Waddy Wachtel
Robert "Waddy" Wachtel is an American musician, composer and record producer, most notable for his guitar work. Wachtel has worked as session musician for other artists such as Linda Ronstadt, Beth Hart, Stevie Nicks, Miranda Lambert, Kim Carnes, Randy Newman, Keith Richards, The Rolling Stones, Jon Bon Jovi, James Taylor, Iggy Pop, Warren Zevon, Bryan Ferry, Michael Sweet, Jackson Browne, Karla Bonoff, The Motels and Andrew Gold, both in the studio and live.
Early years
Wachtel was born May 24, 1947, in Jackson Heights to a Jewish family in the New York City borough of Queens. At about age 9–10, Wachtel began to learn to play the guitar, taking lessons with teacher Gene Dell until about age 14. At that age, he says, he began writing songs.Wachtel also studied with Rudolph Schramm, who was the head of the NBC staff orchestra and went on to teach music at Carnegie Hall. Schramm tried to get Wachtel to take piano lessons, but Wachtel was intent on playing guitar so Schramm agreed to give him guitar lessons three times a week on rhythm, melody and harmony.
After performing with local bands in the New York area, Wachtel formed his own band, The Orphans, who played in Connecticut and New Hampshire. Eventually the band settled into a regular bar band routine, playing in Newport, Rhode Island, where Wachtel took lessons from Sal Salvador. When the Orphans disbanded, he formed another band, Twice Nicely. At the suggestion of Bud Cowsill, he brought Twice Nicely to Los Angeles in 1968 where they recorded a few demos, but after two years, Wachtel decided to work as a session player.
Films
In 1972, he made an appearance in the film The Poseidon Adventure as the acoustic guitar player in a fictitious band on stage in the dining room when the ship capsizes. Waddy appeared alongside Linda Ronstadt in the 1978 film, FM. He also played in the Oscar-winning short film, "Session Man" in 1991.Wachtel has composed and played instruments for film scores including Joe Dirt, Up in Smoke, Nice Guys Sleep Alone, The Longest Yard, The Benchwarmers, Grandma's Boy, Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star, Strange Wilderness, The House Bunny, and Paul Blart: Mall Cop. He has also composed, produced, or performed in songs with Warren Zevon, Joe Walsh, Jackson Browne, Linda Ronstadt and others.
Session and touring work
In 1972, he was hired by Warren Zevon to play guitar on The Everly Brothers' Stories We Could Tell album and join them in a subsequent tour.By 1973, he played with Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks on their first album Buckingham Nicks, and on tour. Later, when Nicks and Buckingham joined Fleetwood Mac, he played rhythm guitar on their 1975 album Fleetwood Mac on the track "Sugar Daddy".
In 1980, he wrote, recorded and sang lead vocals on an album for producer Peter Asher with members of Linda Ronstadt's band, including musicians Don Grolnick, Dan Dugmore, Stanley Sheldon and Rick Marotta. Both the group and the album were titled Ronin. Released on the Mercury label, the record never charted.
In 1984, he played on Steve Perry's solo album Street Talk.
He has appeared on hundreds of albums with many different artists and bands.
Production credits include albums by Stevie Nicks, Keith Richards, Jackson Browne, Bryan Ferry, The Church, Sand Rubies, George Thorogood and the Destroyers and Warren Zevon. Wachtel co-wrote several songs with Zevon including "Werewolves of London". He also co-wrote the Warren Zevon song "Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead" from the album Mr. Bad Example. He performed on all seven Warren Zevon albums from 1976 through 1992, producing or co-producing three.
Wachtel also shares co-writing credits with Stevie Nicks on a few tracks such as "Annabel Lee", and "I Don't Care".
Wachtel has been credited on some albums as Bob Wachtel, but some online sources have incorrectly credited him as Richard Wachtel on albums on which he was credited as having played guitar.
Legal problems
Wachtel was arrested in 1998 on suspicion of possession of child pornography after images were found on a computer he had at home. Wachtel pleaded no contest and was placed on probation for three years.Musician Brett Tuggle defended Wachtel saying "there is no way that Stevie would have him in her band if she thought he was guilty of any wrongdoing." A detective of the Los Angeles juvenile sex crimes division reported that Wachtel produced copies of the computer-stored images which he kept in his bedroom.
Equipment
Wachtel plays a 1960 Gibson Les Paul and 1957 Fender Stratocaster. He said in a 1980 interview that the newest made guitar he owned was a 1964 Fender Stratocaster. Wachtel purchased the Les Paul guitar from Stephen Stills for $350. In September 2014 the Gibson Custom Shop chose the 1960 Les Paul Waddy Wachtel guitar for their new Collector's Choice series.2000 to present
Wachtel performs regularly with the Waddy Wachtel Band in the Los Angeles area, notably at The Joint from 2000 through 2013. The band at that time included Phil Jones, Rick Rosas, Bernard Fowler and Blondie Chaplin, among others. He continues to gig with his band, with some personnel changes, while retaining Fowler and Chaplin. Many famous artists have performed with the band as special guests.Wachtel appeared on the 2010 Grammy Award television show backing Taylor Swift's live presentation. In Swift's duet with Nicks on the song "Rhiannon", Wachtel was featured on lead guitar.
As of 2020, Wachtel is performing with a group of other Southern California classic rock veterans in a group called "" along with Danny Kortchmar, Leland Sklar, Russ Kunkel, and Steve Postell.
On October 12, 2024, Wachtel appeared as lead guitarist with Stevie Nicks as the musical guest on Saturday Night Live.
Collaborations
With Bill CowsillNervous BreakthroughWith The Everly BrothersStories We Could Tell
With Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks Buckingham Nicks
With Sarah KernochanBest Around the Bush
With Jackie DeShannonNew Arrangement
With Fleetwood MacFleetwood Mac
With John StewartWingless Angels
With SplinterHarder to Live
With Dianne BrooksBack Stairs in My Life
With Barbi BentonSomething New
With Jackson BrowneThe Pretender Lives in the Balance I'm Alive Looking East Downhill from Everywhere
With Andrew GoldWhat's Wrong with This Picture? All This and Heaven Too Whirlwind
With Arlo GuthrieAmigo
With Carole KingThoroughbred
With Tom PachecoThe Outsider
With Tom SnowTom Snow
With Maria MuldaurSweet Harmony
With Linda RonstadtHasten Down the Wind Simple Dreams Living in the USA Get Closer We Ran
With JD SoutherBlack Rose You're Only Lonely Home by Dawn
With James TaylorIn the Pocket Flag Dad Loves His Work
With Wendy WaldmanThe Main Refrain
With Sammy WalkerSammy Walker
With Nickey BarclayDiamond in a Junkyard
With Rusty WierBlack Hat Saloon Stacked Deck
With Warren ZevonWarren Zevon Excitable Boy Bad Luck Streak in Dancing School The Envoy Sentimental Hygiene Transverse City Mr. Bad Example
With Karla BonoffKarla Bonoff Restless Nights Wild Heart of the Young
With Nancy ShanksNancy Shanx
With AttitudesGood News
With Randy NewmanLittle Criminals Born Again Trouble in Paradise Randy Newman's Faust
With Bryan FerryThe Bride Stripped Bare
With Bob WeirHeaven Help the Fool
With Leo SayerLeo Sayer
With Debby BooneDebby Boone
With Richie FurayI Still Have Dreams In The Country
With Adam MitchellRedhead in Trouble
With Ronnie HawkinsThe Hawk
With Louise GoffinKid Blue Louise Goffin
With Bonnie RaittThe Glow
With AmericaAlibi
With Kim CarnesMistaken Identity Voyeur Café Racers Barking at Airplanes Light House
With Rita CoolidgeHeartbreak Radio
With Stevie NicksBella Donna The Wild Heart Rock a Little The Other Side of the Mirror Street Angel Trouble in Shangri-La In Your Dreams 24 Karat Gold: Songs from the Vault
With Helen ReddyPlay Me Out
With Phoebe SnowRock Away
With Ronnie Wood1234 I Feel Like Playing
With Don HenleyI Can't Stand Still The End of the Innocence
With Kenny RogersLove Will Turn You Around
With Bill MedleyRight Here and Now
With Bob SegerThe Distance The Fire Inside
With Bette MidlerNo Frills
With Marty BalinLucky
With Ringo StarrOld Wave Time Takes Time
With Joe WalshYou Bought It – You Name It The Confessor Ordinary Average Guy
With Dolly PartonThe Great Pretender Rainbow Rockstar
With Steve PerryStreet Talk
With Eric MartinEric Martin
With Jimmy BarnesFor the Working Class Man
With Rosanne CashRhythm & Romance
With Graham NashInnocent Eyes
With Karla DeVitoWake 'Em Up In Tokyo
With Van StephensonSuspicious Heart
With Dwight TwilleyWild Dogs
With CherCher Heart of Stone
With Lisa Hartman BlackTil My Heart Stops
With Melissa EtheridgeMelissa Etheridge Brave and Crazy Yes I Am
With Ivan NevilleIf My Ancestors Could See Me Now Saturday Morning Music Scrape
With Keith RichardsTalk Is Cheap Main Offender Crosseyed Heart
With Feargal SharkeyWish
With The GracesPerfect View
With Jon Bon JoviBlaze of Glory
With Steve LouwWaiting For the Down
With Bob DylanUnder the Red Sky
With Iggy PopBrick by Brick
With Hall & OatesChange of Season
With Diana RossThe Force Behind the Power
With Rod StewartVagabond Heart
With Troy NewmanGypsy Moon It's Like This
With Bonnie TylerBitterblue
With Tracy ChapmanMatters of the Heart
With Neil DiamondThe Christmas Album The Christmas Album, Volume II
With Hanne BoelMy Kindred Spirit
With Delbert McClintonNever Been Rocked Enough
With Tom WaitsBone Machine
With Andrew StrongStrong
With Gilby ClarkePawnshop Guitars The Hangover
With Big MountainUnity
With A. J. CroceThat's Me in the Bar
With Colin JamesBad Habits
With Brian WilsonI Just Wasn't Made for These Times
With Aaron NevilleThe Tattooed Heart
With John PrineLost Dogs and Mixed Blessings
With Michael SweetReal
With Bee GeesStill Waters
With The WilsonsThe Wilsons
With The Rolling StonesBridges to Babylon
With Johnny RiversLast Train to Memphis Reinvention Highway
With Amanda MarshallTuesday's Child
With Janice RobinsonThe Color Within Me
With Kim RicheyGlimmer
With Shannon McNallyJukebox Sparrows
With Robbie WilliamsEscapology Intensive Care
With Keith GattisBig City Blues
With Bernard FowlerFriends With Privileges The Bura
With Radney FosterThis World We Live In
With Miranda LambertCrazy Ex-Girlfriend
With John MayerBattle Studies
With David NailI'm About to Come Alive
With Michael GrimmMichael Grimm
With Jessie BaylinLittle Spark
With LeAnn RimesSpitfire One Christmas: Chapter 1 God's Work
With Edie Brickell and Steve MartinLove Has Come for You
With Judith OwenEbb & Flow Somebody's Child
With Neil YoungStorytone
With Mindi AbairWild Heart
With Pat McGeePat McGee
With Beth HartFire on the Floor
With Sheryl CrowThreads
With Anders OsborneBuddha & The Blues Picasso's Villa
With Kate TaylorWhy Wait!
With Edgar WinterBrother Johnny
With Ian HunterDefiance Part 1 Defiance Part 2: Fiction
With Barbra StreisandThe Secret of Life: Partners, Volume Two
With Willie Nile'
- ''The Great Yellow Right''