Influential songs growing up:
First Rock & Roll to generate interest: Jailhouse Rock by Elvis & Honeycomb by Jimmy Rogers,
First Major band influence: The Beatles (lasts to this day)
Other influences/favourites: - Ray Charles -"What I say" "Georgia" - The Fortunes - "You've Got Your Troubles I've Got Mine" (I liked the jusxtaposed melodies near the end) - Don Henley - "Last Worthless Evening" - Toto - "Africa', "Roseanna" etc. - Mr. Mister "Kyrie", "Broken Wings" I think their vocalist was very under-rated - Peter Gabriel with Kate Bush on "Don't Give Up" makes me cry - did I say just about everything the Beatles did especially from Rubber Soul on - Got To Get You Into My Life, You Can't Do That Eleanor Rigby,etc.
Best Rock Song Ever: Gimme Some Lovin' by Spencer Davis Group..I really like the later Steve Winwood Stuff too (ie. See a Chance)
Song that got me writing music again: Living Years by Mike & The Mechanics..it showed me that us "older" guys can still write meaningfull songs which can find resonance with an audience..
Greatest impact on my piano playing (post-Classical) David Foster. - I was in a studio run by Tom Northcott (Sunny Goodge Street) when David came in and after hearing me play typical classical chords said, why don't you play the 7th with your thumb and do a grace note (blues third) on the third of the chord. It was the concept of "feel" associated with blues/gospel/rock that up-to-that-time had eluded my classically trained brain. It transformed my playing almost instantly. Thanks David!
Most Memorable Trooper moment: We opened for B.T.O. at the Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver just as "Two For The Show" charted #1. Our set was politely received until I started the piano intro for "Two For The Show" 20,000 people went crazy..We couldn't hear ourselves but luckily the cheers died down a little by the end of the intro. When the guitar intro came in with drums, we once again were drowned out by the crowd. By this time we were watching each other to stay in time with goose-bumps happening. Again, the sound died down slightly by the end of the intro. As soon as Ray started singing the first lines - same thing. By the chorus, everyone was singing along. I thought, "so this is what it's like." (to have a hit)
Proudest Music moment: Finishing the Chris Ludwig Piano Cd "Expressivity" (see other Music Projects)
Most memorable Teaching Moment: too many to relate, but mostly from graduated students who years later talked about how much making music influenced and influences their lives. I had always insisted on being Mr. L. in schools to differentiate my role as a teacher from that of a friend. I told students that they could call me Frank when they graduated. When I occasionally run into former students most still opt to call me Mr. L. I like that.
Favourite Colour: You've got to be kidding!
And now for something comletely different:
Clean-X-Kitty - just another day at the Ludwig zoo
Best Band on Tours: Kansas..we used to sing "Ducks in the Wind, quack, quack!" behind the stage but it was done out of real admiration.I hope they never heard us as it would have seemed insulting but we thought they were absolutely the best!.they sounded incredible! P.S...it's really "Dust in the Wind"
Best Ever piano break: in Brainwashed by David-Clayton Thomas (later of Blood, Sweat & Tears). By way of how the times have changed notice that the censors made them bleep the word damn...
Most significant quote: (this is the preamble to a song I wrote that hasn't made it onto cd yet):
"I used to be an angry young man, Now I'm simply furious!"
Most significant missed opportunity:
One evening, after recording with Randy and Carl Wilson of the Beachboys, we went downstairs and sat around while Carl sang and played guitar songs that he had written but which hadn't made it onto Beachboy albums. They were incredible! Beautiful melodies over great chords and with natural lyric hooks...the missed opportunity was that we didn't have a mic hooked up to record this get-together..Carl has since passed away and I wonder if there is any record of those songs.
Favourite Comedy Show: Fox News..I mean, they've got to be kidding..really: Rick Mercer, John Stewart, Stephen Colbert..thank heavens someone gets it (they do)
Other people/shows which impress: George Stroumboulopoulos. Jimmy Fallon
Why It's About Time?
It's about losing friends, and keeping enemies.The songs on this collection consist of new songs, but also include one song that was written in the Trooper times but which got "politicked" off. The studio engineers in Florida who mixed the "Flying Colors' album had not done the recording (in Edmonton) so the songs were all new to them. The song they picked as the likely first single was "You Ain't Foolin' Nobody" It never made it onto the album so I thought I'd give it a new lease on life, only with different musicians (Frank Ludwig band - Scotti, Mike, Rick & John). I wonder if with today's cd format which allows for times up to 60 or 70 minutes, whether all the fights over the limit of 40 minutes on a vinyl album would have been avoided?
As mentioned in the background to the lyrics, Don't Come Crying was also written early on.