Leland Sklar
| Leland Sklar | |
|---|---|
 Sklar performing live in 2017 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Leland Bruce Sklar |
| Born | May 28, 1947[1] Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Origin | Southern California, U.S. |
| Genres |
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| Occupation(s) | Session musician |
| Instruments |
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| Years active | 1962–Present |
| Associated acts |
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Leland Bruce Sklar (born May 28, 1947) is an American electric bass guitarist and session musician. He is a member of the Los Angeles-based instrumental group The Section, who served as the de facto house band of Asylum Records and were one of the progenitors of the soft rock sound prevalent on top-40 radio in the 1970s and 1980s. Besides appearing as the backing band on numerous recordings by artists such as Jackson Browne, Carole King, Phil Collins, Linda Ronstadt, and James Taylor, the Section also released three solo albums of instrumental rock. Both in The Section and separately, Sklar has contributed to over 2,000 albums as a session musician. He also has toured with James Taylor, Toto, Phil Collins and other major rock and pop acts, and recorded many soundtracks to films and television shows.
Early life and career[]
Sklar studied at California State University, Northridge. [2] It was during that time he met James Taylor, who invited him to play bass at some venues. They both thought that the work would be short-term, but soon Taylor's career took off with his first hit records, and Sklar came into the limelight and was asked to record with other artists.[3] In the late ‘60s he was briefly the bass player of the band Wolfgang, which featured Ricky Lancelotti as their vocalist. However, their only recordings were unreleased demo tracks. In the 1970s, Sklar worked so frequently with drummer Russ Kunkel, guitarist Danny Kortchmar, and keyboardist Craig Doerge that they eventually became known as "The Section" and recorded three albums under that name between 1972 and 1977.
Equipment[]
Sklar's favorite instrument is a bass guitar assembled from parts of various basses, consisting of a Fender Precision Bass body, Precision Bass neck which has been shaved down to the proportions of a Fender Jazz Bass and fitted with mandolin wire frets and two sets of reversed position EMG Precision Bass pickups. It has been used on nearly all of his recordings and he refers to it as the "Frankenstein bass".[4]
In 2004, Sklar began playing a signature model five-string bass made by Dingwall Guitars.[5] This was his main bass on tour and was also used in various recordings. The bass uses fanned frets, which result in longer low strings and shorter high strings.
In 2010, Sklar began playing the Warwick Star Bass II, which has since become his main bass in the studio.[6]
In 2013, after years of having been a Warwick Star Bass II user, he became an endorser of that instrument.[7][8]
At Winter NAMM 2016, Warwick announced their Lee Sklar signature bass, based on the Star Bass but with an offset body shape and a forearm contour.[9]
Previously, Sklar also had signature instruments from Gibson and Valley Arts Guitar.
Selected discography[]
Selected albums[10][]
- Air Supply — The Vanishing Race (1993)
- Peter Allen — I Could Have Been a Sailor (1979)
- America — Alibi (1980)
- Bronson Arroyo — Covering the Bases (2005)
- Vanessa Carlton — Be Not Nobody (2002)
- Hoyt Axton:
- Road Songs (1977)
- Pistol Packin' Mama/Spin of the Wheel (1998)
- Barefoot Servants:
- Barefoot Servants (1994)
- Barefoot Servants 2 (2005)
- Carole Bayer Sager:
- Carole Bayer Sager (1977)
- Too (1978)
- Sometimes Late at Night (1981)
- Py Bäckman — P20Y10 (2010)
- Cat Beach— Love Me Out Loud — (2009)
- Regina Belle — Passion (1993)
- Barbi Benton — Something New (1975)
- Marc Benno and the Nightcrawlers — Crawlin (2009)
- Louis Bertignac - (2014)
- Stephen Bishop — Bish (1978)
- Clint Black:
- The Hard Way — (1992)
- No Time to Kill — (1993)
- Looking for Christmas — (1995)
- Nothin' but the Taillights — (1997)
- Christmas with You — (2004)
- Ronee Blakley — Ronee Blakley (1972)
- Suzy Bogguss:
- Aces (1991)
- Voices in the Wind (1992)
- Something Up My Sleeve (1993)
- Simpatico (1994)
- Give Me Some Wheels (1996)
- Nobody Love, Nobody Gets Hurt (1998)
- Karla Bonoff — Karla Bonoff (1977)
- Laura Branigan — Branigan (1982)
- Sarah Brightman — As I Came of Age (1998)
- Cate Brothers - Cate Brothers (1975)
- Jackson Browne:
- Jackson Browne (1972)
- For Everyman (1973)
- The Pretender (1976)
- Running on Empty (1977)
- Peabo Bryson/Roberta Flack — Born to Love (1983)
- Jimmy Buffett — Boats, Beaches, Bars & Ballads (1992)
- Steve Camp — Consider the Cost (1991)
- Glen Campbell — Bloodline (1976)
- Paulette Carlson - Love Goes On (1991)
- Eric Carmen — Change of Heart (1978)
- Kim Carnes:
- Kim Carnes (1975)
- St. Vincent's Court (1979)
- Barking at Airplanes (1985)
- View from the House (1988)
- David Cassidy:
- The Higher They Climb (1975)
- Home Is Where the Heart Is (1976)
- Steven Curtis Chapman:
- Heaven in the Real World (1994)
- The Music of Christmas (1995)
- Signs of Life (1996)
- Greatest Hits (1997)
- Declaration (2001)
- All About Love (2003)
- Ray Charles — My World (1993)
- Billy Cobham — Spectrum (1973)
- Joe Cocker "Heart and Soul" (2004)
- Leonard Cohen — The Future (1992)
- Jude Cole - A View From Third Street (1990)
- Phil Collins:
- No Jacket Required (1985)
- ...But Seriously (1989)
- Serious Hits... Live! (1990)
- ...Hits (1998)
- Finally, The First Farewell Tour (2004)
- Rita Coolidge:
- The Lady's Not for Sale (1972)
- Fall into Spring (1974)
- It's Only Love (1975)
- Anytime, Anywhere (1977)
- Crosby & Nash:
- Graham Nash David Crosby (1972)
- Crosby & Nash (2004)
- Crosby, Stills & Nash:
- Daylight Again (1982)
- Live It Up (1990)
- Carry On (1998)
- Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young:
- Replay (1980)
- David Crosby:
- Thousand Roads (1993)
- Croz (2014)
- Gene Clark:
- No Other (1974)
- Catie Curtis — Catie Curtis (1997)
- Paul D'Adamo — (2010)
- Jackie DeShannon — New Arrangement (1975)
- Neil Diamond:
- Lovescape (1991)
- Christmas Album (1992)
- Dion — Streetheart (1976)
- Thomas Dolby — Astronauts and Heretics (1992)
- Donovan:
- 7-Tease (1973)
- Cosmic Wheels (1973)
- Slow Down World (1976)
- The Doors — Full Circle (1972)
- Chris Eaton — Wonderful World (1995)
- Randy Edelman:
- If Love Is Real (1977)
- You're the One (1979)
- England Dan & John Ford Coley — Dr. Heckle & Mr. Jive (1978)
- Yvonne Elliman:
- Night Flight (1978)
- Yvonne (1979)
- Lara Fabian — Wonderful Life (2004)
- Mimi Fariña — Mimi Fariña & Tom Jans (1971)
- Kinky Friedman — Kinky Friedman (1974)
- Richie Furay — I Still Have Dreams (1979)
- Ana Gabriel — Vivencias (1996)
- Art Garfunkel:
- Breakaway (1975)
- Songs from a Parent to a Child (1997)
- Garou — Seul (2000)
- Giorgio— Party Of The Century — (2010)
- Vince Gill:
- The Way Back Home (1987)
- Let There Be Peace on Earth (1993)
- High Lonesome Sound (1996)
- Chuck Girard — Glow in the Dark (1976)
- Andrew Gold — What's Wrong With This Picture? (1976)
- Amy Grant:
- Legacy...Hymns and Faith (2002)
- Simple Things (2003)
- Tami Gunden — (1987)
- Arlo Guthrie — Last of the Brooklyn Cowboys (1973)
- Alejandra Guzmán — Algo Natural (1999)
- Sammy Hagar — The Best Of Sammy Hagar (1992)
- Merle Haggard — Chicago Wind (2005)
- Hall & Oates:
- Daryl Hall & John Oates (1975)
- Bigger Than Both of Us (1976)
- Beauty on a Back Street (1977)
- Mari Hamada — Introducing... Mari Hamada (1993)
- Don Henley — I Can't Stand Still (1982)
- Michael W. Herndon:
- "Even in the Rain" (2000)
- "The Spirit of the Sun" (2008)
- Faith Hill — Cry (2002)
- Roger Hodgson — Hai Hai (1987)
- Engelbert Humperdinck — After Dark (1996)
- Brian Hyland — Brian Hyland (1970)
- Enrique Iglesias — Vivir (1997)
- Julio Iglesias — Crazy (1994)
- Freddie Jackson — Time for Love (1992)
- Michael Jackson
- Flaco Jiménez — Partners (1992)
- John Kay — My Sportin' Life (1973)
- Sally Kellerman; "Sally" (2009)
- Casey Kelly — Casey Kelly (1972)
- Carole King — Thoroughbred (1976)
- Danny Kortchmar — Innuendo (1980)
- Kris Kristofferson:
- Spooky Lady's Sideshow (1974)
- Who's to Bless and Who's to Blame (1975)
- Surreal Thing (1976)
- Kris Kristofferson and Rita Coolidge — Full Moon (1973)
- Leah Kunkel — Leah Kunkel (1979)
- Wynonna Judd — Wynonna (1992)
- Dave Lambert - (1979)
- Daniel Lavoie — Woman to Man (1994)
- Lisa Loeb:
- Firecracker (1997)
- Cake and Pie (2002)
- Hello Lisa (2002)
- Lyle Lovett:
- Lyle Lovett and His Large Band (1989)
- Joshua Judges Ruth (1992)
- The Road to Ensenada (1996)
- Step Inside This House (1998)
- Steve Lukather
- Lukather (1989)
- Ever Changing Times (2008)[11]
- The Manhattan Transfer — Offbeat of Avenues (1991)
- Amanda Marshall — Amanda Marshall (1996)
- Yumi Matsutoya:
- The 14th Moon (1976)
- The Gates of Heaven (1990)
- Dawn Purple (1991)
- Tears and Reasons (1992)
- acacia (2001)
- Ricky Martin — A Medio Vivir (1995)
- Richard Marx:
- Rush Street (1991)
- Paid Vacation (1994)
- McCluskey — A Long Time Coming (1978)
- Maureen McCormick — When You Get a Little Lonely (1995)
- Reba McEntire:
- The Last One to Know (1987)
- Sweet Sixteen (1989)
- For My Broken Heart (1991)
- Read My Mind (1994)
- Starting Over (1995)
- Greatest Collection (2004)
- Pat McGee - Pat McGee (2015)
- Roger McGuinn:
- Roger McGuinn (1973)
- Peace on You (1974)
- Born to Rock & Roll (1992)
- Barry McGuire — Lighten Up (1974)
- Bette Midler — Broken Blossom (1977)
- Giorgio Moroder — Cat People (1982)
- Miyuki Nakajima:
- Hi: Wings (1999)
- Tsuki: Wings (1999)
- Short Stories (2000)
- Lullaby for the Soul (2001)
- Otogibanashi: Fairy Ring (2002)
- Graham Nash — Innocent Eyes (1986)
- Dan Navarro — Shed My Skin (2018)
- Aaron Neville:
- Aaron Neville's Soulful Christmas (1993)
- To Make Me Who I Am (1997)
- Randy Newman:
- Land of Dreams (1988)
- Randy Newman's Faust (1995)
- Joanna Newsom — Ys (2006)
- Olivia Newton-John — Making a Good Thing Better (1977)
- The Oak Ridge Boys:
- Heart Beat (1987)
- Monongahela (1987)
- Mike Oldfield:
- Man On The Rocks (2014)
- Nigel Olsson — Nigel Olsson (1978)
- Judith Owen — Ebb & Flow (2014)
- Jamie Owens — Growing Pains (1975)
- Twila Paris — Perennial: Songs for the Seasons of Life (1998)
- Van Dyke Parks:
- Moonlighting: Live at the Ash Grove (1998)
- Songs Cycled (2013)
- Dolly Parton:
- 9 to 5 and Odd Jobs (1980)
- Dolly, Dolly, Dolly (1980)
- Heartbreak Express (1982)
- Rainbow (1987)
- Laura Pausini
- Entre Tu y Mil Mares / Tra Te e il Mare (2000)
- From The Inside (2002)
- Herb Pedersen:
- Southwest (1976)
- Sandman (1977)
- Lonesome Feeling (1984)
- Bernadette Peters:
- Bernadette Peters (1980)
- Bernadette (1992)
- Shawn Phillips:
- Faces (1972)
- Bright White (1973)
- Spaced (1977)
- Transcendence (1978)
- No Category (2002)
- Poco — Legacy — (1989)
- Point of Grace:
- Steady On (1998)
- Christmas Story (1999)
- Steve Poltz — One Left Shoe (1998)
- Bonnie Raitt — Nine Lives (1986)
- Willis Alan Ramsey — Willis Alan Ramsey (1972)
- Helen Reddy — Helen Reddy (1971)
- Cliff Richard — Heathcliff — (1996)
- Turley Richards — (1971)Expressions
- LeAnn Rimes:
- Twisted Angel (2002)
- What a Wonderful World (2004)
- Lee Ritenour — Banded Together (1984)
- Johnny Rivers — Last Train to Memphis (1998)
- Linda Ronstadt:
- Don't Cry Now (1973)
- Cry Like a Rainstorm, Howl Like the Wind (1989)
- Winter Light (1994)
- Feels Like Home (1995)
- We Ran (1998)
- Mi Jardín Azul: Las Canciones Favoritas (2004)
- Diana Ross:
- To Love Again (1981)
- The Force Behind the Power (1991)
- Vasco Rossi — Buoni o Cattivi (2004)
- Jennifer Rush — Heart Over Mind (1987)
- Marta Sánchez:
- Desconocida (1998)
- Soy Yo (2002)
- David Sanborn — Love Songs (1976)
- Véronique Sanson:
- Le maudit (1973)
- Sans regrets (1992)
- Zenith 93 (1993)
- Comme ils l'imaginent (1996)
- Indestructible (1998)
- D'un papillon à une étoile (1999)
- Longue Distance (2004)
- Leo Sayer — Leo Sayer (1978)
- Joey Scarbury — America's Greatest Hero (1981)
- Darrell Scott — Family Tree (1999)
- 2nd Chapter of Acts:
- The Roar of Love (1980)
- Singer Sower (1983)
- The Section:
- Section (1972)
- Forward Motion (1973)
- Fork It Over (1977)
- Neil Sedaka:
- Hungry Years (1975)
- Sedaka's Back (1975)
- Steppin' Out (1976)
- In the Pocket (1980)
- Vonda Shepard — Heart and Soul: New Songs From Ally McBeal (1999)
- Carly Simon — Playing Possum (1975)
- Ricky Skaggs:
- Love's Gonna Get Ya (1986)
- My Father's Son (1991)
- Michael W. Smith:
- Michael W. Smith 2 (1984)
- I'll Lead You Home (1995)
- Christmastime (1998)
- Christmas Collection (2004)
- The Spencer Davis Group — Mousetrap (1972)
- Jimmie Spheeris — The Original Tap Dancing Kid (1973)
- Rick Springfield — Mission Magic (1974)
- John Stewart — The Lonesome Picker Rides Again (1971)
- Rod Stewart:
- Atlantic Crossing (1975)
- A Night on the Town (1976)
- Stephen Stills:
- Stills (1975)
- Turnin' Back the Pages (2003)
- George Strait:
- Ocean Front Property (1987)
- Strait Out of the Box (1995)
- Barbra Streisand — Love Like Ours (1999)
- Daryl Stuermer — Live & Learn (1998)
- Donna Summer — The Wanderer (1980)
- — (1974)
- James Taylor:
- Mud Slide Slim and the Blue Horizon (1971)
- One Man Dog— (1972)
- Gorilla— (1975)
- Greatest Hits— (1976)
- In the Pocket— (1976)
- JT— (1977)
- Flag— (1979)
- Dad Loves His Work— (1981)
- That's Why I'm Here— (1985)
- Never Die Young— (1988)
- Live in Rio— (1991)
- The Best of James Taylor— (2003)
- Live at the Troubadour—2010
- Kate Taylor — Sister Kate (1971)
- Livingston Taylor — There You Are Again (2005)
- Billy Thorpe:
- Children Of The Sun (1979)
- 21st Century Man (1981)
- Terence Trent d'Arby — Terence Trent d'Arby's Symphony or Damn (1993)
- Toto
- Falling in Between Live (2007)
- Toto XIV (2015)
- Tanya Tucker — Should I Do It (1981)
- Michelle Tumes — Dream (2001)
- Anna Vissi — Everything I Am (2001)
- Clay Walker:
- Clay Walker (1993)
- Live, Laugh, Love — (1999)
- Few Questions — (2003)
- Jennifer Warnes — Well (2001)
- Dionne Warwick — Hot! Live and Otherwise (1981)
- The Weather Girls — Success (1983)
- Jimmy Webb:
- Angel Heart (1982)
- Suspending Disbelief (1993)
- Bernie Williams — The Journey Within (2003)
- Paul Williams — Back to Love Again (1999)
- Robbie Williams — Escapology (2002)
- Wilson Phillips — Shadows and Light (1992)
- Lee Ann Womack — Something Worth Leaving Behind (2002)
- Trisha Yearwood — Everybody Knows (1996)
- Takuro Yoshida — Long Time No See (1996)
- Jesse Colin Young — Walk the Talk (2003)
- Warren Zevon:
- Excitable Boy — (1978)
- Bad Luck Streak in Dancing School — (1980)
- The Envoy — (1982)
- Sentimental Hygiene — (1987)
- I'll Sleep When I'm Dead (An Anthology) — (1996)
Selected film and television soundtracks[]
- Annabelle's Wish (Motion picture soundtrack) — (1997)
- Black Dog (Motion picture soundtrack) — (1998)
- Cat People (1982 film)
- Catwalk (Television soundtrack) — (1994)
- Conspiracy Theory (Motion picture soundtrack) — (1997)
- Coyote Ugly (Motion picture soundtrack) — (2000)
- Doctor Detroit (Motion picture soundtrack)
- Dr. T & the Women (Motion picture soundtrack) — (2000)
- For Love of the Game (Motion picture soundtrack) — (1999)
- Legally Blonde (Motion picture soundtrack) — (2001)
- Message in a Bottle (Motion picture soundtrack) — (1999)
- Metropolis (Motion picture soundtrack) — (1984)
- Phantom of the Paradise (Motion picture soundtrack) — (1974)
- The Postman (Motion picture soundtrack) — (1997)
- The Prince of Egypt (Motion picture soundtrack) — (1998)
- Sleepwalkers (Motion picture soundtrack) — (1992)
- (Motion picture soundtrack) — (1994)
- The Rockford Files (TV Main Theme) — (1974)
- Magnum P.I. (TV Main Theme) — (1980)
- Hill Street Blues (TV Main Theme) — (1981)
- (TV Main Theme) — (1981)
- The A-Team (TV Main Theme) — (1983)
- Hunter (TV Main Theme) — (1984)
- ALF (TV Main Theme) — (1986)
- Quantum Leap (TV Main Theme) — (1989)
- Doogie Howser, M.D. (TV Main Theme) — (1989)
Selected film appearances[]
- Rhinestone (Actor: Rhinestone House Band, as Lee Sklar) — (1984)
- Ticker (Actor: Blues Band Bass) — (2001)
References[]
- ^ Leland Sklar at AllMusic
- ^ Levy, Piet. "Milwaukee-born bass legend Leland Sklar keeps busy during pandemic with YouTube channel, new band, coffee table book". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
- ^ Session Players biography. Archived June 5, 2008, at the Wayback Machine Accessed November 2008.
- ^ "Interview: bass legend Leland Sklar on sessions, gear and getting hired". musicradar.com. Archived from the original on February 27, 2018. Retrieved May 5, 2018.
- ^ "Lee Sklar Signature". Dingwall Guitars. Archived from the original on May 18, 2014. Retrieved May 24, 2014.
- ^ "Lee Sklar is the Latest Member of the Warwick Family". bassmusicianmagazine.com. Archived from the original on November 28, 2013. Retrieved May 5, 2018.
- ^ "Lee Sklar is the Latest Member of the Warwick Family". Bass Musician Magazine. Archived from the original on November 28, 2013. Retrieved November 26, 2013.
- ^ "Lee Sklar is the Latest Member of the Warwick Family". Warwick. Archived from the original on December 2, 2013. Retrieved November 26, 2013.
- ^ "[NAMM] Warwick Lee Sklar Signature". audiofanzine.com. January 22, 2016. Archived from the original on December 7, 2016. Retrieved May 5, 2018.
- ^ 601. The Immediate Family ‘Cruel Twist’, retrieved June 19, 2021
- ^ "Albums". stevelukather.net. February 22, 2008. Archived from the original on August 30, 2011. Retrieved August 10, 2011.
External links[]
- Leland Sklar's YouTube Channel
- Lee Sklar Reflects on his Career
- Interview: bass legend Leland Sklar on sessions, gear and getting hired
- Lee Sklar on ON THE HIT with DEANE OGDEN podcast, April 2, 2014
- 2014 Audio Interview with Lee Sklar from the I'd Hit That Podcast
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Leland Sklar. |
- Visceglia, Mike (January 2003). "Interviews: Leland Sklar". Mike Visceglia. Archived from the original on May 16, 2006. Retrieved March 8, 2008. interview by Mike Visceglia
- Rhythm Circle Session Players
- Leland Sklar Interview - The Studio Musician's Handbook
- Bass Routes - A Leland Sklar Discography Blog
- Reggie Boyle talking with Lee Sklar!, Steve Lukather site
- Leland Sklar at AllMusic
- Leland Sklar at IMDb
- Interview with Leland Sklar NAMM Oral History Library (2010)
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Categories:
- 1947 births
- Living people
- Musicians from Milwaukee
- California State University, Northridge alumni
- American country bass guitarists
- American male bass guitarists
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- Guitarists from Wisconsin
- Hall & Oates members
- Mexican-guitarron players
- 20th-century American bass guitarists
- 20th-century American male musicians
- 21st-century American bass guitarists
- 21st-century American male musicians