R.I.P. - Dennis Budimir (The Wrecking Crew) (20 Jun 1938 - 10 Jan 2022)

It has been announced on The Wrecking Crew facebook page that long time member Dennis Budimir has died aged 84.

The Wrecking Crew were L.A.s equivalent of Motown's Funk Brothers, session musicians who played on hundreds of  hit records in the 60s and 70s.

Budimir was a studio guitarist who first played professionally when he was 14 in the 50s playing with La Monte Young, Billy Higgins, and Don Cherry. He has played on hundreds of film scores and released several jazz guitar albums in the 1960s, and after being discharged after 2 years military service in 1963, he was essentially out of jazz by 1965 due to the limited opportunities to perform and became a session musician with The Wrecking Crew.

He has a wikipedia entry which lists his full discography which runs to hundreds, performing on recordings by soul/jazz artists such as: 5th Dimension, Bobby Caldwell, Chico Hamilton, Milt Jackson, Quincy Jones, Peggy Lee, Jon Lucien, Sergio Mendes, Natalie Cole, Ella Fitzgerald, Rodney Franklin, Benny Golson, Lesley Gore, Richard "Groove" Holmes, Richard "Groove" Holmes, Bobby Hutcherson, Johnny Mathis, Carmen McRae, Les McCann, Lonette McKee, Freda Payne, Lou Rawls, Bill Withers, Marlena Shaw, Lee Ritenour,.

He has also recorded with the following mainstream artists and many more: Bette Midler, Barbra Streisand, Joni Mitchell, Rod Stewart, Dusty Springfield,, Ringo Starr, Robert Palmer, Linda Ronstadt, Helen Reddy, David Cassidy, Partridge Family, Julie Andrews, Paul Anka, Burt Bacharach, Glen Campbell, The Carpenters, Cher, Bobby Darin, Perry Como, Neril Diamond, Cass Elliot, Barry Manilow.

Discogs lists nine albums he recorded with the last in 2012 titled "The Soul of Dennis Budimir".

Included below is part 1 of 3 of a discussion featuring Dennis Budimir in conversation with jazz guitarists Bill Frisell and Bob Bain.

Thanks to Gary Van Den Bussche for letting us know.

Copyright © 2009-2023 SoulStrutter All Rights Reserved