Carol & Glen (TWC #4)

Four members of the Wrecking Crew are pictured here: guitarist Tommy Tedesco, bassist Carol Kaye, drummer Hal Blaine and someone whom you might recognize.
YES, that is Glen Campbell!
Long before his fame and acclaim as a singer–good enough to have his own TV show–Mr. Campbell was a "first-call" in-demand studio guitarist.

One of the songs that propelled Glen Campbell's singing career was Wichita Lineman, written by Jimmy Webb. Glen, of course, used Wrecking Crew musicians to record this song. It may have been the first time the same instrument was significantly played by two different musicians but I will let author Kent Hartman tell the story.

Having looked at the basic chord sheets of Wichita Lineman, Carol Kaye could see that the song lacked an identifiable lick to really kick things off, an attention getter. The biggest hits always had something to catch the listener’s ear right up front...Drawing on her considerable jazz background, where less always meant more, Kaye worked out a simple six-note intro she thought just might do the trick...Then Glen Campbell borrowed her Danelectro electric bass to play a “guitar” solo during the middle section...

Blogger's Notes
I would feel totally incompetent if I did not provide
hyperlinks to Hal Blaine and Tommy Tedesco.

THE WRECKING CREW is worth reading if only to learn
what percussive magic Mr. Blaine did in an elevator shaft
(for Simon & Garfunkel) and what he did with an ash tray
(for Dean Martin).

Tommy Tedesco is imbedded in my memory for two non-Wrecking Crew things.
1) His performance of Stanley Myers' Cavatina in the film THE DEER HUNTER.
2) His presence in the house band for the groundbreaking talk show, FERNWOOD TONIGHT.

Jimmy Webb will get the red ink treatment in  (TWC #5).