Tommy Bolin was a wunderkind/guitar hero of the highest order, born in Sioux City, Iowa and then moving to Denver, where he fronted a band called Zephyr with a female singer named Cindy Givens. He joined James Gang and then Deep Purple - following the legacy of some great guitar players - Joe Walsh and Ritchie Blackmore - and did some outstanding session work with Billy Cobham.
But was his solo records - Teaser and Private Eyes - that triggered his legacy...before he died at the age of 25 in 1976.
Greg Hampton (producer of the Tommy Bolin Whips and Roses CDs) and Warren Haynes (Gov’t Mule, Allman Brothers) have co-produced sessions with some of the world’s most famous and revered guitarists and singers for their Tommy Bolin tribute 2-CD set titled Tommy Bolin and Friends - Great Gypsy Soul. Fabrizio Grossi (Whips & Roses I & II, Glenn Hughes) was also on board as Associate Producer/Mix Engineer. It’s been inspiring to learn that all of these legendary guitarists are all fans of Tommy, and were excited to add parts to original Tommy Bolin multitrack tapes that have never been made public.
Greg’s sessions with Steve Lukather were especially poignant, as the drummer on that original multitrack was the late Jeff Porcaro with whom Lukather played in Toto.
Greg Hampton: "Some of the sessions were very emotional too. For Steve Lukather, it was the first time he had played to a Jeff Porcaro track since maybe the week before Jeff passed away. It was a surreal thing for Luke, and we'd stop in the middle of a take if he appeared to be a bit shaken."
