Leland Sklar and Chuck Ainlay joined Lyle Lovett April 14 for a screening and discussion of the 2022 documentary “Immediate Family” at Geren Auditorium.
The film was made by Danny Tedesco and showcases four legendary session musicians — Sklar, Danny Kortchmar, Russ Kunkel and Waddy Wachtel — who performed and recorded hit songs with artists including James Taylor, Linda Ronstadt, Carole King and Jackson Browne.
Sklar, a renowned bassist, is also a longtime member of Lovett’s Large Band and Acoustic Group. Ainlay is a Grammy-winning producer/engineer who produced Lovett’s “12th of June” album in 2022 and engineered “And His Large Band” in 1989.
Sklar fielded questions about his career and shared stories about working on classic albums like King’s “Tapestry” and Browne’s “Running on Empty,” along with other memories of working with Taylor, Ronstadt, Phil Collins and Reba McEntire.
“It was wonderful to see the iconic artists’ affection for you in this film,” Lovett said to Sklar. “And to see how they all feel about you the way I do — that you’re family — and to see that from all of them is a beautiful thing.”
“Lyle and I have been working together longer than any other artist I’ve worked with, and he is one of my favorite artists in the world,” Sklar said. “I feel really blessed to be on this journey with him. And Chuck is one of the finest engineers I’ve ever worked with.”
Ainlay discussed being a music engineer and offered advice for those aiming for a career in producing.
“Do not miss the record button — that first take so many times is the magic,” Ainlay said. “The music is more important than the recording, always. The best recording producers are those who listen to the artist and know a good song when they hear it.”
The event was part of Lovett’s Hagler Fellow residency with the College of Performance, Visualization and Fine Arts.
