It Started with a Clock Radio…
All over America, kids were lulled to sleep each night and resurrected in time for school each morning by the seditious strains of rock and roll.
The radio landscape of the mid 50’s and 60’s was an endless banquet of quirky productions, hymns to love unrequited, insidious grooves, novelty tunes and above all, a sense of danger and excitement. Artists took chances and no one looked back. An entire generation was going someplace – together.
Ned Doheny was born at The Good Samaritan Hospital in Los Angeles in 1948. His mother was a lover of Broadway Musicals, while his father tended more toward be-bop and film scores. As a child, he would lie between the speakers on the floor of his parent’s library memorizing every note of his father’s old jazz records. Every night it was the clock radio; the little bulb inside casting a sprawl of diagonal lines across the ceiling, while perfect guitars, ravaged hearts and gum-popping beehives from the East Coast put into words those feelings for which he had no language. The appearance of an acoustic guitar under the Christmas tree changed everything.
He played his first recording session while still in High School. Not long after, he was tagged by Frazier Mohawk and Elektra Records to play on an album at Paxton Lodge with his pal Jackson Browne. He recorded and toured with jazz great Charles Lloyd, eventually performing at McNeil Island Federal Penitentiary. After a year of classical guitar study with Fred Noad, he traveled to England where he was asked to join a group with Dave Mason and Cass Elliot. Disenchanted with the group’s management, he returned to Los Angeles where Jackson’s involvement with David Geffen would guide him to a recording contract at Asylum Records and his first album: “Ned Doheny”. He was 22.
Ned would go on to make two more albums for Columbia Records: “Hard Candy” and “Prone”, and have his tunes recorded by Chaka Khan, George Benson, Melissa Manchester, Johnny Rivers, and Dave Mason, to name a few. Sampling would make his music accessible to a succession of hip-hop and rap artists. One of his songs, “To Prove My Love”, would become an underground dance hit in England and a seminal influence in the world of house music. He would work with childhood guitar heroes Steve Cropper and Lonnie Mack and learn about recording from the likes of Glyn Johns, Al Schmitt and Paul Rothchild. In 1978, the Japanese recording industry would reach out to him – an association that would last well into the 90s.
The new century would see the music world turned upside down by innovations in technology. Domination by the big labels would give way to home recording and the rise of the independents, while the Internet would put unprecedented creative and marketing power into the hands of the rank and file. With his son in college and his marriage behind him, it was time to explore: “The Darkness Beyond the Fire”.
Words from the official website.
Discography
Separate Oceans
Numero Group 2014
Tracks: Get It Up For Love, Each Time You Pray, What Cha’ Gonna Do For Me (with Average White Band), To Prove My Love (Vocal version), Labor Of Love, A Love Of Your Own, I’ve Got Your Number (Demo), If You Should Fall (Demo), When Love Hangs In The Balance (Demo), Fineline (Demo, featuring Glenn Frey and Don Henley), On And On (Demo, featuring Glenn Frey and Don Henley), I Can Dream (Demo, featuring Glenn Frey and Don Henley), I Know Sorrow, Standfast, A Love of Your Own (Demo), On The Swingshift (Demo), The Devil In You, Love’s A Heartache (Demo) & Get It Up For Love (Demo)
Musicians on the Separate Oceans album: Ned Doheny and others.
Hard Candy/Prone
Super Bird Records 2011
Tracks: Get It Up For Love, If You Should Fall, Each Time You Pray, When Love Hangs In The Balance, A Love Of Your Own, I've Got Your Number, On The Swingshift, Sing To Me, Valentine, To Prove My Love, Think Like A Lover, Labor Of Love, Thinking with My Heart, Guess Who's Looking For Love Again, The Devil In You, Funky Love, If You Only Know & Sweet Friction.
Musicians on the Best Collection album: Ned Doheny and others.
The Darkness Beyond The Fire
NDM 2010
Tracks: The Secret Society of Women, Between Two Worlds, In A Perfect World, Love In The Rear View Mirror, Life After Romance, Perish The Thought, Ghostdancer, Trail’s End, Too Late For Love & I Will Let You Go.
Musicians on the Best Collection album: Ned Doheny and others.
Prone
Sony Music 2005
Tracks: To Prove My Love, Think Like A Lover, Labor Of Love, Thinking with My Heart, Guess Who's Looking For Love Again, The Devil In You, Funky Love, If You Only Know & Sweet Friction.
Musicians on the Prone album: Ned Doheny Bonnie Raitt Brooks Hunnicut, Bryan Garofalo, David Foster, Dennis Parker, Ernie Corallo, Fleming Williams, Gary Mallaber, Jeff Porcaro, John David Souther, Joey Carbone, Karen Wright, Lisa Roberts, Michael Baird, Rosemary Butler, Steve Cropper, Steve Forman, Steve Perry, Chuck Findley, Jim Horn, Jimmy Decker, Quitman Dennis, Lew McCreary & Steve Madaio.
Best Collection
Dyna Music 1995
Tracks: Whatcha Gonna Do For Me?, Postcards From Hollywood, Perish The Thought, Between Two Worlds, Who Do You Love?, Heartbreak In The Making, Never Too Far To Fall, Diary Of A Fool, A Love Of Your Own, The Secret Society Of Women, Never Too Far To Fall, When Hearts Collide (Sad Eyes), Life After Romance, Love In The Rear-view Mirror, Valentine (I Was Wrong About You), Touched By Love, 'Til Kingdom Come, Love Like Ours, Can't Help But Love Her & On And On.
Musicians on the Best Collection album: Ned Doheny and others.
Best Collection
Polystar Records 1995
Tracks: Whatcha Gonna Do For Me?, Postcards From Hollywood, Perish The Thought, Between Two Worlds, Who Do You Love?, Heartbreak In The Making, Never Too Far To Fall, Diary Of A Fool, A Love Of Your Own, The Secret Society Of Women, Never Too Far To Fall, When Hearts Collide (Sad Eyes), Life After Romance, Love In The Rear-view Mirror, Valentine (I Was Wrong About You), Touched By Love, 'Til Kingdom Come, Love Like Ours, Can't Help But Love Her & On And On.
Musicians on the Best Collection album: Ned Doheny and others.
Between Two Worlds
Polystar Records 1993
Tracks: Never Too Far To Fall, Postcards From Hollywood, Between Two Worlds, Too Late For Love, I will Let You Go, Ghost Dancer, Trail's End, Love In The Rear-view Mirror, Diary Of A Fool, Down To My Last Dream & For All The Good It Might Do.
Musicians on the Between Two Worlds album: Ned Doheny, Leslie Smith, Jimmy Haslip, Marilyn Scott, Maxine Lewis and others.
Postcard From Hollywood
Polystar Records 1991
Tracks: Postcards From Hollywood, If You Should Fall, Fine line, Get It Up For Love, Whatcha Gonna Do For Me?, Valentine (I Was Wrong About You) & A Love Of Your Own.
Musicians on the Postcards From Hollywood album: Ned Doheny and others.
Love Like Ours
Polystar Records 1991
Tracks: Love Like Ours (Instrumental), The Secret Society Of Women, Touched By Love, True Survivor, When Hearts Collide (Sad Eyes), Perish The Thought, Who Do You Love ?, Before I Thrill Again, Love Like Ours & A Blue Moon Rising.
Musicians on the Love Like Ours album: Ned Doheny, Michael Thompson, Jimmy Haslip, John Robinson, Marilyn Scott, J.D. Souther and others.
Life After Romance
Dreamsville Records 1988
Tracks: Whatcha Gonna Do For Me ?, Love's A Heartache, 'Til Kingdom Come, Follow Your Heart, Back to the world, Heartbreak In The Making, Can't Help But Love Her, Life After Romance, Whatcha Gonna Do For Me ? (TV Mix), Whatcha Gonna Do For Me ? (Acoustic), Get It Up For Love (Acoustic), If You Should Fall (Acoustic) & Postcards From Hollywood (Acoustic). Track9-13: Bonus Tracks.
Musicians on the Life After Romance album: Ned Doheny, James Harrah, Jai Winding, Alan Pasqua, Jimmy Haslip, Abraham Laboriel, John Robinson, Gary Mallaber, Luis Conte, Rick Baptistm Charles Davis, Bobby Militello, Bob McChensney, Leslie Smith, Marilyn Scott, Timothy B. Schmit & Tony Galla.
Prone
Sony Music 1979
Tracks: To Prove My Love, Think Like A Lover, Labor Of Love, Thinking with My Heart, Guess Who's Looking For Love Again, The Devil In You, Funky Love, If You Only Know & Sweet Friction.
Musicians on the Prone album: Ned Doheny Bonnie Raitt Brooks Hunnicut, Bryan Garofalo, David Foster, Dennis Parker, Ernie Corallo, Fleming Williams, Gary Mallaber, Jeff Porcaro, John David Souther, Joey Carbone, Karen Wright, Lisa Roberts, Michael Baird, Rosemary Butler, Steve Cropper, Steve Forman, Steve Perry, Chuck Findley, Jim Horn, Jimmy Decker, Quitman Dennis, Lew McCreary & Steve Madaio.
Hard Candy
CBS Records 1976
Tracks: Get It Up For Love, If You Should Fall, Each Time You Pray, When Love Hangs In The Balance, A Love Of Your Own, I've Got Your Number, On The Swingshift, Sing To Me & Valentine.
Musicians on the Hard Candy album: Ned Doheny, Steve Cropper, Don Henley, Linda Ronstadt, Tower of Power, Victor Feldman, Tom Scott, John Heard, David Foster, Brian Barofalo, Rosemary Butler, James Calire, Colin Cameron, Ernie Corello, Craig Doerge, Chuck Findley, Steve Forman, Glenn Frey, John Guerin, Jim Horn, Brooks Hunnicutt, Gary Malaber, Larry Muhoberac, Dennis Parker, J.D. Souther, Hamish Stuart, Laszlo Wicky & Fleming Williams.
Ned Doheny
Elektra Records 1975
Tracks: Fineline, I Know Sorrow, Trust Me, On And On, Lashambeaux, I Can Dream, Postcards From Hollywood, Take Me Faraway, It Calls For You & Standfast.
Musicians on the Ned Doheny album: Ned Doheny, Graham Nash, Don Menza, Jimmy Caleri, Bryan Garofalo, Richard Hyde, Richard Kermode, Gary Malaber, Dave Parlato & Mike Utley.