Cal Freeman – Riding For The Brand

Cal Freeman

Cal, Freeman’s musical career has encompassed performing, writing, production, artist development, and artist management.

Cal has performed in every American State, and has toured CANADA, BELGIUM, JAPAN, AFRICA, SWITZERLAND, ENGLAND, and the old USSR.

He has also enjoyed considerable exposure to Las Vegas, Lake Tahoe, Reno, and Atlantic City audiences…
He has appeared on national television shows: “The MIKE DOUGLAS SHOW”, “HEE-HAW”, “AUSTIN CITY LIMITS”, “THE TONIGHT SHOW with JOHNNY CARSON”, “THE LARRY KANE SPECIALS”(NBC), and “AMERICAN BANDSTAND” with DICK CLARK. He has also appeared regularly on “The LOUISIANA HAYRIDE” and on “The GRAND OLE OPRY”….

Cal has worked in the bands of RAY PRICE, JACK SCOTT, JAYBOY ADAMS, GALLERY, CLARENCE “GATEMOUTH” BROWN, GUS HARDIN, WYNN STEWART, and BOB WILLS to name a few. For many of these acts Cal also performed duties as music director and bandleader. In the early 1980’s Cal had a band in Tulsa, Oklahoma which featured RONNIE DUNN of “Brooks and Dunn”, as the lead vocalist…

While living in Detroit in the early ‘70’s, Cal became one of the founding members of the pop group “GALLERY”, whose Sussex recordings of “IT’S SO NICE TO BE WITH YOU” and “I BELIEVE IN MUSIC”, were both number one hits, and have garnered the group gold, and platinum record awards in the USA, Canada, Spain, Germany, Malaysia, and South Africa. GALLERY was named “The Number One New Group” for the year 1972 by both BILLBOARD and CASHBOX magazines …The two songs have been included in over 25 “greatest hits” albums with a combined sales of over 50 million units…”It’s So Nice To Be With You” has reached the 4 million performances level with BMI…

After the breakup of GALLERY, Cal moved back to Texas where he became a member of the JAYBOY ADAMS BAND, who recorded for Atlantic Records. The group was managed and produced by BILL HAM, who also manages and produces the legendary rock & roll band…ZZ TOP. For over three years the JAYBOY ADAMS BAND was the opening act for ZZ TOP. .. During this time and during the days of GALLERY….Cal performed with almost every major pop and rock & roll act in the world.

When Cal left the JAYBOY ADAMS BAND, it as to try his hand at still another music form, when he became the bandleader of legendary “Texas Blues” artist, CLARENCE “GATEMOUTH” BROWN. While working with “Gatemouth”, Cal got to literally see the world with several tours of EUROPE, ASIA, AFRICA, and the entire old USSR. It was during this time that Cal moved to Tulsa, to be closer to the home offices of The Jim Halsey Company.

In the early 80’s Cal left the band of Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown, to work in the development of the career of an incredible female singer from Tulsa, GUS HARDIN, who was to record two albums with RCA, and go on to win The Academy of Country Music Association’s, “Top New Female Vocalist” award in 1987. It was while working with Gus Hardin, that she introduced him to her “favorite singer in the whole world”, RONNIE DUNN, who later joined forces with Cal to form a group called “WHIRLWIND’. They worked at a club in Tulsa called “Duke’s Country”, which at the time was the second largest club in the world with a 36,000 square foot dance floor…..

While working together, Ronnie and Cal went to Muscle Shoals, Alabama to record an album for CHURCHILL RECORDS, a label owned by The Jim Halsey Company, and distributed by MCA RECORDS…

It was after this trip that Cal decided to make the move to Muscle Shoals to pursue his music publishing and production interests.

After several years in Muscle Shoals, Cal joined forces with Jimmy Adams in a management company operating out of Nashville, Myrtle Beach SC, Los Angeles, and Virginia

In early 2008 Cal rejoined with Jimmy and partner Howard Wear to help build and launch Jimmy Adams Media and it’s worldwide network SeenOnDemand.com. Cal works as Content Producer and is also head of A&R for JAM Records….

Cal is an accomplished studio musician, producer, and engineer, and has worked in studios in Detroit, Los Angeles, New York, Atlanta, Muscle Shoals, Austin, Memphis, Lubbock, Dallas, Fort Worth, Tulsa, Toronto Montreal, Montreux Switzerland, Moscow Russia, and Nashville…

He has recorded with…… JERRY REED, DOUG KERSHAW, JAYBOY ADAMS, GALLERY, WYNN STEWART, KENNY PRICE, GUS HARDIN, JACK SCOTT, DAVID RUFFIN, HANK THOMPSON, CLARENCE “GATEMOUTH” BROWN, RINA SINIKAN, BOB SEGER, T.G. SHEPPARD, CLARENCE CARTER, RONNIE FRAY, BILLY “CRASH” CRADDOCK, RONNIE DUNN, DENNIS ROBBINS, NATCHEZ TRACE, PERCY SLEDGE, JIM GOLD, TAD WALTERS, and RICHIE HAVENS…

As a songwriter, Cal has had the good fortune of having his songs recorded by KENNY PRICE, JOHNNY POWERS (England), LARRY SPARKS, BARBARA MANDRELL, and LEE GREENWOOD…