If you’re of a certain age (and even if you’re not), the image of Tom Cruise strutting around in his briefs as Bob Seger’s “Old Time Rock and Roll” blares over the speakers is permanently emblazoned in your brain. That scene—from the timeless 1983 teen comedy Risky Business—inspired new vigor for Seger’s 1979 hit, recorded at the Muscle Shoals Sound Studio in Sheffield, Alabama. Today we’re diving into the life and career of Randy McCormick, the keyboardist responsible for the song’s instantly recognizable piano intro. Born in Rogersville, Alabama, on this day (July 12) in 1952, McCormick is celebrating his 74th birthday today.
Randy McCormick’s Talent Was Clear Early On
Inheriting his parents’ knack for music, Randy McCormick was playing piano by ear before he started kindergarten.
“I heard a song at church one Sunday, and I came home and I played the melody on the piano,” he recalled during a 2015 interview with the The National Association of Music Merchants. “It upset my grandmother. She said, ‘He shouldn’t be able to do that. He’s too little.’”
By the time he reached sixth grade, McCormick was playing with various rock and roll bands. As a high school junior, he received a call inviting him to Muscle Shoals to perform on a record with none other than Percy Sledge.
From there, McCormick embarked on a lengthy, illustrious career as a session musician. His recording credits include work with James Brown, Rosanne Cash, Kenny Chesney, Elvis Costello, Joe Diffie, Alison Krauss & Union Station, Tim McGraw, George Strait, Shania Twain, and Dionne Warwick.
“The phone would ring and we’d have a project to do,” McCormick recalled.
He was still in training when “Old Time Rock and Roll” fell into his lap. After testing out various instrumental intros, someone asked McCormick, “Randy, what would you come up with?”
“Somehow or another, I came up with that little lick on the front,” he recalled. “And I don’t know where it came from, but… that became the intro… It’s one of my most famous 16 notes probably of my entire career.”
He’s Also An Accomplished Songwriter
In addition to his session work, Randy McCormick has penned the number-one hits “Crazy in Love” for Conway Twitty; “Real Love” for Dolly Parton & Kenny Rogers, and “Suspicions” for Eddie Rabbitt.
“I tell people I’ve really never had a job, because when I go to play in the studio, 99.9 percent of the time it is a blast,” he said. “And it’s really fun to hear later on the stuff you do and realize, ‘That was a good day. That was worth it.’”
Featured image by Underwood Archives/Getty Images
The post Born 74 Years Ago Today in Alabama, the Man Who Wrote Hits for Conway Twitty and Gave Us One of the Most Iconic Piano Intros of All Time appeared first on American Songwriter.
Author: Erinn Callahan
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