Carl Radle

Carl Dean Radle (born June 18 1942 Tulsa, Oklahoma, died May 1980) is an American musician. He is best known as a member of Derek and the Dominos.

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Early Life

Radle took clarinet and piano lessons in his childhood and sometime during his years at Edison High School, he fell in love with rock and roll. By the time he graduated in 1960 he had bought an old used guitar and began to teach himself how to play. As he became more accomplished, he began playing in local clubs with fellow friends and musicians David Gates, Leon Russell, J. J. Cale, Jim Markham, Tommy Crook, Jim Karstein, Chuck Blackwell, Larry Bell, and many others.

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After graduating from high school this group of musicians, who would have to be considered the vanguard of what was to eventually be dubbed "The Tulsa Sound", began migrating to California to try to break into the music business. Leon Russell was one of the earliest to make this move and his home/studio on Skyhill Drive in Hollywood became a haven for these young Tulsa musicians and assorted friends who needed a place to stay. They often played as back-up musicians in clubs, with new upcoming singers, like Bobby Rydell, fronting the act. During this time Radle recorded with a group called Skip & Flip, releasing a single, Tossin' and Turnin' / Everyday I Have to Cry.

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After finding it difficult to make a living in the music world, in 1964 Radle decided to return to Tulsa and joined the Air National Guard, being stationed in Texas for about a year. After Radle?s discharge in 1965 and when he had once again returned to Tulsa, Leon Russell called him from California offering a ?huge opportunity?, a position as new bass guitar player for the Gary Lewis & the Playboys.

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Second Try In Music Business

Radle decided to give the music business one more try and he made the move back to California. He recorded and toured with Gary Lewis & the Playboys for about one year, making appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show, Shindig, Hullabaloo, and The Tonight Show. Fellow Tulsans Jimmy Karstein and Tommy Crook were also members of this group, and during this time they spun out many top ten singles, including "Everybody Loves a Clown" and "Count Me In". Radle?s contributions are included on fourteen of Gary Lewis?s albums. This trip came to an end, however, when in January of 1967 Gary Lewis was called into military service and the band dissolved.

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Radle remained in California doing studio work and pick-up gigs including working behind Dobie Gray in club engagements. He did some recording with John Lee Hooker. Also Radle appeared on two albums ("The Colours" and "Atmosphere") in 1968 with a group called The Colours, which also included Tulsan Chuck Blackwell. In 1969, Leon Russell once again influenced Carl?s destiny, by introducing him to Delaney and Bonnie Bramlett to help form the group Delaney, Bonnie & Friends. This group also included Leon Russell, Rita Coolidge, and Dave Mason. On tour the group performed as the opening act for Blind Faith, a group which included Eric Clapton. Upon Blind Faith?s demise, Eric Clapton joined up with the Bramletts for a tour and album titled Delaney & Bonnie & Friends on Tour. Radle collaborated on writing and arranging two of their hit songs, "Get Ourselves Together" and "Never Ending Song of Love."

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This group disbanded after about a year and in early 1970 several of the members, including Radle, joined Leon Russell who was forming the "Joe Cocker, Mad Dogs and Englishmen" ensemble. The company had more than two dozen musicians and performers, and the tour covered 46 cities in 56 days. From it emerged the biggest rock and roll tour in history, a major movie and a gold album.

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Derek and the Dominos

In the meantime, Bobby Whitlock had started hanging with Eric Clapton who wanted to put together a group to tour and promote his first solo album. Bobby called in Radle and L.A. born drummer, Jim Gordon. Sidetracked at first, they took time in May and July of 1970 to collaborate with George Harrison on his All Things Must Pass album, which included the hit singles "My Sweet Lord" and "What is Life". During a break in June, Eric, Jim, Bobby and Carl began seriously rehearsing and they completed their first single, "Tell the Truth", with "Roll it Over" on the B side. After the George Harrison sessions were finished in late summer of that year, Clapton?s new group resumed sessions at Criteria Studios in Miami, Florida, with Tom Dowd at the production helm, resulting in what has become one of the greatest classic rock albums of all time, Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs. Duane Allman?s guitar work was also a prominent contribution to this effort.

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The group took time off in August of 1971 to help George Harrison in his benefit effort, the Concert for Bangladesh, an ensemble of great artists including Bob Dylan, Billy Preston, Ringo Starr, Leon Russell, Jim Keltner, and others. This two-day live concert also resulted in another album and movie.

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Derek and the Dominos began working on sessions for another group of songs, but being dissatisfied with the results and the tensions that resulted, the band dissolved. For the next three years Radle stayed busy with session work on projects by various artists, including Art Garfunkel, Duane Allman, John Lee Hooker, Rita Coolidge, Leon Russell, Bobby Whitlock, Donovan and Freddie King.

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After Derek and the Dominos and Death

In April of 1974, Eric Clapton was coaxed out of seclusion and resurfaced with a band consisting of George Terry, Carl Radle, Jamie Oldaker, Dick Sims and Yvonne Elliman on vocals. The group once again began recording in Criteria Studios, under Dowd?s direction, to create the album 461 Ocean Boulevard. Radle again brought his arranging abilities into play on the "Motherless Children" track for this album. For the next five years, Radle, Clapton and this group of musicians including the addition of vocalist Marcy Levy, worked closely together on an almost endless string of highly successful gold and platinum albums.

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In 1979, Clapton was ready for a new sound. That summer he dissolved the band and all the musicians went separate ways in their careers. Radle worked for a while with Peter Frampton, but soon returned to Tulsa where he enjoyed working with local musicians once again. He died in May of 1980, at age 37, from the effects of alcohol and narcotics.

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June 18: June 18 is the 169th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (170th in leap years), with 196 days remaining....

1942: This article is about the year. For the 1984 Capcom arcade game, see 1942 (video game)....

Tulsa, Oklahoma: Tulsa is the second-largest city in Oklahoma, USA. As of the revised 2004 census report, the city had a total population of 387,807, with 930,842 in the greater metro area. It is the county seat of Tulsa County....

Carl Radle related Images and Photos (experimental)

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