Bob Esty Has Worked With Some Divas

All Photos:  Alan Mercer

Barbra Streisand, Cher, Donna Summer, Sally Kellerman and even Raquel Welch all want Bob Esty! He is responsible for some of their best music. Originally from Massachusetts, the famed music producer and musician has been an LA fixture for years now.

Growing up, Bob was into music like the piano and the all-male choir. He was the student conductor for the glee club. In high school he became a bass player, took up the bass drum and joined the orchestra. He then joined the Baltimore Box Society and The Lyric Opera Company of Baltimore. Bob attended the Peabody Conservatory for Music where he had enough classical music that was too stuffy. He wanted more musical variety so he moved to New York and wrote for off-Broadway plays while in college. In his New York days he hung out with people like Barry Manilow, Melissa Manchester and Bette Midler.

Mutual manager Stuart Cohen suggested Bob musically direct Sally Kellerman's first tour from Los Angeles. While touring with Sally, Bob performed on 'The Mike Douglas Show,' 'The Tonight Show,' 'Merv Griffin,' and various other popular shows. He commuted back and forth between New York and LA for two years before finally making the decision to live in LA in '75.

Recently he's been going down to Key West, Florida for the past few years working with the Key West Pops Orchestra and the Key West Symphony. Bob says the most memorable experience in the past couple of years was conducting the West Australian Symphony Orchestra with his dear friend and opera star, Julie Migenes.

I remember seeing Bob's name in the credits for all these albums and always thought how lucky and talented he was to work with all these divas. I never expected to know the man, but thanks to Sally Kellerman I do know him and I'm happy to introduce him to all the readers of this blog.

AM: What are you working on today?

BE: I'm working with Scott Snapp, a guy who came into my life about three years ago. I've been helping him with his vocals and his songwriting. He got funding for his new CD and I produced it. We re-arranged all the songs he had written. Basically Scott was open to anything so he would try new things. Now we've been working on his live show based on the CD.

AM: Are you interested in producing more albums again?

BE: Oh yes.

AM: Do you prefer female vocalists?

BE: In a way because I relate to women, but I've produced several guys like 'The Brooklyn Dreams.' When they were on Casablanca they didn't do as well since Casablanca was really just Donna Summer and KISS.

AM: Did you realize Casablanca would be such a big deal?

BE: I didn't know anything about the music business at all. I had never produced anything. I was a keyboard guy.

AM: How did you end up in Los Angeles?

BE: Through Sally Kellerman.

AM: Really!?!

BE: We had the same manager at the time. He managed a lot of cabaret artists.

AM: You are a singer/songwriter yourself. Did you consider having your own performing career?

BE: Yes but I was a duo with Michelle Aller, so I didn't have time. A year into my Casablanca deal I was producing Cher.

AM: So you joined Casablanca when they were on top?

BE: That's right.

AM: How was Neil Bogart to work for?

BE: Delightful. He was the only label president who would play your new projects in his office and dance around. I don't know why he was so lively but he was. He would drop by the studio sometimes and it was always a good time. I learned much later that I was in a bubble and nothing was real.

AM: How did you meet Barbra Streisand?

BE: It was for 'The Main Event.' I didn't want to meet Barbra because no one wants to meet Barbra because she can be so intimidating.

AM: Ultimately you ended up working with her several times.

BE: Yes I did. Paul Jabara drove me to her home in his Lamborghini.

AM: Did Paul Jabara really trap Donna Summer in a bathroom and make her listen to 'Last Dance?'

BE: Yes in Puerto Rico. That was the good part of him. We used to call him the sales man. Just don't have anything to do with him after five. Paul was a genius at recycling his material and once he met Donna Summer he had her doing all his demos, but she never recorded anything of his after 'Last Dance' which bothered him to his dying day.

AM: You produced a couple of albums for him didn't you?

BE: Well one and a half. Half of the first one and all of the second one. He was mad at me by the time his third album came along.

AM: I love the albums you did with Roberta Kelly, especially the Disco Gospel album.

BE: Oh yeah.

AM: Do you know Roberta these days?

BE: I was just in touch with her because of facebook. I haven't seen her since a couple years after 'Gettin' In The Spirit' came out. I love 'Oh Happy Day' and also "Come Go With Me To My Father's House.' It's getting re-released this summer.

AM: Have you lost track of most of the people from that time?

BE: Yes, basically when they started burning my records in stadiums...

AM: How did that feel?

BE: Well it was sort of off putting to say the least. I had visions of Nazi Germany. Basically all the DJ's wanted rock n' roll.

AM: Ultimately they lost because dance music never left.

BE: They didn't like the fact that most of the music was coming from Europe and it wasn't American.

AM: Why was there a video for Cher's 'Hell On Wheels' song? There was no videos at this time.

BE: I don't know why. It was just a promotional tool. It played in clubs. Same as the video for 'It's Raining Men' which was at the beginning of MTV but they wouldn't play it. They wouldn't show race music videos until Michael Jackson.

AM: It seems hard to believe now. You entered Cher's career at a very important time for her. She was on a downturn and you made her relevant and current again. 'Take Me Home' was huge!

BE: Oh yes. Michelle Aller went on the road with her as a back-up singer and became the closest thing to Cher as a friend. They would go walking in West LA. Cher is a lot of fun! I took over the production of the 'Take Me Home' which was originally being produced by Ron Dante.

AM: I didn't know that!

BE: It was a very typical Cher album of the time, but it didn't fit into the Casablanca sound and profile. Neil wanted to bring her back as a Disco Clotheshorse.

AM: Tell me about that album cover. It's one of her most memorable.

BE: Now I understand it, but at the time I said to myself, "Who would take her home?" In the original photo she was painted gold. Then they had to airbrush her skin. The 'all gold' didn't read. In a way the same thing happened with the 'Prisoner' album. We had to add the song 'Prisoner' to justify the album cover.

AM: What about Miss Streisand? Is she fun?

BE: First of all Barbra doesn't understand she has a sense of humor even though she's played comedy all her life, therefore when she says something and people laugh, she says, "Oh is that funny?" And she means it. Cher is a lot more down to earth.

AM: How wonderful to work with all these divas. Another one you've worked with, who isn't really a singer, is Raquel Welch.

BE: Once again Paul Jabara made the deal and almost lost it! He called me and said he was having a meeting with Raquel Welch. He wanted her to do 'This Girl's Back In Town' and initially I thought, "Why!?!"

AM: Did you want to work with her?

BE: I had briefly worked with her in 1975 for a live show. Raquel is very funny. When we were in New York and she was meeting the musicians she arrived in a trench coat and a sweater, a hat and dark sunglasses. She leaned into my ear and said, "Watch this." She takes off all the bulky clothes and shows off her curves and goes over to the guys and says, "Hello, my name is Raquel." She was putting it on. It was very much like Marilyn.

AM: Was there anyone you wouldn't work with?

BE: The biggest name in show business, Frank Sinatra.

AM: Was it offered to you?

BE: Yes but I didn't think he should do a disco album.

AM: What is the best thing about being on facebook for you?

BE: I like people sending me links to music videos of my songs on Youtube. I haven't heard some of those songs in twenty or thirty years.

Gregg Allman

photos: Alan Mercer Lighting & styling: Eric Venturo

Gregg Allman has been a Rock and Roll God most of my life. He still sells out tours all all over the world. When he isn’t playing with the Allman Brothers Band, he fronts his own band, where he takes center stage and delivers what his fans want and expect. His style of blistery blues mixed with his soulful singing, never stops being appreciated. Artists like Tom Petty and Bruce Willis are long-time fans who love to jam with him.

Gregg Allman’s rise to fame occurred in the early1970’s. After losing his brother Duane in 1971 in a motorcycle accident, he went on to record his first solo album, ‘Laid Back’ on Capricorn Records. The album has long been considered a solid ‘classic.’ For a time in the late 70’s he was on the cover of ‘Rolling Stone’ and ‘People’ magazine while being married to Cher. They had a son and even recorded an album of duets called ‘Allman and Woman.’ Unfortunately they were divorced by the time the album was released so it floundered. Nevertheless, Gregg went on to bigger success with hit albums like “I’m No Angel’ and ‘Searching For Simplicity.’

A five acre ranch in Savannah, Georgia is home when not touring. He enjoys the benefits of his artistry with plenty of royalty checks from his back catalog when the songs are used in films, television, and commercials.

When the opportunity to work with Gregg Allman came up I was extra excited. I knew he wouldn’t have much time with his busy schedule so we had to work fast! Eric Venturo was on hand to style and add this distinctive lighting to the photo session. After a few minutes of shooting, Gregg talked to me about what it’s like to live ‘the life.’


AM: Rolling Stone magazine ranked you at 70th out of 500, best singer of all time. What do you think about that?

GA: Well I don’t know how the voting went, but just to be on that list, because there are so many good singers in America. To be on the list itself, even if you were the last, would be an honor so I feel very good about it.

AM: Do you know you set the bar higher for musicians?

GA: It’s not one of the things I keep in the front of my mind because 99 and a half beats it. That’s what my brother always used to say.

AM: So you have to give 100% every time.

GA: You just get up there on stage every night and you think about last night and go, I think we can do better than that. You try to do it better. You don’t do the same songs in the same way two times or it becomes routine. Some bands play the same songs in the same order night after night and man that ain’t nothing but a J-O-B.

AM: Are you comfortable being a legend?

GA: I wear it very proudly. A lot of times I don’t think I’m worthy. That’s just a natural human humility.

AM: Do you consider yourself a cultural leader?

GA: I don’t know. I think we might have had an influence on other bands, but any other part of culture I’m not sure.

AM: Do you enjoy playing all your instruments equally?

GA: In my solo band I play a lot more guitar so that satisfies my guitar playing needs. I play electric and acoustic. I write mostly on the acoustic guitar and the acoustic piano. I like them both equally.

AM: What was your experience of life if 60’s LA? I heard you didn’t love it?

GA: Oh God no! How could you love it? Back then they had cross collateralization. That means they stuck us in our own apartments while charging it all back to us. This was Liberty Records at the time. When the money from the record came in they would take the publishing, writer’s royalties, they could take everything. That is all against Federal law now.

AM: You must do well with your song writing royalties.

GA: Song writing is almost like a life insurance policy, well in my case, and I don’t know how I drew that card but I did. All five of my Publishing Companies are on fire. They use my music for commercials, movies, and TV shows. I make a lot of my income like that. It’s incredible. I have kids you know.

AM: Are all your children musicians?

GA: No, three out of four. One is a registered nurse and she is going back to school to become a Physicians Assistant for an Anesthesiologist.

AM: Do you remember how it felt to record Laid Back? That was a difficult time in your life. Did recording the album bring you peace?

GA: It really did. It really did. I went in with a song called ‘Queen Of Hearts’ and they didn’t like it. I said well let’s just try it. The worst thing that can happen is we will get a good laugh because it is bad. I worked on this song for a year and a half. One of the guys in the band said, “Man it just ain’t saying nothing.’ I didn’t like hearing that.

AM: How did you handle it?

GA: I walked out of the studio in a rage. I went straight to Miami and realized that was the best thing he could have ever said. He did me the biggest favor in the world because I was cutting my first solo record. Then I was open to anything I wanted to play whether it was bluegrass, country, blues, anything.

AM: You are an amazing actor in the film RUSH. Do you want to do more films?

GA: Thank you, I owe it all to Sam Elliott. He held my hand through the whole thing.

AM: Do you not have an interest in doing anymore films?

GA: Well yeah I would like to do more films and if the right one comes along I’d do it. They send me scripts all the time but the dialogue is always filled with cuss words. RUSH only had one f word. I just don’t choose to say this in a movie. Then producers ask me why. I said my Mother might watch this film. They were all stunned.

AM: Can you remember recording ‘Allman and Woman?’

GA: Oh Christ. It’s a lot of time wasted. It started off alright but toward the middle of the recording the divorce started. So she would come the first part of the day and record her part and I would come in the second part of the day and do my part.

AM: Are you close?

GA: We are still real good friends. She is the only one of my ex’s that we are still good friends. She is a very nice lady. She really is.

AM: Are you writing anything now?

GA: I’m close to finishing my life story as a book. I’m going to finally set the record straight on a lot of things.

AM: Can you recall most of your life?

GA: Yes I can remember everything. I see a lot of my contemporaries can’t remember much from their past.

AM: You have a gift…for memory, music, and voice.

GA: Gift!?! I have a recording from the third time I ever sang and I sound awful. The ‘GIFT’ is the passion to go after it and get better.

photo: Alan Mercer Lighting & styling: Eric Venturo

To learn more about Gregg Allman visit his website http://www.greggallman.com/