Dale Ockerman is an American keyboardist, guitarist and songwriter, who has worked with a variety of internationally recognized musicians since the late 1960s. He is best known for his association with the
Doobie Brothers
The Doobie Brothers are an American rock music, rock band formed in San Jose, California in 1970. Known for their flexibility in performing across numerous genres and their Vocal harmony, vocal harmonies, the band has been active for over five d ...
, where he was principal keyboardist and a guitarist with the reformed version of the band during the 1988–1996 period.
History
Prior to joining the Doobie Brothers, Ockerman had toured and co-written songs with Doobie Brothers' guitarist
Patrick Simmons during the latter's solo tours. Two of his songs have been recorded by The Doobie Brothers and he appears on three of the CDs issued by the band. He also has a long-standing association with members of
Moby Grape, and has contributed to the solo work of
Jerry Miller and
Bob Mosley. The Grape's
Peter Lewis thought highly enough of 16-year-old Ockerman's talent that Lewis loaned him some of his prized guitars, a
Martin D-28 and a Black
Les Paul
Lester William Polsfuss (June 9, 1915 – August 12, 2009), known as Les Paul, was an American jazz guitarist, jazz, country guitarist, country, and blues guitarist, songwriter, luthier, and inventor. He was one of the pioneers of the solid body ...
custom for a year, to further develop his playing skills.
Ockerman's first professional performance was with the
Quicksilver Messenger Service
Quicksilver Messenger Service is an American psychedelic rock band formed in 1965 in San Francisco. The band achieved wide popularity in the San Francisco Bay Area and, through their recordings, with psychedelic rock enthusiasts around the globe, ...
in 1971, when the band performed during the last weekend of
Bill Graham's Fillmore West in San Francisco. After Quicksilver Messenger Service, Ockerman played with a number of California-based acts, including IAM, Snail, Airtight,
The Ducks,
Bill Champlin,
Rita Coolidge,
Steve Marriott
Stephen Peter Marriott (30 January 1947 – 20 April 1991) was an English actor, musician, guitarist, singer and songwriter. He was a student at the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts in London and appeared in the West End, before taking a r ...
,
Tom Johnston,
Michael McDonald and
Coco Montoya. He also played with New Orleans musicians
Zigaboo Modeliste,
George Porter,
The Wild Magnolias and
Cyril Neville
Cyril Garrett Neville (born October 10, 1948) is an American percussionist and vocalist who first came to prominence as a member of his brother Art Neville's funky New Orleans–based band, The Meters. He joined Art in the Neville Brothers band u ...
. He also recorded with many of these performers, as well as working as a session musician with Bill Champlin and
Jim Keltner, including a re-recording of "Nature Boy", the 1940s number one hit for
Nat King Cole
Nathaniel Adams Coles (March 17, 1919 – February 15, 1965), known professionally as Nat King Cole, alternatively billed as Nat "King" Cole, was an American singer, jazz pianist, and actor. Cole's career as a jazz and Traditional pop, pop ...
, with song author, Eden Ahbez. Dale played piano, Prophet 5. guitar, melodica, and trumpet solo.
Recent activities
In recent years, Ockerman has been based in
Santa Cruz, California
Santa Cruz (Spanish language, Spanish for "Holy Cross") is the largest city and the county seat of Santa Cruz County, California, Santa Cruz County, in Northern California. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city population ...
, and has appeared regularly playing piano, guitar, trumpet, mandolin, and harmonica with the White Album Ensemble, a group devoted to recreating
Beatles
The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...
music that was not performed by The Beatles in concert. The White Album Ensemble, as described by Dale Ockerman: "Since 2003, an eight to fifteen piece ensemble performing live versions of Beatles albums that the fabs themselves never performed live, beginning with ''
Rubber Soul'', through
''Revolver'', ''
Sgt. Pepper's'',
''Magical Mystery Tour'',
''The White Album'',
''Let It Be'', and ''
Abbey Road
''Abbey Road'' is the eleventh studio album by the English rock band the Beatles, released on 26 September 1969, by Apple Records. It is the last album the group recorded, although '' Let It Be'' (1970) was the last album completed before th ...
''. They use
sitar
The sitar ( or ; ) is a plucked stringed instrument, originating from the Indian subcontinent, used in Hindustani classical music. The instrument was invented in the 18th century, and arrived at its present form in 19th-century India. Khusrau K ...
,
tablas, dilrhuba, tamboura, string quartets, choirs, whatever it takes to get the vibe across of the 'classics of our time'". The group has played numerous concerts with the
Santa Cruz County Symphony.
In 2008, members of the White Album Ensemble (Dale Ockerman, Doobie Bros bassist Tiran Porter and Stephen Krilanovich) joined Omar Spence in tribute concerts featuring the music of his late father,
Moby Grape co-founder
Skip Spence. The two concerts, at the Rio Theatre in Santa Cruz, and Don Quixote's International Music Hall in Felton, were recorded in anticipation of later 2009 release. Ockerman and Omar Spence met at Skip's memorial, where they jammed with Moby Grape. Skip was a founder and lead vocalist on the hit "Omaha". In 2012 Dale had Omar sing a few "John" songs on his latest album "What if...?" which also features ex-Doobie singer Richard Bryant as the "Paul" singer. Inspired by the success of the White Album Ensemble, Ockerman went on to form a Rolling Stones music group, the Beggar Kings, focusing strictly on the "golden age" of Stones albums, the Jimmy Miller produced ''
Beggars Banquet'', ''
Let It Bleed'', ''
Sticky Fingers'', and ''
Exile On Main Street''. The quick success of that has led to "Stones opening for Beatles" tongue-in-cheek concerts with strings, horns and choir.
Ockerman is also associated with Musicscool in
Capitola, California, which was inspired by the film ''School of Rock''. Ockerman teaches guitar, keyboards and other instruments, as well as bandcoaching, and using the school as a recording studio for two CDs. The school features a
Hammond B3 organ and
Leslie, once played by
Booker T. Jones and
Jimmy Smith, as well as a vintage
Wurlitzer piano, Clavinet, and numerous guitars basses and percussion instruments.
A group of Ockerman's young guitar and keyboard students, ages 11 and up, have performed concerts in Santa Cruz as GuitArmy - an "army of guitars", performing mostly
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock music, rock band formed in London in 1968. The band comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist-keyboardist John Paul Jones (musician), John Paul Jones and drummer John Bonham. With a he ...
songs, replicating all song parts and overdubs, such as blending electric, acoustic, slide, and twelve string guitars, as well as piano, organ and clavinet.
GuitArmy features professional musicians Tiran Porter on bass and David Tucker, former ( Maria Muldaur,( ommy Castro drummer and Musicscool teacher) on drums. Lead vocalist James Durbin, then 19, also guested with the White Album Ensemble's "Across the Universe" concert in December 2008 and received a standing ovation for his vocal on "While My Guitar Gently Weeps
"While My Guitar Gently Weeps" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1968 double album ''The Beatles (album), The Beatles'' (also known as the "White Album"). It was written by George Harrison, the band's lead guitarist, as ...
". Durbin was the focus of the Musicscool's Guitarmy, doing mostly ( ed Zeppelin songs. Next Durbin passed the audition and whizzed up to the finals, rose to #3 on ''American Idol
''American Idol'' is an American Music competition, singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle (company), Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It a ...
'' in 2011. The "Homecoming concert" had ''American Idol'' calling Dale to put together a backup group for James, so Dale used the White Album Ensemble, adding horns and female vocalists. It was at 30,000 people the largest concert in Santa Cruz history. After some touring, Durbin called Ockerman from Turkey, with an idea to put GuitArmy back together, and perform a Doors / Led Zeppelin concert, which sold out (the band was all Musicscool Alumni).
References
External links
Dale Ockerman Official Website
Dale Ockerman MySpace Page
GuitArmy MySpace Page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ockerman, Dale
Year of birth missing (living people)
Living people
American keyboardists
American rock guitarists
American male guitarists
American rock musicians
Musicians from Santa Cruz, California
The Doobie Brothers members
Guitarists from California