Randy Goodrum & Red Eye Receive Full Page Feature Treatment In September 2020 Rolling Stone (France) Read The Full English Translation At RandyGoodrum.com
ROLLING STONE (FRANCE) September 2020 Page 84 Issue 125
(English Translation)
BURIED TREASURE
Who’s Who Pop!
Randy Goodrum, one of America's greatest songwriters, has just released a new solo album. A wonder.
By BERTRAND DEVEAUD
"Don't ask me how many songs I've written, I haven't the faintest idea," Randy Goodrum admits, a bit sorry. Probably several thousand. The worst part is, I don't know how many of them were recorded. " No need to ask him for the list of those who interpreted them either. "I would be afraid to forget," he replies cautiously. Ray Charles, Dusty Springfield, Ann Murray, George Benson, Al Jarreau, Toto, Chicago, Steve Perry, Kenny Rogers, Olivia Newton-John, Michael McDonald, Barry Manilow, Gladys Knight, Isaac Hayes, etc. A real Who’s Who of American music (pop, rock, rhythm’n’s blues, country, jazz…) and which spans half a century. This versatile side, almost unique in its kind, has allowed him to sign an impressive number of hits since 1975, when he made his debut as a songwriter. From “You Needed Me”, a country song performed by Ann Murray, No. 1 on the Billboard in 1978, to Ronan Keating's “All Over Again”, pop ballad, No. 6 in England in 2006, through his collaborations with 1980-1990 with Steve Perry (ex-Journey), Toto, Chicago and George Benson, Randy Goodrum was one of the only songwriters to place at least one title in the Top 40 for four decades in a row. “I never set out to make a hit or write for anyone in particular
I just want to do simple things. Each song is constructed as an original story, where the music and the words form a whole. ” An approach to his profession that has come to him from an early age. Born in Hot Springs, a midsize town in Arkansas, Randy grew up with music. “There was music in the house all the time. My father, a doctor, played the guitar, my older brother played the piano, he loved the blues. I took piano lessons when I was 8 years old. I liked jazz best, I listened to Oscar Peterson, Bill Evans, Horace Silver. " At a young age, Randy asserted himself as a musician. In college, he won several competitions. “One day, at the beginning of 1963, I got a call from a student asking me to start a jazz trio called The Three Kings. He played the saxophone and wanted to become a musician. It was Bill Clinton. " For two years, the group performed successfully at university and in small clubs in the city. An experience that will change Randy's life. “I hesitated between medicine and music. My dad told me, 'Do what you love'! I took the plunge, as Bill gave up his dreams to pursue a career in politics. But we have always remained friends, even when he was in the White House ”. Randy broadens his musical horizon, rubs shoulders with rock, pop, soul, country. “In terms of musical geography, commission a musical. Randy becomes de facto songwriter. In 1973 he moved to Nashville, on the advice of a musician friend. In Music City, Randy accompanies Roy Orbison, Jerry Reed, Chet Atkins, and at the same time composes Arkansas was at the crossroads
of all paths. You had to know how to play everything. ” During his last year of college, consecrated by a bachelor's degree in piano, he received hybrid songs, half-country half-pop. He places a first title with B.J. Thomas. England Dan & John Ford Coley gave him his first hit, with “It’s Sad to Belong” (Billboard No. 21, 1977). Then everything followed with “You Needed Me” by Anne Murray, which earned him a first nomination at the Grammy Awards, compositions for Loretta Lynn, Conway Twitty, Tammy Wynette, Kenny Rogers… In 1981, he was named “Country Songwriter of the Year ”by the Nashville Record Industry (ASCAP). A consecration for the jazz pianist from Arkansas who was able, very early on, to adapt to all styles. “Country taught me a lot. Knowing how to say a lot of things with few words, get to the point, reach people. " In the 1980s, Randy will also work in Los Angeles, developing his pop-rock-soul side, but without ever leaving Nashville and the South. In the meantime, he will have written for hundreds of artists, published half a dozen solo albums (including “Red Eye”, the new one, a superb success), played for his old friend Bill Clinton in Washington and all the conventions of the Democratic Party. At 73, Randy still can't believe how far he has come. “It's starting to have a long career, and I'm the age I am, but in my head I'm still a kid. And listening to one of my songs on the radio, in a supermarket or in an elevator always has the same effect on me. ”
Jay & Randy Published in 2011, Scene 29, signed JaR (Jay & Randy) marked the first collaboration between Jay Graydon (our photo), guitarist and producer (Al Jarreau, Manhattan Transfer, etc.) and Randy Goodrum. For two years, the two friends had locked themselves in the studio to deliver one of the best west coast pop records of recent years. “We have finally finished 2nd, announces Randy Goodrum. Jay is finishing the mix. ” Red Eye, the new solo opus, was released in the spring.