Lee Sklar

Leland Bruce Sklar (born May 28, 1947) is an American bassist and session musician. Sklar rose to prominence as a member of James Taylor's backing band, which coaleced into a group in its own right, The Section. This group of musicians so frequently supported many of the artists on Asylum Records, both on stage and in the studio, that they became known as Asylum's ''de facto'' house band. Those artists would become the standard bearers of the singer-songwriter era in the 1970s. Since then, Sklar has recorded and toured with artists such as James Taylor, Jackson Browne, Carole King, Linda Ronstadt, Phil Collins, Toto, Lyle Lovett and many, many more. As a group member, session player, or touring musician, Sklar has lent his talents to well over 2,000 albums. In addition, he has contributed to many motion picture and television show soundtracks. Sklar is currently the bass player for the group The Immediate Family.

Early life

Leland Bruce Sklar was born May 28, 1947 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. His mother's family was from Duluth, Minnesota. His father's family was from Milwaukee.''LELAND SKLAR - Legendary bassist''
The Sessions Panel, accessed May 31, 2022. Originally, the paternal side of the family came from Odessa, Ukraine.''878. Michael Ruff''
youtube.com, accessed February 24, 2022. Sklar is a Ukrainian surname meaning glazier, a person whose profession is fitting glass into windows and doors.

When Leland was four, his family and he moved to Van Nuys, California, a central San Fernando Valley neighborhood in the northwest section of metropolitan Los Angeles.''Episode 22: Leland Sklar - Embrace Everything (Phil Collins, James Taylor)''
thedivebarrockstarpodcast.sounder.fm, accessed May 7, 2022.

At five, Sklar was inspired to take up classical piano from watching Liberace on TV. Sklar's mother already had a baby grand piano in the home. The Liberace Show completely captivated young Leland, Liberace's style and panache, the candelabra and his older brother George on the violin. Sklar started studying piano just after turning five years old. His natural talent and passion for the instrument saw him excel. By the time he was seven he had won awards from the Hollywood Bowl Association as the most accomplished young pianist in Los Angeles for his age group. By the time he was twelve, though, he was completely burned out. He had a piano teacher who he believes was living out her lack of a career through him.

He entered junior high at Birmingham High School, a combined high school of grades 7-12, and was diverted from the crowded field of pianists by his orchestra teacher, Mr. Ted Lynn, to an old blonde Kay upright bass. Sklar took to it immediately and began playing string bass in the orchestra and dance band. In high school, Sklar was in the marching band and played bass drum for the first year. He then sought other options. Being a bass player, he was given three choices: the bass drum, Sousaphone or drum major. Sklar chose to become one of the dual drum majors.''A little behind in my TBT posts''
facebook.com, accessed April 27, 2022. He was sent to Redlands University for a summer course in being a drum major and designing half time shows. He still has his baton.''919. Hoyt Axton revisit''
youtube.com, accessed April 3, 2022. Sklar graduated from Birmingham High School in 1965 and stopped shaving, the beginning of his iconic beard.

After The Beatles hit, things changed dramatically. As soon as the guitar players and piano players got amplifiers, Sklar's upright bass couldn't compete with their volume. Across the street from the American Federation of Musicians Local 47 building in Hollywood is now a music store called Stein on Vine. It used to be under the Musicians Union when it was just the Stein Music Co. Sklar and his father went there and his father bought him a Melody bass and a St. George amp. The whole thing probably cost $80 at the time. Soon after that, Sklar was only getting calls for electric bass work.

Between 1965 and 1970, Sklar attended San Fernando Valley State College (now called CSUN - Sea Sun - California State University, Northridge). He began as a music major, but became disillusioned in the music department after two years when he realized the curriculum was geared more toward producing music teachers than towards performance. He went to the administration building and took a battery of aptitude tests and found his highest aptitudes were in art and science. So, he changed to co-majors in art and science with the thought of becoming a medical or technical illustrator.

While at San Fernando Valley State, Sklar played in the orchestra. For the first two years, Sklar played in the string bass section, which consisted of himself and Daryl Dragon, who would later become the Captain of the Captain & Tennille. Also during this period, Sklar was in a band calle
Little John Farm
with singer/guitaris
Denny "Steve" Aaberg
Dennis Dragon on drums, an
Doug Dragon
on B3 organ. Dennis and Doug Dragon were Daryl's two brothers. Incidentally, Sklar attended San Fernando Valley State with Tom Scott, the great sax player, and actor/comedian Cheech Marin.

Sklar spent five years at San Fernando Valley State, but never graduated, because his own music career would intervene.''515. Vasco Rossi / Buoni O Cattivi''
youtube.com, accessed May 8, 2022.

Career

In the 1960s, Sklar was in numerous bands, including Mike and the Mad Men, The Percolators, The Comfortable Charos, The Brimstones, and The El Dorados. Sometimes he was in five bands at one time, doing all kinds of music, trying to find himself. The Brimstones (1966) are of note because Sklar played together with guitarist Dan Dugmore his oldest friend in the music business. Sklar has commented that the music business is based on networking. He tried to meet as many people as possible, worked really hard, and hoped for the best. Two other bands from this period were important to his career: Group Therapy (1967) and Wolfgang (1969).

In 1967
Group Therapy
had been signed to th
Canterbury
ref name=Group_Therapy/> label and went into United Studios in Hollywood to record. However, the young musicians was so inexperienced they weren't allowed to play their instruments. The band at the time consisted of David Finer (vocals and rhythm guitar) and Jeff Finer (vocals), Greg Wood (vocals), Lee Sklar (bass and vocals), an
Ira Ingber
(lead guitar - brother of Elliot Ingber, a founding member of The Mothers Of Invention and Fraternity of Man). The group did do their own vocals, but the music was recorded by the legendary Wrecking Crew. Carol Kaye an
Bobby West
were on bass, Hal Blaine was on drums, and Jim Gordon was the percussionist. Mike (Michel) Rubini, Mike Melvoin, and Larry Knechtel were the keyboard players. Mike Deasy, Dennis Budimir, Al Casey and Tommy Tedesco were on guitars. Sklar said he was intimidated by the skill of these players and didn't believe he could do what they did, but three and a half years later he was working with them every day. At least four tracks were cut, "Magic in the Air," "Bad News," "Little Bird," and "Million Dollar Movie". Test pressings were made of the latter two songs, but never released. A single of "Magic in the Air" as the A-side and "Bad News" as the B-side was released and broke into the Billboard Hot 100, affording Group Therapy the opportunity to open for The Byrds and Canned Heat at the Anaheim Convention Center and for The Seeds at Cal State Northridge. The tracks were produced by Mike Post. It was through this connection that Sklar would later work with Post on every one of his TV shows: The Rockford Files, Magnum, P.I., Hill Street Blues, The A-Team, to name a few.

In 1969, Sklar was the bass player for a hard rock band managed by Bill Graham called Wolfgang, consisting of Bryn Haworth, Ricky Lancelotti, Kevin Kelley, Randy Zacuto and Warren 'Bugs' Pemberton. They opened for Led Zeppelin, but their only recordings were unreleased demo tracks. It was during that time Sklar met James Taylor, when a friend of Wolfgang's drummer Bugs Pemberton
John Fischbach
co-owner o
Crystal Sound
on Vine Street in Hollywood, brought his friend James Taylor around to Wolfgang's rehearsal house in Sunland. Taylor spent a couple of days with the band. Later, Taylor was offered an appearance at the Troubadour and, remembering Sklar, he had his manager Peter Asher invite Sklar to play bass at that show. Both musicians thought that the work would be short-term, but Taylor's career took off soon thereafter with his first hit record, Sweet Baby James. Sklar became part of Taylor's backing band, along with Danny Kortchmar, Russ Kunkel, and Carole King, all joining Taylor in his rise to fame. Soon, with that exposure, Sklar was being asked to record with many other artists.

In the 1970s, Sklar worked together so frequently with drummer Russ Kunkel, guitarist Danny Kortchmar, and keyboardist Craig Doerge, who replaced King after her own rise to stardom, that they became " The Section," a distinction Taylor had bestowed upon them as his rhythm section. They backed other artists, such as Jackson Browne. The Section recorded three rock fusion albums of their own under that name, in 1972, 1973 and 1977. With little label support, however, The Section disbanded in 1978, in favor of more lucrative endeavors.

In the 1980s, Sklar focused on session work in Los Angeles, Nashville, and Europe. However, with the advent of CDs and digital copying, album revenue dropped and session budgets shrank. Live performances and touring became more important to the music industry.

Sklar worked on the Phil Collins album ''No Jacket Required'' and toured as part of Collins' band on The No Jacket Required World Tour from February through July 1985. Sklar worked again with Collins on the album '' ...But Seriously'' in 1989 and toured with the Seriously, Live! World Tour, which ran between February and October 1990, covering 121 dates. Sklar toured again with Collins on The First Final Farewell Tour (2004–2005) and the Not Dead Yet Tour (2017–2019).

In 1993 while recording a
The Site
ref name=The_Sit
The Site
Jon Hammond, accessed April 20, 2022. in Marin County on what would become Linda Ronstadt's album Winter Light, Sklar got a phone call fro
Michael Frondelli
who ran Capitol Records Studios and was producing a band, the Barefoot Servants. They needed a bass player and would he be interested? Frondelli sent Sklar a demo cassette and, after three notes, Sklar said "count me in". Sklar had never met the three other seasoned musicians before: Jon Butcher (guitar, vocals)
Ben Schultz
(guitar, mandolin, slide guitar), an
Ray Brinker
(drums, percussion). The foursome rehearsed and cut the first, self-titled album
Barefoot Servants
live in the studio. The band followed by going o
The Southern Spirit Tour
in 1994 with The Marshall Tucker Band, 38 Special, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, and the Outlaws. They called it Bubbapolooza. Over time, the Barefoot Servants became a cult band; the label (Epic) offered little support. Eleven years after their first album, the Barefoot Servants recorded a second album at Ben Schultz's home studio, this time wit
Neal Wilkinson
on drums. They called i
Barefoot Servants 2
reminiscent of the line from the Bob Dylan song ''All Along the Watchtower''. (Jon Butcher is a great admirer of Jimi Hendrix.) The album was released in August 2005 on th
Atom Records
label.''87. Linda Ronstadt & Aaron Neville / Don't Know Much''
youtube.com, accessed April 20, 2022.

Sklar performed again with James Taylor, Carole King, Danny Kortchmar and Russ Kunkel in a series of six shows at the Troubadour on November 28–30, 2007 for the 50th Anniversary of the club. They all teamed up again for the Troubadour Reunion Tour in 2010.

Sklar did th
Falling In Between Tour
with Toto in 2007-2008, filling in for his friend Mike Porcaro, who was stricken with ALS. Sklar united again with Toto in 2016-2017 on th
Toto XIV Tour

Sklar has also toured with Lyle Lovett, Peter Asher, Véronique Sanson, Tracy Chapman, Van Dyke Parks, and Judith Owen, among others.

In 2018, reuniting several members of The Section, a new group was formed
The Immediate Family
with Leland Sklar on bass, Russ Kunkel on drums, Danny Kortchmar and Waddy Wachtel on guitars and vocals, and musician/produce
Steve Postell
on vocals and guitar. The group has toured Japan and released a number of recordings. Their first, eponymously titled, U.S. album
The Immediate Family
was released in 2021. A brief tour of select cities in the U.S. was conducted in November 2021.''775. Danibelle Hall''
youtube.com, accessed June 5, 2022.''756. Steven Kowalczyk''
youtube.com, accessed May 6, 2022.

In 2020, while idled by the COVID pandemic, Sklar started
YouTube channel
initially to demonstrate the bass parts to a few of the songs he'd played on tour with Phil Collins, but which grew exponentially into a journey of music appreciation and an exploration of his expansive career. Sklar also created a coffee table book,
Everybody Loves Me
', of approximately 6000 photos from a collection of over 12,000 images of celebrities and common folk giving him "the finger," which has become his signature gesture.''37. The FINGER - An explanation!!!!!🖕''
youtube.com, accessed May 10, 2022.
website
to service his book, art prints, T-shirts and other merchandise was developed. He create
a web presence
for social interaction called Lee's Clubhouse.''137. Lee's Clubhouse''
youtube.com, accessed June 5, 2022. Sklar has also explored the NFT market with anothe
web site

On May 6, 2020, Sklar created a Top Ten list of his favorite songs of all time for Spotify. They were ''With A Little Help From My Friends'' performed by Joe Cocker, ''Back in the High Life Again'' by Steve Winwood, ''Millworker'' by James Taylor, ''The Lark Ascending'' by Ralph Vaughan Williams, ''The Rubberband Man'' by The Spinners, the title track from the album ''No Other'' by Gene Clark, '' Knock On Wood'' by Eddie Floyd, '' Behind The Lines - 2015 Remastered'' by Phil Collins, ''Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Um'' by Major Lance, and ''Harlem Shuffle'' by Bob & Earl.

Sklar has stated that his favorite bassist was Rinat Ibragimov, formerly of the London Symphony Orchestra.

Sklar has also been a part of the annual bands assembled in support of the "We Write The Songs"Write the Songs: Celebrating the ASCAP Collection''
youtube.com, accessed April 27, 2022. event sponsored by ASCAP at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. and the pre-show for the Grammy Awards.''922. Acknowledging the Grammy Band.''
youtube.com, accessed April 4, 2022.

On January 2, 2022, Sklar was seen performing in concert with James Taylor and Carole King in the CNN documentary
Just Call Out My Name
"

Equipment

Basses

Peace/Love

When Sklar gained notoriety in 1970, he was playing a 1962 Fender Jazz Bass, his first really good bass, which he carved up with the artistic flair of the time. He calls it his Peace/Love bass. He played the bass on James Taylor's One Man Dog, on the early Section albums, and on Billy Cobham's Spectrum. He played it exclusively until 1974.''27. More Gear''
youtube.com, accessed April 13, 2020.

Frankenstein

Sklar's favorite instrument came next, an electric bass constructed b
John Carruthers
the repairman a
Westwood Music
in 1973. It was customized from various bass parts, consisting of a 1962 Fender Precision Bass neck, reshaped to the profile of Sklar's 1962 Fender Jazz Bass neck and fitted with mandolin fret wire, the smallest you can get (and on all of his subsequent basses), an alder Charvel P-Bass body with two sets of first-generation EMG Precision Bass pickups in reversed orientation, routed into J-Bass positions, and power by a 9 volt battery each, a Badass II bridge, and a prototyp
Hipshot detuner
He refers to it as "Frankenstein". The bass has been used on roughly 85 percent of his recordings.''26. My Gear''
youtube.com, accessed April 12, 2020.

Dingwall

In 2004, Sklar began playing a signature model five-string bass made by Dingwall Guitars. This was his main bass on tour and was also used in various recordings. The bass uses fanned frets, which result in longer low strings and shorter high strings.

Warwick

In 2010, Sklar began playing the Warwick Star Bass II, which has since become his main bass in the studio.

In 2013, after years of having been a Warwick Star Bass II user, he became an endorser of that instrument.

At Winter NAMM 2016, Warwick announced their Lee Sklar signature bass, based on the Star Bass but with an offset body shape and a forearm contour.

Others

Previously, Sklar also had signature instruments from Gibson and Valley Arts Guitar

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