Starting with a ukelele when I was two, a 3/4 size Gibson acoustic guitar at six, a Fender Jazzmaster electric guitar at fifteen, and then a late start on the piano at nineteen.
My parents were bluegrass and folk musicians, and I witnessed and participated in many momentous hootenannies hosted in our home.
As we lived near a high school, lots of kids came to these parties.
One of these kids was Gary Tigerman, an excellent singer songwriter. Gary was my first mentor.
He enriched my musical education by teaching me how to play Beatle songs.
My sister Summer, and I played these songs together; me on guitar, her playing tambourine, with both of us singing.
We auditioned for the Steve Allen show (I remember that Peter Noone from Herman's Hermits was in the audience), and we got the gig.
The show got canceled the week before our scheduled performance.
I'd probably be dead by now had we appeared on the show.
In school I did not publicize my musical life.
I got decent grades, and tried to fit in as best I could with my long hair and bell bottoms.
My parents, sister and I formed a family band, and we auditioned in front of industry bigwigs (remember Bobby Sherman?) in our living room.
We got the audition, and were offered a full time gig in Las Vegas.
My dad was a working television director, and realizing he would have to quit to go to Vegas, decided to decline the gig.
I'd probably be dead by now had he accepted.
After dropping out of UCLA after my freshman year, my dear father offered (realized he did not have to spend money on my college education/wanted a studio/loved me and wanted me to succeed?) to help build a recording studio in the garage.
"Spoiled Brat Recording", opened in my parents garage in 1977. An ad in "The Recycler" with the copy "8 track recording studio/$10 an hour" was all it took for me to be "in" the music business.
I began to learn the craft of record engineering through trial and err, and through some incredible people I met.
My second mentor was Chad Stuart from the sixties band, "Chad and Jeremy".
When Chad's records were recorded, there were only 3 audio tracks to work with, and he showed me how to take full advantage of the 8 tracks we had at "Spoiled Brat"*.
Spoiled Brat became very busy, so in 1980, with the help of my family and friends, we opened a 24 track recording studio, "Skyline Recording" in Topanga Canyon.
And I'm amazed I'm still alive.
Around twenty years ago, I decided to abandon the pursuit of rock-stardom to focus on "bringing home the bacon" (no pun intended) for my young family.
Last year, while digging through the shed in the backyard, I stumbled upon boxes of analogue, and digital tapes of my songs, and decided to transfer them.
(A big shout out to Shantih Haast, my former assistant, and now the owner of Studio 770, who handled the transfer process).
All songs on this blog are "demos", recorded during "off hours" at my studio(s).
I came close, but never got a record deal.
It's O.K.
Yeah I'd probably be dead by now had I gotten a "deal", but I'm also happy and humbled to have had the chance to work with some amazing writers and musicians.
I continue to write and record music, but on a more sporadic and heartfelt basis.
Art is never finished; it's just left lying on the side of the digital highway baking in the mean sun.
Enjoy!
Britt
The late great Phil Hartman drew this on the control room wall to commemorate the completion of his comedy album, "Flat T.V.", which Chad produced, and I engineered.
My late great Mom peeled what was left of it off the wall, and mounted it in a frame for me when they sold the house.
Love your story, music and writing style. Most of all, I love your outlook!
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