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One of the instructors at the Camp was the great Chuck Rainey. I'm not sure as what he was supposed to teach on this particular day, but he ended up spending quite a bit of time telling stories about his experiences in the music industry. I could listen to that man for a month.
Chuck Rainey has been in the business for a very long time, and he's on "the soundtrack of most people's lives," as another student put it. He's played with Aretha Franklin, Steely Dan, Roberta Flack, The Four Seasons, Michael Jackson, Quincy Jones, Ray Charles -- if you can name them, he's probably played with them. Not to mention radio, TV and movie soundtracks for over two or three decades. To say it was an honor to have met this living legend doesn't quite begin to cover the bases.
His offhand comments about how to fit in with other people in the industry contained invaluable information. "Music is and has always been a referral business -- if people don't like you, you don't get work. It's just as simple as that." (paraphrasing) So, any kind of advice on how to keep the goodwill going can only help. And Chuck's got the experience to know what he's talking about -- thirty years in an industry that lavishly rewards youth with an almost fetishistic devotion doesn't come to just anyone.
Posted by Casper at September 8, 2004 02:15 PM