Ronald Ellis Tutt (March 12, 1938 – October 16, 2021) was an American drummer who was the principal drummer for

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one of the most significant cultural figures of the ...

the Carpenters The Carpenters were an American vocal and instrumental duo consisting of siblings Karen Carpenter, Karen (1950–1983) and Richard Carpenter (musician), Richard Carpenter (born 1946). They produced a distinctive soft musical style, combining ...

Roy Orbison Roy Kelton Orbison (April 23, 1936 – December 6, 1988) was an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist known for his distinctive and powerful voice, complex song structures, and dark, emotional ballads. Orbison's most successful periods were ...

Neil Diamond Neil Leslie Diamond (born January 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. He has sold more than 130 million records worldwide, making him one of the List of best-selling music artists, best-selling musicians of all time. He has written and ...

, and

Jerry Garcia Jerome John Garcia (August 1, 1942 – August 9, 1995) was an American musician who was the lead guitarist and a vocalist with the rock band Grateful Dead, which he co-founded and which came to prominence during the counterculture of the 196 ...

. He was also a session drummer who recorded with some of the most prominent musicians of his day.

Early life

Tutt was born in

Dallas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

, the only child of Frank Mac Tutt, and Gipsy Fay Clark Tutt. He was involved with music and the performing arts for most of his childhood; he also played the guitar, violin and trumpet. At age 16, Tutt played his first paying gig, with a

Western Swing Western swing, country jazz or smooth country is a subgenre of American country music that originated in the late 1920s in the West and South among the region's Western string bands. It is dance music, often with an up-tempo beat, which att ...

band which included guitarists Tommy Morrell and Leon Rhodes; they would become the staff band for ''The Northside Jamboree with

Scotty Moore Winfield Scott Moore III (December 27, 1931 – June 28, 2016) was an American guitarist who formed The Blue Moon Boys in 1954, Elvis Presley's backing band. He was studio and touring guitarist for Presley between 1954 and 1968. Rock critic ...

and

Bill Black William Patton Black Jr. (September 17, 1926 – October 21, 1965) was an American musician and bandleader who is noted as one of the pioneers of rock and roll. He played in Elvis Presley's early trio, The Blue Moon Boys. Black later formed Bill ...

'', Saturday night live radio broadcasts which aired from the Northside Coliseum in

Fort Worth Fort Worth is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Tarrant County, Texas, Tarrant County, covering nearly into Denton County, Texas, Denton, Johnson County, Texas, Johnson, Parker County, Texas, Parker, and Wise County, Te ...

. Moore and Black would soon become members of

's first back-up band. In 1956, after graduating from North Dallas High School, Tutt attended the

University of North Texas The University of North Texas (UNT) is a public university, public research university located in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. Its main campus is in Denton, Texas, Denton, with a satellite campus in Frisco, Texas, Frisco. It serves as the ...

at Denton where he studied music. In 1959, he left school to pursue his career.

TCB Band

Tutt played for the

TCB Band The TCB Band is a group of musicians who formed the rhythm section of Elvis Presley's band from August 1969 until his death in 1977 (depending on the context, the nickname may also extend to Presley's background vocalists during that same perio ...

("Taking Care of Business") the

touring and recording band, which he auditioned for in 1969. He flew in with his drum kit, which he set up in the recording studio, though while he was waiting to be called, another drummer walked in and began playing his kit. Tutt thought that he had lost the chance to even audition, as Gene Pello was incredibly experienced and seemed to be winning Elvis Presley over. However, Presley's manager, Colonel Tom Parker, did not want to waste any money having paid to fly Tutt and his drums over, and so Elvis was persuaded to give Tutt a turn. Elvis hired him that day saying, "You know Ronnie, those other drummers were good but they were doing their own thing. You were watching me all the time". Tutt chose not to be sycophantic around Elvis, and remained forthright in his dealings with the star. Elvis respected him for this and they developed a good friendship, with Elvis once buying him an engraved solid gold Swiss watch. ESML TCB Band Dennis Jale

Session musician

Tutt played on

Billy Joel William Martin Joel (born May 9, 1949) is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Piano Man" after his Signature song, signature 1973 song Piano Man (song), of the same name, Joel has ha ...

's second and third albums: 1973's breakthrough, '' Piano Man'' (all tracks but "Captain Jack") and 1974's ''

Streetlife Serenade ''Streetlife Serenade'' is the third studio album by American recording artist Billy Joel, released on October 11, 1974, by Columbia Records. The album peaked at No. 35 on the US album charts, eventually selling more than one million copies. J ...

''. Around early 1974, Tutt began recording and touring with the

Jerry Garcia Band The Jerry Garcia Band was a San Francisco Bay Area rock band led by Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead. Garcia founded the band in 1975; it remained the most important of his various side projects until his death in 1995. The band regularly tour ...

, and also

's and

Merl Saunders Merl Saunders (February 14, 1934 – October 24, 2008) was an American multi-genre musician who played piano and keyboards, favoring the Hammond B-3 console organ. Biography Born in San Mateo, California, United States, Saunders attended Poly ...

' brief

Legion of Mary The Legion of Mary (, post-nominal letters, postnominal abbreviation L.O.M.) is an international association of members of the Catholic Church who serve on a Voluntary association, voluntary basis. It was founded in Dublin, as a Roman Catholic ...

.Jackson, Blair (2005). Liner notes for ''Legion of Mary: The Jerry Garcia Collection, Vol. 1''. Starting with Garcia's studio album '' Compliments'' (1974), Tutt played drums for the Jerry Garcia Band for four years before moving on. During this time, Tutt also played drums on Garcia's studio albums '' Reflections'' (1976) and ''

Cats Under the Stars The cat (''Felis catus''), also referred to as the domestic cat or house cat, is a small domesticated carnivorous mammal. It is the only domesticated species of the family Felidae. Advances in archaeology and genetics have shown that the do ...

'' (1978). In 1982, Tutt returned to the studio with Garcia to help record '' Run for the Roses''.

Personal life and death

Tutt married Loretta Ann McCraney in 1961; they had two children before divorcing in 1971. He was married to Donna Tutt from 1972 until his death; they had eight children, one of whom pre-deceased his father. Tutt died of heart disease at his home in

Franklin, Tennessee Franklin is a city in and the county seat of Williamson County, Tennessee, United States. About south of Nashville, Tennessee, Nashville, it is one of the principal cities of the Nashville metropolitan area and Middle Tennessee. As of 2020 Uni ...

at age 83.

Discography

– '' From Memphis to Vegas / From Vegas to Memphis'', 1969 *Elvis Presley – '' On Stage'', 1970 *

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– '' On My Way to Where'', 1970 *Hedge & Donna – ''Special Circumstances'', 1970 *

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– ''Slim Slo Slider'', 1970 *Eve – ''Take It & Smile'', 1970 *Elvis Presley – '' That's the Way It Is'', 1970 *

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– '' To Bonnie from Delaney'', 1970 *Richard Twice – ''Richard Twice'', 1970 * Mother Hen – ''Mother Hen'', 1971 * Hedge & Donna – ''Evolution'', 1971 *John Hurley – ''Delivers One More Hallelujah'', 1971 *

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– '' Dollars'' (soundtrack), 1971 *

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– ''

'', 1971 *

Lalo Schifrin Boris Claudio "Lalo" Schifrin (born June 21, 1932) is an Argentine-American pianist, composer, arranger, and conductor. He is best known for his large body of film and TV scores since the 1950s, incorporating jazz and Music of Latin America, Lati ...

– ''Rock Requiem'', 1971 * George Gerdes – ''Obituary'', 1971 *

Michael Nesmith Robert Michael Nesmith (December 30, 1942 – December 10, 2021) was an American musician, songwriter, and actor. He was best known as a member of the Monkees and co-star of their The Monkees (TV series), TV series of the same name (1966–1968) ...

– '' Nevada Fighter'', 1971 *Dory Previn – '' Mythical Kings and Iguanas'' 1971 *

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– ''Improved'', 1971 *Johnny Rivers – ''Home Grown'', 1971 *

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– '' Sometimes a Great Notion'' (soundtrack), 1971 * John Stewart – '' Sunstorm'', 1971 *

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– '' Stoney End'', 1971 *Gladstone – ''Gladstone'', 1972 *B.J. Thomas – ''Billy Joe Thomas'', 1972 * Barbara Keith – ''Barbara Keith'', 1972 *Balderdash – ''Ballad of Goodness & Mercy'', 1972 *Elvis Presley – '' As Recorded at Madison Square Garden'', 1972 * John Hurley – ''Children's Dreams'', 1973 *Buckingham Nicks – '' Buckingham Nicks'', 1973 *

Jim Horn James Ronald Horn (born November 20, 1940) is an American saxophonist, woodwind player, and session musician. Biography Horn was born in Los Angeles, and after replacing saxophonist Steve Douglas in 1959, he toured with member Duane Eddy for ...

– ''Through the Eyes of a Horn'', 1972 *Dory Previn – '' Mary C. Brown and the Hollywood Sign'', 1972 *Gladstone – ''Lookin' for a Smile'', 1973 *

Gram Parsons Ingram Cecil Connor III (November 5, 1946 – September 19, 1973), known professionally as Gram Parsons, was an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and pianist. He recorded with the International Submarine Band, the Byrds, and the Flying Bu ...

– '' GP'', 1973 *

– '' Piano Man'', 1973 *Elvis Presley – '' The Fool Album'', 1973 *

José Feliciano José Montserrate Feliciano García (; born September 10, 1945) is a Puerto Rican musician. He recorded many international hits, including his rendition of the Doors' " Light My Fire" and his self-penned Christmas song "". Music genres he explo ...

– ''And the Feeling's Good'', 1974 *Sherman Hayes – ''Vagabond's Roost'', 1973 *Elvis Presley – '' Raised on Rock / For Ol' Times Sake'', 1973 *

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– '' Freedom for the Stallion'', 1973 *

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– ''Singing/Playing'', 1973 *The Hagers – ''The Hagers'', 1974 *Billy Joel – ''

'', 1974 *

Hugo Montenegro Hugo Mario Montenegro (September 2, 1925 – February 6, 1981) was an American orchestra leader and composer of film soundtracks. His best-known work is interpretations of the music from Spaghetti Westerns, especially his cover version of Ennio M ...

– ''Hugo in Wonder-Land'', 1974 *

– '' Grievous Angel'', 1974 *

– '' Compliments'', 1974 *Dory Previn – ''

'', 1974 *

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– ''Beat Around the Bush'', 1974 *

Harriet Schock Harriet Schock (born January 24, 1941) is an American singer and songwriter. She made three albums for a major label in the 1970s, scoring gold and platinum awards for her Grammy-nominated " Ain't No Way to Treat a Lady". She later moved into t ...

– ''Hollywood Town'', 1974 * Alex Harvey – ''True Love'', 1974 *

Emmylou Harris Emmylou Harris (born April 2, 1947) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, bandleader, and activist. She is considered one of the leading music artists behind the country rock genre in the 1970s and the Americana (music), Americana genre ...

– ''

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'', 1975 *

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– '' New Arrangement'', 1975 * Kenny Rankin – ''Silver Morning'', 1975 *Emmylou Harris – ''

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'', 1975 *Larry Hosford – ''A.K.A. Lorenzo'', 1975 * Lobo – '' A Cowboy Afraid of Horses'', 1975 *Elvis Presley – ''

Today Today (archaically to-day) may refer to: * The current day and calendar date ** Today is between and , subject to the local time zone * Now, the time that is perceived directly, present * The current, present era Arts, entertainment and m ...

'', 1975 *

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– '' The Higher They Climb, The Harder They Fall'', 1975 *John Stewart – '' Wingless Angels'', 1975 *

'' – '' Garcia Live Volume 17'', 1976 *Allan Rich – ''Glass Heart'', 1976 *Deardorff & Joseph – ''Deardorff & Joseph'', 1976 *

Andy Williams Howard Andrew Williams (December 3, 1927 – September 25, 2012) was an American singer. He recorded 43 albums in his career, of which 15 have been gold certified and three platinum certified. He was also nominated for six Grammy Awards. He hos ...

– '' Andy'', 1976 *David Cassidy – ''Home Is Where the Heart Is'', 1976 *

The Flying Burrito Brothers The Flying Burrito Brothers are an American country rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1968, best known for their influential 1969 debut album, ''The Gilded Palace of Sin''. Although the group is known for its connection to band f ...

– '' Sleepless Nights'', 1976 *Silverado – ''Silverado'', 1976 *Jerry Garcia – '' Reflections'', 1976 * England Dan & John Ford Coley – '' I Hear Music'', 1976 *

The Carpenters The Carpenters were an American vocal and instrumental duo consisting of siblings Karen Carpenter, Karen (1950–1983) and Richard Carpenter (musician), Richard Carpenter (born 1946). They produced a distinctive soft musical style, combining ...

– '' Passage'', 1977 * Nancy Shanks – ''Nancy Shanx'', 1977 *Mary K. Miller – ''Handcuffed to a Heartache'', 1978 * Gale Force – ''Two'', 1978 *Angelo – ''Midnight Prowl'' (1978) *

Wendy Waldman Wendy Waldman (born Wendy Steiner on November 29, 1950) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. Biography Early life Waldman grew up in the Los Angeles area and was raised in a musical environment. Her father Fred Steiner was a ...

– ''Strange Company'', 1978 *Helen Reddy – '' Live in London'', 1978 * Keola & Kapono Beamer – ''Honolulu City Lights'', 1978 *

Captain & Tennille Captain & Tennille were an American recording duo whose primary success occurred in the 1970s. The husband-and-wife team were "Captain" Daryl Dragon (1942–2019) and Toni Tennille (born 1940). They have five albums certified gold or platinum a ...

– ''

Dream A dream is a succession of images, ideas, emotions, and sensation (psychology), sensations that usually occur involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep. Humans spend about two hours dreaming per night, and each dream lasts around ...

'', 1978 *The Carpenters – '' Christmas Portrait'', 1978 *

– ''

'', 1978 *

Evie Sands Evie Sands (born July 18, 1946) is an American singer, songwriter and musician. Sands' music career spans more than 50 years. In the mid-1960s, while still a teenager, she began her career and eventually found chart success in 1969. Sands retired ...

– ''Suspended Animation'', 1979 *Maria Muldaur – ''Open Your Eyes'', 1979 *Emmylou Harris – '' Blue Kentucky Girl'', 1979 *

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– '' Le Chat Bleu'', 1980 * Tony Sciuto – ''Island Nights'', 1980 *Doc & Merle Watson – '' Red Rocking Chair'', 1981 *The Carpenters – '' Made in America'', 1981 *

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& Ron Tutt – ''The Sheffield Drum Record'', 1982 *Jerry Garcia – '' Run for the Roses'', 1982 *

– '' Heartlight'', 1982 *The Carpenters – '' Voice of the Heart'', 1983 *Neil Diamond – '' Primitive'', 1984 *

Chris Hillman Christopher Hillman (born December 4, 1944) is an American musician. He was the original bassist of the Byrds. With frequent collaborator Gram Parsons, Hillman was a key figure in the development of country rock, defining the genre through his w ...

– ''Desert Rose'', 1984 *The Carpenters – '' An Old Fashioned Christmas'', 1984 *The Maranatha! Singers – ''Praise Eight'', 1986 *

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– '' King of America'', 1986 *Neil Diamond – '' Headed for the Future'', 1986 *

Phil Keaggy Philip Tyler Keaggy (born March 23, 1951) is an American acoustic and electric guitarist and vocalist who has released more than 55 albums and contributed to many more recordings in both the contemporary Christian music and mainstream markets. H ...

– '' The Wind and the Wheat'', 1987 *Neil Diamond – '' Hot August Night II'', 1987 *

Los Lobos Los Lobos (, Spanish for "the Wolves") is a Mexican American rock group, rock band from East Los Angeles, California. Their music is influenced by rock and roll, Tex-Mex, country, zydeco, folk, R&B, blues, brown-eyed soul, and traditional ...

– '' By the Light of the Moon'', 1987 *

– '' Roy Orbison and Friends: A Black and White Night'', 1988 *The Carpenters – '' Lovelines'', 1989 * Bob Bennett – '' Lord of the Past: A Compilation'', 1989 * The Marantha Singers – ''We Shall Stand: The Spiritual Warfare Series, Vol. 2'', 1990 *Neil Diamond – '' Lovescape'', 1991 *

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– ''

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'', 1993 *The Flying Burrito Brothers – '' Eye of a Hurricane'', 1994 *Neil Diamond – '' Live in America'', 1995 *Neil Diamond – '' Tennessee Moon'', 1996 *Doc & Merle Watson – '' Watson Country'', 1996 *

Paul Overstreet Paul Lester Overstreet (born March 17, 1955) is an American country music singer and songwriter. He began his singing career in 1982 with a self-titled album on RCA Records Nashville. From 1986 to 1987, he was a vocalist in the trio S-K-O (Schuy ...

– ''A Songwriter's Project, Vol. 1'', 2000 *

– '' As Time Goes By'', 2001 *Jerry Garcia Band – '' Don't Let Go'', 2001 *Neil Diamond – '' Three Chord Opera'', 2001 * Jim Weatherly – ''Pictures & Rhymes'', 2003 *Doc & Merle Watson – '' Sittin' Here Pickin' the Blues'' *Jerry Garcia Band – '' Pure Jerry: Theatre 1839, San Francisco, July 29 & 30, 1977'', 2004 *Jerry Garcia – '' All Good Things: Jerry Garcia Studio Sessions'', 2004 *Scout Cloud Lee – ''Mountain Movin' Medicine'', 2005 *Scout Cloud Lee – ''Love Medicine'', 2005 *Jerry Garcia – '' Legion of Mary: The Jerry Garcia Collection, Vol. 1'', 2005 *Jerry Garcia – '' Garcia Plays Dylan'', 2005 *Doc & Merle Watson – '' Black Mountain Rag'', 2006 * Jim Lauderdale & the Dream Players – ''Honey Songs'', 2008 *John Wackerman – ''Drum Duets, Vol. 1'', 2007 *Jim Lauderdale – ''Patchwork River'', 2010 *Jerry Garcia / Legion of Mary – ''Garcia Live, Vol. 3: Dec 14-15, 1974 Northwest Tour'', 2013 * Benny Hester – ''Benny…'', 2016 *Jerry Garcia / Legion of Mary – ''Garcia Live Volume Seven'', 2016

References

External links

Ron Tutt Interview
at NAMM Oral History Collection (2011) * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Tutt, Ron 1938 births 2021 deaths Drummers from Dallas 20th-century American drummers American male drummers 20th-century American male musicians Legion of Mary (band) members TCB Band members Jerry Garcia Band members American rock drummers American session musicians American country drummers Billy Joel Band members