Biography
July 12th, 2011
Please check Press Bio & Photos
The present…
Since January 2006, Red has been touring with ERIC BURDON throughout Europe, Canada, Australia and the United States. After two year run of DJANGO ON THE PARKWAY, Red got an offer from former employer and musical collaborator Eric Burdon who asked Red to rejoin him for his continuing world tours.Many TV appearances and sold-out concerts throughout the world gave Red another excuse to bring his music to the world. In addition, Red moved back to the fertile music scene of Austin, Tx., this time with a different world view of what direction he could go. Red has started AUSTIN JAZZ ARTISTS a collaboration of the rich heritage and ongoing creativity that thrives in this oasis in the middle of Texas.
In late 2003 Red became involved in a nightclub in Addison, Tx. called DJANGO ON THE PARKWAY. Starting with an initial steady Wednesday night engagement, it expanded to first working with Johnny Reno on occasional Thursdays, then becoming totally involved in the club in performance with bands such as Johnny Reno, Cold Blue Steel and Robert Lee Kobb, and Mike Morgan and the Crawl. In addition to his initial keyboard duties, he began doing sound, lights and total production in the club for the more than two year run. He not only performed with his own bands, Red and the Red Hots and Red Young & Friends (the Wednesday night band became known as with many touring artists sitting in on his nights there), he also put together a Stax era band called Red Young and the Soulmen, He performed with George Clinton and sat in with countless artists that played the club including Elvis T Busboy, Anson Funderburgh & the Rockets, Jimmy Sommers, and many others. It was an eye-opening experience on the ‘other side’ of the music business and many lessons learned and things experienced that many musicians do not see.
From L.A. to Austin
In 2002 Red relocated to Austin, Tx from Los Angeles and became a part of the musical scene there performing with STEPHEN BRUTON, did an album with pianist and vocalist MARCIA BALLas well as his own organ quartet at such places as the ELEPHANT ROOM and other venues. He also toursed with STEPHEN BRUTON, ADAM LEVY (guitarist with Norah Jones). MARCIA BALL and others around the country and the world. His first RED YOUNG TRIO album was released in March on the BLUES LEAF LABEL. He became involved in the tremedous Jazz scene in Austin and played with various artists 2002-2004.
In 2001 Red recorded on a new album by longtime friend STEPHEN BRUTON for New West Records and performs with him in his touring band. During 2001-2002 Red performed with blues guitarist KID RAMOS formerly with the Fabulous Thunderbirds.
Influence
Red Young was born in Fort Worth, Texas. Growing up with a classical background and listening to everyone from Van Cliburn (whom he met at age 11), Ray Charles, B.B. King, Lightnin’ Hopkins, Ft. Worth natives Delbert McClinton, Ray Sharpe, King Curtis, Freddy King and many other Texas Blues and Jazz Players. He accompanied vocalists, choirs, played in bands and in general grew up with a well-rounded musical education. Upon leaving high school, he first went to North Texas State in Denton, then on the road with trumpeter Clyde McCoy’s band (who recorded Sugar Blues in 1927 and worked thoughout the Big Band era), whom among other things alternated sets with the Supremes at the Steel Pier in Atlantic City and performed on the Johnny Carson show from New York. Since it was 1968, rather than get drafted, Red joined the Air Force Band where he was stationed first in Wichita Falls, Texas; then Ramstein, Germany; and finally Springfield, Massachusetts. In Springfield he learned a great deal about arranging for big band and horn sections and he formed a Chicago/Blood, Sweat & Tears group which played concerts all over New England and started playing the Hammond B3 Organ. Upon discharge in 1972, he stayed around the New England area traveling with an organ trio-Hammond B-3, drums & saxophone. On Monday nights he would venture to New York to see the famed Thad Jones-Mel Lewis band play at the Village Vanguard which further fueled his interest in Big Band music.
After spending a number of years away from Texas, when an opportunity arose to go back, he took it. This time it was a band formed to back up Lloyd Price (Personality, Stagger Lee, Lawdy Miss Claudy). The band toured for a few months and Red again returned to Texas. He joined two brothers to form a 5 piece jazz-fusion band called the Ham Brothers Band and got into the recording scene in Dallas and Ft. Worth. The band became successful on the local Dallas-Ft. Worth scene opening for such acts as Chick Corea, Brian Auger and Weather Report among others. Through this association Red became an integral part of the recording scene at Sugar Hill Studios in Houston run by producer Huey Meaux and recorded albums for Freddy Fender, Kinky Friedman, Noel Redding (bassist with Jimi Hendrix), and many other of Huey’s clients. Red did vocal & instumental arrangements on numerous albums as well as keyboard & vocal harmony duties.
Again Red felt the urge to move, this time getting a call to join Tompall Glaser’s Outlaw Band which included Mel Brown on guitar and
Ben Keith on steel & dobro. His first tour was a package with Willie Nelson, Jesse Coulter, Waylon Jennings and of course Tompall. Willie and Waylon had a big hit with “Good Hearted Woman” so played to 20,000 people each night. After the tour, rather than move to Nashville, Red moved to Los Angeles and was enlisted in Sonny & Cher’s band (1977-78 tour including a TV special with Cher), then JOAN ARMATRADING (world tours 1977-79 which included 4 albums and a few TV shows), then his own jazz-fusion band (with Lon Price whom he toured with Armatrading and had met in Ft. Woth in 1964 and Lee Thornburg of Tower of Power and currently on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno), an album with Jerry Williams (1978), a tour, an album and a movie with DOLLY PARTON (1980-81), a tour and album with TANYA TUCKER (1981-Glen Campbell was along for a number of shows), a tour and a few television shows with ERIC BURDON (1982), and in 1983 he joined two girl singers which worked the clubs in Los Angeles called the “Stepsisters” and eventually became part of Linda Ronstadt & Nelson Riddle’s tour of 1983-84 (What’s New). Red did the vocal arrangements, played piano, sang and did horn arrangements for a section of the show which eventually became known as “Red and The Red Hots’. It became a favorite section of the show and started Red in a direction that he continues to this day. Of course during the 1977-84 period in Los Angeles he recorded not only numerous albums for many other artists but also TV and movie scores for many of the popular shows.
Swing, jazz and big band
After the end of the tour, Red returned again to Ft. Worth and formed his own band calling it “Red and the Red Hots” and continued in the Swing/jazz vocal style, utilizing 3 vocals (2 girls and Red) using rhythm section (acoustic bass and drums) and saxophone making the core unit a six member band and using a horn section on occasion (5 horns making it a ten member ensemble) and occasionally working with big band or orchestra (he learned a great deal from the amazing Nelson Riddle-a year and a half of touring and listening to great arrangements with an orchestra does wonders for the inspiration). Also while living in Texas from 1984-88 Red became a prominent member of the local recording scene, doing many commercials, several albums and a few movies as well. The Red Hots performed in many venues around the tri-state area (Texas-Oklahoma-Louisiana) playing concerts, nightclubs, private parties, big social events, and even played at the famous Peabody Hotel’s Skyway room for New Year’s Eve 1986 & 1987. During the 4 year period they performed more than 600 dates.
After a 1987 concert with the Ft. Worth Symphony Orchestra, Red felt the need to go back to Los Angeles. On his return, he joined a tour with JUICE NEWTON, which turned into a 5 year commitment, all the while performing with the Red Hots in between times with Juice. He did many TV Shows, movies, albums and 2 albums with the Red Hots. In 1993 he took a commitment as musical director of the Moonlight Tango Cafe in Sherman Oaks with his trio which turned into a year and a half engagement. In 1994, he again began to perform more engagements with the Red Hots. Starting in June of 1995, the Red Hots added the 5 horn section on a permanent basis and became part of the Swing scene in Los Angeles at such places as The Derby, Disneyland, Twin Palms Restaurant, the El Rey Theatre, The Viper Room, The Rhino Room and many other venues. They recorded 4 albums (“Red & the Red Hots”-1987, “Red Hot Jazz”-1994, and “The Boogie Man”-1998 and “Gettin’ Around”-1999) all available through the website.
Red continues his career as arranger and performer with “Red and the Red Hots”, has his own 24 track studio in which he records not only his own projects but with his many friends throughout the industry, such as Joey Altruda (Cocktails with Joey), David Sommerville (The Diamonds, the Four Preps), Theresa James, Alexis Gershwin and many others. He also contributed arrangements and performs with many of his friends in the industry including BIG BAD VOODOO DADDY , ROYAL CROWN REVUE and others. (He worked with Big Bad Voodoo Daddy on the TV show “Big Deal” on the Fox network and is also on the movie soundtrack for “Swingers” on the three songs with the band as well as one song with Joey Altruda on which he played organ). He recorded an album with fellow Texan JOHNNY RENO and played with Johnny on an upcoming album for Coolsville Records with a group of musicians including Scotty Morris on guitar (BBVD), Lee Rocker on bass (Stray Cats), recorded on Lee Rocker’s latest album, the new Warner Bros TV network theme with Royal Crown Revue and an offshoot band of Royal Crown Revue called the Jazz Jury which included Scott, Mando and James. Red also recorded with Royal Crown Revue on their recent album “Walk On Fire” and performed with them on selected dates throughout the summer of 1999 including a performance at the Hollywood Bowl with the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra in which he arranged their songs for the 80-member ensemble.
Hammond B3
IN 1999 Red again went back to his roots and started a band based around his Hammond B3 organ which he played in the late 1960’s through the 1970’s which became BROTHER RED. The personel was James Achor from Royal Crown Revue (guitar) and Kenny Sara from the Red Hots (drums). The trio performed quite a bit around Los Angeles area and did a tour of Texas in 2001 and several trips up the West Coast and SXSW in Austin in 2002. The album is available through the website or through CD BABY.
