No Stone Left Unturned Bernard Fowler over 25 years with The Rolling Stones
Interview by Kim Crain
PART TWO
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. Fowler has recorded with the Stones on 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 your original music has the ability to speak to different age groups and different cultures. What is it about your work that allows you to cross over and make such an impact? Bernard: Its just my love of music. I love music. I just don’t love one style of music. I like any kind of music that makes me feel good. Or makes me feel something. That’s what I love. When I’m making a record I call on all those things. All those things and all those places that I’ve been, and all those people that I’ve played with. I call up that energy to come together and put it in one project. “The Bura” is a perfect example of that. One track that makes me think of that is a track called, “See you Again”. I was with Robert Davis. I went to his house and he had this track. It was just piano and a drum loop. It hit me so hard, I started to sing right then. I don’t care what I was singing. I just needed to sing something. My daughters Jr., high teacher is a musician. I had met him 44
Bernard Fowler & Keith Richards. photo credit : Jane Rose before. He was looking for a studio, and I sent them to the studio that I work at. So I go there one day to see how he’s doing, how he’s making out. See how everything’s working out for him. He said, “Hey Bernard, ya everything is good, but there is someone in there that you need to go in and see.” I said I don’t understand. He said an old friend of yours. He said you probably have not seen him in a while, but go in the studio. And I walk in, and who’s there? It was L. Shankar! He said, “Bernard its been so long.” I said OMG, I can’t believe this! I didn’t know my daughters’ teacher knew him! He plays the sitar. And when I was doing that track and putting things together for “See You Again” Once I got Jeff Bova to do the string arrangement, and keyboard arrangement. The string arrangement turned out phenomenal. Then I thought about Shankar. He would be perfect. I called. He sent it back. Between Shankar and Jeff Bova, I was a mess. I sat there and cried there for five or ten minutes. Just the emotion of the track just killed me! Another example of what your saying about bringing all August/September 2021
HIGHWIRE DAZE
