1987 Bruce Willis – The Return of Bruno
The Return Of Bruno is the debut album by actor Bruce Willis. Released by Motown in 1987, this album is an eclectic gathering of R&B music sung by Willis, with backing musicians including Booker T. Jones, The Pointer Sisters, and The Temptations. It is a companion piece to an HBO special of the same name, which aired shortly after the album’s release. A re-issue was distributed by Razor & Tie in 1997.
The album peaked at #14 on the US Billboard 200 album chart. Leadoff single “Respect Yourself,” a duet with June Pointer featuring background vocals by the Pointer Sisters, was a hit. It peaked at #5 on the US Billboard Hot 100 singles chart and number 7 on the UK Singles Chart. Follow-up singles “Young Blood” and “Under the Boardwalk” did not fare nearly as well, peaking at #68 and #59, in the US respectively. Though “Under the Boardwalk” fared poorly in the US, in the UK it was a different matter, as the single reached #2 in the charts and became the UK’s 12th best-selling single of 1987.
Tracks
1 Comin’ Right Up (Brock Walsh) 03:29
2 Respect Yourself (Luther Ingram; Mack Rice) 03:53
3 Down In Hollywood (Ry Cooder; Tim Drummond) 05:19
4 Young Blood (Mike Stoller; Jerry Leiber) 04:08
5 Under The Boardwalk (Artie Resnick; Kenny Young) 03:03
6 Secret Agent Man / James Bond Is Back (John Barry; PF Sloan; Steve Barri) 04:47
7 Jackpot (Bruno’s Bop) (Bruce Willis; Robert Kraft) 04:11
8 Fun Time (Allen Toussaint) 03:36
9 Lose Myself (Larry John McNally; Jon Lind) 03:57
10 Flirting With Disaster (Brock Walsh; Jeff Lorber) 04:28
Biography
Musicians
Harmonica | Bruce Willis |
Vocals | Bruce Willis |
Other Musicians
1 Comin’ Right Up
Bass | David Chamberlain |
Drums | Marty Fera |
Guitar | Danny Grenier |
Guitar | Duane Sciacqua |
Keyboards | Alan Pasqua |
Keyboards | Steve Thoma |
Sax | Christ Mostert |
Sax | Greg Smith |
Trumpet | Jerry Hey |
Trumpet | Gary Grant |
Percussion | Mike Fisher |
Background Vocals | Siedah Garrett |
2 Respect Yourself
Bass | David Chamberlain |
Bass | Jeff Steele |
Drums | Marty Fera |
Guitar | Danny Grenier |
Guitar | Duane Sciacqua |
Keyboards | Greg Phillinganes |
Keyboards | Michael Boddicker |
Keyboards | Steve Thoma |
Sax | Christ Mostert |
Sax | Greg Smith |
Trumpet | Jerry Hey |
Trumpet | Gary Grant |
Percussion | Mike Fisher |
Background Vocals | Lynn Davis |
3 Down In Hollywood
Bass | David Chamberlain |
Drums | Marty Fera |
Guitar | Danny Grenier |
Guitar | Duane Sciacqua |
Keyboards | Alan Pasqua |
Keyboards | Steve Thoma |
Sax | Christ Mostert |
Sax | Greg Smith |
Percussion | Mike Fisher |
Background Vocals | Danny Grenier |
Background Vocals | Darryl Phinnessee |
Background Vocals | David Chamberlain |
Background Vocals | Lynn Davis |
Background Vocals | Phillip Ingram |
Background Vocals | Rob Trow |
Background Vocals | Siedah Garrett |
4 Young Blood
Bass | David Chamberlain |
Drums | Marty Fera |
Guitar | Danny Grenier |
Guitar | Duane Sciacqua |
Keyboards | Steve Thoma |
Sax | Christ Mostert |
Sax | Greg Smith |
Background Vocals | Danny Grenier |
Background Vocals | Duane Sciacqua |
Background Vocals | Steve Thoma |
5 Under The Boardwalk
Bass | Neil Stubenhaus |
Guitar | James Harrah |
Percussion | Mike Fisher |
Background Vocals | The Temptations |
6 Secret Agent Man / James Bond Is Back
Bass | Neil Stubenhaus |
Drums | Rick Marotta |
Guitar | Dann Huff |
Keyboards | Alan Pasqua |
Organ | Booker T Jones |
Sax | Joel Peskin |
Percussion | Mike Fisher |
Background Vocals | Alexis England |
Background Vocals | Bruce Di Mattia |
Background Vocals | Darryl Phinnessee |
Background Vocals | Jan Gorman |
Background Vocals | John Vigran |
Background Vocals | Jolie Levine |
Background Vocals | Jon Lind |
Background Vocals | Phillip Ingram |
Background Vocals | Rob Trow |
Background Vocals | Robert Kraft |
Background Vocals | Shari Dub |
7 Jackpot (Bruno’s Bop)
Bass | David Chamberlain |
Drums | Marty Fera |
Guitar | Danny Grenier |
Guitar | Duane Sciacqua |
Keyboards | Steve Thoma |
Sax | Christ Mostert |
Sax | Greg Smith |
8 Fun Time
Bass | David Chamberlain |
Drums | Marty Fera |
Guitar | Danny Grenier |
Guitar | Duane Sciacqua |
Keyboards | Chris Mostert |
Keyboards | Greg Smith |
Sax | Christ Mostert |
Sax | Greg Smith |
Vocals | Bruce Willis |
Percussion | Mike Fisher |
Background Vocals | Darryl Phinnessee |
Background Vocals | Lynn Davis |
Background Vocals | Phillip Ingram |
Background Vocals | Rob Trow |
Background Vocals | Siedah Garrett |
Background Vocals | Tim Stone |
9 Lose Myself
Bass | David Chamberlain |
Drums | Marty Fera |
Guitar | Buzzy Feiten |
Guitar | Danny Grenier |
Guitar | Duane Sciacqua |
Keyboards | Alan Pasqua |
Sax | Christ Mostert |
Sax | Greg Smith |
Percussion | Mike Fisher |
Background Vocals | Fred Mulvey |
Background Vocals | Rob Trow |
Background Vocals | Tim Stone |
10 Flirting With Disaster
Drums | Wendell Dhowell |
Drums (programming) | Brock Walsh |
Drums (programming) | Jeff Lorber |
Guitar | Dann Huff |
Keyboards | Jeff Lorber |
Keyboards | Steve Thoma |
Background Vocals | Lynn Davis |
Background Vocals | Phillip Ingram |
Background Vocals | Siedah Garrett |
Background Vocals | Brock Walsh |
Liner Notes
Producer (Assistant) – Jan Gorman
Arranged By – Chris Mostert, Danny Grenier, Dave Chamberlain, Duane Sciacqua, Greg Smith, Marty Fera, Steve Thoma (Tracks 2, 3, 4, 7, 8)
Arranged By – Robert Kraft (Tracks 2, 5, 6, 7)
Arranged By – Bruce Willis (Tracks 7)
Arranged By – Brock Walsh, Jeff Lorber (Track 10)
Arranged By (Brass) – Jerry Hey (Tracks 1, 2)
Arranged By (Rhythm) – Brock Walsh (Track 1)
Arranged By (Strings) – Hoogle D’Howell (Track 5)
Coordinator – Jolie Levine
Effects (SFX) – Ken Johnson
Effects (SFX) – Robert Kraft (Track 5)
Effects (SFX) – George Budd (Track 6)
Engineer – John Vigran
Engineer (Assistant) – Cliff Kane, David Eaton, Julie Last, Michael C Ross, Ron DaSilva
Mastered By – Bernie Grundman
Mixed By – Daniel Lazerus
Technician – David Benson
Art Direction – Johnny Lee
Design – Andy Engel
Photography – David Alexander
Recorded At Cherokee Studios
Recorded At Bill Schnee Studios
Recorded At Weddington Studios
Recorded At Image Recording Studios
Recorded At Ocean Way Recording
Mastered At Bernie Grundman Mastering
Phonographic Copyright Motown Record Corporation
Copyright Motown Record Corporation