Tonio K. Walks On: Notes From A Lost World

It takes some special instruments and a unique perspective to
appreciate the frustrating version of "success" that weaves in
and through Tonio K.'s long strange trip of a music career. He
should have been one of those critical reference points of the
heady '70s and '80s, right up there with Warren Zevon and Joe
Jackson. He had the wit, the sneer, the shades, and the major
label hookups. But even with the odds in his favor, a
hall-of-fame roster of supporting band members, and people like T
Bone Burnett supporting him, it wasn't until he started putting
his pen to work for other artists that his path emerged. On this
episode, we visit with the elusive, and in some ways illusory,
artist and songwriter for a rare exploration of his entire
career. We'll examine his earliest days in the trippy psychedelic
art rock scene, his stint with the late Buddy Holly's “Crickets,”
his serious run at a solo artist career, and his late renaissance
as the crafter of smash hits for an impossibly diverse list of
artists that includes both a member of The Sex Pistols and Burt
Bacharach. Tonio K. tells us the whole amazing story – and with
the help of some friends, we have peppered the show with some
extremely rare Tonio K. recordings and a brace of tunes that made
him a darling of both the Christian and mainstream underground.
And, as if THAT wasn't enough, Tom Willett – who signed K. to
WHAT? Records in the '80s and worked alongside T Bone and others
– joins us for the conversation as well.


The full music list, our special Spotify Mix, and more for this
episode are available on the SHOW NOTES page at
TrueTunes.com/Tonio1. 


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