“To know that you’re helping keep the music that really touched you alive. There’s no better feeling than giving people something that touches them. Passing it on. You don’t get there very often but when you do, it makes life sing.” - Bill Bentley
Eclecto Groove Records adds yet another heavy hitter to “The Dream Team!” Publicist/Writer/Musician/Producer, Bill Bentley joins the arsenal of industry giants who together, have big plans for the career of Eclecto Groove recording artist, Zito. Organized by CEO Randy Chortkoff and President of Eclecto & Delta Groove Music Robert Fitzpatrick, “The Dream Team” features David Z (producer to Prince, Buddy Guy, Ana Popovic, Jonny Lang and Etta James), and Tony Braunagel (who produced Eric Burdon’s most recent CD “Soul of a Man”). In addition to Zito’s natural talent, Tony Braunagal put together a stellar assembly of world class musicians that included bassist James “Hutch” Hutchinson (who has recorded on nearly thirty Grammy award winning projects, playing with iconic musicians such as Bonnie Raitt, Roy Orbison, Joe Cocker, Willie Nelson, Boz Scaggs, Keb’ Mo and B.B. King), keyboardist Benmont Tench (longtime pianist with Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers and highly sought-after session player who has appeared on recordings by Jackson Browne, Johnny Cash, Elvis Costello, Bob Dylan, Stevie Nicks, Bonnie Raitt, U2, and the Rolling Stones to name just a few!), drummer Tony Braunagel (Taj Mahal, Eric Burdon, B.B. King, Bonnie Raitt and Phantom Blues Band) and Michito Sanchez on percussion.
Bill Bentley’s credentials are certainly impressive enough to earn him a spot in this selective group of individuals! Bentley has worked as a publicist for Eric Clapton, Barenaked Ladies, The Blasters, Elvis Costello, Green Day, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Los Lobos, Lou Reed, Neil Young, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Robert Randolph and the Family Band, and Wilco. Bentley has also been credited as record producer of Where the Pyramid Meets the Eye: A Tribute to Roky Erickson, More Oar: A Tribute to the Skip Spence Album and the solo album, Hand Made by The Blasters’ pianist, Gene Taylor. Bill Bentley humbly and respectfully refers to these associations as “walking with giants.”
Growing up in Houston, the son of Houston Post’s newspaper cartoonist, Bud Bentley, the younger Bentley became an avid fan of Elvis Presley in 1956. After receiving a sky blue pearl drum kit as a birthday present, Bentley tested out his own musical abilities. Around 1972, he answered an ad in Austin reading, “Drummer wanted. No frou-frous allowed.” This led him to joining a band known as the Bizzaros, which over the years would include Bill Campbell, Ike Ritter and founding member of Velvet Underground, Sterling Morrison.
In 1974, after meeting [Austin Sun editor] Jeff Nightbyrd and [Sun publisher] Michael Eakin and helping them move a desk, Nightbyrd offered Bentley a job as the music editor at the paper. Bentley later freelanced at the Austin American-Statesman and then as publicist at KLRN which later became KLRU. He also founded KUT’s R&B showcase Twine Time. In 1979, Bentley took a job at the L.A. Weekly as music editor. He scored a publicist’s job at the hip label Slash Records in 1983 and became a “creative editorial writer” three years later when Warner Bros. bought Slash moving into a publicists’ position in 1988.
As a publicist, Bill Bentley currently keeps his roster small and intimate, at this time representing Neil Young and Lou Reed. Bentley has chosen recently to add yet another artist to his client list, and that is our very own recording artist, Zito. Why did he choose to add Zito? The following is an excerpt from an article written by Margaret Moser on Bentley for the Austin Chronicle.
“Bill Bentley, back-door writer, used to have a surefire question that virtually guaranteed a heartfelt response. ‘What’s the payback?’ he’d ask. So what’s the payback, Bentley? ‘I asked Stevie Vaughan that when I interviewed him for the Sun,’ he answers. ‘He said, “There’s two. One, there’s when you’re playing onstage and your toes curl up, and two, it’s when you’re passing it on.” That’s Stevie. To know that you’re helping keep the music that really touched you alive. There’s no better feeling than giving people something that touches them. Passing it on. You don’t get there very often but when you do, it makes life sing.’”
That response sums up so well the reason why Bill Bentley has chosen to take on Zito as a client. When Hutch Hutchinson played the Zito recording for Bentley, he was inspired by not only the quality of music but also by the positive message that Zito’s music promotes. Bentley was so moved by the music, he was motivated to “pass it on” because “there’s no better feeling than giving people something that touches them.” Eclecto Groove Records is both humbled and honored to have yet another team player who feels the way we do about Zito’s music and getting the message out there!
To read the entire Austin Chronicle, click here.
http://www.austinchronicle.com/gyrobase/Issue/story?oid=oid:75120
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
THE OFFICAL ECLECTO GROOVE RECORDS WEBSITE: http://www.eclectogroove.com
THE OFFICAL ZITO WEBSITE: http://www.mikezito.com/
THE OFFICAL ZITO MYSPACE: http://www.myspace.com/mikezito5150 |
