Musical Mentoring with Two-Time Grammy Winning Producer Robert Cutarella

04/10/24 • 81 min

Robert Cutarella spent most of his childhood evenings burrowed under his pillows, a transistor radio speaker in his ear listening to the Dick Clark Show and other famous deejays. A passion for rhythm emerged during drumming sessions with wooden spoons borrowed from his aunt. At nine years-old Robert’s parents took him to see drum icon Gene Krupa at the Metropole Club in midtown Manhattan. Krupa’s physicality and deep passion for his craft made a lasting impression on this soon to be music industry giant.

Bob had visions of owning his own company and following a career in the music industry. Robert developed an ear for rhythm, melody, and song structure through growing up in the rhythm and blues era, he earned the opportunity to play with “Do Wop” greats the Shirelle’s, Dion and the Belmont’s, among others.

Robert then took a side road, he fell in love eventually marrying his childhood sweetheart, became a teacher, owned an antique store, sold clothes on the weekend, and played music at night. Music was pulling him to go all in, he accepted an ultimatum from his wife to make it in the music business within a year. Ten months later, Robert recorded his first album.
We learn of Robert’s devastating losses, heartbreaks, and betrayals, and priceless wisdom gained. Robert recalls humble beginnings, meeting clients at his first office at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, returning calls on the New York City Public Library’s phone booth.

During the last 40 years, this music producing mastermind has produced over 3,000 songs, 160 plus platinum records, including two Grammy awards, for the Les Paul and Friends Tribute Album. Robert discovered and launched careers for some of the most prolific performers of all time including, legendary blues guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughn, and pop singing megastar Celine Dion.
This behind-the-scenes hit making genius has guided current recording giants John Legend and Lady Gaga through his songwriting mentorship programs. We are anxiously awaiting Robert’s new book Mentor, we hope you glean valuable insight, and enjoy meeting this music industry superstar on this episode of Intrinsic Drive ® .Intrinsic Drive ® is produced by Ellen Strickler and Phil Wharton and Andrew Hollingworth is sound editor and engineer.
Robert Cutarella artist bio and timeline:
Robert began his career in the music industry as a producer and performer. He was employed by many major labels and performed with a variety of recording artists ranging from Joe Williams to Bruce Springsteen. Here's a list of some of those artists;
Chaka Khan, Michael Jackson, Sheena Easton, Air Supply, Melissa Manchester, Whitney Houston, Michael Henderson, Diana Ross, Deborah Allen, Dolly Parton, The Police, Elton John, REM, Culture Club, The Human League, ABC, Linda Ronstadt, and Frank Sinatra, Hall & Oates,The Bee Gees to Sammy Cahn, Benny Benjamin, Jule Styne,
Stevie Ray Vaughan, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Metallica, Raven, Gino Vannelli, Vanessa Williams, Patrick Simmons, Basia and others.
Host note--If you are still listening at the 1:13:06 mark. I say "centurions" while meaning to say "centenarians", a mistake that you may find hilarious.

Previous Episode

Manual Transmission with Small Farmer's Journal Founder Lynn R. Miller

Lynn R. Miller is a painter, farmer, horseman, and writer. Odd jobs ranging from commercial fisherman, logger, sawyer, farmer, workhorse teamster, lecturer, and cattle rancher, supported him through college. Over the past 40 years, Lynn has become a world-renowned authority in the fields of alternative farming and animal powered agriculture.

In 1976 with the encouragement of his father’s suggestion to “grow a crop of literature”, to assist the fledging small farmer, he founded the Small Farmer’s Journal, an international agrarian quarterly which functions to this day as cornerstone empowering a worldwide readership. For SFJ’s entire 48 year history Lynn has manually stewarded this living alternative preservationist publication, now in it’s 188th edition.

We learn of Lynn’s early enchantment with painting, and self-described “genetic memory”, leading him to follow a manual transmission life integrating his passions rooted in “shared work”, and restorative land cultivation.

Mr. Miller is author to over twenty books (poetry, fiction, and nonfiction), including the best-selling, Workhorse Handbook, now in its second edition, and his current release Roots in a Lovely Filth, He has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Ranch and Reata, and Western Horseman.

Lynn has lectured across North America and keynote speaker for farm conferences, and universities. He was awarded the Steward of Sustainable Agriculture, at the 1999 Eco Farm Conference, The Garfield Award for The Preservation of Rural Technologies, Award for Distinguished Service from the Missouri House of Representatives, and the Utne Reader Award for Environmental Reporting.

His artworks are in private and public collections across the country. It’s my pleasure, privilege, and honor to welcome my friend Lynn R. Miller to this episode of Intrinsic Drive ® .Intrinsic Drive ® is produced by Ellen Strickler and Phil Wharton and Andrew Hollingworth is sound editor and engineer.
Photo Credit: Kristi Gilman-Miller

Next Episode

Cultivating Creativity with Actress & Horticulturalist Kathleen O'Grady

Photo: Kathleen O'Grady (L) Faith Imaafiion (R) Theatre of Note's production of Fruition 2019
A lifelong actor, Kathleen O’Grady’s earliest memory of her life’s work finds her riding with her siblings around Los Angeles, in the back of her mother’s car—driving to the next audition. Growing up in the town of Reseda - named for the mignonette a fragrant plant found in the gardens of the San Fernando Valley - her parents moved north to the Bay area where team soccer and volleyball replaced limited theatrical opportunity.

Chicago’s robust theater community called this aspiring performer to enroll in DePaul’s Theater School, formerly The Goodman School, where she studied under legendary thespian mentors Dr. Bella Itkin, and Joe Slovick. After graduation Kathleen catapulted from commercials, created her own theater company, and performed with Steppenwolf, the theater company which launched the careers of Joan Allen, John Malkovich, Laurie Metcalf, and Martha Plimpton.

Inspired by love, a move to New York found Kathleen exploring every aspect of her craft from guest starring roles in Murder in the First, Law & Order, Off Broadway productions, and more commercials. A pivot arrived while finding a natural proclivity for landscape design while working in her garden. Following a new passion, she studied landscape design and horticulture at Columbia University, where she earned her master’s degree.

Kathleen follows sister passions of acting, producing, landscape design integrating native plants, beneficial insects, soil regeneration, restorative permaculture, and land stewardship. This master artist and designer can be found at Theatre of Note, and Gregory Davis & Associates Landscape Design. It was such a thrill to catch up and host Kathleen on this episode of Intrinsic Drive ® .
Intrinsic Drive ® is produced by Ellen Strickler and Phil Wharton and Andrew Hollingworth is sound editor and engineer.

Intrinsic Drive® - Musical Mentoring with Two-Time Grammy Winning Producer Robert Cutarella

Transcript

Phil Wharton (00:00:00):

A lifetime of training, practice, study hard work through discipline, some achieve excellence, mastery, fulfillment, self-actualization. What can we learn from their beginnings, discoveries, motivations, and falls. How do they dust themselves off and resume their