The Ventures

[cockroach]

Andy,

It was common years ago for session players to fill in on recording sessions - although this fact was NOT widely known- sometimes due to time factors- studio time was expensive, and if someone didn't show up, or couldn't master the parts in time, producers called in session guys to get the job done quickly. Some of the session guys used to walk in to a session and ask 'who are we meant to be today?"!!!

It was only in recent years that this situation became known....people started to speak out and "own up" to who actually played on what tunes etc.

The show must go on!

[RayL]

In the 1970s and into the 80s, the UK TV programme Top Of The Pops had its own studio orchestra, to back singers who did not have their own backing musicians. It was led by Johnny Pearson and staffed from the top London session musicians.

Such was the skill of these session musicians that they would come in during the morning, check through the band parts and then put a dep in for the afternoon rehearsals while they went off and did a recording session elsewhere. They would then come back for the show in the evening and, without rehearsal, play 'off the sheet' - and they could get away with it because they were so good.

Ray