TIR 21: Hamish Stuart Picks Up the Pieces of AWB’s Soulful Story

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Brought to you by FUNKNSTUFF.NET and hosted by Scott Goldfine — musicologist and author of “Everything Is on the One: The First Guide of Funk” ― “TRUTH IN RHYTHM” is the interview show that gets DEEP into the pocket with contemporary music’s foremost masters of the groove.

Featured in this three-part series: Hamish Stuart, original lead singer and guitarist/bassist for Scotland’s Average White Band — perhaps the most ironically named group of all time. Other original band members included singer/bassist Alan Gorrie, guitarist Onnie McIntyre, sax players Molly Duncan and Roger Ball, and drummer Robbie McIntosh, who overdosed in 1974 and was replaced by Steve Ferrone. The six-member act became famous after its funky, primarily instrumental “Pick Up the Pieces” was a pop smash in 1974.

From 1974-1978, AWB was among the best and bestselling funk-R&B bands, with classic tracks including the funky “TLC,” “Cut the Cake,” “School Boy Crush,” “Goin’ Home,” “I’m the One,” “The Message” and “Your Love Is a Miracle”; the soulful “If I Ever Lose This Heaven” and “Queen of My Soul”; and ballads like “Cloudy” and “A Love of Your Own.” With the original lineup disbanding in 1983, Stuart and Ferrone built up their resumes doing session work and live support for superstars like Aretha Franklin, Chaka Khan (she had a hit with AWB’s “Watcha Gonna Do for Me?”), Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Tom Petty, George Harrison, Eric Clapton and many others. Recently Stuart, Duncan and Ferrone reunited to form a new group called the 360 Band, whose debut album has just been released.

In this three-part series, Stuart discusses AWB’s early years, rise to stardom, tragedy, classic songs and albums, life on the road, the band’s demise, life as an ace session player, and reuniting on a new project with former band members.

Recorded August 2017

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Scott Goldfine

As a fervid lifelong music & film enthusiast / student, I grew up in and around the Los Angeles entertainment industry. I have worked and held many positions in various media realms, since 1998 serving as Editor-in-Chief and now Associate Publisher for Security Sales & Integration, a trade publication serving the electronic security industry. I love several genres of music & film. The former includes funk (Parliament-Funkadelic, Prince, Ohio Players, etc.); blues (Stevie Ray Vaughan, Buddy Guy, Eric Gales, etc.); rock (Jack White, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Neil Young, etc.); hard rock (AC/DC, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, etc.); jazz (Herbie Hancock, Bob James, Crusaders, etc.); R&B (Stevie Wonder, Chaka Khan, Gil Scott-Heron, etc.); and more. I was a club disc jockey and ran a mobile DJ company (Musical Moods) for more than 15 years, which is where the name Dr. GX originates (Doctor Good Times). Fave film genres include horror (Dawn of the Dead, Evil Dead, Nightmare on Elm Street, etc.); science fiction (Aliens, Terminator, 2001, etc.); action (Warriors, Road Warrior, Die Hard); westerns (Outlaw Josey Wales, Showdown at OK Corral; Wild Bunch, etc.); suspense (Jaws, Inception, Silence of the Lambs, etc.); drama (Apocalypse Now, Goodfellas, Pulp Fiction, etc.); and comedies (Life of Brian, Superbad, Ruthless People, etc.). I have attended many hundreds of concerts and movies (in theaters or screenings). I may as well also throw in a few favorite TV shows to give an even broader taste of my sensibilities. A handful would be Breaking Bad, Walking Dead, Lost, Justified, Fargo, Seinfeld, Sopranos, South Park, Brooklyn Nine Nine, Key & Peele, Monty Python, Inside Amy Schumer, Louie, Modern Family, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Last Man on Earth, Bob Newhart Show, All in the Family and The Office. Fave authors are Stephen King, Clive Barker and Michael Crichton. I am also a big sports fan and lifelong supporter of the Dallas Cowboys (NFL), Los Angeles Lakers (NBA) and Pittsburgh Pirates (MLB). Also enjoy my family of course, electronics/computers/AV gear, and animals, nature and outdoor activities. Graduate of Santa Monica High School, Santa Monica College and California State University Northridge (Radio-TV-Film, Psychology minor). Also studied at UCLA for kinesiology/psychology and earned post-grad Certificate in Accounting from Santa Monica College. Present main occupation is as Associate Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Security Sales & Integration (SSI), which I joined in 1998. I am responsible for overseeing all editorial content in print. online, electronic, in-person and any other media or products for the electronic security industry's leading business-to-business trade publication. SSI is part of Framingham, Mass.-based Emerald Expositions.