After a self-imposed hiatus that lasted nearly three decades, T Bear, aka Richard T. Bear, has returned with a striking new release, Fresh Bear Tracks, his first studio album in 25+ years. He’s re-emerged, feeling newly inspired, creatively recharged, and making some of the most engaging music of his career.
A distinctive singer and talented keyboard player who made his mark as a solo performer and collaborator with many iconic artists — Crosby Stills and Nash, The Blues Brothers, Billy Squier, Cher, as well as Gene Simmons and Peter Criss of Kiss, to name a few — he’s now taking center stage and ready to share his muse with the world.
Fresh Bear Tracks features a host of special guests. From Stephen Stills, Robby Krieger, Edgar Winter, Tom Scott, Walter Trout, and Hutch Hutchinson, to former Paul McCartney & Wings members Laurence Juber and Denny Seiwell, The Heartbreakers’ Benmont Tench, and a host of other prominent session players, many of whom are part of T Bear’s Root 66 performing band.
“We had so much fun,” T Bear says in retrospect. “It was as if the planets had all aligned. There were no hassles or complications. I had to rediscover my singing voice, and then it all fell into place. I financed the project myself, but all the musicians were so eager to help that they found a way to participate and make it all work.”
What began with three or four songs written with no expectation in mind soon grew to encompass some twenty-three tracks recorded over the span of two years. They were then narrowed down to seventeen, from which a dozen entries on the album were chosen. The music takes on a sturdy mix of blues, soul and rock paired appropriately with T Bear’s’ distinctive melodic motif.
Fresh Bear Tracks begins with the strikingly soulful “Bring on the Night,” featuring bluesman Walter Trout’s tasteful fretwork. It is a revamped version of the original tune that appears on T Bear’s debut LP Red Hot & Blue. “I always imagined it with horns,”
T Bear muses. Likewise, the melodic yet mysterious “Wonderland,” written with his late wife Nina, evolved out of a poem called “Malice in Wonderland” that describes life in LA.’s Laurel Canyon. It features Krieger himself on slide guitar. The lead single, the soulful sounding “River of Resurrection,” finds Edgar Winter on saxophone and an uplifting refrain that echoes the tune’s theme of healing and forgiveness. The brassy R&B-flavored “Give It Up” was resurrected from an early co-write with Stephen Stills, which the two then finished nearly three decades after its Inception.
Then there’s “Dear John,” an homage to the late great John Prine. T Bear sings the song from a woman’s point of view, turning it into a love letter to the man he credits with literally changing his life.
The imaginative tune “Cab Calloway,” with its breezy strut and sway, borrows the famous refrain of Cab’s signature song “Hi-De-Ho” and enlists famed sax man Tom Scott and bass great Hutch Hutchinson to put it all in perspective.
The jazzy remake of the classic Zombies hit “She’s Not There” finds T Bear incorporating the eclectic rhythmic influences that have been integral to his musical mantra since the beginning of his career.
The first song T Bear wrote for the new record, “Nina’s Song,” stands as a musical love letter to his late wife. With T Bear on piano, the beautiful and evocative ballad shares the journey they took together and the unbreakable bonds they forged in the process. It’s a poignant end to an album that reflects T Bear at his best.
T Bear credits his late wife, Nina, for encouraging his comeback. When Nina lost her brave battle with cancer in September of 2019, he vowed to complete the album and dedicate it to her memory.
Fresh Bear Tracks was recorded in Los Angeles at Krieger’s Horse Latitudes studio with Grammy-winning producer Tony Braunagel at the helm. Set for release by Quarto Valley Records, Fresh Bear Tracks boasts a stunning set of eleven original songs, written and cowritten by T Bear, plus a rendition of a rock classic.
“This album is truly a work of love,” T Bear explains. “I put my heart and soul into this music. I felt like I’d been in the desert long enough and that I had finally found my way home. It was like pouring water on a seedling and watching it grow.”
Fresh Bear Tracks
April 16, 2021
Quarto Valley Records
About T Bear
Based in Los Angeles, Richard T Bear boasts a career that spans more than 40 years, one that led to a string of noted solo albums and collaborations with a dizzying list of revered artists. In 1978, he signed with RCA Records and released his debut album, Red, Hot, and Blue, produced by Jack Richardson (Bob Seger, The Guess Who). The album featured a notable group, Les Dudek, Billy Squier, Paul Shaffer, and the Becker Brothers. The album spawned the single “Sunshine Hotel.” A remix of the song climbed to number four on the world dance charts before becoming the dance staple that it remains today. A second album titled Bear includes a rendition of the Rolling Stones’ classic “Ruby Tuesday,” followed by The Best of Richard T Bear and Captured Alive, a concert recorded in Hamburg, Germany. In 1984, he moved to Teldec Records, which led to the release of The Bear Truth, and the Giorgio Moroder produced album The Runner.
He has appeared on numerous recordings including Crosby, Stills and Nash’s “Southern Cross,” The Blues Brothers Soundtrack, Richie Havens Mixed Bag II, Kiss members Gene Simmons and Peter Criss’ solo ventures, as well as Toby Beau’s hit single “My Angel Baby,” Billy Squier’s solo debut Tale of the Tape, and former Rascals Gene Cornish and Dino Danelli. He would also pen the song “Love and Pain,” one of the standout tracks on Cher’s blockbuster album Take Me Home. He has shared the stage with artists such as Richie Havens, Odetta, The Doobie Brothers, and Jeff Beck, to name a few.
Domestic responsibilities and a struggle to regain his sobriety forced him to put his musical career on hold. In 1983, T Bear gained his sobriety and focused on helping others with addiction, and became instrumental in developing the Musicians Picnic, serving on its board of directors. The annual event led to the creation of the Musicians Assistance Program (MAP), a non-profit organization that is now part of the Recording Academy’s MusiCares Foundation.
After a lengthy hiatus, T Bear returned to the music scene in 2020 and released the single “One Day at a Time” on Quarto Valley Records.