Roberta Parkin, Redferns When producer Julian Raymond joined the staff at Capitol Records, he was asked who he'd like to work with from a list of greats on the roster. Glen Campbell's name wasn't on the list. But Campbell was once one of the country's biggest stars, with hits such as 'Wichita Lineman' and 'Galveston' and his own primetime ...

Getty|WireImage|Getty With new albums available from actors Jeff Bridges and Tim Robbins -- who records with the colorfully named Rogues Gallery Band -- it's time to revisit the checkered history of actors dabbling in music. It's always hit or miss when Hollywood stars step in front of the ...

Rick Diamond/WireImage Steve Cropper was amazed to learn recently that he has played on more than 3,000 records. Many of those have been stone classics, such as Otis Redding's '(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay,' Wilson Pickett's 'In the Midnight Hour' and Sam and Dave's 'Soul Man,' on which Sam Moore famously hollered "Play it, Steve!" ...

Apple Films Inc. George Harrison's reluctance as a frontman was, oddly enough, a major reason behind the success of the Concert for Bangladesh, his close friend Klaus Voormann tells Spinner. "The fact is, George was never a frontman," recalls Voormann, who played bass in the band for the historic concert, which took place at Madison Square ...

It's become an election-season occurrence as common as kissing babies: A politician uses a popular tune as a campaign song, and a songwriter immediately sends them a cease-and-desist letter. Tom Petty recently asked Republican presidential candidate Michele Bachmann to refrain from using his song 'American ...

Electraphonic Recordings Ben Cauley was the sole survivor of the plane crash that took the lives of Otis Redding and four members of the Bar-Kays, the singer's backing band. The trumpeter still has nightmares about regaining consciousness in the cold water of the Wisconsin lake where the plane went down. Was he afraid to fly after the ...

GAB Archive/Redferns Before there was Motown, it took a pint-sized dynamo named Little Willie John to put Detroit on the musical map. One fellow performer insisted that it was John, not James Brown, who should have been called Soul Brother Number One. He recorded the first version of 'Fever,' the great torch song, and the original 'Need Your ...