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| Earl Slick | |
|---|---|
| Name | Earl Slick |
| Caption | Earl Slick performing |
| Birth name | Frank Madeloni |
| Birth date | 1947-07-01 |
| Birth place | Brooklyn, New York City, U.S. |
| Genres | Rock, hard rock, glam rock, blues rock |
| Occupations | Guitarist, songwriter, producer |
| Years active | 1960s–present |
| Labels | Columbia, RCA, Epic |
| Associated acts | David Bowie, John Lennon, Yoko Ono, Robert Smith, Ian Hunter |
Earl Slick is an American rock guitarist and record producer known for his work with David Bowie, John Lennon, Yoko Ono, and numerous other recording artists. Slick emerged from the New York rock scene in the late 1960s and built a reputation as a versatile session player and live guitarist capable of handling glam rock, hard rock, and blues rock styles. Over a career spanning five decades, he has contributed to landmark albums, toured with major acts, and led his own bands while influencing successive generations of guitarists.
Born Frank Madeloni in Brooklyn and raised in New York City, Slick grew up amid the postwar rock and roll and rhythm and blues culture of Long Island and the New York metropolitan area. His early musical exposure included local amateur radio exposure to Rhythm and Blues radio shows and record stores in neighborhoods near Coney Island and Flatbush. During adolescence he studied guitar techniques influenced by recordings from Chuck Berry, B.B. King, Howlin' Wolf, and Muddy Waters, and he later attended practical music workshops and jam sessions in Manhattan venues such as CBGB and The Bitter End that connected him with peers from Greenwich Village and the East Village scene.
Slick's first professional work came in the late 1960s and early 1970s in New York City studios, where he recorded with regional acts and appeared on releases handled by labels like Columbia Records and Epic Records. He established himself as a sought-after session guitarist with credits alongside musicians from the Laurel Canyon and SoHo circles, contributing to projects associated with producers from Muscle Shoals and Electric Lady Studios. His session résumé expanded to include work with artists who frequented Studio 54-era networks, and he performed on sessions that involved arrangers and engineers connected to Abbey Road Studios-influenced production techniques.
Slick's profile rose substantially after his association with David Bowie during the mid-1970s and early 1980s, including recording and touring for albums tied to Bowie-era projects. He also recorded with John Lennon and Yoko Ono on sessions that intersected with the post-Imagine period and collaborated with Ian Hunter during projects that linked the Mott the Hoople lineage to later rock productions. Other major collaborations include studio and stage work with Robert Smith of The Cure, Duran Duran members on side projects, and live appearances supporting artists from the Glam Rock and New Wave movements. Slick's guitar contributed to recordings associated with producers and musicians from the Lindsey Buckingham and Fleetwood Mac orbit as well as contributors from the Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin circles.
Slick formed and led bands that showcased his songwriting and guitar leadership, including projects under names such as Slick Diamond and Phantom, Rockers. His solo albums and band records featured guest appearances by musicians drawn from the New York Dolls lineage, members of The Clash-adjacent sessions, and collaborators from the punk rock and classic rock communities. Releases on labels with distribution partnerships involving RCA Records and independent imprints included studio albums, live recordings, and compilation contributions that intersected with musicians from Thin Lizzy, The Who alumni projects, and solo ventures by members of The Beatles-era circles.
Slick's guitar style blends melodic lead lines, aggressive riffing, and slide techniques informed by influences such as Jeff Beck, Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, and Peter Green. He is known for a tone achieved with Gibson Les Paul and Fender Stratocaster instruments, vintage Marshall and Fender amplifiers, and effects including Wah-wah pedals and analogue overdrive units used in studio sessions at facilities like Electric Lady Studios and Trident Studios. His equipment choices and approach influenced contemporaries and younger players connected to scenes in Los Angeles, London, and Tokyo, and he has been cited in interviews alongside guitarists such as Slash and Joe Perry.
Slick has divided his time between New York City and international touring hubs, collaborating with musicians from Europe, Japan, and Australia while participating in benefit concerts, retrospective compilations, and reissue projects overseen by labels like Rhino Records and archival teams from Sony Music Entertainment. His legacy includes contributions to classic albums that continue to be studied by historians of rock music and covered by tribute acts associated with festivals in Glastonbury and Monterey. Musicians, producers, and collectors cite Slick's session work and live performances when tracing stylistic threads through the careers of artists linked to David Bowie, John Lennon, Ian Hunter, and others; his influence is preserved through reissues, interviews in publications like Rolling Stone and Guitar Player, and appearances at conventions honoring the rock era.
Category:American rock guitarists Category:Session musicians Category:Living people