The Ry Cooder Story Frank Schnelle

In 1980, Cooder scored his first Hollywood movie, Walter Hill’s western The Long Riders about the adventures of the James-Younger Gang in the American Midwest. Cooder spent three months researching the period. He came up with authentic polkas, square dances, waltzes and other period evocations, and gathered a group of trusted collaborators. His sensitive score won him the first major award of his career, the Los Angeles Film Critics Association's award for Best Original Score.
This podcast frequently uses small snippets of musical recordings in podcast episodes for educational, review, and commentary purposes. In all cases, without exception, we believe this is protected by fair use in the U.S., fair dealing in the U.K. and EEA, and similar exceptions in the copyright laws of other nations. No more of the original than necessary is used, and excerpts are edited into long-form narratives, making the use transformative in nature.
Written, produced and edited by Frank Schnelle
Theme and background music by Chris Haugen
Additional background music The Mini Vandals
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The Ry Cooder Story Website
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As we heard in our last episode, Cooder was on the verge of becoming a full-fledged film composer in the early 1980s. But he kept the beat for two more studio albums, and Borderline was the first of them, released just a few months after The Long Riders premiered in theaters. It's another foray into the world of soul and R&B and well worth a listen.
This podcast frequently uses small snippets of musical recordings in podcast episodes for educational, review, and commentary purposes. In all cases, without exception, we believe this is protected by fair use in the U.S., fair dealing in the U.K. and EEA, and similar exceptions in the copyright laws of other nations. No more of the original than necessary is used, and excerpts are edited into long-form narratives, making the use transformative in nature.
Written, produced and edited by Frank Schnelle
Theme and background music by Chris Haugen
Additional background music The Mini Vandals
Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Tik Tok and YouTube
The Ry Cooder Story Website
Support us on Patreon

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode we discuss Cooder's second solo foray into the world of cinema, 1981's Southern Comfort. Cooder's second collaboration with action champion Walter Hill is a relatively unknown film, but one that is highly regarded among those in the know. The British Guardian even called it a masterpiece. The movie takes us deep into the swamps of the American South and into the world of the Cajun hinterland. For Cooder, it was a leap from the Wild West directly into the present and therefore a completely new challenge. He mastered it with flying colors.
This podcast frequently uses small snippets of musical recordings in podcast episodes for educational, review, and commentary purposes. In all cases, without exception, we believe this is protected by fair use in the U.S., fair dealing in the U.K. and EEA, and similar exceptions in the copyright laws of other nations. No more of the original than necessary is used, and excerpts are edited into long-form narratives, making the use transformative in nature.
Written, produced and edited by Frank Schnelle
Theme and background music by Chris Haugen
Additional background music The Mini Vandals
Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Tik Tok and YouTube
The Ry Cooder Story Website
Support us on Patreon

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A movie about the border region between Texas and Mexico was naturally made for Ry Cooder – and vice versa. The Border defies easy categorization. Directed by Tony Richardson and starring Jack Nicholson, it’s half cop thriller, half refugee tragedy. For the soundtrack, Cooder assembled much of his usual band: Jim Dickinson on piano, John Hiatt on guitar and vocals, Jim Keltner on drums and Tim Drummond on bass. He also included contributions from Freddy Fender and Sam Samudio, better known as Sam the Sham. The much-recorded title theme, Across The Borderline, sensitively depicts the paradoxical emotional world and the absurd situation of the refugees.
This podcast frequently uses small snippets of musical recordings in podcast episodes for educational, review, and commentary purposes. In all cases, without exception, we believe this is protected by fair use in the U.S., fair dealing in the U.K. and EEA, and similar exceptions in the copyright laws of other nations. No more of the original than necessary is used, and excerpts are edited into long-form narratives, making the use transformative in nature.
Written, produced and edited by Frank Schnelle
Theme and background music by Chris Haugen
Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Tik Tok and YouTube
The Ry Cooder Story Website
Support us on Patreon

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With his ninth studio album, Cooder maneuvered himself into a dead end. While not a bad record by any means, it is one of his few controversial works and received some unfriendly reviews at the time. Cooder must have felt the same way, because after The Slide Area he stopped making solo albums for no less than five years. While he turned mostly to film scoring, he also scored a number of commercials. This episode features some of Cooder's commercial music for brands like Levy's, Early Times, and Pioneer.
This podcast frequently uses small snippets of musical recordings in podcast episodes for educational, review, and commentary purposes. In all cases, without exception, we believe this is protected by fair use in the U.S., fair dealing in the U.K. and EEA, and similar exceptions in the copyright laws of other nations. No more of the original than necessary is used, and excerpts are edited into long-form narratives, making the use transformative in nature.
Written, produced and edited by Frank Schnelle
Theme and background music by Chris Haugen
Additional background music The Mini Vandals
Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Tik Tok and YouTube
The Ry Cooder Story Website
Support us on Patreon

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From 1980 to '82, Cooder had made no less than two solo albums, two live albums, and three film scores. But '83 was different. Apparently in need of a change of scenery, Cooder instead worked with a number of very interesting musicians, including Eric Clapton, Duane Eddy, T-Bone Burnett, and John Hiatt. He also toured quite a bit, by his standards. There's a little more (live) music than usual in this episode.
This podcast frequently uses small snippets of musical recordings in podcast episodes for educational, review, and commentary purposes. In all cases, without exception, we believe this is protected by fair use in the U.S., fair dealing in the U.K. and EEA, and similar exceptions in the copyright laws of other nations. No more of the original than necessary is used, and excerpts are edited into long-form narratives, making the use transformative in nature.
Written, produced and edited by Frank Schnelle
Theme and background music by Chris Haugen
Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Tik Tok and YouTube
The Ry Cooder Story Website
Support us on Patreon

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.