Career Wisdom from a Freelance Legend: Tommy Tedesco

Tommy Tedesco was a legendary studio guitarist in Los Angeles and Hollywood in the 1960s and 1970s. He was a member of the famous “Wrecking Crew” of regular studio musicians, and played on thousands of recordings of all kinds. He was a reliable “first call” studio hand for television and movie soundtracks and all kinds of recording projects.

“Diversify your income streams. Don’t rely solely on one type of work, because the music business can be unpredictable.”

                        – Tommy Tedesco, studio musician



Tommy Tedesco was never a household name. But he was a consummate musician and a first-call, go-to person for the people who were household names at that time, and he made a great living as a musician for many years.

He was also very successful at creating multiple independent streams of income  for himself.

He received studio fees (he made double- or triple-union scale for much of his career)

He received royalty payments from thousands of recordings. Every time a rerun of M*A*S*H came on, or The Rockford Files, Green Acres, Batman, or Bonanza came on TV, the TV networks or production companies sent money to ASCAP and BMI, and those agencies sent him a check.

The same thing happened when any of the thousands of records he played on sold another new copy, or received radio play.

It might have been a few cents a play. But over a 40 year career, they steadily added up. 

Think big sellers, too, like Elvis Presley, Aretha Franklin, The Beach Boys, Jan and Dean, Frank Sinatra, and many more. He played on all their records.

He also received additional income from doing clinics and workshops for music schools and colleges, and from book sales—which are great reading for anyone who seriously wants to pursue a career as a professional guitar player.

And his advice above, about diversifying your income streams, is great advice for anyone in any industry. 

In his book “For Guitar Players Only,” Tedesco advised young musicians that any gig should have at least one of four things going for it: 

  • good money
  • fun
  • learning
  • connections for the future


If the gig doesn’t offer at least one of these four things, Tedesco said, “move on.”

Decline the gig.


Without at least one of these four criteria, you’re better off working on your own project and developing your own business rather than working for someone else.

Also, what might be a crap gig for you might be a great opportunity for the next kid just starting out.

Let him have it!


Now, I’d add two more criteria to the list: 

  • a good cause
  • opportunity to teach, lead, and mentor or give back.

But I’ve found that if a job or gig has those two elements going for it, it’s almost invariably fun and personally rewarding. And good charity events almost always have lots of connections for the future, too.

So I’d say, as your career develops, stay very much involved in charity events and fundraisers. And as you gain experience and wisdom, don’t miss the opportunity to mentor and teach young people coming up.

It will come back to you sevenfold.