“You’ve Heard These Hands” is a collection of stories from the life of Don Randi. Don has played keyboards, composed, arranged, recorded or directed over a thousand popular recordings, live shows and TV and film scores. The historic periods of these stories cover the late 1940’s (Don’s youth) through the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s to the present day. The discoveries, developments, and influence on popular culture and recorded music during these years have been well documented by many others, but Don Randi has been a part of popular music history and shares his experiences as an insider not just living it, but as a contributor and one of the pioneers in recording and entertainment.

The book reveals Don Randi’s experiences behind-the-scenes, in-the-studio as a member of the Wall of Sound/Wrecking Crew and on-tour, both hilarious and emotional, with some of the most admired music artists and producers of all time like Nancy Sinatra, Elvis Presley, Phil Spector, Jimmy Bowen, Dean Martin, the Jackson 5, Brian Wilson, Linda Ronstadt, Sammy Davis Jr., Glen Campbell and many more. You will be moved by how much Don Randi has been a part of the music you’ve heard and still listen to today. “You’ve Heard These Hands” will capture the interest and heart of its readers and will become one of the most talked about books as readers won’t be able to resist sharing Don’s stories with their friends.

Click Image above to purchase

Join Amazon Kindle Unlimited 30-Day Free Trial

FOR A PEEK AT A FEW PAGES, CLICK HERE.

Book Reviews

January 15, 2016 examiner.com
by Amy and Nancy Harrington

…While Randi may not be a household name, it’s safe to say that anyone that’s ever listened to music is familiar with his work. As a member of the legendary Wrecking Crew, Randi played with some of the most iconic performers of the ‘50s, ‘60s and ‘70s. But his musical journey started much earlier, when he was just a boy living in the Catskills.

December 16, 2015 Pop Culture Classics Deja RE-VU
by Paul Freeman

YOU’VE HEARD THESE HANDS
By Don Randi with Karen “Nish” Nishimura
Yes, you have heard these hands. You’ve celebrated, cried, danced and sung to the songs these hands have artfully played. These hands have helped to create the soundtrack of your life. Pianist/keyboardist/arranger/producer Don Randi played on tons of iconic tunes, including “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’,” “Be My Baby,” “Good Vibrations” and “These Boots Were Made For Walkin’.” He consistently demonstrated a rare gift for inventing melodic and harmonic lines that would linger in listeners’ hearts and minds. As an integral part of not only the legendary group of L.A. session musicians The Wrecking Crew, but also Phil Spector’s Wall of Sound, Randi backed such artists as Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, Petula Clark, Linda Ronstadt, The Association, The Everly Brothers, Buffalo Springfield, Herb Alpert, The Beach Boys, The Ronettes, Rick Nelson, Tom Jones, Dusty Springfield, Sarah Vaughan, Dionne Warwick, Duane Eddy, Bobby Darin and Neil Diamond. And that’s only the tiniest tip of the gold record iceberg. Pop music fans will be wide-eyed over the insights he offers into the making of so many Top 10 records. He affably offers memorable anecdotes about many of the stars and producers with whom he has worked, singing their praises. He rarely has a negative word to say… except for a fabulous depiction of the demanding diva Raquel Welch. Randi is also an acclaimed jazz artist who operates the revered Southern California venue The Baked Potato and the book contains interesting info on that aspect of his life, as well. The man has a rare talent and passion for music, as well as an encyclopedic knowledge. His memoir makes for wonderful reading.

December 7, 2015 Something Else!
by Jade Blackmore

“… You’ve Heard These Hands, the autobiography written by Wrecking Crew keyboard player Don Randi (written with Karen “Nish” Nishimura) gives us a close-up look at the musical and personal journey of one of its key members. … Don Randi’s You’ve Heard These Hands is a fun, breezy read, full of behind-the-scenes anecdotes from the pop music world of the 1960s and 1970s. It’s worth checking out if you’re a ’60s music enthusiast, or if you enjoy entertainment autobiographies.“

October 8, 2015 Cue Castanets!
Review by Martin Rovang Jensen (Spectorblogger)

“… with the jumpy narrative and the warm, personal tone of the text, makes reading ‘You’ve Heard These Hands’ feel like the written equivalent to walking into Don’s LA-based jazz club the Baked Potato, grab a drink with Don at the bar and have him regale you with funny, interesting stories – the sequence of them changing by the day as he has so many to choose from. Keeping that picture in mind, this particular way of structuring the book, however intentional or not, turned out to make perfect sense to me despite my initial reservations...“

Retail Book Sellers:  Carry the book in your store.
Hal Leonard Inventory #HL 00140980
ISBN: 9781495008825
UPC: 888680042592
Width: 6.0″
Length: 9.0″
256 pages

The book is also distributed through:
Ingram click for contact info
Baker & Taylor btinfo@btol.com or 800-775-1800.

#youveheardthesehands #book #newbook #donrandi #nish #halleonardbooks #amazon #barnesnoble #itunes #ibooks #yhth #bookreviews #yhthreview #karennishnishimura "karennish