ALBUM

Bio

“This album came about after many years of promises Sherwood and I made to someday do an album together. We had great music chemistry and put together this very eclectic series of songs that cover many genres. It was a labor of love for the both of us and the mutual respect made the process all the more thrilling. After Sherwood’s passing in late 2015 Vicki and I transformed this CD into a tribute to one of the great talents of our industry. It’s very bittersweet mixing these tunes in the studio with Andy Waterman, all time favorite sonic wizards! This album has R&B, Funk, Jazz, big band, sultry, haunting, originals and standards from all corners of the music business. My hat goes off to Sherwood’s widow, Vicki Norton who has kept this project alive. Sit back and enjoy the man of many talents as well as of the best friend anyone could have…  generous, kind, funny and musical.”  ~ Les Hooper – Composer and Arranger, Winner of an Emmy and Clio, 7 Grammy Nominations.

My late husband Sherwood was more than an incredible person. To his peers in the music business, he was a multi-talented artist & creative force whose diverse artistic talents had no bounds. With his constant & passionately driven spirit and soul, Sherwood was way ahead of his time when it came to every aspect of creativity in the music business. He was the kind of person who never accepted less than perfection in everything he did and he managed to do everything superbly well with the greatest of ease. He was always the "go-to person" when you wanted to achieve something of the highest caliber for your musical project. His vocal style is unusually evolved, natural, honest & distinct while characterized by a raw, beautiful & unique sound unlike any other. His vocal skills, along with his personal work ethic, were highly respected and regarded throughout the entire "inner circle" of professionals in the music industry in Los Angeles. Sherwood also toured and played lead guitar and/or vocals with Three Dog Night, Etta James, Jackson Browne, Joe Walsh, Stephen Stills, Bonnie Raitt, Bruce Springsteen, The Jay Graydon, Biff Baby and the Allstars including guitar greats such as Albert Lee, Eddie Van Halen, Steve Morris, Steve Lukather, Rodney Crowell and more. 

Historically, Sherwood came from a long line of creative and artistic geniuses.  It was clear that making music was in his DNA. He was the first born of the late, great Ernie Ball who is known worldwide, initially, for his inventive creation of guitar strings which eventually was followed by his extraordinary line of basses, guitars, and Music Man amplifiers which are endorsed by many legendary pro-players throughout the music industry.  In addition, Sherwood’s great grandfather, Ernest Roland Ball, wrote the music for the classic songs, "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling," "Mother Machree” "Saloon"  “A little Bit of Heaven” “Let the Rest Of The World Go By” “Will You Love Me in December As You Do in May?” and so many more! 

Sherwood was also inspired by his great grandfather's work, so there is a set of songs Sherwood sang which will be forth coming in our next album honoring him.

The last song on this album is "Irish Eyes," with a beautiful piece which Les Hooper created from his AFRIKKA album called “Mosquito Dance”.

I could not have finished this album without the tireless and dedicated help of Les Hooper and Andy Waterman who added their brilliant expertise to the remix and Master. Les’s arrangement of this entire album is truly beautiful.

The most beautiful song is “Nature Boy” written by Eden Ahbez. We have been granted very special permission by the owner of “Nature Boy”, Mrs. Geraldine Janowiak and her daughter Debra Guess, to release this version of this classic song. It is truly a gift to us and honor’s my late husband’s wishes to sing this epic song in this way.

This album is eclectic in that it covers so many genres including Blues, Jazz, Pop, R&B, Funk, Big Band and of course "Stranger In My House", "C'est La Vie Mon Ami," [This song was originally a haunting movie instrumental set composed by Les. Lyrics co-written by Sherwood and me], plus the engaging "Chinatown Blues" [lyrics & music by Les], and "Dance the Night Away" [lyrics by Sherwood and me] with the music composed by Jon Gilutin and Sherwood.  

This is truly a "one-of-a-kind" album that represents the artist, Sherwood Ball, at his finest vocal moments and includes an original song from his days with his own band, Gumbo, featuring renown jazz trumpet artist, Rick Braun, on the original song "Stranger In My House." 

In the end, we were short two songs for this album so, Les graciously offered to include one song Sherwood sang on his album from "Out of the Woods" of "Willow Weep For Me." We ended the album with "Irish Eyes." 

In closing, there are no words to describe the sudden and unexpected loss of your best friend, your partner, your everything. Sherwood was the most kind, loving, sincere, funny, generous & creative person I have ever known. 

So, with a tremendous amount of love & dedication that has gone into the making of this album, I present this artistic piece of work to you now. As Sherwood would say when he really liked a song… “Tasty!”

We will treasure and love you for eternity Sherwood. Your Legacy lives on! May you Dance the Night Away and onto your next adventure!  

With So Much Love, 

~ Vicki

The LEs hooper band

and Special Guests