It takes some special instruments and a unique perspective to appreciate the frustrating version of “success” that weaves in and through Tonio K.‘s long strange trip of a music career. He should have been one of those critical reference points of the heady ’70s and ’80s, right up there with Warren Zevon and Joe Jackson. He had the wit, the sneer, the shades, and the major label hookups. But even with the odds in his favor, a hall-of-fame roster of supporting band members, and people like T Bone Burnett supporting him, it wasn’t until he started putting his pen to work for other artists that his path emerged. On this episode, we visit with the elusive, and in some ways illusory, artist and songwriter for a rare exploration of his entire career. We’ll examine his earliest days in the trippy psychedelic art rock scene, his stint with the late Buddy Holly’s “Crickets,” his serious run at a solo artist career, and his late renaissance as the crafter of smash hits for an impossibly diverse list of artists that includes both a member of The Sex Pistols and Burt Bacharach. Tonio K. tells us the whole amazing story – and with the help of some friends, we have peppered the show with some extremely rare Tonio K. recordings and a brace of tunes that made him a darling of both the Christian and mainstream underground. And, as if THAT wasn’t enough, Tom Willett – who signed K. to WHAT? Records in the ’80s and worked alongside T Bone and others – joins us for the conversation as well.

For more information about Tonio K. visit his OFFICIAL SITE at TonioK.com

For more information about Tom Willett – or to order his books – visit Willett.world 

DON’T MISS our amazing conversation with Tom Willett – CREATIVITY WILL SAVE THE WORLD!

If you would like to support the show, please consider joining our Patreon community or dropping us a one-time tip and check out our NEW MERCH!

 

Check out our special Spotify Mix: Tonio K. “Who Are These People?”

 

Tonio K Song List

 

Opening segment

Phil Keaggy & Rex Paul – Full Circle (True Tunes podcast theme version)

Tonio K – True Confessions

Tonio K – You Belong With Me

Tonio K – Fools Talk

Tonio K – I Can’t Stand It

Tonio K – Without Love

Tonio K – Pardon Me For Living

Tonio K – I’ve Got a Song Anyway

Tonio K – I Can’t Stop

Tonio K – Los Gringos

Tonio K – Emotional War Games

 

Set One

Tonio K – The Funky Western Civilization

Tonio K – I’m Here

Tonio K – Hey John

Tonio K – Life In the Foodchain

Tonio K – Student Interview (With the Third Richest Man in the World)

Tonio K – I’m Supposed to Have Sex with You

Tonio K – H-A-T-R-E-D

Tonio K – Say Goodbye

Raik’s Progress – All Night Long

Raik’s Progress – Why Did You Rob Us, Tank?

Raik’s Progress – Prisoner of Chillon

Dave Brubeck Quartet – Take Five

Dick Dale & The Del-Tones – Miserlou

The Hollywood Argyles – Alley Oop

The BelAirs – Mr. Moto

Fred Wesley & The JB’s – J.B. Shout

James Brown – Please, Please, Please

David Seville – The Witchdoctor

David Seville & The Chipmunks – The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don’t Be Late)

Buddy Holly & The Crickets – Peggy Sue (Ed Sullivan performance)

The Crickets – I’m Going to Ruin Your Health

The Crickets – Hitchhike Out to Venus

The Crickets ft. Tonio K & Peter Case – Not Fade Away

The Mothers of invention – Hungry Freaks, Daddy

 

Set Two

Tonio K – School Is Out

Tonio K – I Handle Snakes

Tonio K – Stay

Tonio K – Romeo and Jane

Tonio K – The Executioner’s Song

Tonio K – We Walk On

Tonio K – Stop the Clock

Tonio K – Dream Girls (Olé outtake)

Tonio K – What Women Want

Tonio K – You Will Go Free

16 Tons of Monkeys – 16 Tons of Monkeys

Arc Angels – Paradise Café

Vanessa Williams & Brian McKnight – Love Is

Bonnie Raitt – You

Burt Bacharach ft. Rufus Wainwright – Go Ask Shakespeare

Burt Bacharach – Is Love Enough

Burt Bacharach – Danger

Brian Wilson – What Love Can Do

 

Closing

Phil Keaggy & Rex Paul – Full Circle (True Tunes podcast theme version)

If you liked this episode, don’t miss these:

Eric Earley (Blitzen Trapper) + Sacred Psychedelia on the Jukebox (w David Bunker)

 

Ep 15 Buddy Miller: Learning To Listen with Big Ears

The Cornerstone Festival: 10 Years Gone (and counting…)

DOE (plus Stevie Wonder on the Jukebox!)

Royce Lovett (plus Gospel Hip Hop on the Jukebox)

Audiofeed Festival Lineup Announcement and Interview

Terry Scott Taylor’s Beautiful Mystery

Natalie Bergman’s Jesus Music for a New Generation

Myron Butler and the Legacy of Andrae Crouch!

Andy Zipf Solo Acoustic Performance on True Tunes @45RPM

45RPM: Phil Madeira and Love Songs

Bruce Cockburn: Kicking at the Darkness for Fifty Years (and counting!)

From The Vault: Michael Been of The Call

Marc Byrd (Hammock, God of Wonders, etc) 

Singing Along with The Choir

Phil Madeira on Expanding Horizons

Kevin Max Considers Boundaries

See the full list of previous episodes HERE