Ticket 2 Ride

Mention the name Immediate Family and confused looks abound. Mention Danny Kortchmar, Waddy Wachtel, Leland Sklar and Russ Kunkel and a few heads nod. Steve Postell? I didn’t know him, but I do now.

James Taylor, Don Henley, Crosby Stills & Nash, Phil Collins, Linda Ronstadt, Neil Young, Jimmy Buffett, Carole King, Keith Richard, Stevie Nicks and Jackson Browne are just some of the artists these guys have worked with, individually, or in groups.

Kortchmar, Waddle, Sklar and Kunkle were first-call session players in L.A., successors to the Wrecking Crew of the 1960s. Remember The Wrecking Crew (2008) documentary? The director of that film, Denny Tedesco, also directs Immediate Family (2022). Tedesco is the son of the late Tommy Tedesco, one of the main Wrecking Crew guitarists.

Immediate Family about the band

Tedesco’s story of Immediate Family is told in a similar fashion to his film about The Wrecking Crew. It’s a familiar style of group and individual interviews, along with interviews with many of the artists they supported through five decades, and a few of the producers who hired them. Peter Asher (James Taylor, Linda Ronstadt), Lou Adler (Carole King) talk about the recording of Tapestry and Sweet Baby James , two albums that first featured Kortchmar and Kunkel, in support of a young Carole King and James Taylor, who also played on each other’s albums. Sklar also played on Taylor’s Mud Slide Slim and the Blue Horizon. These guys would play with Taylor through most of the 1970s, and occasionally with King, with Wachtel joining for King’s 1976 album Thoroughbred. These appearances opened doors to play with Jackson Browne, Warren Zevon, Crosby & Nash, Linda Ronstadt, Hoyt Axton, Glen Campbell, Stephen Bishop, Alice Cooper, Rita Coolidge, Mac Davis, Donovan, Art Garfunkel, Peter Gabriel, Andrew Gold, Hall & Oates, Kris Kristofferson and many others in the 1970s.

In the 1980s, most of these guys were co-writing and producing artists they played with (Stevie Nicks, Don Henley, Jimmy Buffett, Neil Young, Keith Richard). They had a sound that artists wanted on their own songs and a reputation for delivering the goods.

The comparison between these guys and the Wrecking Crew are obvious; first call session musicians, who could innovate and hit the mark. Just like the what happened to the Wrecking Crew, music changed and younger musicians are hungry for work and want those producer calls. The recording studios of old are mostly gone, and the artists and producers who hired them are no longer in the mainstream or have retired.

Forming Immediate Family allows these guys to play their music and commune between other gigs. Some of the film’s best moments are when they are gathered around the table sharing stories or commenting on their work. Mostly in their 70s, they represent a rich history of L.A. based rock and roll. From backing singer-songwriters to playing pop to gritty rock and roll, these guys have their names among the credits of the best music of their generation. While the Wrecking Crew were mostly anonymous, these guys are well-known, at least by their work.

If I had to point out a weakness of Immediate Family, it’s that we really don’t get to know them, nor do we fully understand what Immediate Family, the band, gives them, other than a sort of musical brotherhood. Don’t get me wrong, this is an awesome documentary, it just left me with unanswered questions.

4/5