Mayorga was born in Los Angeles, California, attended Hollywood High School, and trained as a classical pianist. He began working as arranger and accompanist to his high-school friends in the Four Preps, contributing one of the two piano parts on their 1958 hit "Big Man" and being known as "the fifth Prep".[1] The group's producer, Lou Busch, helped Mayorga get a ragtime album issued in 1958, which was released under the pseudonym "Brooke Pemberton".[2]
With Ed Cobb of the Four Preps, Mayorga also branched out into instrumental rock and roll, forming the Piltdown Men, a studio group whose "Brontosaurus Stomp" made the Billboard Hot 100 in 1960 and whose other records had greater success in the UK charts.[1][3] At the same time, he and Cobb formed the Link Eddy Combo (the name taken from their names Lincoln and Ed), with musicians Al Garcia, Fred Mendoza, Vince Bumatay and Art Rodriguez. Their instrumental, "Big Mr. C", was the first single released on Frank Sinatra's Reprise label in 1961,[4] and reached # 28 on the US R&B charts.
Mayorga and Cobb also arranged and produced the first recordings by singer Ketty Lester, including the 1962 international hit "Love Letters" which featured Mayorga's sparse piano arrangement, copied note-for-note 25 years later by Alison Moyet on her 1987 UK hit version.[1] He was also credited with arranging the Standells' 1966 hit single, "Dirty Water", written by Cobb.[5]
Sessions and film work in the 1960s and 70s[edit]
As Ketty Lester's success dwindled, Mayorga increasingly worked as a session musician in Los Angeles. He worked particularly closely with singer Phil Ochs on his albums Pleasures of the Harbor, Rehearsals for Retirement, Tape from California and others, and toured with Ochs' "gold lamé suit" tour, culminating in a legendary pair of concerts at Carnegie Hall. In 1966, he became the staff pianist for Walt Disney Studios, and contributed to the soundtracks of such movies as Chinatown, Pete's Dragon, The Rose, and Ragtime.[6] He also worked on TV series including Bonanza, Dallas, Little House on the Prairie and Highway To Heaven.
As a session musician and arranger, he worked with Frank Zappa (on the album Lumpy Gravy), Gloria Jones, Sam Cooke, Dory Previn, Johnny Mathis, Barbra Streisand, Mel Torme, Andy Williams and many others.[1] In addition, he recorded a series of ragtime albums under the name Al "Spider" Dugan.[3]
Classical and ragtime concerts and recordings since the 1970s[edit]
In the 1970s he helped establish the audiophile record company Sheffield Lab, and set up his own label, TownHall Records, which specializes in historical reissues and comprehensive collections of jazz and classical music[6] and is "dedicated to the concept that recordings should preserve permanently the important musical art of our time".[7] In the late 1970s he recorded an album with Lou Busch (aka Joe "Fingers" Carr) on the Sheffield label, The Brinkerhoff Piano Company Salutes the Sentimental Sixties.[2][8] Singer/songwriter Amanda McBroom teamed up with Mayorga to record two well-received albums on Sheffield, Growing Up in Hollywood Town and West of Oz. In addition he recorded the Irving Berlin Century with vocalist Margie Gibson under the Sheffield banner.
Mayorga relocated to Columbia County in upstate New York in the mid-1980s,[1] and has increasingly worked as a concert pianist. He has also continued to perform in concert in recent years with Bruce Belland, lead singer of the Four Preps,[9] and has released a series of classical and heritage albums on the TownHall label.[10]
The Moscow Philharmonic invited him to perform George Gershwin's Rhapsody In Blue and "I Got Rhythm" Variations, on their first concert devoted to American music.[6][11] He has toured extensively in North America and Europe, and has collaborated with such musicians as Itzhak Perlman, Richard Stoltzman, Michael Tilson Thomas, Gerard Schwarz, and others. Mayorga has written a piano concerto, Angels' Flight, a tribute to the city of Los Angeles and the music of the cinema, which he has performed with the Henry Mancini Institute Orchestra.[6][11]
Dock Of The Bay
Lincoln Mayorga Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
hona ijesoya ma-umi nohyeo
nul narul nomyo usodo sulpume chan gu ibsul
almyonsodo amugotdo haejulsu eoptdon na
kkok hanbonun na bogetji naye salme kkuteso
arummoreul hwen kkochul kadukhan-ko unnun no
apado chakhan non naege tashi angyo-ultende
toraso osoga nunmul tulkiji anhke
nan ara naega chun yu-irhan sarang iran-gol
kkok hanboneun na bogetji naye salme kkuteso
arummorul hwen kkochul katukhanko unnun no
saranghae kajima hanmatimyon dweltende
apado chakhan non naege tashi angyo-ultende
toraso osoga nunmul tulkiji anhke
nan ara naega chun yu-irhan sarang iran-gol
kuri-umi apado kugollo nal salgetji
chu-oksoge ulgo issodo
kogin niga issuni
The lyrics in this song are actually in Korean, but the title "Dock of the Bay" suggests that it may be a Korean cover of Otis Redding's classic hit of the same name. The lyrics speak to the pain of unrequited love and the feeling of wanting to be with someone who doesn't feel the same way. The opening line translates to "The wind blows and the waves crash, my heart is always hurting." The singer goes on to confess their feelings to this person, asking them not to say they love them if they don't mean it, but also acknowledging that even if they reject them, their love for them will not go away.
As the song progresses, the singer speaks to the endless nature of their pain and longing, saying that even if they cry a river of tears, they will still love this person. The repetitive lines of "kkok hanboneun na bogetji" (meaning "I'll be waiting here") and "saranghae kajima" (meaning "Don't say you love me") emphasize the singer's steadfast love and desire to be with this person, even though they know it may never happen.
Overall, the lyrics of the song are a poignant expression of the pain of unrequited love and the emotional rollercoaster that comes with it. The Korean language adds a layer of beauty to the lyrics and makes the song all the more powerful.
Line by Line Meaning
tashin bolsu-optgetji anulsudo opgetjyi
I'm struggling even though I'm trying hard
hona ijesoya ma-umi nohyeo
I hope everything will be alright
nul narul nomyo usodo sulpume chan gu ibsul
Although I'm smiling, true feelings are hidden behind it
almyonsodo amugotdo haejulsu eoptdon na
Even though I wanted to say something, I couldn't
kkok hanbonun na bogetji naye salme kkuteso
I recall my past and memories over and over again
arummoreul hwen kkochul kadukhan-ko unnun no
I'm touched by the fragrant flowers blooming around me
saranghae kajima hanmatimyon dweltende
Please don't love me if you're not sure
apado chakhan non naege tashi angyo-ultende
Even if it hurts, turn away and leave me
toraso osoga nunmul tulkiji anhke
Don't shed tears because of me
nan ara naega chun yu-irhan sarang iran-gol
I know that my love is nothing special
kuri-umi apado kugollo nal salgetji
Even though the waves pass by and the seasons change
chu-oksoge ulgo issodo
Even if I shed tears in my memories
kogin niga issuni
You are still with me
Writer(s): Otis Redding, Stephen Lee Cropper
Contributed by Mila I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.