Earl Slick says the recent announcement that he’d be joining the Yardbirds completes a circle for him, going back to the longtime David Bowie sideman’s earliest days as a fan.
“I started following this band from day one,” Slick said, not long after a series of U.S. shows were announced. “I must admit I have stolen a lick or two from the original recordings. If your gonna cop a lick, it might as well be from the best!”
Slick, of course, earlier collaborated with stalwart Jim McCarty on the debut album by the Box of Frogs, a Yardbirds spinoff band. But he’s most closely associated with David Bowie, with whom Earl Slick has played, off and on, since the 1974 tour in support of Diamond Dogs. He contributed to Bowie albums like Young Americans, Station to Station, Heathen, Reality and The Next Day, along with several other concert jaunts — including 1983’s blockbuster Serious Moonlight Tour in support of Let’s Dance.
Along the way, Earl Slick has also worked with Ian Hunter of Mott the Hoople fame, John Lennon on his final sessions (released as Double Fantasy and Milk and Honey), and then Yoko Ono (Season of Glass). He’ll be joined in the new Yardbirds lineup by returning Yardbirds member John Idan, together with Kenny Aaronson (Bob Dylan, Brian Setzer) and Myke Scavone (Ram Jam).
Announced dates so far begin at Norfolk, Connecticut, in October and run through Loughlin, Nevada, in November. A spring tour was postponed because of health issues for a since-recovered Jim McCarty. Founding member Top Topham subsequently left the road.
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