Felix Pappalardi

Infobox Musical artist
Name = Felix Pappalardi


Background = non_vocal_instrumentalist
Birth_name = Felix A. Pappalardi Jr.
Born = birth date|1939|12|30
Died = death date and age|1983|04|17|1939|12|30
Origin = United States
Instrument = Bass guitar
Voice_type =
Genre = Rock
Occupation = Music producer, songwriter, vocalist, bass guitarist
Years_active = 1963–1982
Label =
Associated_acts = Cream, Mountain
URL =
Notable_instruments = Gibson EB-1 violin bass

Felix A. Pappalardi Jr. (December 30, 1939 – April 17, 1983) was an American music producer, songwriter, vocalist, and bass guitarist.

Career

As a producer, Pappalardi is perhaps best-known for his work with British psychedelic blues-rock power trio Cream, beginning with their second album, "Disraeli Gears". As a musician, Pappalardi is widely recognized as a bassist, vocalist, and founding member of the American hard rock band/ heavy metal forerunner Mountain, a band born out of his working with future bandmate Leslie West's soul-inspired rock and roll band The Vagrants, and producing West's 1969 "Mountain" solo album. The band's signature song, "Mississippi Queen" is a rock classic is still heard regularly on classic rock radio stations.In 1964 Pappalardi was playing in the Max Morath ragtime quartet with several other famous musicians. Along with Felix on guitarrón (Mexican acoustic bass) were Morath, the man who revived classic ragtime played in the Scott Joplin manner, Bruce Langhorn, a famous NYC studio folk and jazz guitarist and Jim Tyler, a famous baroque and renaissance lutenist playing four string banjo. Pappalardi studied classical music at the University of Michigan. Upon completing his studies and returning to New York, he was unable to find work and so became part of the Greenwich Village folk-music scene where he made a name for himself as a skilled arranger; he also appeared on Tom Paxton as well as Vince Martin and Fred Neil albums for Elektra Records. From there he moved into record production, initially concentrating on folk and folk-rock acts for artists such as The Youngbloods and Joan Baez. However, it was Pappalardi's late-1960s work with Cream that established his reputation. He contributed instrumentation for his imaginative studio arrangements and he and his wife, Gail, wrote the Cream hit "Strange Brew" with Eric Clapton.

Later Life and Death

Pappalardi was forced to retire because of partial deafness, ostensibly from his high-volume shows with Mountain. He continued producing throughout the 1970s and released a solo album and recorded with Japanese hard rock outfit Blues Creation.

Pappalardi was shot and killed by his wife, Gail Collins Pappalardi, on April 17, 1983 in their East Side Manhattan apartment. Gail was subsequently charged with second-degree murder. She claimed it was an accident, and was found guilty of the lesser criminally negligent homicide and sentenced to 16 months to 4 years in prison and was released on parole in April, 1985. He is interred next to his mother at Woodlawn Cemetery in Bronx, New York.

He was known for playing a Gibson EB-1 violin bass through a set of Sunn amplifiers that, he claimed, once belonged to Jimi Hendrix.

elected Discography

"For his work with Mountain, see their page."

*1976: "Creation" (in collaboration with the Japanese rock band of the same name)
*1979: "Don't Worry, Ma"

As Producer

*1967: The Youngbloods - "The Youngbloods"
*1967: Cream - "Disraeli Gears"
*1968: Bo Grumpus - "Before the War"
*1968: Kensington Market - "Avenue Road"
*1968: Cream - "Wheels of Fire"
*1969: Cream - "Goodbye"
*1969: Kensington Market - "Aardvark"
*1969: Leslie West - "Mountain"
*1969: Jack Bruce - "Songs For a Tailor"
*1969: Jolliver Arkansaw - "Home"
*1969: David Rea - "Maverick Child"
*1973: "Bedlam"
*1975: The Flock - "Inside Out"
*1976: Natural Gas - "Natural Gas"
*1977: Gasolin' - "Killin' Time"
*1977: Jesse Colin Young - "Love on the Wing"
*1978: The Dead Boys - "We Have Come for Your Children"
*1978: Hot Tuna - "Double Dose"
*1982: George Flowers & Gary Byrd - "The Day That Football Died"

Other Appearances & Contributions

*1963: Vince Martin and Fred Neil - "Tear Down the Walls" - guitarrón and backing vocals
*1966: Buffy Sainte-Marie - "Little Wheel Spin and Spin" - credited as "instrumental ensemble arranger and conductor" on "Timeless Love"
*1966: Ian and Sylvia - "Play One More" - bass
*1967: The Devil's Anvil - "Hard Rock From the Middle East" - bass, guitar, tambura , percussion and vocals, credited as "arranger and musical director"
*1967: Jackie Washington - "Morning Song" - credited as "backup ensemble conductor'
*1968: Bo Grumpus - "Before the War" - keyboards, trumpet , bass, guitar, percussion, ocarina
*1968: Kensington Market - "Avenue Road" - vocals on "Aunt Violet's Knee"
*1969: Kensington Market - "Aardvark" - bass, piano, trumpet, organ
*1969: Jolliver Arkansaw - "Home" - keyboards, guitar, ocarina and bass on "Hatred Sun"
*1970: Ian and Sylvia - "Greatest Hits" - bass
*1970" Fred Neil - "Little Bit of Rain" - bass
*1971: John Sebastian - "The Four of Us" - bass on "Apple Hill"
*1971: Richard & Mimi Fariña - "The Best of Richard & Mimi Fariña" - bass
*1973: Bedlam - "Bedlam" - keyboards, credited as songwriter on "Looking Through Love's Eyes (Busy Dreamin')"
*1975: The Flock - "Inside Out" - backing vocals on "Straight Home"
*1977: Jesse Colin Young - "Love on the Wing" - backing vocals and string arrangements on "Drift Away" and "Fool", horn arrangements on "Louisiana Highway"

External links

* [http://www.pappalardi.com Felix Pappalardi tribute page]