Recording: Las Brisas by Ringo Starr – 10 June 1976
Thursday 10 June 1976 | Studio Session | Cherokee Studios, Los Angeles, California
Producer: Arif Mardin
On 10 June 1976, Ringo Starr recorded 'Las Brisas' at Cherokee Studios in Los Angeles, for his fifth studio album Ringo's Rotogravure. The song was co-written by Starr and his then partner, American photographer Nancy Lee Andrews, and named after the Las Brisas Hotel in Acapulco, Mexico, where the couple had stayed on holiday. The recording featured a mariachi band recruited from a Mexican restaurant — musicians who, by Starr's own account, had never been to a recording session in their lives.
Starr later described the session to the New Musical Express in October 1976:
"Nancy and I wrote one in Mexico, and I put a mariachi band on it. Just a mariachi band – from a restaurant – and me. I played maracas. We looked around all these Mexican restaurants and found this band who were sensational. They don't actually dance while they play, but they're great players. I don't think they'd ever been to a recording session in their lives.
So, I walk in with my mirror shades on – really paranoiac shades. And they're all tuning up. No-one says hello or anything. Then I take my glasses off, and all of a sudden – 'Hey!! One of the Bottles! Hey!! De Bettles!! Binga-loo!! Pappa-lay!! One-a-da-Bodles!!' I just fell to the floor."
— Ringo Starr, New Musical Express, 16 October 1976
The Song: 'Las Brisas'
'Las Brisas' was co-written by Ringo Starr and Nancy Lee Andrews during a holiday at the Las Brisas Hotel in Acapulco, Mexico. 'Las brisas' is Spanish for 'the breezes' — a name that suits both the hotel's clifftop setting above Acapulco Bay and the light, sun-drenched character of the song itself. Starr played maracas on the track, keeping the instrumentation simple and allowing the mariachi band to carry the arrangement.
Nancy Lee Andrews
Nancy Lee Andrews was an American photographer who had met Ringo Starr in Los Angeles in the mid-1970s, following his separation from his first wife Maureen Starkey in 1975. She co-wrote 'Las Brisas' with Starr during a holiday in Acapulco and later published a memoir, A Dose of Rock 'n' Roll (2008), about her relationship with Starr and her experiences in the 1970s rock world.
The Mariachi Band
The mariachi band on 'Las Brisas' was not a group of professional session musicians but a working band recruited from a Mexican restaurant in Los Angeles. Starr's account of the session — walking in with mirror shades, being ignored while the band tuned up, and then being recognised the moment he removed his glasses — is one of the more charming anecdotes in the oral history of his solo career.
Cherokee Studios, Los Angeles
Cherokee Studios was one of the premier recording facilities in Los Angeles in the 1970s and 1980s, located on Fairfax Avenue in West Hollywood. Founded in 1972 by brothers Bruce and Ron Robb, it had been built in a former Masonic temple and was known for its large, acoustically excellent recording rooms. Among the artists who recorded at Cherokee during this period were Michael Jackson, Elton John, Frank Sinatra, and Barbra Streisand.
Arif Mardin: Producer
Arif Mardin was one of the most distinguished record producers and arrangers of his generation. Born in Istanbul in 1932, he had joined Atlantic Records in the early 1960s, where he worked with Aretha Franklin, Bette Midler, the Bee Gees, and Chaka Khan. Mardin died in New York in June 2006.
Ringo's Rotogravure: The Album
Ringo's Rotogravure was Ringo Starr's fifth studio album, released on Atlantic Records in September 1976. It featured contributions from all three of his former Beatles bandmates — John Lennon contributed 'Cookin' (In the Kitchen of Love)', Paul McCartney contributed 'Pure Gold', and George Harrison contributed 'I'll Still Love You'. Eric Clapton also appeared on the album.
Key Facts: 10 June 1976
- Date: Thursday 10 June 1976
- Studio: Cherokee Studios, Los Angeles, California
- Producer: Arif Mardin
- Song: 'Las Brisas'
- Co-writer: Nancy Lee Andrews
- Inspiration: Las Brisas Hotel, Acapulco, Mexico ('las brisas' = 'the breezes')
- Instrumentation: Mariachi band (recruited from a Mexican restaurant) + Ringo Starr on maracas
- Album: Ringo's Rotogravure (Atlantic Records, September 1976)
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Las Brisas by Ringo Starr?
'Las Brisas' is a track on Ringo's Rotogravure (1976), co-written with Nancy Lee Andrews during a holiday at the Las Brisas Hotel in Acapulco. Features a mariachi band from a Mexican restaurant in Los Angeles, with Starr on maracas.
Who was Nancy Lee Andrews?
American photographer and Ringo Starr's partner from approximately 1975 to 1981. Co-wrote 'Las Brisas' with Starr in Acapulco. Published memoir A Dose of Rock 'n' Roll in 2008.
Who produced Ringo's Rotogravure?
Arif Mardin, who had worked with Aretha Franklin, the Bee Gees, Bette Midler, and Chaka Khan at Atlantic Records.
Did any other Beatles appear on Ringo's Rotogravure?
Yes — John Lennon wrote 'Cookin' (In the Kitchen of Love)', Paul McCartney wrote 'Pure Gold', and George Harrison wrote 'I'll Still Love You'. Eric Clapton also appeared.
What is mariachi music?
Traditional Mexican ensemble music featuring trumpets, violins, guitarrón, vihuela, and guitar with close-harmony singing. The mariachi band on 'Las Brisas' was recruited from a Mexican restaurant in Los Angeles.
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