Bill Cuomo
There is very little in the music industry that Bill Cuomo has not done. How's this for a diverse list of artists to work with? Janis Ian, Seals & Crofts, Rick Springfield, Kim Carnes, James Taylor, .38 Special, Stevie Nicks, Whitesnake, Alabama, Faith Hill, Bad Company, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Trace Adkins and Kiss. And that's just scratching the surface. Imagine producing an album for Streisand, playing keyboards on the Footloose soundtrack, playing on Don Henley's breakthrough album that produced such hits as The Boys of Summer, Not Enough Love in the World, Sunset Grill and All She Wants to Do Is Dance, playing on an REO Speedwagon album (Can't Fight This Feeling) then co-writing Steve Perry's Oh Sherrie and playing on his debut album, Street Talk, which also produced the hit Foolish Heart . . . all in the same year!
Cuomo has enjoyed an incredible career. Remember the really unique keyboards at the top of Kim Carnes' Bette Davis Eyes? Bill Cuomo. The now near-legendary opening to Oh Sherrie just before Steve Perry belts out "You shoulda been gone?" Bill Cuomo. He's produced a title cut on a Bond flick, played on hit records in practically every genre and worked with the biggest and best in the business. Now he has the luxury of picking and choosing with whom he works. His nearly 40 years as a sought-after session player, songwriter and producer in LA and Nashville gave Cuomo a perspective that was invaluable to a debut act like Chadwick Station. And it shows in this latest project that Cuomo not only played on but produced.
Right away Cuomo "got" what the band was trying to do. It's a sound. A distinctive flavor that certainly has hints from decades past while being totally fresh and new. It was Cuomo's idea to spice the Chadwick Station sound up with a sprinkle of some of his old session chums. And it works to perfection. Like any good spice none of what Cuomo added is overpowering, rather it simply blends in to make the whole project just that much tastier.
