In 2003, David Bowie picked 25 of his all time favourite records. It’s a great list (easily found online) that includes names you might expect - Velvet Underground and Nico and Madcap Laughs for example - and then a few that you might find surprising. In the latter camp for me was Tucker Zimmerman….but it was cool to see it there.Zimmerman studied music composition in San Francisco in the mid 60s. He won a Fulbright Scholarship to continue his songwriting in Italy. He gigged around there for a couple of years before relocating to London where he met fellow American Tony Visconti. Zimmerman reportedly wrote more than 100 songs while in the UK. Regal Zonophone offered him a record contract and he made his debut for them in 1969 with Visconti playing bass and handling production. Of course Visconti was also beginning to work with Bowie on Space Oddity around this time too and no doubt he helped connect the two.In making his favourites list decades later he pulled out the Zimmerman album and recalled how he had been enthralled by the songwriting on it. It’s certainly an interesting listen….it recalls electric era Dylan at times, at others, more gentle folk or blues stylings. Definitely worth picking up if you’re lucky enough to happen on a copy.Sadly, Tucker Zimmerman and his wife both died in January this year in a house fire.
Tucker Zimmerman playlist here . . .
Tucker Zimmerman Face That Hasn’t Sold Out full track here
Tucker Zimmerman - Nobody Knows (Live at The Lexington)
'Nobody Knows' taken from 'Dance Of Love' out now via 4AD.
Performed live at The Lexington, 5th November 2024