Herbie Lovelle
Herbie Lovelle (1 June 1924 - April 8, 2009) was an American drummer, who played jazz, R&B, rock, and folk. He was also a studio musician and an actor.
Lovelle's uncle was the drummer Arthur Herbert. Lovelle began his career with the trumpeter, singer and band leader Hot Lips Page in the late 1940s, then played in the 1950s with the saxophonist Hal Singer, Johnny Moore's Three Blazers and the pianist Earl Hines. Through working for both Lucky Thompson and Jimmy Rushing of Count Basie's Orchestra, he became house drummer at the Savoy Ballroom in New York City for much of the 1950s. He toured with the tenor saxophonist Arnett Cobb and the pianist Teddy Wilson in 1954. In 1959 he contributed to the pianist Paul Curry's album Paul Curry Presents the Friends of Fats, released on the Golden Crest label.
In the early years of television, he performed with the King Guion Orchestra on the Jerry Lester Show and the Ed Sullivan Show. In 1966, he was the lead drummer for the Sammy Davis, Jr. TV show.
Lovelle began playing more R&B in the 1950s and worked as a studio musician, often with Sam Taylor. He played on albums by Bob Dylan (The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan), Pearls Before Swine, Eric Andersen, David Blue, John Denver, Tom Rush, B. B. King, John Martyn (Stormbringer!), the Strangeloves, the McCoys, and the Monkees. He continued working as a studio musician well into the 1980s.
In 1976, he produced the first album by Stuff, which went platinum in Japan. He also played drums in the 1976 revival of Guys and Dolls.
From the 1980s on, he acted in film and television, including on Law & Order (1995–2004). His film credits include Bella (2006), Mitchellville (2004) (Sundance), The Rhythm of the Saints (2003), Don't Explain (2002), The Curse of the Jade Scorpion (2001), Down to Earth (2001), Girlfight (2000), Maximum Risk (1996), Getting Away with Murder (1996), White Lies (1996), Bleeding Hearts (1994), The Paper (1994), Running on Empty (1988), Death Wish III (1985), A Man Called Adam (1966).
His TV credits include Into the Fire (2005), How Do You Spell Belief? (2005), Kingpin Rising (2005), Third Watch (2 episodes, 2005), and Law & Order TV (1995–2004).
Discography
With Eric Andersen
- 'Bout Changes 'n' Things Take 2 (Vanguard, 1967)
- Avalanche (Warner Bros., 1968)
- More Hits from Tin Can Alley (Vanguard, 1968)
With Rufus Thomas
- Crown the Prince of Dance (Stax, 1973)
With Cándido Camero
- Thousand Finger Man (Solid State, 1970)
- Beautiful (Blue Note, 1971)
With Buck Clayton
- Jazz Gallery (Philips, 1959)
- Songs for Swingers (Columbia, 1959)
- Copenhagen Concert (SteepleChase, 1979)
With John Denver
- Take Me to Tomorrow (RCA Victor, 1970)
- Farewell Andromeda (RCA Victor, 1973)
- Rocky Mountain Christmas (RCA Records, 1975)
With Art Farmer
- Art Farmer Plays (Prestige, 1955)
- Early Art (New Jazz, 1961)
- Farmer's Market (Prestige, 1973)
With Lightning Hopkins
- Goin' Away (Prestige, 1963)
- Soul Blues (Prestige, 1965)
- Down Home Blues (Prestige, 1965)
With Solomon Burke
- I Wish I Knew (A&M, 1968)
With B.B. King
- Completely Well (Bluesway, 1969)
- Indianola Mississippi Seeds (ABC, 1970)
With Herbie Mann
- The Herbie Mann String Album (Atlantic, 1967)
- Glory of Love (CTI, 1967)
With Sonny Stitt
- Soul Shack (Prestige, 1963)
- Primitivo Soul (Prestige, 1964)
With others
- Big Joe Turner, Singing the Blues (BluesWay, 1967)
- Bob Dylan, The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan (Columbia, 1963)
- Budd Johnson, Budd Johnson and the Four Brass Giants (Riverside, 1960)
- Buddy Tate, Swinging Like Tate (Felsted, 1958)
- Chico O'Farrill, Married Well (Verve, 1967)
- Chuck Rainey, The Chuck Rainey Coalition (Skye, 1972)
- Dave Frishberg, Oklahoma Toad (CTI, 1970)
- David Blue, David Blue (Elektra, 1966)
- Dicky Wells, Trombone Four-in-Hand (Felsted, 1959)
- Eddie Jefferson, Joe Carroll, Annie Ross, The Bebop Singers (Prestige, 1970)
- Emmett Berry, Beauty and The Blues (Columbia, 1960)
- Ernie Wilkins, Screaming Mothers (Mainstream, 1974)
- Erroll Garner, That's My Kick (MGM, 1967)
- Fats Domino, Fats Is Back (Reprise, 1968)
- Gordon Lightfoot, Did She Mention My Name? (United Artists, 1968)
- Herbie Mann, Glory of Love (A&M, 1967)
- Ian & Sylvia, Ian & Sylvia (Columbia, 1971)
- Illinois Jacquet, Spectrum (Argo, 1965)
- Jimmy Witherspoon, Blues Around the Clock (Prestige, 1964)
- John Martyn and Beverley Martyn, Stormbringer! (Island, 1970)
- Johnny Hodges, Blue Pyramid (Verve, 1966)
- Leon Thomas, Full Circle (Flying Dutchman 1973)
- Leonard Gaskin, At the Jazz Band Ball (Swingville, 1962)
- Lotti Golden, Motor-Cycle (Atlantic, 1969)
- Marlena Shaw, From the Depths of My Soul (Blue Note, 1973)
- Muddy Waters, The London Muddy Waters Sessions (Chess, 1972)
- Nat Adderley, Sayin' Somethin' (Atlantic, 1966)
- Tom Rush, The Circle Game (Elektra, 1968)
- Tom Rush, Tom Rush (Columbia, 1970)
- Percy Mayfield, Blues and Then Some (RCA Victor, 1971)
- Red Holloway, The Burner (Presige, 1964)
- Richard "Groove" Holmes, That Healin' Feelin' (Prestige, 1968)
- Rusty Bryant, Rusty Bryant Returns (Prestige, 1969)
- Ruth Brown, Black Is Brown and Brown Is Beautiful (Skye, 1969)
- Slim Gaillard, Mish Mash (Mercury, 1953)
- Terence Boylan, Alias Boona (Verve Forecast 1969)
- The Monkees, Listen to the Band (Rhino, 1991)
- Tom Rapp, Beautiful Lies You Could Live In (Reprise, 1971)
- Tony Bennett, My Heart Sings (Columbia, 1961)
- Van Morrison, T.B. Sheets (Bang, 1973)
- Wade Marcus, A New Era (Cotillion 1971)