Gil Bernal - Search & Destroy

RIP Gil.
http://www.gilbernalmusic.com/index.html

Apparently "The Whip" was an early Leiber and Stoller production, when they were out in LA running Sparks Records and The Robins had not yet morphed into The Coasters. Mike Stoller met Gil in a Harmony class at Los Angeles City College and described his style as "honkin' Jazz at the Philharmonic." So presumably Gil played on the early Robins/Coasters records while King Curtis played on the later ones when Jerry and Mike went east to work for Atlantic.

This guy has a funny quote from Ry Cooder: http://tothesublime.typepad.com/to_the_sublime/2011/07/rip-gil-bernal.html

He played the tenor like it was a wind instrument, not a dentist drill.

Here is the LA Times obit linked elsewhere: http://blogs.laweekly.com/westcoastsound/2011/07/rip_gil_bernal_los_angeles_ten.php

Here is a blog with some more info and some youtube links: http://wwwyoufoundthateastsidesoundcom.blogspot.com/2011/07/chicano-rocker-gil-bernal.html

And here is an old article about how he recorded with The Buena Vista Social Club: http://articles.latimes.com/2001/nov/09/entertainment/ca-1950