. Her son,
the song that could be considered her theme, "(You Got to Have) Friends"; co-founded
; and was a legendary figure in the music industry, having written, produced, performed, and organized for over four decades. Born on September 7, 1950, his early start enabled
signed his friends from Great Neck, New York to a demo deal. The band, the Living Few, recorded two
At 16, he was a member of Jimmy James & the Blue Flames, the original
Jimi Hendrix Group along with
Spirit co-founder
Randy California. A year later,
Klingman caught a break when one of the hottest producers in the industry,
Bob Crewe, produced his first signed band,
Glitterhouse (formerly the Justice League),which included drummer
Joel O'Brien, later with
James Taylor and
Carole King. "I got a real education in making records with
Bob Crewe,"
Klingman told the All Media Guide in May of 2002.
Glitterhouse also recorded the soundtrack to the hip
Roger Vadim science-fiction film starring
Jane Fonda,
Barbarella, though they may be credited as
the Bob Crewe Generation. You can hear the singer's distinctive voice and harp playing.
Klingman was in a jug band with
Andy Kaufman, one of his best friends from Great Neck, performing in a civil rights concert that got
Klingman expelled from high school. He met
Todd Rundgren at the Cafe Au Go Go circa 1969 and played on many
Rundgren-produced discs by artists such as
Ian & Sylvia, co- producing some like
the James Cotton Blues Band and
Klingman's own two albums for Capitol/EMI. When Family producer Earl Dowd got recording time at The Record Plant and
Todd Rundgren walked away from a proposed project,
Klingman got to produce and direct sessions that came to be known as
Music from Free Creek. These included recordings with
Keith Emerson, Buzzy Fenton, Mitch Mitchell, and Chris Wood; a second set taped over a two-day period with
Jeff Beck; and one night of the sessions with
Beck and
Eric Clapton. At
Moogy Klingman's loft,
Todd Rundgren built a studio and they became co-owners of Secret Sound, "where
Todd recorded all of the albums he did for the next few years. In the front half was the studio, the back half I lived in. I was there for all the sessions...starting with
A Wizard, a True Star,
Todd, Utopia the first album, and then he mixed Utopia Live there."
Klingman appeared on about ten to 12
Rundgren albums, he brought in the players for the classic
Something/Anything?, and performed on various sessions including another
Rundgren find,
the Hello People.
Todd Rundgren mixed
Grand Funk Railroad's
We're an American Band at his and
Moogy's facility. The singer noted on www.moogymusic.com: "In 1973, I was playing in a band called Moogy & the Rhythm Kings.
Todd Rundgren asked me to form a band with him. It was to have a futuristic vision and bringing most of the members of my band with me, we formed
Utopia." A year prior to that,
Lou Reed asked
Klingman to put a band together to complete the tour behind the album
Transformer, this group probably replaced the Tots, who had backed
Reed for most of the "Walk on the Wild Side" live performances.
Klingman participated in all sorts of sessions, from
Andrew Loog Oldham's production of Alan Nichols, a vocalist from the stage show
Hair, to
Moby Grape recordings and gigs. He recorded a double album of material with
Bette Midler that was pared down to the single disc comprising her third album,
Songs for the New Depression, including a duet with
Bob Dylan, and was her musical director for a while. He was also jamming with
Stephen Stills,
David Crosby, and
Graham Nash prior to
Neil Young joining that group, and was involved heavily in the
Bat Out of Hell sessions for
Meat Loaf.
Working on a play, cable TV show, and a radio show in the '80s,
Klingman formed
Freak Parade when
Utopia was nominated to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. "In the year 2000, I was playing in a band called Moogy & the MoJo's. I was approached by [original
Utopia drummer]
Kevin Ellman, who asked me to form a band with him. It was to have a Utopian vision and bringing most of the members of my band with me. We formed
Freak Parade with vocalist Katia Floreska, bassist Even Steven, and guitarist
Don Celenza. We started gigging in Manhattan and then we did recordings at home in the Moogy Music Studios. It's combination of old
Utopia and newer, bluesier material."
On April 22, 2002, he organized a benefit for musical collaborator
Buzzy Linhart featuring Dave Amram,
Eric Andersen, John Hammond,
John Sebastian,
Phoebe Snow, and others. Even his former engineer/producer
Eddie Kramer made an appearance. It brought things full circle and became a focal point for the artist to re-launch much of his music on the Internet at www.moogymusic.com. In 2010,
Klingman was diagnosed with cancer, which prompted
Rundgren to re-form
Utopia for a 2011 benefit concert in New York City to help defray the mounting medical bills of his friend and former bandmate.
Moogy Klingman lost his battle with cancer later that year, passing away on November 15 at the age of 61.
–
Joe Viglione, Rovi