Waddy Wachtel

Waddy Wachtel
300x200px Wachtel, center, with Jackson Browne (left) and John Cowsill (right), in 2009
Background information
Birth name	Robert Wachtel
Born	(1947-05-24) May 24, 1947 New York City, New York, U.S.
Genres	Rock folk rock pop jazz
Occupation(s)	Musician songwriter composer record producer bandleader
Instruments	Guitar vocals
Years active	1970–present
Labels	Arista Elektra CBS WEA Columbia EMI Virgin Asylum Warner Bros. Giant
Associated acts	Linda Ronstadt James Taylor Keith Richards Stevie Nicks Warren Zevon The Cowsills Jackson Browne Bernard Fowler Blondie Chaplin George Thorogood Bob Weir J. D. Souther
Website	waddywachtelinfo.com
Notable instruments
1958 Gibson Les Paul 1956 Fender Stratocaster

Robert "Waddy" Wachtel (born May 24, 1947) 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, Stevie Nicks, Keith Richards, James Taylor, Iggy Pop, Warren Zevon, Bryan Ferry, Michael Sweet, and Jackson Browne, both in the studio and live.

Early years

Wachtel was born May 24, 1947, in Jackson Heights, Queens, 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 (who insisted that he learn to play right-handed despite being naturally left-handed) 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 about 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 (of The Cowsills), 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, recording with The Cowsills and produce their albums.

Films

File:Waddy Wachtel.jpg

Wachtel with guitar, in 2009

In 1972, he had a cameo appearance in the film The Poseidon Adventure with the actual band on stage in the dining room when the ship capsizes.

He also played in the Oscar's awarded 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

File:CowsillswithWaddy.jpg

Wachtel with The Cowsills in 2009

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 (credited as 'Waddy', no surname), 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, and Rick Marotta. Both the group and the album were titled Ronin. Released on the Mercury label, the record never charted.

He has appeared on hundreds of albums over the years. Other artists and bands he has worked with include The Everly Brothers, Jackson Browne, Kim Carnes, Rosanne Cash, The Church, Bob Dylan, Silver Condor, Gilby Clarke, Melissa Etheridge, Bryan Ferry, Bernard Fowler, Andrew Gold, Don Henley, Carole King, Miranda Lambert, The Motels, John Mayer, Maria Muldaur, Randy Newman, Steve Perry, Iggy Pop, Bonnie Raitt, Keith Richards, Adam Sandler, Bob Seger, Carly Simon, The Rolling Stones, James Taylor, and Tom Waits.

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 and co-produced the first two Zevon albums.

Wachtel also shares co-writing credits with Stevie Nicks on a few tracks such as "Annabel Lee", and "I Don't Care".

Legal issues

Wachtel and his wife Annie were arrested in 1998 on suspicion of possession of child pornography after illicit images were found on their computer after they had taken it in for repair. The case against Wachtel's wife was dismissed; Wachtel pleaded no contest and was placed on probation for three years.

Equipment

Wachtel plays a 1960 Gibson Les Paul and 1956 Fender Stratocaster. He said in a 1980 interview that the newest made guitar he owned was a 1964 Fender Stratocaster. 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 has performed regularly at the Los Angeles venue The Joint since 2000. The band includes, Phil Jones, Rick Rosas, and Jamie Savko, with regular guests Bernard Fowler, Blondie Chaplin and Keith Allison.

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.

Discography (partial)

With Karla Bonoff

Year	Album	Label
1977	Karla Bonoff	Columbia Records
1979	Restless Nights	Columbia Records
1982	Wild Heart of the Young	Columbia Records

With Joe Walsh

Year	Album	Label
1983	You Bought It – You Name It	Warner Bros. Records
1985	The Confessor	Warner Bros. Records
1991	Ordinary Average Guy	Epic Records

With Fleetwood Mac

Year	Album	Label
1975	Fleetwood Mac	Warner Bros.

With Stevie Nicks

Year	Album	Label
1973	Buckingham Nicks	Polydor Records
1981	Bella Donna	Modern Records
1983	The Wild Heart	Modern Records
1984	Mirror, Mirror	Unreleased
1985	Rock a Little	Modern Records
1991	Timespace - The Best of Stevie Nicks	Modern Records
1998	Enchanted	Atlantic Records
2001	Trouble in Shangri-La	Reprise Records
2001	The Divine Stevie Nicks	EMI Records
2007	Crystal Visions - The Very Best of Stevie Nicks	Reprise Records
2009	The Soundstage Sessions	Reprise Records
2011	In Your Dreams	Reprise Records
2014	24 Karat Gold: Songs from the Vault	Reprise Records

With Keith Richards and the X-Pensive Winos

Year	Album	Label
1988	Talk is Cheap	Virgin Records
1991	Live at the Hollywood Palladium	Virgin Records(Dec 15, 1988)
1992	Main Offender	Virgin Records
2010	Vintage Vinos	Mindless Records
2015	Crosseyed Heart	Republic Records

With Linda Ronstadt

Year	Album	Label
1976	Hasten Down the Wind	Asylum Records
1977	Simple Dreams	Asylum Records
1978	Living in the USA	Asylum Records
1980	Mad Love	Asylum Records
1982	Get Closer	Asylum Records
1998	We Ran	Elektra Records

With James Taylor

Year	Album	Label
1976	In the Pocket	Warner Bros. Records
1979	Flag	Columbia Records
1981	Dad Loves His Work	Columbia Records

With Warren Zevon

Year	Album	Label
1976	Warren Zevon	Asylum Records
1978	Excitable Boy	Asylum Records
1980	Bad Luck Streak in Dancing School	Asylum Records
1982	The Envoy	Asylum Records
1991	Mr. Bad Example	Giant Records

Filmography (Partial)

Year	Title	Director(s)	Notes
1978	Up in Smoke	Lou Adler	with Danny Kortchmar and Lee Oskar
2001	Joe Dirt	Dennie Gordon	N/A
2003	Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star	Sam Weisman	with Christophe Beck
2006	Grandma's Boy	Nicholaus Goossen	N/A
	The Benchwarmers	Dennis Dugan	N/A
	The Last Request	John DeBellis	N/A
2008	Strange Wilderness	Fred Wolf	N/A
	The House Bunny	Fred Wolf	N/A
2009	Paul Blart: Mall Cop	Steve Carr	N/A
2011	Bucky Larson: Born to Be a Star	Tom Brady	N/A
	Jack and Jill	Dennis Dugan	with Rupert Gregson-Williams
2013	Jimi: All Is by My Side	John Ridley	with Danny Bramson
2015	Joe Dirt 2: Beautiful Loser	Fred Wolf	Digital film

External links

• Waddy Wachtel Band Website
• Waddy Wachtel at the Internet Movie Database