Mike Dowler | Los Angeles | Conversations with Mike Dowler Podcast

Conversations Episode 60
Leland Sklar
Bassist

11/27/19

Novermber 27th, Mike and Stephen K. Peeples welcomed bassist Leland Sklar to ConversationsRadio! With more than 2000 albums to his credit, I can honestly say that somewhere in the world right now, there is a Leland Sklar bass line playing on one of the 25,000 songs he has lent his talents to. A native of Milwaukee, Leland and his family headed West to Southern California early on. He began piano lessons when he was 4 years old and quickly became a prodigy. By junior high, he had all of the intentions of pursuing the piano further. However, his music teacher suggested that he have a go on the string bass because the school was overstocked with fine pianists. Leland grabbed the string instrument and held it close.

It just felt right and at that moment Leland Sklar’s trajectory changed.

He continued his music studies at California State University Northridge and soon met James Taylor! Again, a life changing moment. Sklar often credits Taylor for keeping him interested and considers it his big break. Suddenly, Leland Sklar was in demand and found success as a session bassist.

It’s much easier to ask who Leland Sklar has not played with. Leland just wrapped a U.S. tour with Phil Collins and can be heard on hit songs from Jackson Browne, James Taylor, Warren Zevon, TOTO, Linda Ronstadt, Helen Reddy, Hall & Oates and more. He has also been called on by tv and film music directors to bring his session skills to a number of productions.

About the Cohost

Stephen K. Peeples

Santa Clarita journalist and Grammy-nominated producer Stephen K. Peeples is a forward-thinking media veteran whose reporting, writing, editing and production skills and experience extend from print to records, and from radio and TV to the web. An award-winning radio producer/writer, award-winning website editor, Stephen is a well-known news and entertainment journalist, photographer and TV host in the Santa Clarita Valley, in the northwest corner of Los Angeles County, Calif., half an hour from media centers in Hollywood, Burbank, Beverly Hills, West Los Angeles and Santa Monica.

His earliest professional writing on music and entertainment was published in Cash Box magazine (1975), The Los Angeles Times plus Circus,
Rock Around the World, Rocky Mountain Musical Express, Pickin’ Up the Tempo, and Replay magazines (all 1976-1977) and L.A. Weekly (1977).

Peeples worked as the Editorial Director for Capitol Records (1977-1980) then Elektra/Asylum Records (1980-1983) in Hollywood; programming Writer/Producer and Advertising/Editorial Director for the Westwood One Radio Network and National Public Relations Director then Co-Director of the Media Relations Department for Rhino Entertainment in West Los Angeles (1992-1997).

Peeples earned a Grammy nomination as co-producer of the “Monterey International Pop Festival” boxed set (MIPF/Rhino, 1992) and is a Radio Festival of New York medalist as the original writer/producer of “The Lost Lennon Tapes” series (Westwood One, 1988-1990).

Peeples wrote of the 64-page book that accompanied “Les Paul: The Legend & The Legacy,” a four-CD boxed set released in1991 spending time with the legendary inventor and guitar innovator’s home studio in New JerseyJ., the previous May for a marathon interview in the same studio where Les and Mary Ford recorded in the 1950s and ’60s.

Stephen K. Peeples featured standouts Chris Hillman & Herb Pedersen, Jesse Barish, Sara Niemietz and W.G. “Snuffy” Walden, Lori Andrews & Bart Samolis, Loafers’ Glory, photographer Henry Diltz, and others
as co-producer and host of “House Blend with Stephen K. Peeples” a music and interview program on SCVTV.

Stephen K. Peeples is “All Things Media” and I’m thrilled to call him a friend and colleague.

Thanks to Leland Sklar for being with us on ConversationsRadio