Underdog of Apple Records: Derrek Van Eaton
Birthday tribute to a vital adjunct to The Beatles, Badfinger, Nilsson, Simon & Garfunkel, and others
Happy Birthday to recording artist, singer-songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Derrek Van Eaton. Classic rock-philes and deep Beatles fans will recognize him from the brother band Lon & Derrek Van Eaton, signed by The Beatles to Apple Records in 1971.
Prior to their association with Apple (the record label created by The Beatles), the Van Eatons were part of the eccentric New York-based folk rock band Jacob’s Creek. They shared a studio with Simon & Garfunkel and released one album on Columbia in 1969.
Two years later, John Lennon and George Harrison “discovered” them and gave them a record deal. The Van Eaton’s music blended urban folk and dreamy rock with a blues-gospel undercurrent, which perfectly coincided with the sounds of Badfinger and latter-day Beatles. The Van Eaton’s excellent BROTHER album was co-produced by George with Klaus Voorman (some said BROTHER is a sonic extension of George’s epic ALL THINGS MUST PASS), and to promote BROTHER, the Van Eatons toured the USA.
Their 1972 tour brought them to where I was living in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, where they played Ellis Hall at Juniata College (I stood listening from outside, a lad with no ticket money).
The BROTHER album launched a long association with George, Ringo Starr, Harry Nilsson, and other travelers in the Apple/Beatle legacy that unfolded in the 1970s. Then the Van Eatons became studio session players favored by producer Richard Perry, who hired them for recordings with Art Garfunkel, Martha Reeves, and Carly Simon. Perry also produced the Van Eaton’s 1975 WHO DO YOU OUT DO album.
Following that era, the brothers created a non-profit film and music company called Imagine a Better World.
The Van Eaton brothers since have released sporadic works (duo and solo), notably their acclaimed 1996 cover of “Apple of my Eye” on the COME & GET IT Badfinger tribute album. In 2013 they issued a career-spanning anthology with new recordings with contributions from Ringo Starr, Jim Keltner, Klaus Voormann, and Gary Wright, and the Van Eatons are still active in musical and spiritual pursuits.
Some years ago I met Derrek at a church we were both attending in Pennsylvania (where I picked his brains about that 1972 concert I heard but couldn’t see), and the last time we crossed paths was at a Monkees concert in Denver in 2011. Even in passive meet-ups I can see the creative spark in Derrek’s eyes. Here’s one of my favorite Van Eaton cuts “Sun Song”
...Meanwhile, HB DVE and thank you for your years of remarkable creativity and soul.
#derrekvaneaton #lonanderrekvaneaton #brother #applerecords #birthday #georgeharrison #ringostarr #klausvoorman #richardperry #peteham #badfinger #beatles #monkees #pennsylvania