Judd Lander

Judd Lander (born 1 March 1948) is an English harmonicist. Originally from Liverpool, Lander was previously a member of the band the Hideaways. He has experienced success as a prolific session musician, record industry executive, and company director.

Lander has played on hits such as Culture Club's "Karma Chameleon" as well as "Church of the Poison Mind" and the Spice Girls' hit "Say You'll Be There". He has played with many musicians including Paul McCartney, Annie Lennox, ABC and Madness.

Work as a musician Lander was an intricate part of the late Mersey Beat scene, playing with well-known local band the Hideaways. The band were one of the first R&B groups in Liverpool and to this day hold the record for the most performances in the Cavern's history, surpassing the Beatles. In the mid-1960s Lander kindled a relationship with Sonny Boy Williamson II (Aleck Ford 'Rice' Miller) who taught him the intricacies of the Blues Harmonica. Lander's playing technique became much in demand and his enthusiasm for the music industry led him to record label Charisma Records, whilst still retaining his status as a respected session musician.

His reputation as both PR-man and session musician continued to grow and in 1975 he was approached by Apple Records to help with John Lennon's Rock 'n' Roll album. As a musician he was invited to perform on various in-house sessions with artists such as Billy Preston. Over the course of his career and directorships at various major labels, he has been instrumental in the careers of artists such ABBA, Michael Jackson, Nigel Dick and the Proclaimers. He was also responsible for breaking Meat Loaf in the UK, receiving a proclamation by the Mayor of the City Of Cleveland. Lander is also noted for persuading a rather recluse guitar icon Jeff Beck into doing a TV interview which had a bizarre result. Head-hunted by RCA records to run their Motown UK Record division, Lander joined them at the historic Motown 25th anniversary show: "Yesterday, Today, Forever".

Whilst at Motown, Lander was called to a session at Red Bus Studios in London to lay down a harmonica part with a then relatively unknown band called Culture Club which led him to create the now-famous harmonica lead on their No 1 – million seller "Karma Chameleon" and on "Church of the Poison Mind". Following the release came a glut of TV and Wembley Stadium appearances. Around this period Lander was invited to join Paul McCartney on stage at The Odeon Hammersmith for a charity concert, and has since worked with Paul on his Flowers in the Dirt.

As a musician, Lander is credited with performances on over 2000 recording sessions. He is noted for his work with artists such as The Beach Boys, Nazareth, The Proclaimers, He also contributed to quite a few BBC drama episodes and headed the position as Director of promotions with London Records. His Chrysalis Records appointment saw him deliver the No. 1 hit "The One and Only" with Chesney Hawkes. Other shows include – Top of the Pops,

Partial discography 1983: Bay City Rollers – Ricochet 1983: Culture Club – Colour by Numbers 1984: Tracey Ullman – You Caught Me Out 1984: Anthony Phillips – Private Parts and Pieces IV: A Catch at the Tables 1984: Bruce Foxton – Touch Sensitive 1985: Madness – Mad Not Mad 1985: Johnny Thunders – Que Sera Sera 1985: The Beach Boys – The Beach Boys 1986: Robbie Nevil – Robbie Nevil 1986: The The – Infected 1987: The Communards – Red 1987: ABC – Alphabet City 1988: Johnny Thunders and Patti Palladin – Copy Cats 1989: Paul McCartney – Flowers in the Dirt 1990: Prefab Sprout – Jordan: The Comeback 1991: Kirsty MacColl – Electric Landlady 1993: Helen Hoffner – Wild about Nothing 1995: Annie Lennox – Medusa 1996: Dina Carroll – Only Human 1996: Spice Girls – Spice 2000: Richard Ashcroft – Alone with Everybody