Longtime musician finally releases album of his compositions
Al Snyder at work in Albey Road Studio
Darkhorse
Al Snyder, back in the day
Al Snyder, more recently
The Corbin/Hanner Band
Al Snyder was pleasantly surprised to once receive 鈥渟omething鈥 from George Harrison.
鈥淚鈥檓 such a big Beatles fan, and I get this letter in the mail,鈥 Snyder recalled. 鈥淚t鈥檚 one of the biggest shocks of my life.鈥
One of the world鈥檚 most famous entertainers, as it turned out, wanted to use the registered name of Snyder鈥檚 Pittsburgh-area band for a few purposes. After a settlement, 鈥淒ark Horse鈥 became the name of a Harrison song, album and record label.
As part of the settlement, Darkhorse, the band, was presented with what Snyder considered to be a long-shot opportunity to sign with Dark Horse Records. In a nod to what John Lennon said during the Beatles鈥 rooftop concert of 1969, Snyder has been telling folks for years that his group did not 鈥減ass the audition.鈥
He did, though, enjoy the process of recording the Darkhorse demo so much that he decided to invest in his own equipment and start a studio.
More than four decades later, after working with countless musicians on myriad projects, the keyboard player from Scott Township has released his first album of original compositions, 鈥淩ainy Afternoon.鈥
鈥淚sn鈥檛 it terrible that you have a studio and you鈥檙e doing everybody else鈥檚 work, and when it comes to your own stuff, you think, I鈥檓 exhausted,鈥 he said.
Actually, one track is the traditional 鈥淪tagger Lee,鈥 probably best known for Lloyd Price鈥檚 version that topped the charts in 1959. Snyder鈥檚 arrangement, which he has been playing since his Darkhorse days, is so distinctive that he had it copyrighted.
Co-writing two 鈥淩ainy Afternoon鈥 songs and playing guitar on a total of seven is Dave Hanner, half-namesake with Bob Corbin of one of Western Pennsylvania鈥檚 most successful musical aggregations.
Joined by Snyder on keyboards, bass player Kip Paxton 鈥 he performs on 鈥淩ainy Afternoon,鈥 too 鈥 and drummer Dave Freeland, the Corbin/Hanner Band placed half a dozen singles on Billboard鈥檚 country chart in the early 鈥80s.
The band previously was known as Gravel and shared some bills with Darkhorse. One day, Freeland called Snyder to ask if he鈥檇 play a fairly involved piano part for Gravel.
鈥淚 said, 鈥楾his sounds really good, but why don鈥檛 you come over to my studio, and I can do better,'鈥 Snyder recalled. 鈥淪o they came over, and then we did five or six songs and sent them down to Nashville.鈥
As part of a record deal for them as a duo, Corbin and Hanner recently had visited Tennessee鈥檚 music capital to record with some session veterans.
鈥淭hey had five songs in the can with studio players, and when we sent down these songs from my studio, they liked the band better,鈥 Snyder said. 鈥淪o they scrapped what they had from the studio players and signed the whole band.鈥
He had yet to perform with his bandmates live, though. When the time came, at a venue in Latrobe, Corbin was out of action following a vehicle accident and Hanner turned up too sick to take the stage.
鈥淪o here鈥檚 me 鈥 never playing with them ever, except in the studio 鈥 and it鈥檚 me and Freeland and Kip,鈥 Snyder said. 鈥淪o the first job I ever played with the Corbin/Hanner Band was without Corbin and Hanner.鈥
Meanwhile, Snyder鈥檚 studio served as the site for the recording of quite a few songs that became hits. A prime example is the Hanner composition 鈥淟ord, I Hope This Day Is Good,鈥 which Don Williams took to country鈥檚 No. 1 in 1981, and it since has become a standard, most recently covered by Caylee Hammack and Alan Jackson.
Since his Darkhorse days, Snyder has been involved with numerous musical project, including a popular collaboration with the Pittsburgh Zoo. He wrote and performed 26 songs that played for patrons in front of the various exhibits, and followed up a few years later with a second round.
Today, 鈥淶oo Key Songs鈥 is available through various merchants and services for the enjoyment of the entire family.
Snyder also has teamed with Tom Rooney to put together the annual 鈥12 Bands of Christmas鈥 compilation for Pittsburgh鈥檚 Froggy FM radio stations, and he works regularly with guitarist Mike Lewandowski in a band called A.T.L. & S. that has released three albums.
Lewandowsky is another contributor to 鈥淩ainy Afternoon鈥 as a performer and writer, sharing composing credits on three songs. Also appearing on a majority of tracks are drummer Joe Waslouski and bass player Curt Erickson.
The album, the sonic quality of which attests to Snyder鈥檚 expertise in the studio, combines atmospheric pieces with good old rock 鈥榥鈥 roll. Its 12 songs are presented in a specific order for the sake of balance between styles.
鈥淚 went crazy for the sequence,鈥 he said. 鈥淚 actually held off the CD for probably nine months because I couldn鈥檛 find a good beginning song and I couldn鈥檛 find a 鈥榗omic relief鈥 song.鈥
For the latter, he arrived at one called 鈥淐harles Moses,鈥 featuring lyrics such as 鈥淭hat cat is cool, but he鈥檚 always in style.鈥 That can be taken literally, as the namesake is a friend鈥檚 feline.
And opening the album is 鈥淭hank You,鈥 an upbeat and heartfelt message to a special person: 鈥淟ittle things in my life, they all come from you/It鈥檚 like you鈥檙e there, you鈥檙e there, in everything I do.鈥
The breakup song 鈥淕oodbye鈥 would seem to be an appropriate way to wind up proceedings, but Snyder decided to mix it up again with 鈥淪tagger Lee鈥 as the closing track, his piano pounding away to actual audience sounds from a Corbin/Hanner concert.
Thus concludes 鈥淩ainy Afternoon.鈥
鈥淚 had a good time putting it together, and after all this time, I wanted everything to be right. I probably spent a little more time than I should鈥檝e,鈥 Snyder said. 鈥淚 haven鈥檛 really released it formally yet, because I want to go out and do a release party.鈥
Despite COVID-19 delaying such festivities, the album is available for preorder, and fans and fellow musicians apparently were paying attention when he starting spreading the word about 鈥淩ainy Afternoon鈥 on social media.
鈥淭he studio went crazy after that,鈥 he said. 鈥淎ll my old clients came out of the woodwork.鈥
Albey Road Studio, he calls it, after a nickname bestowed upon him. Any resemblance to the London venue where a certain quartet used to record is coincidental.
For more information, visit www.alsnydermusic.com.