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John E. Oliver 1935-1996
I walked into a Santa Monica bar one night to see some friends who were playing there. They were backing up guitarist/vocalist John E. Oliver, who I had heard of but didn't really know. The drummer got John's permission for me to sit in - nobody asked me if I wanted to play; it was just assumed that I would play - and a moment later I was the guitarist in the trio, John Oliver was on a barstool, and at least ten people were gathered around him, mostly strangers. In a few seconds, they were all smiling. In moments, they were laughing and singing. By the time the night was over, they were all fast friends. As every break ended, John said (handing me his guitar) "why don't you start this set off..." John never did come back to the bandstand, but I had a great time that night.
We probably had a beer or two at the end of the night. The next week I sat in again. The following day, Suzi, his assistant, called me and offered me a recording session. She mentioned that I had made a "good impression" on John. I didn't know when I walked into that bar that John was one of the busier music contractors in Los Angeles. I knew him as a fine guitarist and vocalist, and I vaguely knew that he had something to do with the "sideline" business (on-camera musicians for television and films). He had the inside track on the vast majority of the sideline work in the city, and in his time there was a lot of that work. John was the king of this field, with no serious competition, for over twenty years, working first with the legendary Rudy Friml at Universal, and then going solo in the 'seventies.
Since much if the music used in these scenes is pre-recorded, a lot of John's work included writing, recording and producing the tracks that would be heard in the scene to be filmed. I began to work with him often in the studio, and he used me on screen whenever he had the chance. Soon, I began to supervise shoots and produce tracks on my own for his company, both in town and on location. A lot of us - Jonathan Wolff, Lou Forestieri, and others - got a serious education in the film music business working with John, and we got a lot of credibility in the business because of his willingness to let us represent him. His good reputation preceded us when we walked into a studio or onto a set.
John died in May of 1996 in a freak equestrian accident. It was an unexpected and ironic end for a man who lived the cowboy life whether he was at his Riverside ranch or his Burbank townhouse. He was a gentleman in a field not noted for good manners; a wonderful musician, and a great friend.
John's assistant (and later mine) was Suzi Chandler. They were once married, and she knew him as well as anyone. Suzi kept us both sane and out of trouble, though we tried her patience daily. She could unsnarl a complicated  contract or put a rude studio VP in his place with a single word. When John died, the big city lost its attraction for Suzi. She stayed long enough to help me get VMS running smoothly, for which I'm forever grateful (as are my clients). She now lives in busy "retirement" in Sedona, AZ.
I miss both of them every day.
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