Hugh McCracken

Hugh Carmine McCracken (March 31, 1942 – March 28, 2013) was an American rock guitarist and session musician based in New York City, primarily known for his performance on guitar and also as a harmonica player. McCracken was additionally an arranger and record producer.

Biography Born in Glen Ridge, New Jersey, McCracken grew up in Hackensack, New Jersey.

Especially in demand in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, McCracken appeared on many recordings by Steely Dan, as well as albums by Donald Fagen, Jimmy Rushing, Billy Joel, Roland Kirk, Roberta Flack, B. B. King, Hue and Cry, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, the Monkees, Paul Simon, Art Garfunkel, Lotti Golden, Idris Muhammad, James Taylor, Phoebe Snow, Bob Dylan, Linda McCartney, Carly Simon, Graham Parker, Yoko Ono, Eric Carmen, Loudon Wainwright III, Lou Donaldson, Aretha Franklin, Bob James, Jimmy Buffett, Van Morrison, the Four Seasons, Barbra Streisand, Hall & Oates, the Archies, Don McLean, Hank Crawford, Jerry Jemmott, Gary Wright and Andy Gibb.

In the middle 1960s, McCracken played in a North Jersey night club cover band called the Funatics under the stage name of Mack Pierce. The band became Mario & the Funatics for a short time when it merged with saxophonist Mario Madison. He was a member of Mike Mainieri's White Elephant Orchestra (1969–1972), a 20-piece experimental jazz-rock outfit based in New York City. The band was made up of Steve Gadd, Tony Levin, Warren Bernhardt, George Young, Frank Vicari, Michael Brecker, Ronnie Cuber, Jon Faddis, Lew Soloff, Randy Brecker, Barry Rogers, Jon Pierson, David Spinozza and Joe Beck.

Among the many albums he performed on was the 1970 recording by writer/critic Robert Palmer's Insect Trust, Hoboken Saturday Night, together with Bernard "Pretty" Purdie and Elvin Jones. In 1971, because of such high demand for his work, McCracken declined Paul McCartney's invitation to help form his new band, Wings. McCracken also played on, arranged and co-produced with Tommy LiPuma, Dr. John's City Lights (1978) and Tango Palace (1979).

His most well-known work was the slide guitar solo in "All By Myself" by Eric Carmen, the guitar parts in "Hey Nineteen" by Steely Dan, and the main guitar playing fills on Van Morrison classic "Brown-Eyed Girl".

Death Hugh McCracken died on March 28, 2013 in Manhattan. He was 70. Holly, his wife of 43 years, said the cause was leukemia. 1968: Livin' the Blues – Jimmy Rushing 1969: Today – Gloria Loring 1969: Completely Well – B.B. King 1969: Everything’s Archie – The Archies 1969: Motor-Cycle (album) – Lotti Golden

1970: A Time To Remember! – The Artie Kornfeld Tree (ABC/Dunhill Records; Cat. DS 50092) 1970: Hoboken Saturday Night – The Insect Trust (Atco Records; Cat. SD 33-313) 1970: Outlaw – Eugene McDaniels (Atlantic; Cat. SD 8259) 1970: Changes – The Monkees 1970: Indianola Mississippi Seeds – B.B. King 1971: Headless Heroes of the Apocalypse – Eugene McDaniels 1971: Ram – Paul McCartney 1971: Mike Corbett & Jay Hirsh (with Hugh McCracken) - S/T (Atco Records) 1971: Gary Wright - Extraction (A&M Records) 1971: Flagrant Délit – Johnny Hallyday (France; Philips; Cat. 6325 003) 1971: Quiet Fire – Roberta Flack 1971: The Good Book – Melanie 1971: Barbra Joan Streisand – Barbra Streisand 1972: Album III – Loudon Wainwright III 1972: Stoneground Words – Melanie 1972: Sweet Buns & Barbeque – Houston Person 1972: David Clayton-Thomas – David Clayton-Thomas 1972: Young, Gifted and Black – Aretha Franklin 1972: Yvonne Elliman – Yvonne Elliman 1973: Abandoned Luncheonette – Daryl Hall & John Oates 1973: Sassy Soul Strut – Lou Donaldson 1973: For the Good Times - Rusty Bryant 1973: From the Depths of My Soul – Marlena Shaw 1973: Breezy Stories – Danny O'Keefe (Atlantic; Cat. SD 7264) 1973: Daybreaks – John Wonderling (Paramount; Cat. 6063) 1973: Extension of a Man – Donny Hathaway 1973: Bette Midler – Bette Midler 1974: Your Baby Is a Lady – Jackie DeShannon 1974: With Everything I Feel in Me – Aretha Franklin 1974: Madrugada – Melanie 1974: Walking Man – James Taylor 1974: Until It's Time for You to Go – Rusty Bryant 1974: Let Me in Your Life – Aretha Franklin 1974: One – Bob James 1975: Eric Carmen (1975 album) - Eric Carmen 1975: Desire – Bob Dylan 1975: Still Crazy After All These Years – Paul Simon 1975: Katy Lied - Steely Dan 1975: The Case of the 3 Sided Dream in Audio Color - Rahsaan Roland Kirk 1975: Feel Like Makin' Love – Roberta Flack 1975: New York Connection – Tom Scott 1975: First Cuckoo – Deodato 1975: Peach Melba – Melba Moore 1976: Just a Matter of Time – Marlena Shaw 1976: Yellow & Green – Ron Carter 1976: Second Childhood – Phoebe Snow 1976: Everything Must Change – Randy Crawford 1976: Pastels – Ron Carter 1976: Smile – Laura Nyro 1976: Three – Bob James 1977: Havana Candy – Patti Austin 1977: The Stranger – Billy Joel 1977: Blue Lights in the Basement – Roberta Flack 1977: A Song – Neil Sedaka 1977: Never Letting Go – Phoebe Snow 1977: Celebrate Me Home – Kenny Loggins 1977: Watermark – Art Garfunkel 1977: Blow It Out – Tom Scott 1977: Ghost Writer – Garland Jeffreys 1978: Pick 'Em – Ron Carter 1978: 52nd Street – Billy Joel 1978: Roberta Flack – Roberta Flack 1978: Boys in the Trees – Carly Simon 1978: City Lights – Dr. John (US; Horizon Records & Tapes; SP 732) 1978: Intimate Strangers – Tom Scott 1978: One-Eyed Jack – Garland Jeffreys 1979: Tango Palace – Dr. John (US; Horizon Records & Tapes; SP 740) 1979: Headin' Home – Gary Wright 1979: Fate for Breakfast – Art Garfunkel 1979: Street Beat – Tom Scott 1980: After Dark – Andy Gibb 1980: Double Fantasy – John Lennon and Yoko Ono 1980: Naughty – Chaka Khan 1980: Red Cab to Manhattan – Stephen Bishop 1980: One-Trick Pony – Paul Simon 1980: Gaucho – Steely Dan 1980: One Bad Habit – Michael Franks 1981: Apple Juice – Tom Scott 1981: There Must Be a Better World Somewhere – B.B. King 1981: Torch – Carly Simon 1981: Season of Glass – Yoko Ono 1981: 4 – Foreigner 1982: The Nightfly – Donald Fagen 1982: Another Grey Area – Graham Parker 1982: Hey Ricky – Melissa Manchester 1982: It's Alright (I See Rainbows) –Yoko Ono 1982: Objects of Desire – Michael Franks 1982: Anyone Can See – Irene Cara 1983: Guts for Love – Garland Jeffreys 1983: Emergency – Melissa Manchester 1983: Dirty Looks – Juice Newton 1983: Burlap & Satin – Dolly Parton 1983: Hello Big Man – Carly Simon 1984: Milk and Honey – John Lennon and Yoko Ono 1985: Skin Dive – Michael Franks 1987: Jill Jones – Jill Jones 1987: Coming Around Again – Carly Simon 1987: Inside Information – Foreigner 1988: Lefty – Art Garfunkel 1988: Hot Water – Jimmy Buffett 1989: Steady On – Shawn Colvin 1991: Don't Call Me Buckwheat – Garland Jeffreys 1997: A Story – Yoko Ono 1997: Alta suciedad – Andrés Calamaro 1997: Deuces Wild – B.B. King 2000: Two Against Nature - Steely Dan 2003: Everything Must Go – Steely Dan 2003: The Diary of Alicia Keys - Alicia Keys 2005: Restless Angel – Marie Gabrielle (co-producer) 2006: Morph the Cat – Donald Fagen 2007: Romancing the '60s – Frankie Valli 2011: Stronger – Kelly Clarkson 2012: The King of In Between – Garland Jeffreys 2014: Life Journey – Leon Russell