Waddy Wachtel: A Journey Through the 1970s with Warren Zevon
Long before he became the sought-after guitarist for legends like Linda Ronstadt, Stevie Nicks, and Keith Richards, Waddy Wachtel honed his skills as a session musician in Los Angeles.In 1972, he was brought on board to play guitar for the Everly Brothers’ album Stories We Coudl tell and to accompany them on their tour.
The man behind this pivotal chance was none other than Warren zevon,the talented keyboardist and guitarist known for iconic 1970s tracks such as “Werewolves of London,” “Lawyers,Guns and Money,” and Linda Ronstadt’s “Hasten Down the Wind.” At that time, Zevon was still navigating the struggles of a session musician, and Wachtel recalls their initial interactions as less than harmonious.
“We were like oil and water right from the start,” he reflects.
Rehearsals and Tensions
As Wachtel prepared for the Everly Brothers’ tour, he not only worked on the album’s tracks but also rehearsed their setlist. Although he was familiar with the songs,Zevon’s demanding nature made the process challenging.
“I remember thinking, This guy doesn’t like me already, and he’s not playing it right. This is not going to end well,” Wachtel recalls.
Wachtel vividly remembers a moment during the rehearsal for ”Walk Right Back,” a hit from 1961. He noticed that Zevon was not voicing the piano chords correctly.
“I thought, This guy doesn’t like me already, and he’s not playing it right. There’s something off about the voicing he’s using on the piano. This is not going to go well,” he saeid.
“So I suggested, ‘Let’s just play it my way,’ but he insisted, ‘No, we’ll do it my way.’”
Eventually, the Everly Brothers’ long-time bass player chimed in, confirming Wachtel’s assessment of Zevon’s playing.
“We had a bit of a rivalry, always challenging each other,” Wachtel admits.
Late-Night Jams and Musical Growth
Despite their rocky start, Wachtel found working with Zevon to be a transformative experience. “After every show, we would gather in someone’s hotel room to play and sing until dawn. It was incredible, and I learned so much about the blues from Warren. His knowledge of blues music and his ability to play Robert Johnson licks opened my eyes to a whole new world,” he shares.
“He would often say, ‘Oh, here’s something I wrote,’ and then play me tracks like ‘Frank and Jesse James’ from his self-titled 1976 album. I was blown away, thinking, ‘Where did that come from?’”
Curious about their nightly escapades, Phil Everly once asked Wachtel, ”What’s going on here at night? What are you guys doing?” Wachtel invited him to join, and soon both Phil and Don Everly found themselves in Wachtel’s hotel room, surrounded by smoke and music.
“It was beyond a dream come true. I had idolized them since childhood, and there they were, sitting on the floor singing country songs,” Wachtel reminisces.
A Reunion and Breakthrough
Fast forward to 1977, Wachtel and Zevon reunited for the groundbreaking album Excitable Boy, released in 1978. By this time, both musicians had established themselves in the industry and enjoyed a camaraderie akin to old friends. Wachtel not only played guitar and synthesizer but also contributed backing vocals and co-produced the album alongside Jackson Browne, a key figure in Zevon’s career.
Wachtel even received a co-writing credit for the album’s hit “Werewolves of London,” where he collaborated with Zevon and the legendary Fleetwood Mac rhythm section, featuring drummer Mick Fleetwood and bassist John McVie.
![Warren Zevon - Werewolves Of London (Official Music Video) [HD] - YouTube](https://img.youtube.com/vi/qae25976UgA/maxresdefault.jpg "Rock 'n' Roll Chronicles: Waddy Wachtel Reflects on His Wild 1970s Journey with Warren Zevon 3")
“Jackson brought me on to co-produce Excitable Boy,” Wachtel explains. ”I had a clear vision of how the band should interpret Warren’s songs, which was my role. There were no written parts; it was all about the feel.”
“I had a lot of creative freedom on Excitable Boy. I experimented with multiple tracks and setups. As a notable example, in ‘Johnny Strikes Up the Band,’ the solo features three different melodies intertwining, which would be impractical to play normally,” he adds.
“One memorable moment was when we recorded ‘Roland the headless Thompson Gunner.’ The ending was a meticulously arranged section. I arrived at the studio early with Russell Kunkel and Bob Glaub and said, ’Don’t worry about the rest; we can read that part as we go.’”
“Warren jumped off the piano bench,exclaiming,’What?! Man,pay these guys double scale! They really know their stuff,’” Wachtel recalls with a smile.
“I wanted to surprise Warren with the ending, so we practiced it repeatedly. When it was time to record, we executed it flawlessly, and Zevon was genuinely impressed that we nailed it on the first try,” Wachtel concludes.
Wachtel emphasizes Zevon’s musical prowess, noting that the talented musician was also an accomplished guitarist. He famously left his beloved Modulus Blackknife electric guitar to David Letterman in 2002, shortly before his passing. One standout track from Excitable Boy is “The Envoy.”
“Typically, Warren would take the piano rhythm while I played guitar, but on ‘The Envoy,’ he asked if he could play the guitar solo. I said, ‘Absolutely,’ and it turned out beautifully-a melodic and structured section that was simply stunning,” Wachtel reflects.
