Buzzy Linhart
Encyclopedia
Buzzy Linhart is an American rock
performer and musician.
Born William Linhart in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, he began honing his craft playing percussion for symphony at the age of seven, switching to vibraphone
at ten. (It is not known specifically when he actually acquired his nickname of "Buzzy.") At fourteen he entered the Cleveland Music School Settlement which was a world renowned conservatory of music. Because of this training he led bands all through school and at the age of 18 entered the U.S. Navy School of Music as a percussionist. In 1963, he moved to New York City and became friends and roommates with John Sebastian
. He also became a protege to the senior guitarist and folk singer Fred Neil
. One of his first bands, with fellow musicians Steve De Naut, Serge Katzen, and Max Ochs
, was the Seventh Sons, who released one influential raga-rock LP for ESP Records. Buzzy eventually released a series of solo albums from the late 1960s to the mid-1970s starting with his Philips debut buzzy (the title with a small "b") in 1969.
His prowess on the vibraphone
found him performing as a session musician on recordings by Buffy Sainte-Marie
, Richie Havens
, Carly Simon
, Cat Mother & the All Night Newsboys
, and even Jimi Hendrix
(on the Cry of Love album).
Perhaps Linhart's biggest claim to fame was his joint authorship and composition of "(You Got To Have) Friends," a collaboration with Mark "Moogy" Klingman, which became singer Bette Midler
's de facto theme song. This was the end of his major label career, but although he never achieved commercial success, Linhart has continued to write, record, sing and compose music to this day. He also achieved some notoriety from his appearance in the opening sequence of the cult movie The Groove Tube
, as a hippie hitchhiker. He was also a regular on the 1976 television show "Cos
", starring Bill Cosby
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0073976/fullcredits#cast.
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
performer and musician.
Born William Linhart in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, he began honing his craft playing percussion for symphony at the age of seven, switching to vibraphone
Vibraphone
The vibraphone, sometimes called the vibraharp or simply the vibes, is a musical instrument in the struck idiophone subfamily of the percussion family....
at ten. (It is not known specifically when he actually acquired his nickname of "Buzzy.") At fourteen he entered the Cleveland Music School Settlement which was a world renowned conservatory of music. Because of this training he led bands all through school and at the age of 18 entered the U.S. Navy School of Music as a percussionist. In 1963, he moved to New York City and became friends and roommates with John Sebastian
John Sebastian
John Benson Sebastian Jr. is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist and autoharpist. He is best known as a founder of The Lovin' Spoonful, a band inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000...
. He also became a protege to the senior guitarist and folk singer Fred Neil
Fred Neil
Fred Neil was an American folk singer-songwriter in the 1960s and early 1970s. He did not achieve commercial success as a performer, and is mainly known through other people's recordings of his material – particularly "Everybody's Talkin'", which became a hit for Harry Nilsson after being...
. One of his first bands, with fellow musicians Steve De Naut, Serge Katzen, and Max Ochs
Max Ochs
*Max Ochs is a fingerstyle acoustic guitarist and folklorist who recorded for Takoma Records among other labels. His family moved to Annapolis, Maryland in 1945, where Ochs spent his adolescence...
, was the Seventh Sons, who released one influential raga-rock LP for ESP Records. Buzzy eventually released a series of solo albums from the late 1960s to the mid-1970s starting with his Philips debut buzzy (the title with a small "b") in 1969.
His prowess on the vibraphone
Vibraphone
The vibraphone, sometimes called the vibraharp or simply the vibes, is a musical instrument in the struck idiophone subfamily of the percussion family....
found him performing as a session musician on recordings by Buffy Sainte-Marie
Buffy Sainte-Marie
Buffy Sainte-Marie, OC is a Canadian Cree singer-songwriter, musician, composer, visual artist, educator, pacifist, and social activist. Throughout her career in all of these areas, her work has focused on issues of Indigenous peoples of the Americas. Her singing and writing repertoire includes...
, Richie Havens
Richie Havens
Richard P. "Richie" Havens is an African American folk singer and guitarist. He is best known for his intense, rhythmic guitar style , soulful covers of pop and folk songs, and his opening performance at the 1969 Woodstock Festival.-Career:Born in Brooklyn, Havens was the eldest of nine children...
, Carly Simon
Carly Simon
Carly Elisabeth Simon is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and children's author. She rose to fame in the 1970s with a string of hit records, and has since been the recipient of two Grammy Awards, an Academy Award, and a Golden Globe Award for her work...
, Cat Mother & the All Night Newsboys
Cat Mother & the All Night Newsboys
Cat Mother and The All Night Newsboys was an American musical group, originally formed in New York and later based in Mendocino, California, most active in the late 1960s and early 1970s.- History :...
, and even Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
(on the Cry of Love album).
Perhaps Linhart's biggest claim to fame was his joint authorship and composition of "(You Got To Have) Friends," a collaboration with Mark "Moogy" Klingman, which became singer Bette Midler
Bette Midler
Bette Midler is an American singer, actress, and comedian, also known by her informal stage name, The Divine Miss M. She became famous as a cabaret and concert headliner, and went on to star in successful and acclaimed films such as The Rose, Ruthless People, Beaches, and For The Boys...
's de facto theme song. This was the end of his major label career, but although he never achieved commercial success, Linhart has continued to write, record, sing and compose music to this day. He also achieved some notoriety from his appearance in the opening sequence of the cult movie The Groove Tube
The Groove Tube
The Groove Tube , written and produced by Ken Shapiro, was a low-budget comedy film. It satirized television and the counterculture of the early 1970s. The film was originally produced to be shown at the Channel One Theater on East 60th St...
, as a hippie hitchhiker. He was also a regular on the 1976 television show "Cos
Cos
-Maths, science and technology:* Cosine, a trigonometric function* COS cells, a cell line used by biologists* Carbonyl sulfide, a chemical compound* Class of service , a 3 bit field within a layer two Ethernet frame header defined by IEEE 802.1p...
", starring Bill Cosby
Bill Cosby
William Henry "Bill" Cosby, Jr. is an American comedian, actor, author, television producer, educator, musician and activist. A veteran stand-up performer, he got his start at various clubs, then landed a starring role in the 1960s action show, I Spy. He later starred in his own series, the...
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0073976/fullcredits#cast.
Discography
- Pussycats Can Go Far - (Atco RecordsAtco RecordsATCO Records is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group, currently operating through WMG's Rhino Entertainment.-Beginnings:Atco Records was founded in 1955 as a division of Atlantic Records. It was devised as an outlet for productions by one of Atlantic's founders, Herb Abramson, who...
, 1974) - Buzzy (The Black Album) - (Kama Sutra RecordsKama Sutra RecordsKama Sutra Records was started in 1964 by Arthur "Artie" Ripp, Hy Mizrahi and Phil Steinberg as Kama Sutra Productions, a production house. The word "Kama Sutra" is a Sanskrit terminology....
, 1972) - The Time to Live is Now - (Kama Sutra RecordsKama Sutra RecordsKama Sutra Records was started in 1964 by Arthur "Artie" Ripp, Hy Mizrahi and Phil Steinberg as Kama Sutra Productions, a production house. The word "Kama Sutra" is a Sanskrit terminology....
, 1971) - Music - (Eleuthera Records, 1970)
- buzzy - (Philips RecordsPhilips RecordsPhilips Records is a record label that was founded by Dutch electronics company Philips. It was started by "Philips Phonographische Industrie" in 1950. Recordings were made with popular artists of various nationalities and also with classical artists from Germany, France and Holland. Philips also...
, 1969)
External links
- http://www.buzzylinhart.com/ Official Buzzy Linhart homepage
- [] Allmusic.com entry