No Stone Left Unturned Bernard Fowler over 25 years with The Rolling Stones
Interview by Kim Crain
PART ONE
A Quadranscentennial Silver Jubilee of excellence, Bernard Fowler has risen to the top of the music chain, back up singing, vocal arranging and performing percussion with a little band called the Rolling Stones: Fowler has worked alongside many Iconic bands such as: Herbie Hancock, Robert Plant, AC/DC, Rod Stewart, Duran Duran, Farm Fur (with Steve Ferrone, Deleo Brothers, Alex Ligertwood),Tack Head, Michael Hutchence of INXS, Ozzy Osbourne, The Peech Boys and the Red Hot Chili Peppers just to name a few. Recording fantastic solo albums with Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, and Charlie Watts. Bernard Fowler has recorded with the Rolling Stones on a couple of albums you might have heard of: Steel Wheels, Flashpoint, Jump Back, Voodoo Lounge, Bridges to Babylon, No Security, Forty Licks, A bigger Bang, Rarities, Shine a light, Stripped, Light the Fuse, Grrr!, Hyde Park Live, From the Vault, and my favorite Sticky Fingers Live. Singer, songwriter, producer, Bernard Fowler is breaking barriers by gathering world renowned musicians in his own recordings. Fowler well known around the Globe for his inner beauty, electric stage presence, powerful vocals and wide vocal range. Kim: Bernard, I wanted to thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to interview you today here in Los Angeles, California, for Highwire Daze Magazine.
Photo courtesy of Bernard Fowler because she was doing it. I was still thinking about basketball, not a music career, until I saw what they were doing. That was a big influence. Kim: That is super cool! Do you play any musical instruments? Bernard: I have some guitars here. I don’t play very well, but I play enough to hum & strum. I was in the studio a couple of days ago. And I started a new track. I actually found myself behind the keyboard. So again I don’t play very well, but I play good enough to get what I want out of it! Kim: That’s what all its about!
Bernard: Thank you for having me Kim.
Bernard: I get the idea. Then I call in the big guns.
Kim: So lets go back to the early days of your career... Who influenced you the most as a singer?
Kim: Your album “The Bura” with Slash, Waddy Wachtel, Darryl Jones, and many others, is powerful! Your songs, “See you again” and “Shake It Baby Shake It”, really stand out! How did that song “Shake It Baby Shake It” come about?
Bernard: That’s kind of a difficult question because I was influenced by so many! Probably all the records I ever heard as a kid were my influences. If I had to pick one living influence that was close to me, I would have to say it would be my cousin, Mic Murphy. He’s from a group called The System. I used to go see him perform with his bands. When I decided to do it, it was Mic and a keyboardist in his band, La Forrest ‘ La La’ Cope. She wrote (You Give Good Love), by Whitney Houston. She was probably the biggest influence 46
Bernard: Thank you for mentioning that. I am very proud of that record. It’s a shame it didn’t get as circulated as it should have. I wrote, “Shake It Baby Shake It”, with the co-producer of the record, Robert Davis. He is a guitar player I met seven or eight years ago here in L.A. I got a call from my engineer friend Robi Banerjee who called me and said, “hey man, there’s this band here and their singer could use some June/July 2021
HIGHWIRE DAZE
