Playing with Benny Mardones,
an Extraordinary Vocalist


drummer Greg Gerson & Benny Mardones 
Benny Mardones, Me, Duane Evans, Bobby Tepper, Terry Bacon and Lars Hanson

I'd gotten a call in the spring of 1981 from record producer Barry Marz asking me if I'd come down to a studio in midtown Manhattan and give a play with Benny Mardones and Bobby Tepper.

At the time, I didn't know who either of them were but Barry had told me they were looking for a drummer and mentioned to me that Sandy Gennero had previously worked and recorded with Benny... Sandy was an acquaintance of mine and being curious, I picked up a copy of his (Benny's) second album entitled "Never Run, Never Hide" and was blown away by his gifted voice... He's an extraordinary vocalist...

The next day, I went down to some studio in midtown where we all met and played... As I recall, everyone was more than pleased with how it all felt and sounded...

Shortly after that, we went in to preproduction for Benny's third album later to be released entitled "Too Much to Lose" on Polydor Records... It was recorded at Right Track Studio and was one of the first records to be recorded there since its move from 21st Street to 48th Street...

I do remember Michael Kamen coming in one night to lay down strings with his Synclaver Keyboard which at that time, I was told, was worth as much as a house... He was brilliant to say the least. We went on to finish that record...

Then Benny called me soon after, asking me if I'd play on some tracks at the Power Station Studio for a friend, His friend turned out to be Judi Dozier, who I'd later play with in The Billy Idol Band in the following years... Benny told me that Roy Orbison was going to produce the session with him, and I jumped at the chance to work with Roy... What a wonderful experience it was to work along side a living legend like Roy!!! Roy was one of the greatest people you'd ever meet without question!!!

Soon after that session with Benny, Roy and Judi, I'd gotten a call from Bill Aucoin, who at the time was managing KISS and a new artist from a disbanded group out of England called Generation-X... The artist was Billy Idol, who I went on to play with for the next three and a half years. While Billy's band was being formed Billy and guitarist extraordinar Steve Stevens had asked me if I knew any great keyboard players that I thought would be great for the band... I then told them about Judi Dozier, who I had just finished recording with with Benny, Roy and Bobby Tepper... She soon came down to audition... She was more than great that day!!! Both she and I went on to do that gig through White Wedding & Rebel Yell... Benny Mardones was the catalyst!!!

This is the story,
then and now!!!


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