Waddy Wachtel

Early years[edit]

Wachtel was born May 24, 1947, in Jackson Heights to a Jewish family^[2] in the New York City borough of Queens. At about age 9–10,^[1] Wachtel began to learn to play the guitar, taking lessons with teacher Gene Dell (who insisted that he learn to play right-handed despite being naturally left-handed) until about age 14. At that age, he says, he began writing songs.^[3]


Wachtel also studied with Rudolph Schramm, who was the head of the NBC staff orchestra and went on to teach music at Carnegie Hall. Schramm tried to get Wachtel to take piano lessons, but Wachtel was intent on playing guitar so Schramm agreed to give him guitar lessons three times a week on rhythm, melody and harmony.


After performing with local bands in the New York area, Wachtel formed his own band, The Orphans, who played in Connecticut and New Hampshire. Eventually the band settled into a regular bar band routine, playing in Newport, Rhode Island, where Wachtel took lessons from Sal Salvador.^[2] When the Orphans disbanded, he formed another band, Twice Nicely. At the suggestion of Bud Cowsill (of The Cowsills), he brought Twice Nicely to Los Angeles in 1968 where they recorded a few demos, but after two years, Wachtel decided to work as a session player.^[3]

Legal problems[edit]

Wachtel was arrested in 1998 on suspicion of possession of child pornography after images were found on a computer he had at home.^[6][7][8] Wachtel pleaded no contest and was placed on probation for three years.^[9]


Musician Brett Tuggle defended Wachtel saying "there is no way that Stevie would have him in her band if she thought he was guilty of any wrongdoing."^[10] A detective of the Los Angeles juvenile sex crimes division reported that Wachtel produced copies of the computer-stored images which he kept in his bedroom.^[11]

With Bill Cowsill


With The Everly Brothers


With Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks


With Sarah Kernochan


With Jackie DeShannon


With Fleetwood Mac


With John Stewart


With Splinter


With Dianne Brooks


With Barbi Benton


With Jackson Browne


With Andrew Gold


With Arlo Guthrie


With Carole King


With Tom Pacheco


With Tom Snow


With Maria Muldaur


With Linda Ronstadt


With J. D. Souther


With James Taylor


With Wendy Waldman


With Sammy Walker


With Nickey Barclay


With Rusty Wier


With Warren Zevon


With Karla Bonoff


With Nancy Shanks


With Attitudes


With Randy Newman


With Bryan Ferry


With Bob Weir


With Leo Sayer


With Debby Boone


With Richie Furay


With Adam Mitchell


With Ronnie Hawkins


With Louise Goffin


With Bonnie Raitt


With America


With Kim Carnes


With Rita Coolidge


With Stevie Nicks


With Helen Reddy


With Phoebe Snow


With Ronnie Wood


With Don Henley


With Kenny Rogers


With Bill Medley


With Bob Seger


With Bette Midler


With Marty Balin


With Ringo Starr


With Joe Walsh


With Dolly Parton


With Steve Perry


With Eric Martin


With Jimmy Barnes


With Rosanne Cash


With Graham Nash


With Karla DeVito


With Van Stephenson


With Dwight Twilley


With Cher


With Lisa Hartman Black


With Melissa Etheridge


With Ivan Neville


With Keith Richards


With Feargal Sharkey


With The Graces


With Jon Bon Jovi


With Steve Louw


With Bob Dylan


With Iggy Pop


With Hall & Oates


With Diana Ross


With Rod Stewart


With Troy Newman


With Bonnie Tyler


With Tracy Chapman


With Neil Diamond


With Hanne Boel


With Delbert McClinton


With Tom Waits


With Andrew Strong


With Gilby Clarke


With A. J. Croce


With Colin James


With Brian Wilson


With Aaron Neville


With John Prine


With Michael Sweet


With Bee Gees


With The Wilsons


With Johnny Rivers


With Amanda Marshall


With Janice Robinson


With Kim Richey


With Shannon McNally


With Robbie Williams


With Keith Gattis


With Bernard Fowler


With Radney Foster


With Miranda Lambert


With John Mayer


With David Nail


With Michael Grimm


With Jessie Baylin


With LeAnn Rimes


With Edie Brickell and Steve Martin


With Judith Owen


With Neil Young


With Mindi Abair


With Pat McGee


With Beth Hart


With Sheryl Crow


With Anders Osborne


With Kate Taylor


With Edgar Winter


With Ian Hunter

Personal[edit]

Wachtel is married. He has an estranged son named Waddy who lives in Hilton Head Island, SC.^[19]