Singer Lasley on a Constant High; 4-Octave Range Keeps Him There

If you close your eyes, the falsetto voice sounds like it belongs to a female soul singer. That’s what record producers like about David Lasley. The blond ex-farm boy’s four-octave vocal range has made him one of the busiest backup singers in the music business.

One recent morning, Lasley, of Sherman Oaks, began by singing backup for the Cruzados, a rock ‘n’ roll band. After that, he dashed across town to sing for Herb Alpert. In the afternoon he traveled to Jimmy Buffet’s studio, and after that session, vocalized for Burt Bacharach and Neil Diamond.

In addition, Lasley, 34, is the voice of Aunt Jemima pancake commercials, and was called recently from Switzerland by Boy George, who requested Lasley’s services on George’s latest album. His work with rhythm and blues singers Aretha Franklin, Luther Vandeross and Chaka Khan especially demonstrates his rich, full-bodied high pitch, which you’d swear comes from a woman.

Indeed, Lasley says, if he were a woman soul singer, he’d probably be better off.

Being White and Soulful

“When you’re white and soulful, it’s hard for companies to promote you,” he said. “No one knows what to do with you, so I’m better off as a backup singer.”

Although he has had no formal training, Lasley can sight-read music and follow a melody line. Friends say he is a quick study and has been known as “one-take David.”

“In the beginning it was fear that kept me in the background. I was afraid to step out on my own. Now I’ve done theater, movies and videos. I’ve written jingles and I write music. I’m not afraid anymore,” he said. “I just like my privacy.”

There was one point in Lasley’s career when he thought he’d go for the big time.

“You dream about your own hit record,” he said, “but it is not what you think.”

David Geffen of Geffen Records called the singer in 1981 after he had heard one of Lasley’s tapes.

“He signed me for a year, but they wanted me to copy other artists. I had to buy myself out of my own contract,” Lasley recalled. “It was a bummer and cost me a lot of money.”

Although things didn’t work out for him at Geffen, the relationship is still good. Gary Gersh from Geffen says Lasley has one of the best voices around, not only for a background singer but in general.

“No one has his range. He is unbelievably talented as a writer and arranger as well as a great vocalist.”

Lasley now has a publishing contract with A & M records, for whom he has done about 200 songs.

“You wouldn’t believe how many times you’ve heard him on records,” said Winki Simms, of Almo Irving Music Publishing, a division of A & M Records.

“When you get a professional like David in your session you truly minimize your production and work drastically because of his talent and expertise.”

Highly Recommended

Gersh agrees: “I recommend him all the time. Especially since he isn’t a prima donna.”

Lasley says he still gets awe-struck working with stars and legends in the music business. “I was so nervous the time I sang backup for Joni Mitchell. And I’ll never forget the time I played the trumpet for Herb Alpert.”

Growing up on a farm north of Grand Rapids, Mich., Lasely sang with his brother and family in church. When he and his brother decided to start their own group with a couple of neighborhood friends, Lasley played the trumpet.

The group would hitchhike to Detroit, where they tried to persuade local record companies to sign them. To earn money, Lasley labored as a farm worker.

The teen-agers, who called themselves the Utopias, managed to make four records for free and made the rounds of local radio stations to promote them.

When the group eventually disbanded, Lasley landed a part in the Detroit production of “Hair.” Lasley credits the experience with strengthening his vocal chords because he and his fellow performers didn’t use microphones.

“It was there I learned everything, from theater, acting and singing,” Lasley says.

Lasley toured with the production from 1972 to 1974 and ended up in New York, where he was given his first studio job. The popularity of disco at the time was a backup singer’s dream. “There was a lot of vocal work with disco. It was a heyday for us.”

An opportunity to work on stage ended when the musical “Dude,” starring Melissa Manchester, folded. But Lasley worked on, first behind Bette Midler and then Ringo Starr. He ended up in Los Angeles after touring with James Taylor for two years.

‘Don’t Make a Fortune’

“You’re busy,” Lasley concedes, “but you really don’t make a fortune.”

As with any entertainer, Lasley’s fate ultimately resides with those who pay for his services. He tells of the time Taylor called him in Los Angeles from New York to do some patch-up work for an album that was soon to be released. Lasley hadn’t worked on the original but apparently was needed now to make corrections in arrangements and vocals.

Taylor had wanted him, but the record producer refused to pay for his expenses to fly from Los Angeles to New York.

“Some of these people can treat you like dirt,” he said.

Under the rules of Lasley’s union, the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA), a backup singer earns a minimum of $110 an hour for a solo session, and $50 an hour when singing in a group of three to eight singers. Lasley frequently earns double the $110-an-hour rate by performing other duties, such as hiring singers or arranging the music. He says he can work non-stop for three months, then have no work for three weeks.

The secret to making a living, according to Lasley, is being versatile. Now, he is doing jingles for Debbie McDuffie, a black advertising agent and writer based in New York. Lasley is the radio voice of Miller Beer and Seagram’s Cooler.

“I’m really blessed because I’m doing what I love. I like to arrange, write, sing and compose music, and that is what I do. I don’t go to industry parties; I like to keep to myself.”