Song:Kyrie
Album:Playlist: The Very Best Of Mr. Mister
Like Toto, Mr. Mister came out of the Los Angeles studio scene. All four members were veteran session musicians and returned to sessions when Mr. Mister split up in 1989. Kyrie was one of their two number one hits in 1985. Lead singer and bassist Richard Page and keyboard player Steve George went to high school together in Phoenix. They moved to Los Angeles and by 1977 they were touring with Andy Gibb. They decided to form the jazz rock band Pages and recorded three unsuccessful albums for Columbia and Capitol. While continuing to do sessions, they decided to form a new band with guitarist Steve Farris and drummer Pat Mastelotto. Farris was in Eddie Money's band and Mastelotto has played on hundreds of recordings. The band name came from the Weather Report song Mr. Gone. They kept calling each other Mr. this and Mr. that until they called the band Mr. Mister. They signed with RCA Records but before they released their first album, Page received offers from Toto and Chicago to take over lead vocals. Their 1984 debut album I Wear The Face did not do that well but the second album Welcome To The Real World topped the Billboard Hot 200 and was certified Platinum. The singles Broken Wings and Kyrie topped the Billboard Hot 100. Page and George wrote all the songs with Page's cousin John Lang. Lang had also written lyrics for Pages but he was not a musician and was reportedly tone deaf. His lyrics were vaguely religious which actually got them a following in the Christian market. Their 1987 album Go On... did not do as well. As Mr. Mister were preparing their fourth album Pull, the recording was delayed by Mastelotto's back problems. And Farris left and was replaced by session guitarists including Buzzy Feiten of The Rascals. Management changes at RCA resulted in Mr. Mister being dropped and the album was shelved. Page released it last year. This budget comp should be perfect for most fans. All four guys went back to sessions. Richard Page has recorded solo but has mostly written a lot of songs and does a lot of backup vocals. Last year he toured with Ringo Starr. Steve George was musical director for Kenny Loggins in the 90s and currently does the same for Jewel. Pat Mastelotto continues to do sessions and has been a member of King Crimson since 1994. Steve Farris is a session guitarist and has toured with Whitesnake. Here's the video for Kyrie by Mr. Mister.
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