputation
With Vicki Sue Robinson
  • Vicki Sue Robinson
With Roxy Music
  • Avalon
With Jennifer Rush
  • Heart over Mind
With Helen Schneider
With Eddie Schwartz
  • Schwartz
With Neil Sedaka
  • A Song
With Marlena Shaw
  • Take a Bite
With Carly Simon
With Lonnie Smith
  • Keep on Lovin
With Lonnie Liston Smith
  • Silhouettes
With Belouis Some
  • Some People
  • Belouis Some
With Bert Sommer
  • Bert Sommer
With The Spinners
  • Love Trippin
  • Labor of Love
With Billy Squier
  • Signs of Life
With Brenda K. Starr
  • Brenda K. Starr
With Dire Straits
  • Brothers in Arms
With Barbra Streisand
  • Emotion
With James Taylor
With Andrea True
  • More, More, More
With Bonnie Tyler
  • Faster Than the Speed of Night
With Frankie Valli
  • Closeup
With Kenny Vance
  • Short Vacation
With Village People
With Loudon Wainwright III'
  • ''T Shirt''