Carl Dean Radle (June 18 1942 – May 30 1980) was a bass guitarist who toured and recorded with several of the most influential recording artists of the late 1960s and 1970s. Radle's first success, though, was as a member of Gary Lewis & the Playboys in 1965. Ultimately, he was best known for his long association with Eric Clapton, starting in 1969 with Delaney and Bonnie and Friends and 1970 with Derek and the Dominos, recording alongside drummer Jim Gordon, guitarist Duane Allman, and keyboardist Bobby Whitlock. In 1970 he took part in Joe Cocker's famous Mad Dogs and Englishmen tour. He worked on all of Clapton's solo projects from 1970 until 1979 and was a member of Clapton's touring band Eric Clapton & His Band from 1974 through 1979. Radle was instrumental in facilitating Clapton's return to recording and touring in 1974. During Clapton's three-year hiatus, Radle furnished him with a supply of tapes of Okie musicians with whom he'd been working. Dick Sims and Jamie Oldaker were musicians who became the core of Clapton's '70s band. Radle served as more than a hired bass player. He also acted as arranger on several songs, most notably "Motherless Children." Radle earned an associate producer's credit on
No Reason to Cry.
Radle can be seen in the famous concert film,
The Concert for Bangladesh. By the time
The Concert for Bangladesh album was released in 1972, Radle had recorded albums with Dave Mason, J. J. Cale, George Harrison, The Colours, Joe Cocker, and Buddy Guy among others. He can also be seen on The Band's The Last Waltz project.
Over the course of his career, Radle played on a number of gold and platinum singles and albums, and garnered the respect of many musicians.
Radle was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma and died in 1980 from a kidney infection, the effects of alcohol and narcotics[http://www.carlradle.com/about.htm].
From Wikipedia
