Judd Lander

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Judd Lander
Judd with a puppet
Judd with a puppet
Background information
Born (1948-03-01) 1 March 1948 (age 77)
Liverpool, England
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • harmonica
Years active1960s–present
Formerly ofThe Hideaways

Judd Lander (born 1 March 1948)[1] is an English harmonicist. Originally from Liverpool, Lander was previously a member of the band The Hideaways. He has experienced success as a prolific session musician, record industry executive, and company director.

Lander has played on hits such as Culture Club's "Karma Chameleon"[2] as well as "Church of the Poison Mind" and the Spice Girls' hit "Say You'll Be There".[3] He has played with many musicians including Paul McCartney, Annie Lennox,[4] ABC[5] and Madness.[6]

Work as a musician

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Lander was an intricate part of the late Mersey Beat scene, playing with well-known local band The Hideaways. The band were one of the first R&B groups in Liverpool and to this day hold the record for the most performances in the Cavern's history, surpassing The Beatles. In the mid-1960s Lander kindled a relationship with Sonny Boy Williamson II (Aleck Ford 'Rice' Miller) who taught him the intricacies of the Blues Harmonica.[7] Lander's playing technique became much in demand and his enthusiasm for the music industry led him to record label Charisma Records, whilst still retaining his status as a respected session musician.

His reputation as both PR-man and session musician continued to grow and in 1975 he was approached by Apple Records to help with John Lennon’s Rock 'n' Roll album. As a musician he was invited to perform on various in-house sessions with artists such as Billy Preston.[8] Over the course of his career and directorships at various major labels, he has been instrumental in the careers of artists such ABBA,[9] Michael Jackson,[10] Nigel Dick[11] and The Proclaimers.[12] He was also responsible for breaking Meat Loaf in the UK,[13] receiving a proclamation by the Mayor of the City Of Cleveland. Lander is also noted for persuading a rather recluse guitar icon Jeff Beck into doing  a TV interview which had a bizarre result.[14] Head-hunted by RCA records to run their Motown UK Record division, Lander joined them at the historic Motown 25th anniversary show: ‘Yesterday, Today, Forever’.

Whilst at Motown Lander was called to a session at Red Bus Studios in London to lay down a harmonica part with a then relatively unknown band called Culture Club which led him to create the now-famous harmonica lead on their No 1 - million seller "Karma Chameleon" and on "Church of the Poison Mind". Following the release came a glut of TV and Wembley Stadium appearances. Around this period Lander was invited to join Paul McCartney[15] on stage at The Odeon Hammersmith for a charity concert, and has since worked with Paul on his Flowers in the Dirt.[16]

As a musician Lander is credited with performances on over 2000 recording sessions. He is noted for his work with artists such as The Beach Boys,[17] Nazareth,[18] The Proclaimers,[12] Kirsty MacColl,[18] Prefab Sprout,[18] Maxi Priest,[18] Madness, The The,[18] Tina Turner,[18] Mike Oldfield,[18] The Communards,[18] Richard Ashcroft,[18] Annie Lennox.[18] In addition to all this he now has an entry in  “Who’s Who In The Music Industry”[18] and has received one of the highest musical accolades - the Gold Award from BASCA ‘The British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors’, held at London's Savoy hotel. This coveted award celebrates the achievements of an a group of people who have made an outstanding contribution to Britain's music industry. Lander was also involved in the biggest event in the UK music calendar - The BRIT AWARDS. Lander had worked on this show for the past 22 years as floor Cam Director.[18] Judd is now based in Hertfordshire, just outside of London, where his office walls display a large array of Gold and Platinum discs and awards, serving as a testament to the contribution he has made and is still making in the music business.

Work in television

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Lander moved into the world of television as a puppeteer on BBC's Saturday Superstore children's show for a period of five years, then as an associated producer on The St Lucia Jazz Festival[18] - shot in the Caribbean. His on-screen credits can also be seen in Resting Rough an odd but amusing short film about a flea ridden mattress, which featured Pierce Brosnan – Judd composed arranged and produced the film's music.[19] He also contributed to quite a few BBC drama episodes and headed the position as Director of promotions with London Records. His Chrysalis Records appointment saw him deliver the No. 1 hit "The One and Only" with Chesney Hawkes.[20] Other shows include - Top of the Pops,[18] The Tube,[18] The Old Grey Whistle Test[18] and Later... with Jools Holland.[18]

He then went onto become A&R/label Director at Warner Music Group, a division within media giants Warner Bros. delivering them a No. 2 and No. 3 chart singles. Over the past 10 years he has successfully returned to his PR roots  - and with his indisputable wealth of media contacts he has already helped a host of international artists obtaining major TV media coverage - featuring artists such as LeAnn Rimes.[21]

Partial discography

[edit]

References

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  1. ^ "Judd Lander". IMDb.
  2. ^ "Live at the Royal Albert Hall 2002: 20th Anniversary - Culture Club | Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 2020-01-21.
  3. ^ "Spice - Spice Girls | Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 2020-01-21.
  4. ^ "Medusa - Annie Lennox | Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 2020-01-21.
  5. ^ "Alphabet City - ABC | Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 2020-01-21.
  6. ^ "Mad Not Mad - Madness | Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 2020-01-21.
  7. ^ Leigh, Spencer (2015-10-03). The Cavern Club: The Rise of The Beatles and Merseybeat. McNidder and Grace Limited. ISBN 978-0-85716-098-0.
  8. ^ "Page Title". Vincetracy.com. Retrieved 2020-01-21.
  9. ^ Lander, Judd (2013-06-10), English: Jamming with Benny Andersson of Abba at CBS studios, London, retrieved 2020-01-21
  10. ^ Ann-Jones, Lesley (2009-06-28). "Michael Jackson was the lost boy I rescued". Express.co.uk. Retrieved 2020-01-21.
  11. ^ "All Stars and All Sorts - Nigel Dick | Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 2020-01-21.
  12. ^ a b "Sunshine on Leith - The Proclaimers | Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 2020-01-21.
  13. ^ Jones, Lesley-Anne (2009-12-06). "Susan Boyle: How will she cope with fame and fortune?". Express.co.uk. Retrieved 2020-01-21.
  14. ^ Power, Martin (2014-11-10). Hot Wired Guitar: The Life of Jeff Beck. Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-1-78323-386-1.
  15. ^ Gregory, Andy (2002). The International Who's Who in Popular Music 2002. Psychology Press. ISBN 978-1-85743-161-2.
  16. ^ "Paul McCartney - Flowers In The Dirt". Discogs. 5 June 1989. Retrieved 2020-01-21.
  17. ^ "The Beach Boys - The Beach Boys | Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 2020-01-21.
  18. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Gregory, Andy (2002). The International Who's Who in Popular Music 2002. Psychology Press. ISBN 978-1-85743-161-2.
  19. ^ Resting Rough (1979) - IMDb, retrieved 2020-01-21
  20. ^ "Chesney Hawkes - The One And Only". Discogs.com. 1991. Retrieved 2020-01-21.
  21. ^ Day, Record of the. "Derry - Couldn't I Be The One". Recordoftheday.com. Retrieved 2020-01-21.