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Danny Kortchmar

Sometimes credited as Danny Kootch or Dan Kootch or Dan Kortchmar or Kootch (following his teenage nickname), in the early sixties he met James Taylor on Martha’s Vineyard and they began to play folk gigs locally. With Kootch on guitar and James on harmonica, the vocal duo did pretty well, winning the occasional hootenanny contest.

He then emerged as a member of several aspiring New York '60s groups, as the Kingbees and Flying Machine, the latter of which featured his fellow James Taylor.

With the Kingbees, he released three singles on RCA, "What She Does To Me/That Ain't Love" [1965], "On Your Way Down The Drain/Rhythm And Blues" [1966] and "Lost In The Shuffle/Hardly (part 3)" [1966].

None were successful and the band (which included also Joel "Bishop" O'Brien on drums, John McDuffy on vocals/organ and Dickie Frank on bass) broke up in the fall of 1966, not before being lucky enough to back Peter and Gordon, the "Everly Brothers of the British Invasion." (Peter was Peter Asher).

In 1967 Kortchmar and O'Brien started a new band, The Flying Machine, with Zachary Wisner on bass and Kortchmar's old friend, James Taylor on guitar and vocals. They were signed to Euphoria later that year and only released one radio single, "Night Owl" [1967], peaking at #102 on the national charts. The label never released their album and the band soon broke up. Taylor decided then to move to London and Kortchmar gave him Peter Asher's number.

Asher was now head of A&R at the Beatles label, Apple Records. He invited James to play his song and he liked them. Paul McCartney and John Lennon were among his first fans.

After Taylor's solo success, Euphoria released the Flying Machine old demos in 1971, with the title "James Taylor and The Original Flying Machine".

With the Flying Machine "in pieces on the ground" (immortalized in James Taylor’s song "Fire and Rain"), Danny spent six months as a sideman to the Fugs in the late ‘67, both on record and in concert. The Fugs were another New York band, started by Ed Sanders and Tuli Kupferbery in 1964. Kortchmar's salary was $100 a week and he played on their "Tenderness Junction" EP [1968] and on their live album, "Live From the Player Theater" [1967].

After that, he was the last guitarist for the dimming Clear Light. It was Danny’s gig with Clear Light that got him out to L.A., though.

In 1968 Kortchmar moved to California with another ex-member of the Fugs, Charles Larkey. They met Brill Building songwriter Carole King and they formed The City. With King on vocals and keyboards, Kortchmar on guitars, percussion and vocals and Larkey on bass, The City released one album on legendary Lou Adler’s label Ode Records, "Now That Everything Has Been Said" [1968]. The band never toured due to King’s stage fright.

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Album Review

Bob Dylan: Springtime in New York 1980-1985: The Bootleg Series, Volume 16 (5CD)

Read "Springtime in New York 1980-1985: The Bootleg Series, Volume 16 (5CD)" reviewed by Doug Collette


Generally speaking, revelations abound within the various installments of The Bootleg Series, Bob Dylan's ongoing archive initiative, and Volume 16 is no exception. But in listening to Springtime in New York, 1980- 1985, the epiphanies come in slow bursts, flashing over the course of the five CDs to generate a cumulative momentum that reaches a flash-point with the content taken from the much-maligned Empire Burlesque (Columbia, 1985). And that outcome in itself is a truly Dylanesque curve ball: pre-release anticipation ...

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Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Springtime in New...

Legacy Recordings
2021

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Kootch

Warner Bros.
2008

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