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
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 – Robert Kraft
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 By – David Alexander
Distributed By – MCA Distributing Corporation
Manufactured By – Sanyo Japan – A7116B
Phonographic Copyright (p) – Motown Record Corporation
Copyright (c) – Motown Record Corporation
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