Gary Usher Explained
Gary Usher |
Background: | non_performing_personnel |
Birth Name: | Gary Lee Usher |
Birth Date: | 14 December 1938 |
Birth Place: | Los Angeles, California, United States |
Death Place: | Los Angeles, California, United States |
Genre: | Rock and roll, surf music |
Occupation: | Songwriter, record producer |
Years Active: | 1960sā1990 |
Label: | Capitol, Columbia, Together, Lan-Cet |
Gary Lee Usher (December 14, 1938 ā May 25, 1990)[1] was an American rock musician, songwriter, and record producer, who worked with numerous California acts in the 1960s, including the Byrds, the Beach Boys, and Dick Dale. Usher also produced fictitious surf groups or hot rod groups, mixing studio session musicians with his own troops (Chuck Girard, Dick Burns and others). These bands included the Super Stocks (with the hot-rod song "Midnight Run"); the Kickstands;[2] the Hondells with their No. 9 US pop single "Little Honda"; and others.
Death
Usher died of lung cancer at his home in his hometown of Los Angeles, California, on May 25, 1990, at the age of 51.[3] Survivors include his wife, Sue, three sons and a daughter.
Selected discography
Production
- Go Little Honda (1964, The Hondells)
- Hondells (1964, The Hondells)
- Hit City '65 (1965, The Surfaris)
- It Ain't Me, Babe (1965, The Surfaris)
- In Action (1966, Keith Allison)[4]
- An Esoteric Qabalistic Service (1966, Rev. Ann Davies with the Builders of the Adytum Choir)[5]
- Gene Clark with the Gosdin Brothers (1967, Gene Clark)
- Younger Than Yesterday (1967, The Byrds)[1]
- The Peanut Butter Conspiracy Is Spreading (1967, The Peanut Butter Conspiracy)
- Of Cabbages and Kings (1967, Chad & Jeremy)
- The Great Conspiracy (1967, The Peanut Butter Conspiracy)
- Present Tense (1968, Sagittarius)
- The Ark (1968, Chad & Jeremy)[6]
- The Notorious Byrd Brothers (1968, The Byrds)[1]
- Waiting for the Electrician or Someone Like Him (1968, The Firesign Theatre)
- Sweetheart of the Rodeo (1968, The Byrds)[7]
- Wackering Heights (1972, The Wackers)[8]
- Going Public (1977, Bruce Johnston)[9]
- "Sanctuary" (1984, Celestium)[10]
Songwriting
- "409" (1962, The Beach Boys)[1]
- "Lonely Sea" (1962, The Beach Boys)[11]
- "Ten Little Indians" (1962, The Beach Boys)[12]
- "In My Room" (1963, The Beach Boys)[1]
- "Malibu Sunset" (1963, The Beach Boys)
- "Beach Party" (1963, Frankie Avalon)[13]
- "Mag Wheels" (1963, Dick Dale and the Del-Tones)[14]
- "We'll Run Away" (1964, The Beach Boys)[15]
- "Comin' On Too Strong" (1965, Wayne Newton)[16]
- "The Truth Is Not Real" (1968, Sagittarius)[17]
- "The Blue Marble" (1969, Sagittarius)[18]
- "Don't Give In to Him" (1969, Gary Puckett & The Union Gap)[19]
- "(Friend)Ships" (1971, Gary Usher)
- "Sanctuary" (1983, Celestium and later Laura Branigan and the J-Pop artist Reimy)[10]
- "Let's Go To Heaven In My Car" (1986, Brian Wilson)[20] (Note - Gary Usher's son, Gary Usher Jr., played the guitar solo)
- "Christmas Time" (1986, Brian Wilson)
Further reading
- Book: McParland, Stephen J. . none. The California Sound - An Insider's Story. The Musical Biography of Gary Lee Usher . 2000 . CMusic Publishing . B006VXTC3Q.
- Book: McParland, Stephen J. . none. The Brian Wilson Project . 2013 . Berlot . 978-2954483405.
Notes and References
- Web site: Gary Usher Biography, Songs, & Albums. AllMusic. 16 October 2021.
- David N. Howard, Sonic Alchemy: Visionary Music Producers and Their Maverick Recordings, 2004, : "Ever since Usher's early surf and hot rod days, he had been creating fictitious studio groups such as The Super Stocks and The Kickstands, imaginary bands to sate the hungry surf and hot rod record-buying audience."
- News: Gary Usher; Co-Writer of Beach Boys Hits . . 2 June 1990.
- Web site: Vinyl Album: Keith Allison - Keith Allison In Action (1967). 45worlds.com. 16 October 2021.
- Web site: Ann Davies ā "An Esoteric Qabalistic Service" (1975, Gatefold, Vinyl). 16 October 2021. Discogs.com.
- Web site: The Ark - Chad & Jeremy | Credits . AllMusic. 16 October 2021.
- Book: The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Colin Larkin. Guinness Publishing. 1992. First. 0-85112-939-0. 2565.
- Web site: Wackering Heights - Wackers | Credits . AllMusic. 16 October 2021.
- Web site: Going Public - Bruce Johnston | Credits . AllMusic. 16 October 2021.
- Web site: Celestium - Sanctuary. 16 October 2021. 45cat.com.
- Web site: Surfin' U.S.A. - The Beach Boys | Songs, Reviews, Credits . AllMusic. 16 October 2021.
- Web site: Surfin' Safari/Surfin' U.S.A. - The Beach Boys | Songs, Reviews, Credits . AllMusic. 16 October 2021.
- Web site: 25 All-Time Greatest Hits - Frankie Avalon | Songs, Reviews, Credits. AllMusic. 16 October 2021.
- Web site: Mag Wheels - Dick Dale & His Del-Tones | Song Info . AllMusic. 16 October 2021.
- Web site: All Summer Long - The Beach Boys | Songs, Reviews, Credits . AllMusic. 16 October 2021.
- Web site: Coming on Too Strong - Wayne Newton | Song Info . AllMusic. 16 October 2021.
- Web site: Present Tense - Sagittarius | Songs, Reviews, Credits . AllMusic. 16 October 2021.
- Web site: The Blue Marble - Sagittarius | Song Info . AllMusic. 16 October 2021.
- Web site: Greatest Hits [Deluxe] - Gary Puckett, Gary Puckett & the Union Gap | Songs, Reviews, Credits ]. AllMusic. 16 October 2021.
- Web site: Let's Go to Heaven in My Car - Brian Wilson | Song Info . AllMusic. 16 October 2021.