Deeper Digs in Rock: Rock Drummers with Hunt Sales
The Rock N Roll Archaeologist sits down with sideman extraordinaire, Hunt Sales.
Known as a session and touring drummer for decades, working with names like Bowie, Iggy, Bootsy and Rundgren, Hunt Sales has embarked on his first solo career with an album of twelve original songs, “Get Your Shit Together” on Big Legal Mess records.
Hunt, along with bassist brother Tony, began their musical careers in the mid 1960’s. They are the sons of early T.V. comedian Soupy Sales, who as a jazz aficionado had names like Count Basie, Duke Ellington and Buddy Rich as friends, it’s easy to see why Hunt gravitated to music as a career path and why his style of drumming takes its earliest influences from that big band era.
Of course most of our DIggers know the name of Hunt and Tony Sales as part of the late 80’s / early 90’s band Tin Machine. Thought of by suits and contemporary reviewers as a David Bowie side project, the act was actually envisioned as a real working band with all four members having equal input. Sadly, the Tin Machine only lasted two albums.
Afterwards Hunt moved to Austin to immerse himself in the music scene there.
While he spent most of the last four decades being a part of the rhythm section to so many great records and tours, he also descended into, as he freely admits, to being a heroin addict.
For Hunt a new chapter in life came from ridding himself of the longtime habit. “The life expectancy of the typical addict is 10 to 15 years. I lived longer because I was a professional junkie” he says. ““But after so many decades I finally had to stop. I outlived my addiction. And the moment I stopped, when I decided to put the dope down and care again, the universe opened up for me.”
Now putting all that energy from the drug monkey into the Hunt Sales Memorial project, he has written and recorded songs that are raw, honest and true. Real blood, sweat and tears that drips from the speakers.
Listen to Hunt Sales discuss the new album, growing up in an entertainment family as well as his life in and out of music.
https://biglegalmessrecords.com/collections/hunt-sales-memorial (edited)