Don Randi

Don Randi B. 25 February 1937 Is An American Keyboard Player Bandleader And Songwriter. He Has Performed On Innumerable Recordings Including Many As A Session Musician And Member Of "The Wrecking Crew" As Well As Releasing His Own Jazz Records. He Owns The Baked Potato Night Club In Studio City California. Born Don Schwartz In New York City And Raised In The Catskill Mountains He Received A Training In Classical Music. After His Father's Death He And His Mother Moved To Los Angeles In 1954 And The Following Year He Started Work At A Record Distribution Company Where He Heard And Became Influenced By Jazz Musicians Particularly Horace Silver. He Began His Career As A Professional Pianist And Keyboard Player In 1956 Gradually Establishing A Reputation As A Leading Session Musician. In The Early 1960s He Was A Major Contributor As Musician And Arranger To Producer Phil Spector's "Wall Of Sound". He Also Played Piano On "These Boots Are Made For Walkin' " By Nancy Sinatra And The Beach Boys' "Good Vibrations". He Claims To Have Played On Over Three Hundred Hit Records Working With Musicians Such As Linda Ronstadt Quincy Jones Cannonball Adderley Herb Alpert Sarah Vaughan And Frank Zappa. He Appeared On And Wrote For Many Motion Picture And Television Soundtracks Commercials And Pop Albums During The 1960s And 1970s. He Also Recorded Albums Of Piano Jazz Music Under His Own Name And As The Leader Of A Trio With Leroy Vinnegar And Mel Lewis. These Included Feelin' Like Blues 1960 Where Do We Go From Here 1962 Last Night 1963 And Love Theme From "Romeo And Juliet" 1968 . In 1970 He Opened The Baked Potato Jazz Club And Formed His Own Group Don Randi And Quest As The House Band. The Band Have Subsequently Recorded Over 15 Albums And Were Nominated For A Grammy In 1980 For The Album New Baby. In 2008 As A Member Of The "Wrecking Crew" Randi Was Inducted Into The Hollywood RockWalk. read less