Eric Troyer is carrying on the legacy of the Electric Light Orchestra but one of his most cherished memories is performing with John Lennon on the song, “Woman.”
“I’m a child of the Beatles,” said Troyer, who will appear with “The Orchestra,” featuring former members of ELO on Monday, (Feb 6), at 5 and 8 p.m. in Savannah Center.
ELO – known for such “symphonic rock” hits as “Don’t Bring Me Down,” “Evil Woman” and “Turn to Stone” — will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in April. ELO has a major connection to the Beatles with founding member Jeff Lynne, who worked closely with George Harrison, until Harrison’s death. Troyer had ties to Lennon.
“I worked with John for a few days on the ‘Double Fantasy’ album,” Troyer said in a recent interview. “I was with him in the studio, and he was great to work with.”
“Double Fantasy” was Lennon’s last album. It was released in 1980, a few weeks before Lennon was murdered.
Troyer, a studio musician and recording artist, had performed on “Uptown Girl” with Billy Joel; “Total Eclipse of the Heart” by Bonnie Tyler and also with Aerosmith, James Taylor, Meatloaf, Kiss, and Lou Reed. He met Lennon in the mid-1970s when the one-time Beatle was living apart from Yoko Ono. Lennon was going through some difficult times and at that time was known for partying hard with singer Harry Nilsson.
“He was very edgy and nervous back then,” Troyer said. By 1980, though, Lennon was a far different person.
“John had cooled out,” Troyer said. “He was back with Yoko, and very happy raising his son, Sean, who was about five years old. I remember in the recording studio, John had a big picture of Sean on the wall.”
Troyer supplied a backing vocal on the song “Woman,” which many viewed as a tribute to Yoko, and all women. It was one of Lennon’s biggest singles in the U.S., reaching No. 2 on the sales charts.
“It was a great record and it was so upsetting and shocking when John was killed; it still bothers me,” Troyer said. “At the time we were in the studio, there was talk of John putting a band together. I would have loved to have been a part of it.”
These days, Troyer is a part of The Orchestra, which features former ELO members. The band sold over 50 million records during the ‘70s and ‘80s and its history is a bit complicated.
The original ELO was founded in England by Jeff Lynne, Roy Wood and Bev Bevan. Later Richard Tandy joined the group on keyboards. Lynne was the dominant force in the band, writing the songs and producing the records.
In the mid ‘80s, Lynne left the band and it became known as ELO Part II and then The Orchestra. In 2014, Lynne reformed the band as Jeff Lynne’s ELO, and tours under that name.
The Orchestra, meanwhile, has been touring nearly three decades and the six members were part of ELO Part II. The current lineup includes Mik Kaminski, violin, and Louis Clark on keyboards. Other members: Troyer, Parthenon Huxley, Gordon Townsend and Glen Burtnik.
The names may be different but the style is the same: Rock and pop with a dash of classical music.
The Beatles did it on such numbers as “Eleanor Rigby,” “She’s Leaving Home,” and “I Am The Walrus.”
“There’s a straight line from the Beatles to ELO,” Troyer said.
Among the other hits from ELO included, “Don’t Bring Me Down,” “Telephone Line,” “Strange Magic,” and “Showdown,”
Those kinds of records will put ELO into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this year. Despite Jeff Lynne’s differences with The Orchestra, Troyer pays tribute to him.
“The honor of the Hall of Fame is well deserved,” Troyer said. “Jeff is a phenomenal talent as a producer and songwriter. He did great work with ELO, George Harrison and The Traveling Wilburys (Harrison, Lynne Bob Dylan, Roy Orbison and Tom Petty).”
Eric Troyer still enjoys playing the ELO songs.
“It’s great music and it holds up,” he said. When asked to describe the sound, Troyer replied: “It’s a fun-loving collision between classical music and rock and roll.”