Rocking With Jam Man talks with T Bear
Rocking With Jam Man talks with T Bear about His new album, The Way of The World, working with many iconic artists — Crosby Stills and Nash, The Blues Brothers, Robby Krieger of The Doors, Edgar Winter, Billy Squier, Cher, as well as Gene Simmons and Peter Criss of Kiss, to name just a few touring and more
T Bear is proud to announce he has released his new album, The Way of the World, on Friday, March 22 on Quarto Valley Records. The first single is A Change Will Do Me Good.
T Bear is a distinctive singer and talented keyboard player who has made his mark as a solo performer and collaborator with many iconic artists — Crosby Stills and Nash, The Blues Brothers, Robby Krieger of The Doors, Edgar Winter, Billy Squier, Cher, as well as Gene Simmons and Peter Criss of Kiss, to name just a few, while also releasing several noteworthy solo albums over the years.
Most recently he has been touring the world with acclaimed blues guitarist Walter Trout as a member of Walter’s band.
His new album, The Way of The World, was written and recorded as the world emerged from the pandemic. Produced by long-time Grammy®-winning collaborators drummer Tony Braunagel (who has performed, toured, and recorded with a host of big names over the years including Bonnie Raitt, Buddy Guy, BB King and many many others) and former Wings guitarist Laurence Juber, the horn-driven excursions of his previous album, Fresh Bear Tracks, were stripped-down to a small group sound, recorded mostly in home studio environments.
Augmenting this core trio was a selection of bass players, including the legendary Reggie McBride, Hutch Hutchinson (Bonnie Raitt) and John Mayall-alumnus Ricky Cortez.
The Way of The World boasts a stunning set of twelve original songs, written and/or co-written by T Bear. T Bear has always excelled at songwriting and this album showcases his big-time talent in that area.
Musically, the album is a stirring and infectious melodic mix of blues, rock n roll, Americana, and roots music accented by some occasional touches of tasty soul, jazz, Latin, and funk textures. The songs are a mix of both up-tempo and ballads. Highlighted by T Bears soulful vocal style that ranges from raspy to plaintive & moving, the album is a seamless collection of T Bear’s influences and various talents.
The subject matter runs from the wry humor of Your Husband’s Got a Gun and A Change Will Do Me Good to the pithy observations of the title song The Way of The World, the Latin-flavored narrative of Dinner for One along with the meditative self-reflection of Breathe.
T Bear boasts a career that spans more than 40 years, one that led to a string of noted solo albums and collaborations with a dizzying list of revered artists. In 1978, he signed with RCA Records and released his debut album, Red, Hot, and Blue, produced by Jack Richardson (Bob Seger, The Guess Who).
The album featured a notable group of musicians, including Les Dudek, Billy Squier, Paul Shaffer, and the Becker Brothers. The album spawned the single “Sunshine Hotel.” A remix of the song climbed to number four on the world dance charts before becoming the dance staple that it remains today.
He released a second album entitled Bear that includes a rendition of the Rolling Stones classic, Ruby Tuesday, which was followed up with the live album, Captured Alive, a concert recorded in Hamburg, Germany.
In 1984, he moved to Teldec Records, which led to the release of The Bear Truth, and the Giorgio Moroder produced album, The Runner.
He has appeared on numerous recordings by iconic artists including Crosby, Stills and Nash’s Southern Cross, The Blues Brothers Soundtrack, Richie Havens Mixed Bag II, Kiss members Gene Simmons and Peter Criss’ solo ventures, as well as Toby Beau’s hit single My Angel Baby, Billy Squier’s solo debut Tale of the Tape, and projects by former Rascals members Gene Cornish and Dino Danelli.
He would also pen the song Love and Pain, one of the standout tracks on Cher’s blockbuster album Take Me Home. He has shared the stage with artists such as Richie Havens, Odetta, The Doobie Brothers, and Jeff Beck, to name a few.
Born in New York City and raised in the Caribbean, T Bear found his initial inspiration in the sounds of the British Invasion. At age 13 he was writing his own songs. An early break came when he was working at Manny’s Music in New York City when Hot Tuna’s Jorma Kaukonen and Jack Casady stopped in and hear T Bear improvising on piano. They were impressed enough to ask him to sit in with them during a Hot Tuna show at the famed Fillmore East.
He worked for a time as Carly Simon’s road manager before he moved to London where his adventures continued as he contributed to a Gene Simmons solo album, and opened shows for the likes of Jeff Beck and Richie Havens before moving to Los Angeles where his fun continued when he guested on some early Pat Benatar demos.
In 1983, he took a lengthy hiatus from making music to get his personal life in order before returning to action in 2017 when he began creating the songs that would eventually turn out to be his well-received comeback album entitled, Fresh Bear Tracks, which was released on Quarto Valley Records in 2021.
Fast forward to the present and T Bear is excited about the new album. As he puts it, “Making The Way of the World was like getting a new pair of glasses. I see everything more clearly and in focus around me. These are songs that made me think and dream. It’s an oasis for the mind.”
T Bear website: https://tbear.rocks/
T Bear FB page: https://www.facebook.com/tbeartracks/
Video to the first single – A Change Will Do Me Good – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_wPPCJf9-A
Video to the title track – The Way of the World – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmwhx6YistY
Soundcloud link to the album here: https://soundcloud.com/idesign-1/sets/t-bear-the-way-of-the-world/s-vEYgZ0RaeBW?si=20822b9bb114470aa7381356eef3e43c&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing
