Leland Sklar Featured in Upcoming “Immediate Family” Documentary

The Immediate Family

Twelve years after his hit documentary The Wrecking Crew, filmmaker Denny Tedesco is back with a new project on legendary session musicians. The new film is once again named after the group it features: The Immediate Family.

That group of musicians includes guitarists Danny Kortchmar and Waddy Wachtel, drummer Russ Kunkel, and bassist Leland Sklar. Together, they were instrumental in creating many of the hits from the ’70s.

“As we saw the music business change in the late 60s with the singer/songwriter era being introduced, we saw the emergence of session players that not only recorded the albums for Carole King, James Taylor Jackson Browne, Linda Ronstadt and more, but they took it on the road for some of the greatest live concert tours of the 70s and 80s,” Tedesco wrote on Facebook. “Their bond over 50 years is shared in this new documentary. So far I’ve interviewed the following; Carole King, Linda Rondstadt, James Taylor, Jackson Browne, Phil Collins, Lou Adler, Billy Bob Thorton, Peter Asher, Hank Cicalo, Russ Titleman and Lenny Waronker.”

Sklar shared the news on Facebook as well, saying “Really excited about this project!”

The Immediate Family film is still being made. Tedesco asks fans interested in backing the project follow the official Facebook page.

You can hear more from Sklar and the gang in this interview and performance at the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles:

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  1. Dave

    I always knew these guys as ‘The Section’ and still listen to their records ‘Fork It Over’/1977 and ‘The Section’ 1972, ‘The Section: Forward Motion’/1973, they were 1st call players of the 70’s Laurel Canyon Cali Crew…..https://www.discogs.com/artist/308902-The-Section

  2. James Burnett

    JUST THE BEST!! These incredible musicians have been a major influence on me since 1969.As a drummer, Russ Kunkel was my IDOL! And Leland Sklar my ALL TIME FAVORITE BASS PLAYER! I learned to play along with James Taylor’s, “Sweet Baby James” album. I was 12 years old, new every song and could sing while I played. My plan, at 12, move to LA find The Section and James Taylor- become Russ Kunkels helper and sub if he got sick! Remember, I was 12 years old, I was far from good enough to even carry Kunkels sticks! But as I grew, I always had a gig, using the Kunkel/Sklar approach of playing “the Song”.
    In my area, if you don’t “shred” every time you play, your not really good. Coincidentally, all the guys that dogged me, were often at my gigs, to critique my playing. My response, “Why aren’t YOU gigging on Friday night?”
    THANKS FOREVER TO RUSS kUNKEL, LELAND SKLAR, DANNY “KOOCH” KORCHMAR AND THE SECTION FOR A LIFETIME OF INSPIRATION..

    The Live stream of Immediate family concert was brilliant!!! I loved it, Looking forward to documentary.
    Thank you,
    Sincerely,
    JB