Dick Wagner

As you of renowned manufacturer Bob Ezrin’s hired weapons throughout a lot of the ’70s, guitarist Dick Wagner lent his using (and perhaps, songwriting) talents for some from the decade’s biggest hard rock and roll albums, including Lou Reed’s Rock and roll N’ Roll Pet, Alice Cooper’s Welcome to My Problem, and Kiss’ Destroyer. Hailing in the Detroit region, Wagner’s first accurate music group, the Frost, produced in the past due ’60s because they built up a considerable pursuing in the Michigan region (which at that time also nurtured such various other clothes as the Stooges, MC5, Bob Seger, Ted Nugent, and Grand Funk Railroad, to mention several), and released a complete of three albums throughout their tenure jointly: 1969’s Frost Music and Stone Music, plus 1970’s Through the Eye of Like. After relocating to NY and forming a fresh outfit, Ursa Main, the group was released to Ezrin, who managed the production tasks on the 1972 self-titled launch. Even though the group would split up soon thereafter, Ezrin and Wagner got struck up a a friendly relationship, as he started welcoming him (aswell as another guitarist, Steve Hunter), to try out on classes by additional performers he was dealing with. Wagner and Hunter’s playing meshed well jointly as the duo could construct seamless electric guitar lines that complemented one another nicely. Ezrin utilized the duo on Lou Reed’s questionable 1973 studio discharge Berlin (a dark idea album that implemented a set of seedy individuals beset by medication addiction, that leads to spousal mistreatment, prostitution, kid welfare, and eventually, death). Wanting to brighten the mood a little over the album’s ensuing tour, Ezrin aided Reed in assembling a stellar touring music group including both Wagner and Hunter, who helped reconstruct Reed’s music (including classics from his Velvet Underground times) as jamming world rockers, as evidenced by a set of subsequent live produces, 1974’s classic Rock and roll N’ Roll Pet and 1975’s Lou Reed Live. Wagner and Hunter after that agreed upon on as guitarists for Alice Cooper’s single group (Cooper acquired just divide from the initial Alice Cooper Music group), while Wagner also offered being a songwriting collaborator with Cooper for his strike 1975 discharge Welcome to My Problem. The record spawned popular power ballad with “Just Females Bleed,” a tune that Wagner acquired penned back the past due ’60s, and provides subsequently been included in numerous artists over time, including Etta Wayne, Tina Turner, and Lita Ford, amongst others. The Wagner/Cooper union lasted for a number of additional albums in the middle- to past due ’70s, including Would go to Hell, The Alice Cooper Display, Ribbons & Whiskey, and From the within, while Wagner continuing to give his skills to recordings by additional performers: Aerosmith’s GET A Wings (it’s supposedly Wagner and Hunter playing the “acoustic guitar duel” on “Teach Kept a Rollin'”), Kiss’ Destroyer, Peter Gabriel’s self-titled single debut, Hall & Oates’ Along the Crimson Ledge, Tag Farner’s self-titled single debut, and a set of albums for the celebrity from the Rocky Horror Picture Display, Tim Curry. In 1977, Wagner discovered enough time to concern a self-titled single launch for Atlantic Information. Wagner reunited with Cooper and Ezrin for a set of overlooked produces in the first ’80s, 1982’s Zipper Catches Pores and skin and 1983’s Dada, as Wagner concentrated exclusively on his songwriting through the entire remainder from the 10 years, penning tracks for such performers as Meats Loaf, Air Source, and Lee Aaron (aswell as an unreleased melody recorded by Fishing rod Stewart), plus penning the theme melody (entitled “Remember the kid”) for the Emmy-nominated PBS particular Homecoming, which analyzed the lasting marks of child mistreatment. Furthermore, Wagner made his very own recording studio room, Downtown Digital Studios, went the Wagner GROUP record label, and in addition performed out live along with his very own single group, the Dick Wagner Music group, in the Michigan region (also reuniting along with his primary music group, the Frost, for many gigs). In 2002, Wagner reissued his lengthy out of printing single debut from 1977, beneath the brand-new name The Atlantic Periods. Wagner transferred to Az in his old age, and experienced devastating medical occasions including a coronary attack and a heart stroke, the latter which necessitated that he relearn your guitar. Nevertheless, he bounced back again and produced live appearances in to the 2010s. But after struggling respiratory failure carrying out a cardiac treatment, Dick Wagner passed away in Scottsdale, Az in July 2014 at age 71.