Interview with Laurin Rinder

During the mid to late seventies the production team of Laurin Rinder and W. Michael Lewis helped define the Disco sound that was coming out of Los Angeles. They did this through their work on such studio projects as El Coco, Saint Tropez, Le Pamplemousse and countless others. In addition, they wrote the music to 525 television shows ("In Search Of," "That's Incredible"), 35 films and produced 46 albums.

In early 2001, I was most honored to speak with Laurin and we were able to touch upon many interesting subjects including his musical career. Read on for some fascinating insights into the making of Disco music and how great things come about merely by chance. As with many things in life, it was a matter of being at the right place at the right time.

Laurin's musical career did not begin with Disco. It actually started back in the early 1950s during rock and roll's infancy. In fact, Jazz and big band had first won over Laurin during his teenage years.

Born in Los Angeles, California on April 3, 1943 he knew by the age of six that he wanted to be a musician. At seven, he was playing the trumpet. His father, who was an understudy for Bing Crosby during the 1930s and 40s, encouraged Laurin to play and later built him a drum set out of trashcans and corrugated boxes. Soon the trumpet gave way to the saxophone and then finally the drums and the reason for this was that Laurin felt that the drummers in his junior high school band were having more fun. I asked him if the drummer really had more fun and he emphatically replies, "Yes-absolutely. Drummers always have more fun."

He continued with the drums and played on his first album as a session drummer in 1953 while only ten years old. During his sophomore year, he decided to drop out of high school to pursue music on a full time basis by playing with local bands around Los Angeles. The first band he played with was Dick D'Augustine and the Swingers who had a local hit with a tune called "Nancy Lynn."

Laurin Rinder and Jazz

At nineteen, Laurin took a correspondence course to the Berkeley School of Jazz and devoted his life to music. The great jazz artists of the day such as Davis, Monk and Mingus were his influences. Every minute was spent on music and as he says, "there was no time for anything else-there really wasn't." I asked Laurin why he felt so confident about quitting high school at such a young age to pursue music and he replies, "It was an obsession. It was so strong that I can't even begin to tell you." He continues by explaining that school was not teaching him what he wanted to learn and that he was not interested in history or phys-ed.

Laurin was among the first in a small group of young musicians that played rock and roll in Hollywood during the mid 1950s. There was a shortage of drummers since little if any of the older musicians who were in there thirties, forties and fifties wanted to play this new style of music. Rock and roll in its infancy was essentially gritty blues, r & b, rockabilly or country western. Something the older players felt they were above. This is very important to note since this will eventually explain how Laurin morphed from early blues influenced rock and roll and jazz in the 1950s to Motown in the 1960s and later Disco in the 1970s.

In essence, one can draw parallels between rock and roll's gradual shift away from its Black and rural roots and Disco's transition from its Black, Hispanic and underground roots to the more sterilized and bleached styling of the Bee Gee's and the Studio 54 set in the late 1970s.

During the period between 1956 to around 1963 Laurin claims to have played in roughly about half of the music that was released during that time. Non-stop session work paid the bills. They were given a meager $25.00 and a pizza to perform and never received credit on the record label. Laurin says, "Especially with Motown, you didn't know the artist you were playing on until the record came out. We would play on two tracks and do a two and a half-minute ditty song and it would be me (on drums), piano, bass and maybe a little guitarno one rehearsed. We just did this thing and there were tons of mistakes and it was all about the feeling and I still believe that's what it's all about anyway."

Laurin Rinder & the Motown Years

In the early 1960s Laurin made the move to Detroit and was part of early Motown history along with friend Bernard Purdy. While now based in Detroit he continued to travel and do Philly, Miami, Muscle Schoals in Alabama and played on Arthur Prysock, Anita O'Day and Billy Eckstein among others and even traveled extensively with James Brown, Muddy Waters, Jimmy Reed and John Hooker by bus throughout the South. R & B was always his thing and he was usually the only white player in a black group. He felt a connection with them because of his jazz roots. Las Vegas also figured into his travels were he even did comedy as part of "Rinder, Ryder and the Swinging Brass" around 1966-67. When asked why so many different things under his belt his only reply is, "I'm an opportunist. I look for the door and go through it." Did this drive come back to bite him in this ass? "No," is what he quickly blurts out. "I've been extremely lucky in that I've always had work and got paid well. Things got a little thin in the early 1970s when we were doing hard rock and at this time is when Michael (Lewis) comes in."

The Arrival Of W. Michael Lewis

Around 1968 Laurin was living in Laguna Beach, California when he called his good friend Dick Dodd, who was the lead singer of the group The Standells, to arrange for an audition. The Standells were a Rolling Stones type outfit with songs like "Good Guys Don't Wear White" to their credit. Michael, who hailed from Alabama, was the keyboard player and had just come from another group, called We Five, which was a Kingston Trio folk-like deal and had performed on Percy Sledge's "When A Man Loves A Woman." The two met and later went on to form a hard rock group called Joshua. It was a six-piece group comprised of members of the Righteous Brothers and Bonnie and Delaney. Together they played many concerts and venues with such superstars as The Eagles.

The members start to fragment, but the bands owner, Seymour Heller who was the president of "The Conference of the Personal Managers of the World" which had controlling interests of such stars as Liberace and Debbie Reynolds had other plans for Rinder and Lewis. Heller was also the owner of "Producer's Workshop" and partners with Ray Harris in the "American Variety International" record label or AVI for short.

Laurin and Michael still in their acid dropping hard rock stage and long hair would stop in at AVI to talk. It was here around 1973 that they were asked by Harris if they knew anything about "this new music called Disco" to which Laurin shrugged and said, "Na, I don't know anything' about that." They were then asked if they would like to go into the studio and try something out. The two were like, "Ya sure, whatever" They just knew that it paid well and they were capable of doing the work.

The Simon Soussan Projects

They go into the studio and meet with Simon Soussan who is best known for his later work on Arpeggio's "Love and Desire" and French Kiss' "Panic." Soussan who was originally from the middle east and in the profitable clothing business had told the two that he wanted to buy up old R & B masters to such classics as "Going To A Go-Go" and have Rinder & Lewis play over them. Soussan's idea was to remaster, remix and extend them to update the sound. In other words, make them more danceable. To Laurin, it was just another session and Soussan paid very well. It was a done deal.

Laurin recalls, "We went in and did all this stuff and we were the first ones to do this thing. And I was putting in these sh, sh, sh hi-hat things on R & B songs that turned into Disco songs. Then I said why don't we start using bells and whistles and I do some strange sounds like ew-ee, ew-eewe'll put breaks into it and play some bass drumboom-boom and who cares" to which everyone agreed.

A very famous gay Disco called Studio One was near Laurin's home so one night Laurin and Michael, who are straight, decided to stop by and see what this new Disco music scene was all about. Laurin says they discovered the following, "they were playing real old stuff, but kind of remixing them on the board and making them longer and taking two turntables that nobody had ever heard of and combining different things and we kept saying wow, this is weird." The two found themselves dumbfounded. Laurin said that their first impression was, "My God, what are they doing? They're like screwing around with these great old songs." I asked if they were intrigued or horrified and Laurin's answer was "intrigued, very intrigued." It was annoying to them at first since here is a record company (AVI) that was willing to pay them loads of money to do this easy stuff when they were pros. They were jazz musicians who could read and write music. Now a Disco DJ who had no formal training in music controlled the floor and was essentially stripping them of their powers. The Disco DJs were taking the music away from the musicians, but they could not help noticing that the crowd was eating it up. "People were going nuts." Laurin's attitude was "if that's what they want, we'll give it to them. I saw a window of opportunity I have this record company with all this fucking money, and they're going to pay us to do this thing. We can do this with no problem at all."

One of the first Disco songs that caught Laurin's attention was Van McCoys' "The Hustle" to which he thought, "Wow, this is musical, (humming the song)this is interesting, it's like mindless. It really was. It was over-orchestrated, kind of jingle-ee stupid stuff that was a 120 beats a minute."

Long time friend Barry White comes along and releases "It's Ecstasy When You Lay Down Next To Me" in 1976. A song that stuck with Laurin ever since Barry had played it for him long before it was ever released. Laurin took the track and changed the lyrics to make it become "Le Spank" which he released under the studio project Le Pamplemousse.

Within a two-month stretch they pounded out tons of material with the first one being El Coco's "Let Get It Together." When I asked Laurin how the name El Coco came about he readily admits, "We were doing a lot of cocaineit was pretty much that simple my friend." I then asked about the making of "Let's Get It Together" and he informed me that a traveling actress/singer by the name of Merria Ross was given studio time by AVI heads to record a song she had written called, "Let's Get It Together." Laurin "fleshed out" the rest of the song and Merria was given writing credits. They all went into the studio and and the verse Lets Get It Together was all that Merria ever sang, After this break, Merria went on to have charting song with Randy Crawford, High Energy and was nominated for a Grammy for "Finger On the Trigger" with Quincy Jones and Rod Temperton (of Michael jackson's "Thriller" fame)

There was so much material that whatever didn't work for El Coco then went to Le Pamplemousse. The third tier was then Sweet Potato Pie and so on. So, whatever material didn't work for one studio group went to another until it found a home. The only thing that would change between each group was the back up singers they would hire for each project. In fact, Laurin tells me that the musicians listed on the credits on the Le Pamplemousse album are fictitious. Laurin proudly exclaims, "None of them existed, Mike and I played all the instrumentson every album. Every single album."

The Seven Deadly Sins

I then asked Laurin why the "Seven Deadly Sins" album credits Laurin and Michael as playing all instruments as opposed to the fictitious names of earlier albums. He acknowledges that it was getting tough to accept Disco awards for El Coco, Saint Tropez and Le Pamplemousse. When they went up, they had to use the excuse; "the group can't be here now because they are busy on tour." Since "Seven Deadly Sins" was a concept album, they decided to come clean and admit that they performed all the instruments. He gave me the reason why they made up the musician's names in the first place. "We were scared to death that someone would find out about us. We were very legitimate guys. We were rock and rollers and when someone said 'You wanna do Disco?' we thought it was the biggest cop-out that you could possibly ever do." I asked Laurin if they were embarrassed to which he said, "Absolutely." And when asked how he feels about it today, "It was a great time. Zero regrets"

RinLew All-Stars

The "Warriors" album soon followed proudly proclaiming that Laurin and Michael played all instruments. Freedom at last! An interesting side-note: during the making of that album, Laurin and his dad went down to Alabama to visit Michael and his dad. The highlight of the trip was to take both fathers out fishing. On one of those days, Laurin quickly snapped a photo of the two fathers and chose to use that picture for the upcoming album cover. Another album under the name The RinLew All-Stars featured musicians they had worked with in the past.

We now get into the recording aspect of things and discover that some basic concepts have been changed to facilitate this tremendous output of material. Laurin explains that, "We changed the way recording happened. We started with a bass drum. And we laid down a track of a bass drum for ten minutes. Just boom, boom, boom Then we started piling things on top of things, on top of thingsand then tons of editing." This differed from the standard practice of starting with piano, bass and drum. At this stage, they were using over forty tracks to produce their music, which was a far cry from the two tracks of just twenty years earlier.

Around 1978 as El Coco and Le Pamplemousse were becoming ever popular, their promotions man, A. J. Cervantes, whose dad was the mayor of St. Louis, asked if they would become producers for his new label Butterfly Records. The first project was Tuxedo Junction, which was to be a retro group. Laurin went to Bill Warlow the then head of Billboard and asked for the microfilm for all the songs that charted number one from 1930 to about 1943. He soon had a playlist from which to choose. They went down the list and selected all the songs they felt would be adaptable to dance music. Since Laurin had many friends from the big band days, he went about to try and get as many of the original players of the day to perform on the album. They got the oldest players that the AFM had and the oldest female singers that AFTRA had.

The big band flair of the Tuxedo Junction album was well received upon its release. To expand upon the concept further, they decided to do a racier version of it, but sung in French. This was to be called Saint Tropez and would have lush string arrangements. At the time Laurin and the record people had this thing for bisexual woman so they went with that as the basis for the songs like "Je T'Aime" and "Belle deJour" about the loving of two woman. And one look at the cover and gatefold photos verifies that.

The later incarnation of Saint Tropez was quite different from the French debut. "One More Minute" was a result of a cassette submission to Laurin who then ran with the idea. He likes to say that if someone gives him a title or idea he can come up with a song. With at least five groups to gather material for one has to be able to have constant ideas to work with. The two were also busy writing music for popular television shows such as "National Geographic, "The Barbara Walter's Special" and also a slew of films most notably martial arts flicks like the "Ninja" series and "Shogun Assassins."

The Arrival of the 1980's

As the 1980s were approaching Laurin and Michael became increasingly involved with television as opposed to Disco since there was more money to be made and they were sick of suing record labels for their fair share. There was accountability in television and film whereas in music there really was none. Around 1982 is when Laurin says he bowed out of music and by around 1985 had stopped his television work as well. Seeing as he had built up a comfortable annuity from royalties he spent time travelling and even got married more than once. There was even a time where he opened a men's and women's clothing store in Santa Monica, but was wiped out in the big earthquake of 1994. He would later host a fishing show on ESPN called "Charlie's Anglers" for about a year and a half. Fishing is something he has been enjoying since his father took him as a child.

Laurin now spends his time painting with oils. Something he picked up purely by accident during his time when he was landscaping and designing. He stuck a small brush into some watercolors, was hooked, and later took some course at UCLA. He now has galleries in LA and collectors from all over the world who proudly display his paintings. He told me that he needed an abstract and creative outlet since he was not able to play the drums anymore. Abstract painting filled that void. He calls it the jazz of painting.

One thing that becomes apparent when one speaks with Laurin is that he is someone who will seize an opportunity and work it till he sees the desired results. He is truly a major part of modern musical history with his talents spanning a good part of the second half of the twentieth century. He was an integral part in the beginning of rock and roll, Motown and finally Disco. It was an honor and pleasure to be able to speak with him and he was most gracious and forthcoming. Thank you Laurin for your time.

Below is a list of the many projects that Laurin was involved with.

RINLEW PRODUCTION COMPANY
Records: (production, composition, arrangements)

El Coco

• "Mondo Disco" - AVI (USA) AVI 1039 - 1975
• "Brazil Carnival" - AVI (USA) AVI 1040 - 1976
• "Let's get it together" - AVI (USA) AVI 6006 - 1976
• "Cocomotion" - AVI (USA) AVI 6012 - 1977
• "Dancing in Paradise" - AVI (USA) AVI 6044 - 1978
• "Love Exciter/Dance Man" (non album tracks ) - AVI (USA) AVI-12-270-D (1979)
• "Cocomotion '79" (instrumental) b/w Segue:Afrodesia/Coco Kane (Remixes) - AVI (USA) AVI 12-294-D (1979)
• "Revolucin" - AVI (USA) AVI 6082 - 1980
• "El Coco" - AVI (USA) AVI 6102 - 1982
• "Collectables" - AVI (USA) AVI 6113 - 1982

Tuxedo Junction

• "Tuxedo Junction I"
• "Take The A Train"

Saint Tropez / St. Tropez

• "Je T'aime"
• "Belle De Jour"
• "Hot And Nasty"
• "Feme Fatales"

Eloise Whitaker

• "Eloise Whitaker"
• "Weezy"

Doug Richardson

• "Night Talk"

Rinder and Lewis

• "Seven Deadly Sins"
• "Warriors"
• "Cataclysm"
• "Full Circle"
• "Half Circle"

Le Pamplemousse

• "Le Pamplemousse"
• "Le Spank"
• "Sweet Magic"
• "Planet Of Love"
• "Le Pamplemousse 1980"
• "My Love is Burning Up"

David Benoit

• "Heavier Than Yesterday"
• "Can You imagine"
• "Stages"

L.A. Bullets

• "L.A. Bullets"

Rinlew Allstars

• "Rinlew Allstars"

Take Five

• "Take Five Now"

Runner

• "Maybe I'm Right"

TOP 35 RECORDS (production, composition, arrangements)

1. "Let's Get it Together"
2. "Cocomotion"
3. "Chatanooga Choo Choo"
4. "Le Spank"
5. "Gimmie What You Got"
6. "Mondo Disco"
7. "Take The A Train"
8. "Willie and the Hand Jive"
9. "I'm Mad as Hell"
10. "Toot Toot Tootsie"
11. "Carry Me"
12. "Planet of Love"
13. "Sweet Magic"
14. "Tomorrow Night"
15. "Lust"
16. "Dancing in Paradise"
17. "One More Minute"
18. "African Symphony"
19. "Seven Deadly Sins"
20. "Je T'aime"
21. "Belle De Jour"
22. "Rainy Night in Rio"
23. "Monkey See, Monkey Do"
24. "Under Construction"
25. "Just Be You"
26. "Hooray for Hollywood"
27. "Don't Turn Your Back"
28. "I Wanna Do Something Freaky To You"
29. "Love Stealers"
30. "I've Been Watching You"
31. "Femme Fatales"
32. "On A Rien A Pedre"
33. "Fill My Life With Love"
34. "Love Exciter"
35. "Fait Le Chat"

TELEVISION (production, composition)

• "In Search Of" Alan Landsburg Prods. Theme & Multiples
• "Fawn Story" ABC Afterschool Special Score
• "That's Incredible" ABC Multiples
• "Barbara Walters Specials" ABC Theme & Multiples
• "Those Amazing Animals" ABC Multiples
• "Catastrophe" ABC Mini-Series Theme
• "Making of Raiders of the Lost Ark" NBC

DOCUMENTARY

• "Making of Star Wars" NBC Theme
• "Snow in L.A." ABC Documentary
• "World's Greatest Mysteries" ABC Series

FEATURE FILMS (composition, complete score production)

• "Enter the Ninja" Columbia Pictures
• "Shogun Assassin" New World Films
• "New Year's Evil" Cannon Films
• "Secret of the Bermuda Triangle" Warner Bros.
• "The Killing of America" Renan Productions
• "Love is Just a Word" Independent
• "The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez" United Artists
• "The 3-D Movie" Columbia Pictures

The End

An Interview with John Davis

An interview with John Davis who in the 1970s and 1980s produced, arranged and worked with some of the biggest names in the music business including Bobby Eli (from MFSB), Barbara Ingram, Carla Benson, Yvette Benton (The Sweethearts of Sigma), William DeVaughn, Arthur Prysock, The Intruders, Ricky Nelson, Bootsy Collins (of Parliament), Rhonda Heath, The Salsoul Orchestra, Silver Convention, Carol Douglas, Charo, Donna Summer and more. Interview with John Davis conducted by Eric Warncke.
Let me tell you a little bit more about John Davis! He started out writing music in college and then later went on to become a band leader and composer while he was in the Army. In the 1970s and 1980s he produced, arranged and worked with some of the biggest names in the music business including Bobby Eli (from MFSB), Barbara Ingram, Carla Benson, Yvette Benton (The Sweethearts of Sigma), William DeVaughn, Arthur Prysock, The Intruders, Ricky Nelson, Bootsy Collins (of Parliament), Rhonda Heath, The Salsoul Orchestra, Silver Convention, Carol Douglas, Charo, Donna Summer and more. He also released 5 of his own albums under the name John Davis and The Monster Orchestra between 1976 and 1981. In the 1980s and 90s John started working as a composer for television and made music for the shows Dynasty, The Colbys, MacGyver, TJ Hooker, Mission: Impossible the series and Beverly Hills 90210 (the new and old version).

Today John is living in Ohio with his wife and has 3 daughters and recently became a grandfather! Here is the first part of my interview with John Davis!

1. Where were you born and what were your parents names?

John Davis:
I was born in Philadelphia, PA in 1947. I was an identical twin to my brother, Joe Davis. He went on to become one of the best trumpet players in the business and enjoyed a great career as a studio musician and many tours and live shows. My parents, John and Luciene Davis, were just regular folks who worked in Philly - but nowhere near the music business. My Dad worked for the board of Education and my mother worked at our local bank.

2. Did you have a musical home when you were growing up and did you learn any instruments at an early age?

John Davis:
While growing up, my Dad, in particular, was a huge fan of the big band era and always had big band music playing in the house. When I was 9 years old I got a plastic clarinet for Christmas. I loved playing that silly thing until next year I got a real clarinet to play in the school band. Not having a lot of extra money, I studied with a teacher at school until I got to Junior High School where I began to show some talent on this instrument. I can still remember sitting on the floor and listening to Glen Millers band and thinking how wonderful it would be to be able to write stuff like that.

3. Did you have any high schools bands or projects before the Monster Orchestra? What was the first record you ever worked on?

John Davis:
When I got to high school, I had become pretty good on clarinet and had begun playing the sax in the jazz band at school. My "reputation" had grown to the point where I was invited to join the US Naval Academy Band in Annapolis, MD when I graduated from high school. It was here that I actually began to write for a band. I had access to a jazz band, concert band and a marching band. I was writing for everything because I could have them play it back and actually hear what certain instrumental combinations would sound like. After writing a few things for the band there, I submitted one song to a publisher, and it was published for high school bands. I remember it was called "Nightfall".

4. Who were your biggest influences, musically and otherwise when you first started writing music?

John Davis:
At that time I was pretty well influenced by the big band sound and classical music. Then, I remember hearing a record on the radio that just totally blew me away - it was MacArthur Park - the Richard Harris version. I had never thought about combining the pop sound with an orchestra. It was such an exciting time for me that I just began hearing and studying writers like Bacharach and Davis, Jimmy Webb, Ashford and Simpson and many more. After getting out of the service, I started work for a company in Philly. It was there that I was sent to the studio to produce an artist named William DeVaughn. I wasn't very experienced in the studio, but managed to come out with "Be Thankful For What You Got" which became a #1 million seller in 1974. Of course, this opened the doors for me to start getting other projects on my own.

5. How did you team up with guys like Bobby Eli, "Sugarbear" Foreman and Charles Collins and how did you meet the Sweethearts of Sigma, Barbara Ingram, Carla Benson and Yvette Benton?

John Davis:
Being in Philadelphia, one could not exist without acknowledging these musical giants in my back yard. The first time I worked with the "rhythm section" (Bobby Eli, Sugarbear and Charles Collins) was on "Be Thankful For What You Got" and it was so successful that we became not only colleagues, but good friends as well! I always was, and will always be thankful for the years we spent together.

After that, I recorded "I Just Can't Say Goodbye" with the Philly Devotions, and "Midnight Love Affair" with Carol Douglas. I believe this is where Harry Chipetz, the general manager of Sigma Sound Studio started calling me "Monster". We never knew how much fun I would have with that name.

The first time I worked with the Sweethearts was on Night and Day with the Monster Orchestra. I'll never forget how beautiful they were and the sound was like cream in my coffee. It was truly an honor to work with them. I also have to credit Tom Moulton for giving me such new perspectives on mixing and just plain listening. It was always a pleasure working with Tom.

6. What was the experience of getting signed to Sam Records and Columbia Records like?

John Davis:
Sam Weiss (the owner of Sam Records) and I had a great relationship. I always felt like a son with Sam. When we went to Columbia, it seemed to change things between us. It felt more serious and frankly, some of the fun went out of it for me. The idea of having a little more control over my product meant more to me than being with a big label like Columbia. Unfortunately, this happened in 1978 when things were starting to slow down, and I was feeling a bit lost at the new label.I really thought I had a smash with Love Magic, but we never got enough radio support to get it through the clubs and onto radio. It was a big disappointment for me. But then, I would have to say we sold more records than ever with CBS so I guess it was a double edged sword.

7. You had a creative frenzy from 1976 - 1981 releasing 5 records; Night & Day, Up Jumped The Devil, Aint That Enough For You, The Monster Orchestra Strikes Again! and a split called Hangin' Out with a band called La Pregunta in 1981. What was the experience like of producing, writing and promoting these albums?

John Davis:
Those years, from 1974 - 1984 were the most fun years of my life. When I signed with Sam Weiss it opened a path for me to be in total control of my product. Writing, arranging, playing and producing with the best musicians and singers in the world - who could ask for more? I remember everyday, getting up and looking forward with joy to the day ahead. I knew I would be doing what I love with the people I loved and respected the most. After the Night and Day album, Sam and I felt we should do something original so we wouldn't become predictable. This is where I got my first opportunity to "go crazy". He basically said to go where you want and get him a hit. The first thought I had was "Up Jumped The Devil". It became a huge dance hit and opened the door for The Monster Orchestra to become more original and innovative. That was the really fun part!

8. What led you to stop making records after 1981's Hangin' Out and switch to making music for shows like Dynasty and Beverly Hills 90210?

John Davis:
I'm not sure whether I stopped making records, or people stopped calling, but in 1980, I decided to take a trip to LA and visit my pal Bob Reno from Midland records. He had just moved there and asked me if I would like to try my hand at writing for TV shows. I just had twin daughters and felt I better make this move now, because the future of the record biz seemed to be getting shaky. I got there and met with Mark Snow, a composer of countless TV shows. He got me started by working with him on Hart to Hart. After that, I continued to work for Aaron Spelling for 20 years. I did TV show like Beverly Hill, 90210, Melrose Place, Dynasty, T.J. Hooker, Walker, Texas Ranger, Hotel and many, many others.

9. Do you have any musical plans for the future like releasing a greatest hits package or a new album?

John Davis:
I have no current plans for future projects, but I'm available! (LOL) As far as a greatest hits album, you would have to talk to Mike Weiss at Nervous Records. He controls the master tapes. I'm sure if there was enough interest, he would release one.

THE END

Glenn Hughes (Village People)

Glenn M. Hughes (July 18, 1950 – March 4, 2001) was the original "Biker" character in the disco group Village People from 1977 to 1996. He graduated Class of 1968 from Chaminade High School, then attending Manhattan College, where he was initiated as a member of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia music fraternity in 1969. He was interested in motorcycles, and was working as a toll collector at the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel when he responded to an advertisement by composer Jacques Morali seeking "macho" singers and dancers. Hughes and other members of the band were given a crash course in the synchronized dance choreography that later typified the group's live performances.
Glenn's powerful bass voice played an important part in the background lyrics of almost all Village People's most known hits, such as In The Navy. He sported an extravagant horseshoe moustache and wore his trademark leather outfit on stage and off. As he was the band's "biker" and a real life fanatic, he kept his motorcycle parked inside his home. With Village People gaining fame, Hughes became one of the icons of the disco era, even appearing in a special television broadcast in Playboy Mansion with Hugh Hefner.
In 1996, he retired from dancing and launched his own successful New York cabaret act, which kept him busy until he was diagnosed with lung cancer. He was replaced by Eric Anzalone as the Biker character. However, Hughes continued with management of the band. During his later years, he was known for storming the streets of New York with his Custom Harley-Davidson motorcycle. Hughes, who was also referred to by the masses as "Leatherman", was named on People Magazine's 1979 list of most beautiful people.
Hughes died in March 2001, aged 50, at his Manhattan apartment from lung cancer. He was subsequently interred (wearing his leatherman outfit) at Saint Charles Cemetery (Section 43, Row M, Plot 63) in Farmingdale, Long Island, New York.

Tony Valor

Written By Bernard F. Lopez

Disco record producer and manager Tony Valor

It sometimes seems as though Disco music appeared out of nowhere in the 1970’s, but the people who made it all happen actually go much further back. Many artists and producers took their experiences with older styles of music and used them as the basis for their forays into Disco and dance. One such Disco notable is Tony Valor who teamed up with Tom Moulton to form T. N. T. Productions as well as produce and write for Maryann Farra & Satin Soul, the Tony Valor Sounds Orchestra, Soccer and Fantasy. Tony Valor has worn many hats in his lifetime including being a singer, producer, manager, studio engineer, radio station DJ, New York City policeman and a music industry lawyer. Read on to find out how it all came about.

Tony Valor's Pre-Disco Years

Tony Valor was born in Sicily, but at the age of one his family moved to Brooklyn, NY where he would stay well into his adult years. His father a dancer and record shop owner instilled music in the younger Valor and encouraged him to sing as well as learn to play the piano, guitar and drums. By the time he reached his teens Valor was singing on street corners in Brooklyn in a sort of doo-wop style that caught the attention of an executive of Music Note Records. This led to Valor recording some vocal tracks in the late 1950’s-early 1960’s such as "So Tenderly" under his own name. In fact some of these songs were re-released as part of a compilation entitled the "Best of Music Note / Music Tone Records."

Music Note / Music Tone Records compilation feat. Tony Valor material

Through the 1960’s Valor sang vocals with other groups such as The Impalas and The Classics ("Until Then"), but realized he needed to expand and do other things such as producing. Valor says, "I started to work with other acts, but as a performer I really was not going to do well." In order to pursue producing, Valor also wanted to learn how to be an engineer in a recording studio. Mario Rossi of Rossi Studios in Brooklyn kindly offered to teach Valor the very basics of running a 4 track-recording console. For an hour a day over a two-week period Valor absorbed as much as he could. To try out his new found skills he invited a lounge act to come in the studio to be recorded. Valor admits, "It took me several hours to get the drums miked, which normally took an experienced engineer about an hour at that time." Despite the learning curve and trials and errors the recording was released commercially.

Maryann Farra & Satin Soul

Maryann Farra & Satin Soul At Brunswick Records

By the 1970’s Valor had honed his skills and started working for the legendary Brunswick Records label. It was here that he would begin working with a group that would put Brunswick Records on the Disco map. This group Maryann Farra & Satin Soul originally were known as Maryann Farra and the Genesis.

By 1976 Tony Valor had groomed Maryann Farra & Satin Soul’s sound and released "Do Those Little Things" b/w "Just A Little Timing" as the first 12-inch Disco single (DIS CO207) on Brunswick Records. The record was more successful in Europe than back at home in the U. S. Valor says, We did get a lot of play, but we didn’t get what everyone else was getting. Yet, we were the most copied style. It wasn’t the best-produced thing since it was my earlier stuff, but it was just different."

Carol Williams was a vocalist on the Tony Valor production "Love has Come My Way"

Brunswick Records, originally formed in the 1920's, was best known for Chicago Soul and R & B sounds. Valor, who had ascended to the position of VP at Brunswick, was expanding the repertoire with music that appealed to many of Brunswick’s Europeans licensees. What Valor was doing was flirting with what was to become early Disco music. He explains that the music of Satin Soul was very different, "I liked R & B vocals with a pop track and that’s what I kind of did. …In the early days on Brunswick besides my work on groups like Touch and Maryann Farra I also put out an album on my own with just the music-just instrumentals so the DJs could play around with it."

The record in question was released under the name Tony Valor Sounds Orchestra (BL-754210). It was a name first coined by Tom Moulton. Valor tells the story, "Tom Moulton gave it the name when he heard the different things I would do in the studio, which was a way of saving money, but I would create things that Tom Moulton loved. Moulton would say, ‘Oh, you did that cheap-that’s where your name comes from-cheap velvet.’ Moulton gave me the name Tony Valor Sounds Orchestra because it sounded like an orchestra, but it wasn’t."

Tom Moulton and Tony Valor

Tony Valor originally met Tom Moulton through their work for De-Lite Records. The president of De-Lite wanted to release a Valor production and said he wanted to give it to Moulton to remix. In the studio the two got along very well and Valor adds, "Tom Moulton loved my stuff because it was so unusual. The way I did things was like…I saved a lot of money by cutting a lot of corners. That’s how we came together and teamed up and formed T. N. T. Productions. Tom had great ears for sound-he was great." Their collaborations included material for Tony Valor Sounds Orchestra, Touch (Energizer: Brunswick BL-754214), Jeannie Napoli (De-Lite) and others. In short time Moulton became very busy with outside remix assignments and the two parted ways, but have remained good friends till this day.

Barry White and "Ma-Mo-Ah"

The first song put out under the Tony Valor Sounds Orchestra was "Ma-Mo-Ah, on a 7 inch single and later as a Brunswick 12 inch single in 1977 as "Ma-Mo-Ah (Take II)." The Take II stems from the fact that although this is the version we all know it is actually a remix by Tom Moulton with added percussion. When asked how he came up with the title "Ma-Mo-Ah" Valor responds, "I was in Los Angeles with Barry White. He had just finished a concert and I was backstage. He walked into the dressing room and his mother was there and he said ‘Ah, Ma-Mo-Ah’-that’s what he used to call his mom and I said, ‘Gee, I like that." When I got back to New York I produced a record called Ma-Mo-Ah." Valor goes on to explain that hearing music by Mongo Santamaria inspired the sound of "Ma-Mo-Ah."

"Ma-Mo-Ah" was a worldwide smash in 1977 and has been re-released a few times since then. In addition Valor goes on to say, "I get sampled a lot and how I can tell is there was something I did in that record that has not been done before or since. I encoded certain things in DBX… so it had this particular sound. No one knows how I did it and if they take the sample they can’t change that."

UK pop artist Rhianna

This was a good opportunity to ask Tony Valor how he felt about sampling and he responded, "I’d rather people sample and pay the fee. There’s a singer in the U. K. named Rhianna with a song called "Oh Baby" which is fabulous. They did a whole thing from one of my 1958 records called "I Forgot About That / Latin Nights In Manhattan." They paid very nice and her record has done very well. I’d rather them do that than just copy. It gives you money and credit. Sampling to me is fine, the creativity of years ago-you can’t beat it. There are very few good musicians. With MIDI there is no need to be a good musician."

Love Has Come My Way

After parting with Tom Moulton and Brunswick Records, Valor signed with Paula Records in 1978 for the album "Love Has Come My Way," which yielded a 12-inch Disco single (# Paula 1243) of the same name with "Opus 22" on the flip side. Carol Williams was the featured vocalist. The single was mixed by the late Jim Burgess and did very well in Discos in the U. S. and around the world. Valor recalls, "Jim Burgess was fabulous. I worked with him in the studio and I enjoyed working with him. In fact he searched me out and asked to mix my record. He didn’t even charge me!"

Soccer album from 1980 on Roy B. Records

Scoring With Soccer

Many listeners may recall the Disco group called Soccer. They were Italian musicians headed by Angelo Venuto who came to Valor’s attention when they submitted a tape to him. Valor ended up producing their album. In a rather strange twist Soccer’s first 12 inch Disco single with "Come and Get It On" as well as the full album were released by Salsoul Records in 1979 as a rush job, but a year later appeared on Roy B. Records. While Valor doesn’t recall exactly, he does say that soccer star Pelle was associated with the group hence the group name and the woman with the soccer uniform on the album cover. The group still performs and are now known as The Callops.

Fantasy and the 1980’s

The dawning of the 1980’s saw a shift in musical styles and Valor changed right along with it. In 1980 Valor produced a studio group simply called Fantasy, which is best known for the classic Disco hit "You’re Too Late" on the CBS subsidiary Pavillion Records (not Pavilion). According to Valor, "It was just a studio concept and the people in the act were fabulous dancers with three of them being Alvin Ailey dancers. The move to Pavillion Records was brought about in part because of his longstanding friendship with John Luongo who worked with CBS. Luongo was very instrumental in the studio and saw that everything in the Fantasy project ran smoothly.

"You're Too Late" by Fantasy from 1980 on Pavillion Records.

I quizzed Valor about the change in sound with Fantasy and this is what he had to say, "I played up more on the keyboards. I liked the piano quite a lot." He goes on to explain that the piano intro to "You’re Too Late" was a lick he had borrowed from a Kool & the Gang song that he liked and wanted to extend and flesh out.

"You’re Too Late" did extremely well and Fantasy was named the number one Disco group in Billboard’s Year end Awards for 1981/82. It was made up of the following members:

Tamm E Hunt - lead singer
Ken Roberson - background/choreographer,
Rufus Jackson - background/lead
Carolyn Edwards - background.
Luci Martin and Norma Jean who were both former leads for CHIC did perform background vocals along with Clare Bathe from MACHINE.

Valor still produces a group called Fantasy, but with a totally different lineup and sound. Fantasy’s newest release is available on Valor’s TVI Records. Valor also worked for De-Lite Records as VP A & R.

After the Golden Age of Disco

Although the golden age of Disco came and went Valor kept very busy with his TVI Records label by releasing product mainly in Europe and managing other groups. In addition he was always involved in behind the scenes legal and management issues pertaining to the music industry. It may come as a surprise to many, but Tony Valor actually owned and/or managed many popular Disco acts of the day such as The Bombers and several Willi Morrison and Ian Guenther produced groups like THP Orchestra, Southern Exposure, Sticky Fingers… You may not always see Valor’s name in the credits, but he is behind a lot of great artists and continues to do that till this day. The only thing that has changed is the faces of the singers and styles of dance music.

It was a pleasure speaking with Tony Valor and I would like to thank him for graciously taking time out of his busy schedule to speak with DiscoMusic.com. Be sure to check out TVI Records newest releases.

The End

Written by Bernard F. Lopez (April 18, 2003)

Don Ray

Don Ray was born in Germany, some time in the 1950s. His real name is RAYMOND DONNEZ, and he was raised in France. Other then those facts, no-one really knows much else about him.

I do know his history, and a little bit more. I will share it with all of you. Don Ray was a DISCO person. He loved the music, and dedicated himself to recording the best DISCO record. I think he might have succeeded.

Don Ray's legacy will be a DISCO producer and a "one-hit-wonder". It really does describe him. He was a ONE HIT WONDER, but what a ONE HIT it was. In 1978, Don Ray released his one and only album,"The Garden Of Love". Inside that album was some fantastic music. Every song was played in DISCOS, especially progressive and GAY clubs. There were two cuts that were played in every DISCO. STANDING IN THE RAIN was Euro-Disco at its finest. A DISCO CLASSIC that featured heavy keyboards and horns. But DON RAY is proudest of, and remembered for a song that could be considered the very BEST DISCO SONG EVER!!!!Every deejay in the WORLD was playing "GOT TO HAVE LOVING".

I burned this song out. My copies had to be replaced because of extensive, heavy play. I had plenty of company. All major deejays had at least two copies to perform their LIVE re-mix versions. GOT TO HAVE LOVING ruled the PRIME TIME hours for a full year. It was the most special of songs that captivated the dancers, and utilizled the deejays to maximize the songs' effect and longevity. The drums were so strong, so forceful, so loud. I would like to play with them, and bounce them from speaker to speaker all around the room. If you had a good light show, this was the song to play with them. A strobe light bouncing off a DISCO BALL while the drums are rolling was spectacular. This was such a perfect DISCO song. It was a great mixing record. It lent itself to every conceivable way of mixing. Blends, chops, cuts. This was the song for that!! I remember using the drum solos to mix in FUNKYTOWN during its drum solo. PERFECT!! Don Ray was a ONE HIT WONDER who could have given us the BEST DISCO SONG OF ALL TIME!! BRILLIANT!!

Don Ray started with famed "Je T'aime" vocalist SERGE GAINSBORG in 1968. It is believed that the keyboards in that classic French ballad was DON RAY himself? Then when DISCO appeared, Don Ray showed up in CERRONE'S, "Love in 'C'Minor" album. Don was the man responsible for the first two SANTA ESMERALDA albums. He then partnered with Alec Costandinos, and the DISCO CLASSIC "ROMEO AND JULIET". He was LOVE & KISSES!! Then back to work with CERRONE in SUPERNATURE and subsequent albums.

DON RAY was a DISCO GOD!!---- He suddenly vanished from the scene when the eighties arrived. GONE! No-one knew what happened? There were rumors, he was threatened by his competition? He owed someone lots of money? The MOB was after him? NO, none of that was true. Nothing so intriguing. DON just LOVED DISCO, and when it "Died", he faded away, back to France. He worked and produced some French artists, but stayed in the shadows.

Ready for this, Today Don Ray works as a singer/pianist in a restaurant's Piano Bar in PARIS!!-- He simply loved it so much, that when it was gone, so was he!! He did leave behind, what arguably is the BEST DISCO SONG EVER!!!
Article by Vinyljunkie.

Fantasy – You’re Too Late [1981]

You’re Too Late [1981].
Not to be confused with the rock group, this Fantasy was among the numerous R&B/disco/funk groups to be heavily influenced by Chic. Fantasy had a Chic-like image — two women (Tamm E. Hunt, Carolyn Edwards) and two men (Ken Robertson, Rufus Jackson) wearing very upscale disco attire — and this self-titled LP even employs Chic alumnae Luci Martin and Norma Jean Wright as background vocalists. But despite all that, it would be wrong to think of Fantasy as Chic clones. True, the Chic influence is impossible to miss on “Love Explosion” and the single “You’re Too Late.” But a more Shalamar-influenced approach prevails on “(Hey Who’s Gotta) Funky Song,” and the harmonies on “Read Between the Lines” are closer to the Emotions than Chic. Meanwhile, the sentimental “Now That I Have Everything” successfully blends disco, doo wop, and Afro-Caribbean music. Not a gem, but definitely pleasing, Fantasy is far from the work of knee-Chic clones – even though Chic’s influence is among the useful tools in the group’s arsenal.
Tracks:
1. Your’re Too Late
2. Too Much Too Soon
3. (Hey who’s Gotta) Funky Song
4. Love Explosion
5. You Can’t Lose What You Never Had
6. Now I Have Everything
7. Read Between The Lines

Leif Garrett

Leif Garrett (born Leif Per Nervik; November 8, 1961 - June 5th, 2011) was an American singer and actor. He became famous in the late 1970s as a teen idol, but received much publicity in later life for his drug abuse and legal troubles. On June 5th, 2011 Garrett was found dead by his mother in his California apartment.

Early life

Garrett was born to Carolyn Steller, and started his entertainment career at age five. He and his sister Dawn Lyn worked a variety of small acting jobs. They co-starred in the horror movie Devil Times Five as juvenile mental patients who almost innocently go on a murder spree at an isolated ski resort. Dawn and Leif also guest-starred in an episode of Gunsmoke.

Career

Acting career

Garrett's more notable performances include: the breakthrough role of Jimmy Henderson in Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice (1969); the protagonist's son Mike Pusser from the Walking Tall movies (1973, 1975, 1977) and the recurring role of Zack Russell on the ABC TV series Family. Leif also played the role of Leonard Unger, the son of Felix Unger (Tony Randall), on the ABC series The Odd Couple, a part that previously was played by Willie Aames.
In the fall of 1975, Garrett, at fourteen, appeared in the role of Endy Karras in a 12-week CBS drama series Three for the Road, with Alex Rocco as his father, Pete Karras, and Vincent Van Patten as his older brother, John Karras. The story line is that of a father and two sons, grief stricken over the death of their wife and mother sell their house, buy a recreational vehicle, and roam throughout the United States.

Music career

In autumn of 1976, Garrett signed a recording contract with Atlantic Records and recorded his first album, Leif Garrett. The album was released in 1977, and his first four singles charted modestly on the US Hot 100. His cover version of "Runaround Sue" reached the highest at #13. In mid-1978 he signed with Scotti Brothers Records and recorded his second album, Feel the Need. Its first single, "I Was Made For Dancin'", reached #10 on the US Hot 100 and #4 on the British chart in early-1979. However, subsequent singles failed to crack the Top 20 in either country. Nevertheless, Garrett continued to record, releasing the albums Same Goes For You (1979), Can't Explain (1980) and My Movie of You (1981) in quick succession.

Return to acting

In the 1980s Garrett returned to acting, appearing in a small role as Bob Sheldon in the 1983 Francis Ford Coppola film The Outsiders. In 1985 he starred in Shaker Run as a mechanic and in Thunder Alley as the lead singer of a pop band that is torn apart by drugs. Other notable Leif Garrett movies from the decade include Delta Fever and the horror film Cheerleader Camp.

1990-2003: Return to singing and acting and new career with theatre

After a break from 1990 to 1995, Garrett returned to acting and singing, appearing in the 1995 low-budget horror film Dominion, touring with The Melvins and recording vocals for their cover of "Smells Like Teen Spirit" on The Crybaby (2000). In 1998 he released a greatest-hits compilation, The Leif Garrett Collection, and in 1999 formed the band Godspeed with Christopher Wade Damerst and Michael Scott (The Distortions, Deadtime Stories). They recorded a three-song EP on Garrett's own label - Tongue and Groove Records - and debuted on The Rosie O'Donnell Show, but broke up after only a few performances.
Garrett's stage work includes playing the title role in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and, in late 2000, appearing in the National Theatre of the Deaf's production of A Child's Christmas In Wales. He also appeared in summer stock at The Barn Theatre's production of Old Timer in 2001.
In 2003 Garrett appeared as himself in the David Spade film Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star. He also co-wrote and sang "Former Child Star" for the film's soundtrack and was one of the singers of "Child Stars on Your Television", which played over the ending credits.

2006-present: Recent work

In September 2006, Garrett appeared on the celebrity edition of Fear Factor. He won the grand prize of US$50,000.
On New Year's Eve 2006, Garrett first appeared in Las Vegas with retro act Original Idols LIVE!, hosted by Barry Williams. The show also featured the Bay City Rollers, Bo Donaldson and The Heywoods and The Cowsills, with selected appearances by Merrill Osmond, Tony DeFranco and Danny Bonaduce.
In August 2007, CMT cast Garrett in the short-lived Ty Murray’s Celebrity Bull Riding Challenge, among nine celebrities appearing on the show. However, he quit after one show, citing soreness and lack of desire to continue.
In November 2007, Garrett released his new album, Three Sides of.... He voiced himself in the animated television series Family Guy episode "The Thin White Line".
In 2008 the producers of TruTV's The Smoking Gun Presents: World's Dumbest... added Garrett to their cast, which features comedic commentary from celebrities like Garrett who have had brushes with the law. Garrett frequently spoofs his past troubles and public persona, and participates in a wide variety of sketches and skits drummed up for him by the show's producers. Garrett often takes the majority of the show's good-natured abuse from the other celebrities for his past drug use and perceived lack of career success, and is often accused of being the person in the videos. In a 2010 episode, Garrett reenacted his most recent arrest with two actors portraying police officers.
Garrett toured South Korea in May 2010, with shows in Seoul and Busan. This marked the 30th anniversary when Garrett performed in Korea in June 1980. Garrett was a cast member in the fourth season of Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew, which documented Garrett's struggle with addiction to heroin. The season premiered December 1, 2010. His mother, Carolyn Steller, who was battling Level 4 lung cancer, appeared in Episode 7, which was filmed during Family Day, when the recovering addicts were visited by their loved ones to discuss how their addiction affected their family relationship.

Personal life

Beginning in 1979 Garrett dated English actress Nicolette Sheridan; the two split six years later. Two decades later Garrett credited Sheridan for helping him at the start of his career, and said of her "She's a special person in my life."

Legal troubles

In 1979, three days before his 18th birthday, Garrett crashed his car while under the influence of Quaaludes and alcohol. The accident left his passenger and best friend Roland Winkler a paraplegic. Although Garrett publicly promised to look after Winkler, the Winkler family filed a $25 million negligence lawsuit against him. Garrett insisted that he did not have the money, and the suit was eventually settled out of court for $7.1 million, leaving the friends estranged until Winkler was approached by VH1 to film a 1999 episode of the television series Behind The Music. The episode featured Garrett's reunion with an apology to Winkler.
On January 14, 2006, Garrett was arrested on a Los Angeles subway platform for allegedly not having a ticket. Authorities found Heroin in his possession and held him without bail after discovering a warrant for his arrest for violating probation from a previous cocaine arrest.
On May 11, 2006, Garrett was sentenced to three years' probation and a 90-day jail sentence after he failed to complete a court-ordered live-in drug rehabilitation program.
On February 1, 2010, Garrett was arrested again for possession of narcotics. After denying having any drugs in his possession, he finally admitted to police that he had black tar heroin in his shoe. He posted $10,000 bail and was charged with a felony count of heroin possession. On October 18, 2010, Leif Garrett pleaded no contest to heroin possession in Los Angeles and entered a court-ordered rehab program.

Death

On June 5th, 2011 it was reported that Garrett's mother, Carolyn Steller, found him unconscious and unresponsive when she entered his apartment. Paramedics pronounced Garrett dead when they arrived on the scene.

Discography

Albums

• 1977 - Leif Garrett US #37
• 1978 - Feel the Need US #34
• 1979 - Same Goes for You US #129
• 1980 - Can't Explain US #185
• 1981 - My Movie of You
• 1998 - The Leif Garrett Collection
• 2003 - "F8" pronounced 'Fate'
• 2007 - Three Sides of...

Chart singles

• 1977 "Surfin' USA" US #20
• 1978 "Put Your Head on My Shoulder" US #58
• 1978 "Runaround Sue" US #13
• 1978 "The Wanderer" US #49
• 1979 "I Was Made for Dancin'" US #10, UK #4
• 1979" "Feel the Need" US #57, UK #38
• 1979 "When I Think of You" US #78
• 1980 "I Was Looking for Someone to Love" US #78
• 1980 "Memorize Your Number" US #60
• 1981 "Runaway Rita" US #84

Uncharted singles

• 1976 "I Go To Pieces" US 20th Century Records
• 1976 "Come Back When You Grow Up" US 20th Century Records

Other recording appearances

Garrett has sung on releases by The Melvins (The Crybaby), The Crush Ups ("Betty Ford For X-Mas") and Liberty n' Justice ("Sight Unseen" on Soundtrack of a Soul), among others.

REISSUE: "I'm A Man' by Macho - Disco Video Mix by Glenn Rivera

The 1969 film, "Midnight Cowboy" is a story of a small town cowboy who move to New York to become a hustler -- his demeanor at the opening of our story says everything about a belief in machismo and the reflection of his self-power.

I have taken the energy from this tale and weaved it closely with the disco classic, "I'm A Man" by Macho from 1978 -- Produced and composed by Mauro Malavasi -- it is a cover from the Spencer Davis Group original released 1967.
Tom Savarese executed the extended mix.

Jon Voight is definitely taking this role to the extreme with his bold performance which I believe assisted this film in winning the 1969 award for best picture. It was originally rated as a "X" due to much of the content and then later changed to a strong "R" rating -- since no-one wanted to uphold an Academy Award winning film being "X" rated.

This Video Mix is dedicated to Remicks from Disco Music.com for his request of this collage of visions. "Thanks as, always, Remick."

Featuring scenes from "Midnight Cowboy" - RENT THE DVD!
Disco Video Mix by Glenn Rivera
Produced by Ken Emmons