Dawna Lee Heising of EOE Interviews Filmmaker Denny Tedesco of THE WRECKING CREW at NAMM 2011

Dawna Lee Heising of Eye on Entertainment interviewed filmmaker Denny Tedesco about his documentary “The Wrecking Crew”, which was shown at NAMM 2011 in Anaheim, CA on January 16, 2011.  “The Wrecking Crew” is the story of a group of studio musicians in Los Angeles in the 1960’s. Notable artists employing the Wrecking Crew's talents included Nancy Sinatra, Bobby Vee, The Partridge Family, The Mamas & the Papas, The Carpenters, The 5th Dimension, John Denver and Simon & Garfunkel.  Producer Phil Spector used the Crew to create his trademark "Sound” and Beach Boys leader Brian Wilson used the Crew's talents on many of his mid-60s productions including the songs "Good Vibrations", "California Girls", the acclaimed album Pet Sounds and the original recordings for Smile.  The Wrecking Crew were inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame on November 26, 2007.

Members of The Wrecking Crew included:

• guitar: Glen Campbell, Barney Kessel, Tommy Tedesco, Al Casey, Carol Kaye, Billy Strange, Don Peake, Howard Roberts, James Burton, Jerry Cole, Bill Aken, Mike Deasy, Ray Pohlman, Bill Pitman
• saxophone: Steve Douglas, Jay Migliori, Jim Horn, Plas Johnson, Nino Tempo, Gene Cipriano
• trumpet: Roy Caton (contractor), Tony Terran, Ollie Mitchell
• trombone: Lou Blackburn, Richard "Slyde" Hyde, Lew McCreary
• keyboards: Leon Russell, Mac Rebennack (aka Dr. John), Mike Melvoin, Don Randi, Larry Knechtel, Al Delory, Mike (Michel) Rubini
• bass: Carol Kaye, Joe Osborn, Max Bennett, Chuck Berghofer, Ray Pohlman, Larry Knechtel, Lyle Ritz, Jimmy Bond (007), Bill Pitman
• drums: Hal Blaine, Earl Palmer, Jim Gordon
• percussion: Julius Wechter, Gary L. Coleman, Frank Capp (contractor)
• conductor/arranger: Jack Nitzsche
• harmonica: Tommy Morgan

 Though not an official member, Sonny Bono did hang out and contribute to sessions recorded by the Crew. Glen Campbell later achieved solo fame as a singer-guitarist in the 1960s and 1970s, and Leon Russell and Mac Rebennack (as Dr. John) both went on to be successful songwriters and had hit singles and albums. Guitar Player magazine cites Wrecking Crew member Tommy Tedesco as "the most recorded guitarist in history".

The documentary “The Wrecking Crew” delivers in-depth profiles of some of the studio elite ... often in the words of the artists themselves. In addition, viewers are treated to some rarely seen vintage clips of the era ... most of which has never been seen by the general public before.  Denny Tedesco started the project in 1995 when his father, Tommy Tedesco, was diagnosed with terminal cancer. He wanted to let the world know about what impact his father and his friends made in musical history. To see the EOE interview with Denny Tedesco at NAMM 2011, please visit:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tzE_X2OyRGE

 Members of “The Wrecking Crew” documentary team included producer, director and writer Denny Tedesco, producer Jon Leonoudakis, Damon Tedesco, Suzie Tedesco, Mitchell Linden, and Claire Scanlon.  The directors of photography were Rodney Taylor and Trish Govoni. Tedesco is in the process of nailing down the final funds for licensing for festivals.  For more information, please visit:  http://www.wreckingcrew.tv

About Eye on Entertainment
"Eye on Entertainment", a division of Eye on Excellence™ Productions, is aired twice weekly on Time Warner Cable in Southern California and on Cox, Comcast and Verizon in Washington DC.  The EOE team covers entertainment and music events, film festivals, red carpets and award shows, and features interviews with successful people in all walks of life, exploring the traits they have in common. Dawna Lee Heising, EOE executive producer and host, is a member of SAG & AFTRA, has an MBA and PhD and is Ms. Universe 2010.  To schedule appearances or films, please contact Matt Chassin at matt@mattsmarketing.com. The EOE team includes Linda Maxwell of Time Warner Cable, producer/director John Cox, producer Jerry Moore, director Steve Van Wormer, editor Gordon Michael, graphic designer Mark Schrimmer, music directors Dino Maddalone and Brett “Jmusiz”, PR manager Stan Goodrich and photographers David McNeil and Kevin Le.  Please visit www.eyeonentertainment.tv, www.dawnaleeheising.tv and www.youtube.com/eyeonentertainment