Waddy Wachtel


Robert "Waddy" Wachtel is an American musician, composer and record producer, most notable for his guitar work. Wachtel has worked as session musician for other artists such as Linda Ronstadt, Stevie Nicks, Keith Richards, The Rolling Stones, Jon Bon Jovi, James Taylor, Iggy Pop, Warren Zevon, Bryan Ferry, Michael Sweet, Jackson Browne, and Andrew Gold, both in the studio and live.

Early years

Wachtel was born May 24, 1947, in Jackson Heights in the New York City borough of Queens. Waddy is Jewish. At about age 9–10, Wachtel began to learn to play the guitar, taking lessons with teacher Gene Dell until about age 14. At that age, he says, he began writing songs.
Wachtel also studied with Rudolph Schramm, who was the head of the NBC staff orchestra and went on to teach music at Carnegie Hall. Schramm tried to get Wachtel to take piano lessons, but Wachtel was intent on playing guitar so Schramm agreed to give him guitar lessons three times a week on rhythm, melody and harmony.
After performing with local bands in the New York area, Wachtel formed his own band, The Orphans, who played in Connecticut and New Hampshire. Eventually the band settled into a regular bar band routine, playing in Newport, Rhode Island, where Wachtel took lessons from Sal Salvador. When the Orphans disbanded, he formed another band, Twice Nicely. At the suggestion of Bud Cowsill, he brought Twice Nicely to Los Angeles in 1968 where they recorded a few demos, but after two years, Wachtel decided to work as a session player, recording with The Cowsills and producing their albums.

Films

In 1972, he made an appearance in the film The Poseidon Adventure with the actual band on stage in the dining room when the ship capsizes.
He also played in the Oscar's awarded short film "Session Man" in 1991.
Wachtel has composed and played instruments for film scores including Joe Dirt, Up in Smoke, Nice Guys Sleep Alone, The Longest Yard, The Benchwarmers, Grandma's Boy, ', Strange Wilderness, The House Bunny, and '. He has also composed, produced, or performed in songs with Warren Zevon, Joe Walsh, Jackson Browne, Linda Ronstadt and others.

Session and touring work

In 1972, he was hired by Warren Zevon to play guitar on The Everly Brothers Stories We Could Tell album and join them in a subsequent tour.
By 1973, he played with Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks on their first album Buckingham Nicks, and on tour. Later, when Nicks and Buckingham joined Fleetwood Mac, he played rhythm guitar on their 1975 album Fleetwood Mac on the track "Sugar Daddy".
In 1980, he wrote, recorded and sang lead vocals on an album for producer Peter Asher with members of Linda Ronstadt's band, including musicians Don Grolnick, Dan Dugmore, Stanley Sheldon and Rick Marotta. Both the group and the album were titled Ronin. Released on the Mercury label, the record never charted.
In 1984 he played on Steve Perry's solo album Street Talk.
He has appeared on hundreds of albums with many different artists and bands.
Production credits include albums by Stevie Nicks, Keith Richards, Jackson Browne, Bryan Ferry, The Church, Sand Rubies, George Thorogood and the Destroyers and Warren Zevon. Wachtel co-wrote several songs with Zevon including "Werewolves of London". He also co-wrote the Warren Zevon song "Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead" from the album Mr. Bad Example. He performed on and co-produced the first two Zevon albums.
Wachtel also shares co-writing credits with Stevie Nicks on a few tracks such as "Annabel Lee", and "I Don't Care".
Wachtel has been credited on some albums as Bob Wachtel, but some online sources have incorrectly credited him as Richard Wachtel on albums on which he was credited as having played guitar.

Legal problem

Wachtel was arrested in 1998 on suspicion of possession of child pornography after images were found on a computer he had at home. Wachtel pleaded no contest and was placed on probation for three years.
Musician Brett Tuggle defended Wachtel saying "there is no way that Stevie would have him in her band if she thought he was guilty of any wrongdoing."

Equipment

Wachtel plays a 1960 Gibson Les Paul and 1957 Fender Stratocaster. He said in a 1980 interview that the newest made guitar he owned was a 1964 Fender Stratocaster. Wachtel purchased the Les Paul guitar from Stephen Stills for $350. In September 2014 the Gibson Custom Shop chose the 1960 Les Paul Waddy Wachtel guitar for their new Collector's Choice series.

2000 to present

Wachtel performs regularly with the Waddy Wachtel Band in the Los Angeles area, notably at The Joint from 2000 through 2013. The band at that time included Phil Jones, Rick Rosas, Bernard Fowler and Blondie Chaplin, among others. He continues to gig with his band, with some personnel changes, while retaining Fowler and Chaplin. Many famous artists have performed with the band as special guests.>
Wachtel appeared on the 2010 Grammy Award television show backing Taylor Swift's live presentation. In Swift's duet with Nicks on the song "Rhiannon", Wachtel was featured on lead guitar.
As of 2020, Wachtel is performing with a group of other Southern California classic rock veterans in a group called "" along with Danny Kortchmar, Leland Sklar, Russ Kunkel, and Steve Postell.

Collaborations

With Andrew Gold
With Ringo Starr
With Keith Richards
With Phoebe Snow
With Jackson Browne
With Bob Seger
With Melissa Etheridge
With Helen Reddy
With Ronnie Hawkins
With J. D. Souther
With Ivan Neville
With John Prine
With Kim Carnes
With Debby Boone
With James Taylor
With Bonnie Raitt
With Linda Ronstadt
With Neil Young
With Rita Coolidge
With Carole King
With Stevie Nicks
With LeAnn Rimes
  • Spitfire
With Don Henley
With Randy Newman
  • Little Criminals
  • Born Again
  • Trouble in Paradise
With Jon Bon Jovi
  • Blaze of Glory
With John Mayer
  • Battle Studies
With Beth Hart
  • Fire on the Floor
With Robbie Williams
  • Escapology
  • Intensive Care
With Bob Dylan
  • Under the Red Sky
With Jackie DeShannon
  • New Arrangement
With Ronnie Wood
  • 1234
  • I Feel Like Playing
With Amanda Marshall
  • Tuesday's Child
With Neil Diamond
With Karla Bonoff
  • Karla Bonoff
  • Restless Nights
  • Wild Heart of the Young
With Gilby Clarke
  • Pawnshop Guitars
  • The Hangover
With Miranda Lambert
  • Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
With Kenny Rogers
  • Love Will Turn You Around
With Dolly Parton
  • The Great Pretender
  • Rainbow
With Wendy Waldman
  • The Main Refrain
With Warren Zevon
  • Warren Zevon
  • Excitable Boy
  • Bad Luck Streak in Dancing School
  • The Envoy
  • Sentimental Hygiene
  • Transverse City
  • Mr. Bad Example
With Bette Midler
  • No Frills
With Cher
  • Cher
With Bryan Ferry
  • The Bride Stripped Bare
With Sheryl Crow
  • Threads
With Graham Nash
  • Innocent Eyes
With Rod Stewart
  • Vagabond Heart
With Maria Muldaur
  • Sweet Harmony
With Rosanne Cash
  • Rhythm & Romance
With Tracy Chapman
  • Matters of the Heart
With Leo Sayer
  • Leo Sayer
With Van Stephenson
  • Suspicious Heart
With Olivia Jane'