Session musician: Map

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Session musicians are instrumental performers or vocalists who are available for hire for live performances or recording sessions, as opposed to musicians who are either permanent members of a musical ensemble or who have acquired fame in their own right as bandleaders. Although the term generally refers to musicians skilled in contemporary musical styles such as rock, jazz, country, and pop, etc., it can also be used to describe musicians from classical styles.

Although many session musicians play rhythm section instruments—bass, guitar, keyboards, or drums—session musicians also include horn sections, trumpet players, singers, and other musicians.

Terms and usage

Modern usage

Though the terms that are considered "session musician" and "studio musician" are often used interchangeably, the term "studio musician" is sometimes reserved for musicians who work exclusively in recording studios, sometimes for a single studio or record company. Versatility is one of the most important traits of the session musician, because a session musician hired to play on an album may have to perform in a range of different styles or using a variety of different instruments. For example, a bassist hired to play on an album may be asked to play both double bass and electric bass, and they may be asked to play songs from styles ranging from jazz and latin to funk and rock. Similarly, a guitarist may be asked to play acoustic guitar and electric guitar, and they may be asked to play a range of styles using each instrument, such as fingerstyle on the acoustic and rock soloing and jazz chording on the electric guitar.

Most session players must be able to form "teams" working on projects, and sometimes the musicians not only come from different backgrounds, but are completely unfamiliar with one another. Guitarist Greg Howe stated in an interview once, "If musicians are the athletes, the session cats are the Olympic hopefuls". Session musicians who play electric instruments are expected to have a high level of familiarity with obtaining different tones and effects with their equipment. For example, electric guitar players or synth players may be called on to use amplifiers, rack-mount effects, and other devices to create a variety of sound effects.

Session musicians are used in any situation where musical skills are needed on a short-term basis, ranging from a few hours to many months. Typical uses of session musicians are:

In a recording studio to provide backing for advertising, film and television music
To provide instrumental or vocal backing for established solo artists or groups, both in the studio and in concerts and appearances
To act as temporary replacements for permanent members of a band or ensemble
To provide additional instruments or vocals when needed by a band or ensemble
In ensembles for theatrical productions

The following are usually not regarded as session musicians:

Recording artists
Solo musicians or ensembles (without recording contracts) who give public or private performances for hire by themselves, such as wedding singers or bar bands
Amateur musicians
Full-time members of professional ensembles, such as symphony orchestras
Sidemen

Instead, session musicians perform with (and are hired by, or on behalf of) some other musical act or artistic production. Apart from being highly competent at their instruments, skilled session musicians are also expected to learn parts rapidly, and to play music by sight (reading directly from the musical score).

Earlier usage

The above definitions do not always apply to earlier times. For example, during the 1920s and 1930s most record companies had their own prolific "studio bands" turning out records of the latest pop hits. These were often made up by jazz and dance band musicians who were at the same time members of regular working bands and who divided their time between studio work (recordings as well as broadcasting) during the day and live performances in the evenings. Notable such "studio musicians" include Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Red Nichols, Miff Mole, and Mike Mosiello.

Notable session musicians

Although session musicians have long and successful careers, and can achieve considerable fame within the musical industry, they do not usually achieve popular celebrity.

Notable exceptions include the members of the band Toto, formed by a group of regular studio musicians in Los Angeles

; John Paul Jones and Jimmy Page, who were well known as session musicians before their later success with Led Zeppelin; keyboardist Rick Wakeman, who started his career as a session musician before becoming a member of popular progressive rock band Yes; R&B singer-songwriters Valerie Simpson (half of the Motown writing and singing duo, Ashford & Simpson), Lisa Fischer, and Luther Vandross who each spent many years as top session vocalists based in New York City. Carol Kaye is the most recorded bassist of all time with 10,000 sessions spanning four decades, according to the Berklee College of Music. The 1954 recording session for the song "Rock Around the Clock" by Bill Haley and his Comets featured several session musicians, including guitarist Danny Cedrone, who performed the song's guitar solo.

Artists once came to Nashville from all over the world to play with The Nashville A-Team. This group was made up of A-list studio musicians who recorded during the Nashville Sound era. Their contributions began in the 1950s, and a few are still recording today. Elvis Presley recorded with The A-Team. Some of these musicians include include bassist Bob Moore, guitarists Grady Martin, Hank Garland, Ray Edenton and Harold Bradley (brother of producer Owen), drummer Buddy Harman, pianist Hargus "Pig" Robbins, fiddler Tommy Jackson, steel guitarist Pete Drake, harmonicast Charlie McCoy, saxophonist Boots Randolph, pianist Floyd Cramer and vocal groups the Jordanaires and the Anita Kerr Singers.

The Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section, also known as The Swampers, are a group of American soul, R&B, and country studio musicians based in the town of Muscle Shoals, Alabama. These musicians,Barry Beckett, Roger Hawkins, David Hood, Jimmy Johnson, one of the best-known groups of session musicians, crafted the "Muscle Shoals Sound."

Other notable session musicians include: