Steven Douglas Kreisman (September 24, 1938 – April 19, 1993) was an American

saxophonist The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed on a mouthpiece vibrates to pro ...

and

flautist The flute is a family of classical music instrument in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, meaning they make sound by vibrating a column of air. However, unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is a reedless ...

. As a Los Angeles session musician, he worked with

Phil Spector Harvey Phillip Spector (born Harvey Philip Spector; December 26, 1939January 16, 2021) was an American record producer and songwriter, best known for his innovative recording practices and entrepreneurship in the 1960s, followed decades later by ...

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...

, Brian Wilson,

The Beach Boys The Beach Boys are an American rock band that formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. The group's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Distinguished by the ...

and Ry Cooder.

Biography

Douglas can be heard on records by Duane Eddy, Aretha Franklin, Elvis Presley, Willy DeVille,

, The Ramones and many others. He was also a record producer, having produced Mink DeVille's ''Le Chat Bleu'', as well as tracks for Wayne Newton and The Lettermen. On April 19, 1993, while warming up with Ry Cooder, Douglas collapsed and died. Heart failure was the official cause of death. He was 54. It became a tradition for Darlene Love to perform "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" for Christmas on the ''Late Show with David Letterman'' with Douglas's sax from the original recording being played by Bruce Kapler. This tradition continued through December 19, 2014, when it had been announced that Letterman would be retiring in May, 2015.

Awards

In 2003, Douglas was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Selected discography

As leader

* ''Popeye Twist And Stomp'', 1962 * ''Twist with Steve Douglas and the Rebel Rousers'', 1962 * ''Reflections In A Golden Horn'', 1969 * ''The Music Of Cheops'', 1976 * ''Rainbow Suite'', 1981 * ''Hot Sax'', 1982 * ''King Cobra'', 1984 * ''Beyond Broadway'', 1991

As sideman, albums

: ''Pet Sounds''; ''15 Big Ones''; ''Keepin' the Summer Alive'' *Dion DiMucci : ''Born to Be with You (album), Born to Be with You, Streetheart (Dion album), Streetheart'' *

: ''Street Legal (album), Street Legal''; ''Bob Dylan at Budokan''; ''Shot of Love''; ''Knocked Out Loaded'' *Duane Eddy: ''Have 'Twangy' Guitar Will Travel'' *Sammy Hagar: ''Street Machine (Sammy Hagar album), Street Machine'' *Mink DeVille: ''Cabretta''; ''Return to Magenta''; ''Le Chat Bleu'' *The Ramones: ''End of the Century'' *Leonard Cohen: ''Death of a Ladies' Man (album), Death of a Ladies' Man''

As sideman, singles

*The Crystals : He's a Rebel

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Douglas, Steve American clarinetists American flautists American session musicians American rock saxophonists American male saxophonists 1938 births 1993 deaths Musicians from Los Angeles The Wrecking Crew (music) members Jewish American musicians Philles Records artists 20th-century American saxophonists 20th-century American male musicians Mercury Records artists 20th-century flautists The T-Bones members