Cast

Tommy Tedesco, Carmie Tedesco, Lou Adler, Herb Alpert, The Association, H.B. Barnum, Chuck Barris, Hal Blaine, The Beach Boys, Sonny Bono, Cher, Al Casey, Dick Clark, Dean Martin, Ricky Nelson, Nancy Sinatra

awards

Seattle FF 2008 – audience award, Rhode Island FF 2008 – best feature documentary, Tallgrass FF 2008 – audience award

Film description

What do the Bonanza and Batman themes, songs by Sonny & Cher, Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, the Beach Boys, and Gary Lewis have in common? The answer is Tommy Tedesco, an extremely gifted guitarist, founder of The Wrecking Crew, the session musicians on countless hits of the 1960s and 1970s. The Wrecking Crew polished their chops playing jazz and classical music, enabling them to freely roam about any musical genre. As their popularity increased, offers began to pour in for film, commercial, and TV series music. In recognition of the group heard by millions, but known by so few, The Wrecking Crew was inducted in to the Rock and Roll hall of fame in 2007.

The impulse to make The Wrecking Crew movie was Tommy Tedesco’s cancer diagnosis in 1995. His son, Denny Tedesco, decided to show audiences this exceptional persona along with the influence his group had on the American music scene. The film uses tens of interviews with living Wrecking Crew members, associated artists and producers, and provides an opportunity to listen to the biggest hits the band worked on. Loved by critics and audiences alike, Danny’s film is edited cleanly and cohesively, but owes its true power to the music. A must-see for music fans!

Samuel Nowak