Michael Utley. He has been on a musical adventure his entire life.
Early in his career, Utley worked with the house band for Atlantic Records in Miami, Florida’s Criteria Studios backing performers such as Aretha Franklin, Jerry Jeff Walker, and the Allman Brothers, and in California producing and playing with Rita Coolidge and Kris Kristofferson. He has produced numerous albums for Marshall Chapman and Todd Snider. I just had that conversation with him a couple of weeks back. One very cool moment is Mike in the now dvd-released video of Roy Orbison’s “Black and White night” filmed not too long before Roy died. It is a fabulous piece of work and the stage is filled with super-star musicians from Jackson Browne to Bruce Springsteen.
You can see Mike in the leader position keeping everyone on the same page. He is that well respected by his peers.
I asked Mike about those days in Miami at Criteria Studios several years back in Key West. As I recall it was a very sunny Saturday afternoon and he was waiting to go on stage to perform with another band. Steve Huntington and I were standing next to Mike and we must have talked for an hour. I asked Mike what it was like to do those songs in Miami as the week before I had looked at the inside of my old Duane Allman “Anthology” double album and his name was all over it. He said those were sessions. You would come in and do your part. Sometimes you would even perform alone. My favorite part of the story was the part about Mike playing a song one day and suddenly the door flies open and in walks Jackie Gleason. He was dressed in full formal attire as he usually was for his show. Mike came on the pa and said and “Here’s Jackie!” Seems his studio was next door and he was not happy that someone was in “his” studio. What a cool story.
Jerry Jeff Walker recruited Mike to play keyboard instruments on Jimmy Buffett’s first major label album, “A White Sport Coat and a Pink Crustacean,” in 1973. Utley continued to work with other performers in the mid-1970s while appearing on Buffett’s subsequent albums until Buffett’s 1977 breakout “Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes” when he joined the Coral Reefer Band full time.
Mr. Utley has title credit on several albums, the first being an instrumental record with fellow Coral Reefer Band member Robert Greenidge titled “Mad Music.” There is a long string of those Club Trini cds now. And they are great! I have had the privilege of seeing these guys play for many years and I have lost count of the number of shows and locations. I do know that I am approaching show number 80 for Jimmy Buffett shows and the count is pretty high for Club Trini. I never tire of watching great musicians perform.
Utley has gone on to produce or co-produce a number of Buffett albums beginning with “One Particular Harbour” in 1983. He has toured with the Coral Reefers ever since and is well known as the band leader.
During the song “Volcano,” Utley’s name is mentioned. Right before the first solo, Jimmy Buffet says “Mr. Utley.” This leads into the solo.
http://www.margaritaville.com/michael_utley.html
A Volcano Video:
Josh Leo on guitar. Sam Clayton on congas. Yeah this was a great show!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxuaUaS4rU0
See I don’t know
I don’t know
I don’t know where I’m a gonna go
When the volcano blow
“Hey Mr. Utley.”
No time to count what I’m worth
Hey I just left the planet earth
But a’ where I go I hope there’s rum
Not to worry, more soon come