Whatever happened to Gene Dinwiddie?

[xax]

The Paul Butterfield Blues Band had two saxaphonists, David Sanborn and Gene Dinwiddie. we all know what became of Sanborn but anybody know what became of Dinwiddie?

[stitch]

I'm guessing he changed his name.

[Frank D]

Great question, XAX. I used to listen to those albums in high school. One More Heartache....In My Own Dream....Maybe one of our gurus with an encyclopedic knowledge of past players has the answer (Tim?, John?).

[John Laughter]

I have heard the name over the years but am not familar with his work. Here is some recording info;

http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p...=R71180#APPEAR

I assume that this is the same person....."Brother"

[Frank D]

That's the guy allright. Recordings seem to have stopped around 1977. Everything cited after that is a reissue or compilation.

Thanks for the research, John.

[mstrwooley]

He passed away a few years plus ago.

[Tim Price]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgT172TEEMI


There's a beautiful song Buzz Feiten did for Gene on YOU TUBE with Brandon Fields blowin' his a@@ off/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgT172TEEMI

A fitting vibe for Brother Gene, who I used to watch with Butterfield in Boston, or Woodstocks cavern-bars wailin away next to a young Sanborn.

There's NO bands today like Butterfield....Thaz for sure.

Brandon sure sounds great too.

[Jazz Is All]

Google brings up these bios:

Saxman and multi-instrumentalist Gene Dinwiddie -- often billed as Brother Gene Dinwiddie -- spent a decade or more playing blues and free jazz before making his recording debut as a member of the Paul Butterfield Blues Band. A gifted composer and arranger as well as player, he joined Butterfield's outfit in mid-1967 in time for the group's appearance at the Monterey Pop Festival, in the wake of Mike Bloomfield's departure. His presence in the lineup, along with that of trumpet man Keith Johnson, completely reshaped the group's sound as a much more roots-oriented blues ensemble.

Dinwiddie hung back a bit for the first two albums on which he worked, The Resurrection of Pigboy Crabshaw and In My Own Dream, taking some hot solos on numbers such as "Double Trouble" on the former album but otherwise not stepping out to the front in a larger role. That changed with the release of Keep On Moving in 1969, where he and drummer Phillip Wilson copped the opening track slot with their "Love March." Thanks to its appearance in a live performance on the Woodstock album, "Love March" would become a hit single, the best known of the band's songs, and a staple of the group's live act for its final couple of years (even though it didn't really represent the band's sound). He also worked in an appearance with the James Cotton Blues Band on record during this period. And on the Paul Butterfield Blues Band's magnificent Live album, Dinwiddie's influence would be felt all over, from the opening notes to the end.

He was later a key member of the Butterfield offshoot group Full Moon and spent the mid-'70s playing on records by B.B. King, Melissa Manchester, Jackie Lomax, and Gregg Allman, as well as returning to work with Butterfield again. His most visible appearance on record in the 1990s was playing tenor sax on Etta James' album Stickin' to My Guns. ~ Bruce Eder, All Music Guide

And from Phil Brodie's Saxophone site at http://www.philbrodieband.com/muso_s...xophonists.htm

Gene Dinwiddie, born in Louisville, later nicknamed "Brother" played with various bands and jammed with the likes of Roscoe Mitchell and Amina Claudine Myers, for over a decade and a half before he got a big break in 1967. This happened when Paul Butterfield inspired by his mentor Junior Parker, formed a "big band". Soon after he asked Gene, by then a highly respected blues and jazz man, to arranged the brass section to join the band. This included Brother Gene himself, Trevor Lawrence, David Sanborn, Steve Madeo, they made a huge impact on the band, and brought them media attention. Gene appeared at both legendary festivals, the '67 Monterey Pop Festival, and at Woodstock in 1969, where his outstanding performance in "Love March" helped make it an instant hit, and also made it the band's anthem. He toured and recorded with the band for over 3 years. A must of Gene from this era, is the Butterfield Blues Band's supurb "Live" album, from the opening notes to the last, Gene's input and influence is felt throughout the album. He also played and recorded with the James Cotton Blues Band in it's early days, his experience helped them on their way to become the band they are known today. Throughout the 70's, 80's & 90's Gene freelanced, arranging brass sections or playing solo with many artists including Greg Allman, Cher, B.B. King, Melissa Manchester, Jackie Lomax, Keith Johnson, Phillip Wilson, Bugsy Maugh, Steve Madaio, Trevor Lawrence, Venetta Fields, Clydie King, David Sanborn, Geoff & Maria Muldaur, Lightnin' Rod, the band Crackin' and Etta James. He was also a major member of the group Full Moon during this time too. Gene played all the saxophones, the flute, the mandolin, but is most famed for his tenor playing. He also composed, "Cafe Black Rose" on the Lightinin’ Rod "Hustler’s Convention" album, later covered by Beck. He was a musician who put so much hard work and so much of himself into many projects, but, sadly Gene Dinwiddie passed away just a few years ago, and like too many great musicians .. virtually unnoticed.

[Saxhound]

This thread inspired me to go digging in my vinyl collection last night. Found my very old and scratchy copy of BBB Live at the Troubador in LA from 1970. Just great stuff, and brought back memories of trying to play along with Gene when I was just a teenager.

The inside cover art shows three sax players (ATB), but the credits only list Gene on tenor and Trevor on bari. After staring at the picture for a minute, I realized that the baby faced alto player with stringy shoulder length black hair covering his face was none other than David Sanborn. You could just tell by that funny way he holds his horn to the side. I'm curious why he wasn't listed in the credits. Perhaps he was underage, and not supposed to be there.

[Joe Giardullo]

I remember Gene from his Woodstock days. Maybe around 1972 I walked into a bar just outside town and a band was setting up, with virtually no one in the place. As the drummer ( Steve Haas from Paul Bley Trio) carted in his kit, the piano player (Gene Adler) sat down and started to play. Gene was taking out his horn while the bass player (Tom Schmidt, Dave Holland's sub in the Sam Rivers Trio) took the cover off his upright. Gene started to play with the piano player while Haas put the kit together. Schmidt tuned up while they played and joined then the piano and sax. A few minutes later, Haas joined them and the music exploded.


We knew Gene and his music. He is missed down here.

[patchmo]

I'm guessing he changed his name.

Yes! You are not correct, sir!

[honkytone]

In the new 40th anniversary Woodstock box set there's a supplementary DVD that contains performances not included in the movie, including the Butterfield band doing "Morning Sunrise." Dinwiddie does a pretty lengthy solo (looks like on a brand new Mark VII), alongside a very young David Sanborn and Buzzy Feiten. Here's a bootleg version of it that's been on YouTube for a couple years:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pynfwtiVleE