background	non_vocal_instrumentalist
instrument	Guitar
name	Nels Cline
born	Nels Courtney Cline
birth date	January 04, 1956
birth place	Los Angeles, California, U.S.
genre	Jazz, free jazz, post bop, avant-garde, free improvisation, alternative rock, experimental, noise
associated acts	Quartet Music, Nels Cline Trio, The Nels Cline Singers, Wilco, Geraldine Fibbers, Mike Watt, G.E. Stinson, Vinny Golia, Carla Bozulich, Devin Sarno, Eric Von Essen, Thurston Moore
label	Cryptogramophone, Nine Winds, Atavistic, Enja, Little Brother, Strange Attractors Audio House, Long Song
notable instruments	1959 Fender Jazzmaster
years active	1977–present
website	}}

Nels Cline (born January 4, 1956 in Los Angeles) is an American guitarist and composer, currently the lead guitarist of alternative rock band Wilco. David Carr describes Cline in the New York Times as "one of the best guitarists in any genre."

Career

Cline began to play guitar at age 12 when his twin brother, Alex Cline took up the drums. The pair developed musically together, playing in a youth rock band they dubbed "Homogenized Goo" and both graduated from University High School (Los Angeles, California).

Cline is known for his improvisational work and for the diversity of his musical projects, as well as his use of effects pedals and looping devices which give his music a distinct sound. He has played with jazz musicians Charlie Haden, Gregg Bendian, Wadada Leo Smith, Tim Berne, Vinny Golia and the late bassist Eric Von Essen, a longtime musical companion in the L.A. jazz group Quartet Music.

In 1983, Nels was asked by drummer Chris Mancinelli and bassist Steuart Liebig to join the early formation of BLOC. The trio developed musical ideas for about a year. At this point they added another guitarist NIcholas Kirgo and vocalist Camille Henry. The quintet became a Los Angeles club favorite and garnered much praise from the local press and media. Practically every major label was interested at some point but no major label seemed to have a clue how to promote the multi-talented group. In 1990 with Tony Peluso producing, they were signed with A&M; Records after turning down a previous offer from Atlantic Records. The album "In the Free Zone" was released in early 1991. A&M; at this point was in the middle of being sold to Polygram and there was little support at the label for the band. They were bought out of their 2 album deal and promptly dropped a month after the album's release. After 8 years of performing and recording the group decided to break up and move on.

Cline has also performed and recorded with punk rock bassist Mike Watt in his touring bands The Crew of the Flying Saucer and The Black Gang, as well as with members of Sonic Youth and country music legend Willie Nelson, and in the jazz/punk/improv band Banyan with Watt and ex-Jane's Addiction drummer Stephen Perkins. He frequently participates in jazz projects with his twin brother, Alex, however their first actual duo together was in Culver City, California, at their 50th birthday show.

Cline's first appearance on an album was on Vinny Golia's 1978 record, ''Openhearted'', and his first work as a bandleader was 1988's ''Angelica.'' In the late 1980s, Cline formed the Nels Cline Trio, which featured his guitar playing complemented by Mark London Sims at bass and Michael Preussner at drums. The trio released several 7 inch demos and one album, before replacing Sims with Bob Mair at bass. This new trio released three albums before splitting up, featuring some of Cline's most melodic works, before he ventured into a freer and more minimalist territory in the decade to come. Shortly before the end of the trio, Nels recorded two albums, ''In-Store'', and ''Pillow Wand'', with Sonic Youth frontman and guitarist, Thurston Moore.

Nels was also a member of the Geraldine Fibbers and Scarnella with Carla Bozulich. He played on, co-arranged and produced her The Red Headed Stranger album guest-starring Jenny Scheinman, Scott Amendola, Devin Hoff and Willie Nelson, as well as Bozulich's Evangelista albums. Additionally, the two worked sporadically on performance pieces, album co-production/recording, countless tours adding up to hundreds of concerts and more during their 12 year collaboration.

In 1999, Cline paired up with jazz drummer Gregg Bendian to record a modern rendition of John Coltrane's 1967 album, ''Interstellar Space.'' On ''Interstellar Space Revisited: The Music of John Coltrane'', Bendian and Cline reinterpret Coltrane's piece using their own distinctive approaches. He also participated in ROVA's ''Electric Ascension'' (2005), a performance of Coltrane's landmark large-ensemble recording ''Ascension'' (1965).

Cline's current outfit is the improv/free jazz ensemble The Nels Cline Singers, with which he has recorded four albums, ''Instrumentals'', ''The Giant Pin'', ''Draw Breath'' and ''Initiate'', his most recent work as a leader. The Nels Cline Singers are currently signed with Cryptogramophone Records.

Another important project of Cline's has been the Acoustic Guitar Trio, a free-improvisation group with Jim McAuley and the late Rod Poole that specialized in microtonal improvisation.

Cline has performed on over 150 albums in the jazz, pop, rock, country, and experimental pop music genres. He continues to expand his audience as a member of the Grammy-winning rock band Wilco, which he joined in early 2004. He was later featured in the cover story of Guitar Player Magazine for his collaboration with the band. Cline appears on Wilco's albums ''Sky Blue Sky'' and ''Wilco (The Album)'', as well as the live album ''Kicking Television: Live in Chicago'', and tours with the band.

In February, 2007, Cline was chosen by ''Rolling Stone'' Magazine as one of the Top 20 New Guitar Gods, and given the title "The Avant Romantic."

Currently, Cline is using the Schroeder DB-7 red amplifier built for him by Tim Schroeder of Schroeder Guitar & Amp Repair in Chicago, IL.

Personal life

Cline is married to former Cibo Matto keyboardist Yuka Honda. Their wedding was held in Honda's hometown in Japan in November 2010. They met through Mike Watt when he put together the group Floored By Four. Honda joined Nels Cline Singers for their live shows after having her input in their new album Initiate. Watt and Cline's other recent project band, Brother's Sister's Daughter for a tour and recording session in Japan for their second album. Cline also joined Honda as a guest guitarist in Yoko Ono Plastic Ono band in some of the dates in their tour in 2010.

Notable discography

''Elegies'' (1980) (w. Eric Von Essen)

''Quartet Music'' (1981) (w. Quartet Music)

''Dressed for the Apocalypse'' (1984) (w. Rhythm Plague)

''Ocean Park'' (1984) (w. Quartet Music)

''Window on the Lake'' (1986) (w. Quartet Music)

''Angelica'' (1988)

''Summer Night'' (1989) (w. Quartet Music)

''In the Free Zone'' (1991) (w. BLOC)

''Silencer'' (1992) (w. Nels Cline Trio)

''Ball-hog or Tugboat?'' (1995) (w. Mike Watt)

''Ground'' (1995) (w. Nels Cline Trio)

''Chest'' (1996) (w. Nels Cline Trio)

''Banyan'' (1997) (w. Banyan)

''Butch'' (1997) (w. Geraldine Fibbers)

''Contemplating the Engine Room'' (1997) (w. Mike Watt)

''In-Store'' (1997) (w. Thurston Moore)

''Pillow Wand'' (1997) (w. Thurston Moore)

''Sad'' (1998) (w. Nels Cline Trio)

''Scarnella'' (1998) (w. Carla Bozulich)

''Rise Pumpkin Rise'' (1998) (w. Devin Sarno)

''Edible Flowers'' (1998) (w. Devin Sarno)

''Interstellar Space Revisited: The Music of John Coltrane'' (1999) (w. Gregg Bendian)

''The Inkling'' (2000)

''Live at Easthampton Town Hall'' (2001) (w. Zeena Parkins & Thurston Moore)

''Destroy All Nels Cline'' (2001)

''Acoustic Guitar Trio'' (2001) (w. Acoustic Guitar Trio)

''The Allure of Roadside Curios'' (w. L. Stinkbug)

''Instrumentals'' (2002) (w. The Nels Cline Singers)

''The Red Headed Stranger'' (2003) (w. Carla Bozulich)

''Buried on Bunker Hill'' (2004) (w. Devin Sarno)

''The Entire Time'' (2004) (w. Vinny Golia)

''Graduation'' (2004) (w. Chris Corsano & Carlos Giffoni)

''The Giant Pin'' (2004) (w. The Nels Cline Singers)

''Out Trios Series, Volume 3: Ash and Tabula'' (2004) (w. Andrea Parkins & Tom Rainey)

''Immolation/Immertion'' (2005) (w. Wally Shoup & Chris Corsano)

''Banning + Center'' (2005) (w. Jeremy Drake)

''Season Finale'' (2005) (w. Solo Career)

''Kicking Television: Live in Chicago'' (2005) (w. Wilco)

''Distressed'' (2006) (w. Zach Hill as Damsel)

''Four Guitars Live'' (2006) (w. Lee Ranaldo, Carlos Giffoni & Thurston Moore)

''New Monastery: A View Into The Music of Andrew Hill'' (2006)

''Downpour'' (2007) (w. Andrea Parkins & Tom Rainey)

''Sky Blue Sky'' (2007) (w. Wilco)

''Draw Breath'' (2007) (w. The Nels Cline Singers)

''Duo Milano'' (2007) (w. Elliott Sharp)

''Suite: Bittersweet'' (2007) (w. Wally Shoup & Greg Campbell)

''Nothing Makes Any Sense'' (2007) (w. Carlos Giffoni, Alan Licht & Lee Ranaldo)

''Coward'' (2009)

''Vignes'' (2009) (w. Acoustic Guitar Trio)

''Red Feast'' (2009) (w. Stephen Gauci, Ken Filiano & Mike Pride)

''Wilco (The Album)'' (2009) (w. Wilco)

''Elevating Device'' (2009) (w. G.E. Stinson)

''Stained Radiance'' (2010) (w. Norton Wisdom)

''The Celestial Septet'' (2010) (w. ROVA & The Nels Cline Singers)

''Initiate'' (2010) (w. The Nels Cline Singers)

''Dirty Baby'' (2010)

''Floored by Four'' (2010) (w. Mike Watt, Yuka Honda & Dougie Bowne)

''The Veil'' (2011) (w. Tim Berne & Jim Black as BB&C;)

''The Whole Love'' (2011) (w. Wilco)

''Fig'' (2011) (w. Yuka Honda)

References

External links

Official Website

Q&A; about Cline's DIRTY BABY project

Schroeder Guitar & Amp Repair

Nels Cline on Ted Kurland Associates

The Complete Nels Cline Discography – from Little Brother Records; includes detailed descriptions of some of Nels's albums up to 1998

Nels Cline at the SASSAS/sound. concert archives

State of Mind - Conversation with Nels Cline - June 2007

Multimedia story with video of Nels Cline - April 2009

Category:1956 births Category:Living people Category:Avant-garde jazz musicians Category:American composers Category:American jazz guitarists Category:American rock guitarists Category:Musicians from Los Angeles, California Category:University High School (Los Angeles, California) alumni Category:Wilco members

de:Nels Cline fr:Nels Cline pt:Nels Cline ru:Клайн, Нельс sv:Nels Cline

{{infobox musical artist | name

Myles Kennedy | image MylesKennedy.jpg | caption Myles Kennedy performing with Alter Bridge in Barcelona in 2008. | background solo_singer | birth_name Myles Richard Bass | Born November 27, 1969Boston, Massachusetts,United States | origin Spokane, Washington,United States | instrument Vocals, guitar, keyboards, piano, bass, trumpet, violin | genre Alternative metal, blues rock, hard rock, heavy metal, jazz, post-grunge | occupation Musician, singer-songwriter, record producer, actor | years_active 1990–2002, 2004–present | label Epic, Wind-up, Universal Republic, Roadrunner, EMI | associated_acts Alter Bridge, Slash, The Mayfield Four, Citizen Swing, Cosmic Dust | website }}

Myles Richard Kennedy (born Myles Richard Bass; November 27, 1969) is an American musician and singer-songwriter best known as the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the rock band Alter Bridge, and as the touring vocalist of Slash's current solo project. A former guitar instructor originally from the Spokane, Washington area, Kennedy is known for his ability as both a guitarist and a vocalist, possessing a tenor vocal range that spans four octaves. He has worked as a session musician and songwriter, making both studio and live appearances with several artists over the years and having been involved with several projects throughout his career. Most notably, Kennedy rehearsed and collaborated with former members of Led Zeppelin for an unreleased project featuring Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, and Jason Bonham in 2008, and more recently, he has become known for his contributions to Slash's debut solo album, ''Slash''.

Kennedy was raised in Spokane, Washington, where he attended Spokane Falls Community College to study music theory. He began his music career in 1990 as the lead guitarist of the instrumental jazz ensemble Cosmic Dust, with which he released one studio album. His second band, Citizen Swing, released two studio albums before disbanding in 1995. He then became the lead vocalist and lead guitarist of the Spokane-based rock band The Mayfield Four in 1996, releasing two studio albums with the band, of which he was a founding member. While he was in the band, he made an appearance in the drama film ''Rock Star'' starring Mark Wahlberg and Jennifer Aniston. The Mayfield Four disbanded a year later in 2002. After declining an offer to audition as the lead vocalist of Velvet Revolver, he was asked to join Alter Bridge by former Creed members. He has released three studio albums with Alter Bridge: ''One Day Remains'', ''Blackbird'', and the band's most recent, ''AB III'', which debuted at #17 on the ''Billboard'' 200. Kennedy has been touring since 2010, switching between tours with his two main projects, Alter Bridge and Slash. He also has a solo album with a tentative 2012 release, as well as a collaboration album with Slash to be released also in the future.

Early life

Kennedy was born as Myles Richard Bass on November 27, 1969 in Boston, Massachusetts and subsequently lived in Northern Idaho. As a child, he moved to Spokane, Washington, where he grew up in a Christian family on a farm. His father, Richard Bass, died when he was four years old and his mother subsequently went on to marry a minister, and the family took the surname Kennedy. Kennedy attended Mead High School and, finding musical inspiration from Led Zeppelin, Marvin Gaye, and Stevie Wonder, began playing trumpet at the age of ten and guitar at fifteen, copying the playing style of Jimmy Page. He found his singing voice by listening to his parents' Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder records, and also states that he was influenced by Robert Plant. He played guitar in the school's jazz band and trumpet in the school's marching band. He also spent some time playing in a local heavy metal band called Bittersweet with some of his fellow classmates. After graduating in 1988, he enrolled in Spokane Falls Community College to study music.

Career

1990–1995: Early years and local success

Upon graduating from high school in 1988, Kennedy enrolled in a Commercial Music/Jazz Studies program at Spokane Falls Community College. Using the skills he learned from this course, in 1990 he began playing guitar for a jazz group called the Cosmic Dust Fusion Band, which was formed by keyboardist Jim Templeton in 1980. Kennedy's guitar work with Cosmic Dust was very advanced; using his knowledge of jazz theory in conjunction with his advanced technical abilities, interweaving difficult techniques such as chord changes on impulse and precise shredding with rock music, he became a well-respected guitarist among local musicians. Cosmic Dust's first album, ''Journey'', was released in 1991. The album was well-received by critics. In 1993, the song "Spiritus" was awarded the Washington State Artist Trust Grant for $5,000.

After the release of ''Journey'', Kennedy left Cosmic Dust to begin working on a new band that would become Citizen Swing, for which Kennedy provided both lead vocals and lead guitar. They were described as "a band that combined the sounds of funk, soul, R&B;, blues and alternative into a unique and cohesive sound" and as "Stevie Ray Vaughn^[sic] meets Stevie Wonder and them some." They released their first album, ''Cure Me with the Groove'', in 1993. This album featured Kennedy (who helped produce the album), rhythm guitarist Craig Johnson, bassist Dave Turner (also of Cosmic Dust), drummer/percussionist Mike Tschirgi, and trumpeter Geoff Miller. Citizen Swing's second and final album was called ''Deep Down'' and was released in 1995. The band disbanded the same year. All the music and lyrics on that album were written by Kennedy. ''Journey'', ''Cure Me with the Groove'', and ''Deep Down'' are all very rare albums and are highly sought after by fans.

1996–2002: The Mayfield Four and ''Rock Star'' appearance

In 1995, Kennedy started teaching guitar in a store called Rock City Music. By August 1996, he became the lead vocalist and lead guitarist of The Mayfield Four, a rock band he formed with his childhood friends Zia Uddin, Marty Meisner, and Craig Johnson (also of Citizen Swing). They signed a contract with Epic Records thanks to a critically acclaimed demo called ''Thirty Two Point Five Hours'' that the band recorded in 1996, followed by a live extended play called ''Motion'' in 1997. The Mayfield Four's debut album, ''Fallout'', was supported with a fifteen-month tour with bands such as Creed, Big Wreck, and Stabbing Westward. The album was praised by critics, but it failed to chart, and ultimately became the only album by the band to feature rhythm guitarist Craig Johnson, who was fired from the band due to undisclosed reasons.

Following the ''Fallout'' tour, Kennedy made an appearance in the 2001 drama film ''Rock Star'' starring Mark Wahlberg and Jennifer Aniston. He said that he got a call from his manager telling him that the filmmakers needed someone who could sing high and that his name was suggested. On the set of the film, he met Wahlberg along with Zakk Wylde and Jason Bonham, who also appeared in the movie alongside several other notable musicians. Kennedy was the only actor in the movie whose actual singing voice was used. In the movie, directly paralleling a scene at the beginning of the film, Kennedy's character (Mike, also known as "Thor") is noticed by Wahlberg's character, Chris "Izzy" Cole, the lead singer of Thor's favorite band, Steel Dragon. Izzy pulls Thor onstage and sings the rest of the song with him, eventually telling him to finish the rest of the band's concert. The film was met with mostly mixed reviews, garnering a 52% "Rotten" score on Rotten Tomatoes.

The Mayfield Four's second and final album, ''Second Skin'', was released in June 2001. Kennedy has since said that it is one of the most personal records he has made. The album has been critically acclaimed and Kennedy has commented on how it and ''Fallout'' are much more popular now than when they were released.

Though popular, The Mayfield Four never garnered enough exposure to break into the mainstream. In 2002, the future of the band began to look unlikely, and Kennedy began recording new music, which he described as "Daniel Lanois meets Massive Attack." The band went on hiatus that year, and would ultimately disband. In an interview with ''Pulse Weekly'' in 2004, Kennedy said that it was because he was "burned out with the whole rock industry at that point." However, three previously unreleased songs appeared on a fan-run Myspace page dedicated to and approved by The Mayfield Four in early 2010, causing rumors of a possible reunion to begin circulating. However, when asked about this during an interview, Kennedy replied that he does not see it happening for the time being.

2002–2003: Hiatus and Velvet Revolver audition offer

After The Mayfield Four's unforeseen breakup, and due to a hearing disorder called tinnitus that he developed because of listening to music that he was recording at earsplitting volumes, Kennedy fell into depression in 2002. He said about music, "I can't do it any more. My ears won't let me." He said that he had grown "disillusioned with music and the music business," so he took a musical hiatus and went back to teaching guitar. However, in 2002, he was contacted by former Guns N' Roses guitarist Slash, who was looking for a vocalist for a band he was forming (Velvet Revolver), but Kennedy declined the offer. Other sources state that Kennedy had sent in a demo tape but still ultimately declined an invitation to audition after being approached by Matt Sorum. Kennedy recalls, "They had reached out to me in 2002 when they were just getting together. They had sent me a demo tape, and I kind of sat on it for a month, and I didn't really follow up on it." ''One Day Remains'' was released in 2004 on Wind-up Records. It received generally mixed to negative reviews and was certified Gold by the RIAA. Two other singles were released: "Find the Real" and "Broken Wings." ''One Day Remains'' is the only album by a band with Kennedy as an official member that does not feature his guitar playing.

Following a successful tour in support of the album, Alter Bridge announced plans for a second release. The album, ''Blackbird'', was released in 2007 on Universal Republic. Unlike ''One Day Remains'', which was largely written by Tremonti, ''Blackbird'' featured Kennedy's guitar playing as well as more of his songwriting contributions. It received positive reviews and is generally considered the band's best album. Alter Bridge toured in support of ''Blackbird'' throughout 2007 and 2008, recording a concert film titled ''Live from Amsterdam'' and releasing it via Amazon.com. It would later be released in stores in early 2011 after several delays.

Alter Bridge took a temporary break in early 2009 with its members began working on other projects but continued writing music throughout the year. The band regrouped later that year to begin work on their third album, ''AB III'', which was released in 2010 on Roadrunner Records worldwide, except for North America where the album was self-released on Alter Bridge Recordings via EMI. For the album, Kennedy chose to write lyrics based on his own personal experiences with faith and believing. As such, it is lyrically the band's darkest album, with Kennedy calling it the most personal album he had made since The Mayfield Four's ''Second Skin''. ''AB III'' has been met with critical acclaim.

Having joined Alter Bridge primarily as lead vocalist, Kennedy began to play rhythm guitar during live performances following the release of ''One Day Remains''. He has since played rhythm guitar on the band's subsequent studio releases, and also played lead tracks on a number of songs and during live performances.

2008–2009: Reports of joining Led Zeppelin

Kennedy's name received a great amount of press coverage in late 2008 regarding a rumor that he was going to be joining Led Zeppelin, although it later turned out to be an audition for a different project featuring members of Led Zeppelin. After Led Zeppelin's one-off reunion in 2007, guitarist Jimmy Page and bassist John Paul Jones reportedly felt as if Led Zeppelin "still had something to offer." As reported by BBC News, Page and Jones were in the studio with Jason Bonham writing and recording new material that was reportedly going to be used for a new Led Zeppelin album. However, according to Bonham, singer Robert Plant was not involved in the recording sessions. Page, Jones, and Bonham were auditioning new singers to replace Plant on tour as a result, and according to several sources, Myles Kennedy was the leading candidate for Plant's replacement. Plant responded to this by confirming that he would not be involved with the reunion and that if Page, Jones, and Bonham find another singer, the resulting band would not be Led Zeppelin.

The rumors continued when it was reported that Page, Jones, and Bonham had attended an Alter Bridge concert. It was also supposedly confirmed by Twisted Sister frontman Dee Snider, who said that Page, Jones, and Bonham were offering Kennedy to join Led Zeppelin in order to persuade Plant to reconsider. Alter Bridge guitarist Mark Tremonti also addressed the rumors, saying that Kennedy "deserves" to play with Led Zeppelin. Kennedy remained silent about the rumors for the most part until January 2009. He denied that he would be performing with or fronting a group with them, saying, "I am not singing in Led Zeppelin or any offshoot of Led Zeppelin, but I did have a great opportunity and it was something that I'm very grateful for. But Alter Bridge will go on, and that's that." He later confirmed, however, that he had actually written songs and rehearsed with Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, and Jason Bonham. He also said that it was Bonham who "got the ball rolling" since the two had met on the set of the 2001 film ''Rock Star''. It is unconfirmed if the songs he wrote with Page, Jones, and Bonham will ever be released.

2009–present: Solo career

In early 2009, Kennedy announced a solo side project. He described the material as "dreamy" and "[not] aggressive," saving those songs for Alter Bridge. He also said, "It's more singer/songwriter based. I will say it's going to be interesting." He later posted on his Myspace page that he is working with some "great people" and that he has details coming at a future date. Slash announced via Facebook on February 1, 2010 that he would be appearing on Kennedy's solo record, and Kennedy confirmed this via Myspace. Kennedy had originally hoped that his album would be released in early 2010, digitally first and then on CD, but he has since put its release on hold. However, he recently said that he is still too busy to release the album as he states that he would like to tour to promote it, but he wants to release it on December 21, 2012 as a joke, although a firm release date has not yet been announced.

When asked if the record would be a departure from his previous work, he replied that it is different and again referred to the singer-songwriter approach that would be featured on it and that it would not be a hard rock album. He also said that "it was maybe the most difficult thing I've ever done in the sense that I didn't have a band." He also said that the music is very intimate and that it features piano as well. In an interview with ''Guitarist'' UK magazine, he said that some of the songs will feature jazz, blues, and R&B; influences, while others still "get quite atmospheric and ethereal," comparing the sound to Daniel Lanois and Massive Attack, while assuring fans that the rock style will still be present. In the same ''Guitarist'' interview, he confirmed the titles of three songs that will appear on his record: "The Light of Day," "Complicated Man," and "The Bar Fly." Most recently, he confirmed that another song will be titled "Love Rain Down." He said in an interview with CraveOnline that "Love Rain Down" differs from anything else he has ever written. It is unknown if this album has anything to do with the project he was working on in 2002.

Kennedy has performed two solo benefit concerts: one hosted by Paul Reed Smith and PRS Guitars to benefit cancer patients, and another to benefit abused children. The latter was called Bofest 2009 and was headlined by Kennedy on October 17, 2009.

2009–present: Collaborations with Slash

thumb|250px|right|Kennedy with [[Slash (musician)|Slash in 2011.]]Kennedy has become very well known for his collaborations with current Velvet Revolver and former Guns N' Roses lead guitarist Slash. In late 2009, it was reported that they would be working together on Slash's solo album, ''Slash''. Slash later confirmed that Kennedy was chosen to sing the final song, "Starlight," on his album. According to MusicRadar, Slash asked him to record another song, "Back from Cali," which was added to the album at the last minute. The album was released in April 2010. Recently announced was Slash's second solo album, which will again feature Myles Kennedy, this time as the sole vocalist. In an interview with MusicRadar, Slash confirmed that it will be less of an actual solo album and more of a collaboration album with Kennedy, and that he is not sure if the album will be billed as Slash or a new name entirely.

On February 3, 2010, Slash announced that Kennedy would be the lead vocalist for his band on tour. On tour, Kennedy performs a number of songs found throughout Slash's catalog. Slash and Kennedy are the supporting act on Ozzy Osbourne's current tour. The other members of Slash's band, in addition Slash himself, are rhythm guitarist Bobby Schneck, bassist Todd Kerns (formerly of Age of Electric), and drummer Brent Fitz (formerly of Theory of a Deadman).

In late 2010, Kennedy and Slash appeared on ''That Metal Show'', a talk show on VH1 Classic.

Other session work

Kennedy is well further known for his work as a session musician and songwriter, having collaborated with several artists. In 2001, he appeared on the album ''Striped Suit: Lo-Fi'' by the jazz-rock band Mulligan, playing guitar solos on the songs "Faron" and "Make It Three." In that same year, he provided backing vocals to the song "Breakthrough" by Big Wreck from ''The Pleasure and the Greed''. He also worked with the Spokane based nu-metal band Five Foot Thick on their 2003 album ''Blood Puddle'', providing backing vocals to the song "Ducked Out." In 2005, he sang the chorus of "Nameless Faceless" by Fozzy with Fozzy frontman Chris Jericho from their album ''All That Remains''. In 2008, he sang a duet with Sevendust lead vocalist Lajon Witherspoon on Sevendust's song "Sorrow" from ''Chapter VII: Hope & Sorrow''. Also in 2008, Kennedy made a guest appearance on Mark Tremonti's guitar instructional DVD ''The Sound & the Story'', to which Kennedy provided an in-depth lesson on how to play his guitar solo on the Alter Bridge song "Blackbird." In 2009, he appeared on Slash's self-titled album, co-writing and singing lead vocals on the songs "Back from Cali" and "Starlight." In addition, he has made live appearances with Sevendust and Gov't Mule. He will also be appearing on a tribute album to Tommy Bolin in 2011.

Style and influences

Kennedy is influenced by a wide range of artists of several genres. His earliest influence was Led Zeppelin, although he drew his singing influences from jazz, blues, rhythm and blues, and soul artists when he discovered Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye albums in his parents' record collection. He said about jazz music, "A lot of people kind of equate that with elevator music. I think they're missing the point. [...] It's just incredible music. So, I definitely tried to absorb as much of that as I could at one point." He also stated that he owned Stevie Wonder's 1982 compilation album ''Stevie Wonder's Original Musiquarium I'', which was one of his earliest inspirations as a singer. From there, he discovered ''Songs in the Key of Life'', which he has since stated is one of his favorite albums, and today cites Stevie Wonder as a major influence on his singing. In a 2004 interview with MTV, he said that while he started off as a rock guitar player, he began listening to R&B; exclusively when grunge became popular in his home state of Washington in the early 1990s. He said that he gravitated back towards ''Songs in the Key of Life''. In addition to that record, "I had a friend who turned me on to Marvin Gaye's ''What's Going On'', and that's where I really cut my teeth," he said. "I just listened to them constantly and absorbed them as best I could. I didn't listen to rock for a few years. I was basically just an R&B; guy." He has also cited John Coltrane, Al Green, Mike Stern, Miles Davis, Otis Redding, Frank Gambale, Pat Metheny, Lyle Mays, and Curtis Mayfield, as early influences. He has also said that he loves blues music: "I’ve always been a big fan of Robert Johnson, Sunhouse, a lot of the Delta blues, pre-World War II blues when it was just a guy and a guitar. I love that. I’m very intrigued by that." Additional influences include Guns N' Roses, U2, Blue Murder, Mastodon, and Radiohead.

Kennedy's favorite singers also include Jeff Buckley, Robert Plant, Bon Scott, Chris Whitley, and k.d. lang. He has stated on several occasions that Jeff Buckley was, and is, a major influence on him as a singer. When asked to describe his vocal style, he said, "I wanted to fuse together my favorite elements of rock and soul singers into something I could call my own. The inflections of Stevie Wonder with the soaring qualities of someone like Buckley." He states that Buckley's "emotional intensity" was one of the most inspirational things for him when it came to singing, and that it made him accept and embrace the fact that he is a tenor. He often performs Buckley's famous cover of "Hallelujah" (originally by Leonard Cohen) during acoustic performances. At one point, he received lessons from Ron Anderson, a bel canto vocal coach who has worked with a wide range of singers, including Axl Rose, Shania Twain, Enrique Iglesias, Chris Cornell, Ozzy Osbourne, Eddie Vedder, Kelly Clarkson, and several others. When asked about his number one secret when it came to singing, Kennedy replied, "Dig deep into your soul and sing as if your life depends on it. Leave your mark. People react to emotion more than technique." Kennedy, who possesses a four-octave vocal range, has been praised for his ability as a singer. Velvet Revolver guitarist Slash, whose touring band consists of Kennedy, has called him "fucking amazing," calling his style "surreal." About Kennedy's ability to recreate Guns N' Roses songs on tour, Slash said, "Myles is fucking amazing. It's very surreal how he handles the stuff he sings. I'm doing GN'R songs I've never done solo before, and Myles manages to own them without changing the style or trajectory of the song. Which is a fantastic fucking ability." He was also listed as the 86th greatest male rock vocalist of all time by Digital Dream Door.

Kennedy, a former guitar instructor, is also recognized as an accomplished guitarist. He began learning how to play the guitar by listening to Led Zeppelin records and mimicking Jimmy Page's guitar parts. He said in an interview, "I started off strictly as a lead guitar player. When I first started playing 25 years ago, that was all I’d do is sit in my room and learn solos." He also recalled being inspired by Eddie Van Halen: "When I was in my early teens, I heard 'Eruption' one day and was like, 'That is the most incredible thing I’ve ever heard,' and I begged my mother to give me an advance on my allowance for the next month and go buy that record." Over the next few years, and throughout the 1990s, Kennedy played primarily lead guitar. His early work with Cosmic Dust and Citizen Swing featured a jazz-influenced rock flavor, combining several advanced techniques used in jazz. He would later join Alter Bridge primarily as a lead vocalist, but began playing rhythm guitar on the band's first tour. Mark Tremonti said, "We knew Myles was an amazing singer, that’s why we hired him. What we found out when we toured the first record was that he’s also an incredibly gifted guitar player and songwriter, as well as a vocalist." In an interview with Ultimate Guitar Archive, Tremonti said:

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Kennedy played rhythm guitar on ''Blackbird'' and has since played co-lead on several Alter Bridge tracks. Doug Clark, a writer for ''The Spokesman-Review'' and one of Kennedy's former guitar students, wrote that "his six-string skills are pyrotechnically brilliant." Kennedy notes that his job as a guitar player, especially recently with Alter Bridge, is to add texture and colors to the music. ''Second Skin'' is also the only album to feature lyrics written by Kennedy that contain profanity.

Personal life

Kennedy currently resides in Spokane, Washington with his wife, Selena, whom he married on May 27, 2003. He is diagnosed with tinnitus.

The topic of Kennedy's spiritual beliefs has become common in discussions amongst fans as it served as the inspiration for the general theme of Alter Bridge's 2010 album, ''AB III''. According to Alter Bridge's lead guitarist, Mark Tremonti, Kennedy does not believe in a God, although in an article titled ''Losing My Religion'' from a November 2010 issue of ''Kerrang!'' magazine, Kennedy said that he is agnostic, placing himself "somewhere in the middle" between being a Christian and an atheist. In an interview on the ''Blairing Out with Eric Blair Show'' at NAMM 2009, Kennedy mentioned that despite being raised in a Christian household, he is not a religious person and he does not believe in any organized religion. In an interview with CraveOnline, he said: "I would consider myself a part of the growing segment of people who question authority and scrutinize concepts that no longer seem as logical as they once did. [...] I don't find peace in the same concepts that many hold as truth. Believe me, I tried. It's not like I didn't spend most of my life submersed in the bosom of doctrine or dogma."

Kennedy has been identified as an avid reader and he says that he especially enjoys the work of John Irving, describing Irving's ''A Prayer for Owen Meany'' as one of his favorite novels. When asked about his hobbies, he replied: "I guess I have been pretty fortunate since I have turned what was a hobby into a living. Music pretty much consumes me. If I’m not writing, performing or listening I am probably trying to learn more about its history. I’m kind of a geek at the end of the day." He also joked, "Oh, I also like Curious George."

Discography

rowspan="2"

style="background:#dde; width:50px;"	Year	Artist	Album
1991	Cosmic Dust (band)>Cosmic Dust	''Journey''
1993	Citizen Swing
1995		''Deep Down''
1998	The Mayfield Four ||''Fallout''
2001	Second Skin (album)>Second Skin''
2004	Alter Bridge
2007		Blackbird (album)>Blackbird''
2010		''AB III''

Filmography

Films
Year	Film	Role	! Notes
2001		Mike	Minor role
Television appearances
! Year	! Title	! Role	! Notes
2005	''WWE Raw''	Himself	1 episode; guest appearance

References

External links

;Official

Official Alter Bridge website

;Unofficial

Myles-Kennedy.com

The Alter Bridge Nation

Category:1969 births Category:Living people Category:People from Spokane, Washington Category:American musicians of Irish descent Category:Singers with a four octave vocal range Category:Rhythm guitarists Category:Musicians from Washington (state) Category:American heavy metal singers Category:American heavy metal guitarists Category:Roadrunner Records artists Category:American agnostics

cs:Myles Kennedy de:Myles Kennedy es:Myles Kennedy fr:Myles Kennedy gl:Myles Kennedy ko:마일즈 케네디 it:Myles Kennedy hu:Myles Kennedy nl:Myles Kennedy pl:Myles Kennedy pt:Myles Kennedy ru:Кеннеди, Майлз fi:Myles Kennedy sv:Myles Kennedy

name	Tommy Bolin
background	solo_singer
born	August 01, 1951Sioux City, Iowa, U.S.
died	December 04, 1976Miami, Florida, U.S.
genre	Hard rock, blues-rock, funk rock, jazz fusion
instrument	Guitar, vocals, bass, drums, piano
occupation	Musician, songwriter
associated acts	Zephyr, Billy Cobham, James Gang, Deep Purple, Moxy
label	Columbia
years active	1966–1976
website	Official website
notable instruments	Fender StratocasterGibson Les Paul }}

Thomas Richard "Tommy" Bolin (August 1, 1951, Sioux City, Iowa - December 4, 1976) was an American-born guitarist who played with Zephyr (from 1969 to 1971), The James Gang (from 1973 through 1974), and Deep Purple (from 1975 to 1976), in addition to doing solo work. He was found dead on December 4, 1976, at the age of 25, from a heroin overdose in Miami, Florida, (the day after opening a show for Jeff Beck).

Musical career

Tommy Bolin began playing in bands around Sioux City as a youth before moving to Boulder, Colorado, in his late teens. He had played in a band called American Standard before joining Ethereal Zephyr, a band named after a train that ran between Denver and Chicago. When record companies became interested, the name was shortened to Zephyr. This band included Bolin on guitar, David Givens on bass, and Givens' wife Candy Givens on vocals. The band had begun to do larger venues, opening for more established acts such as Led Zeppelin. Their second album, entitled ''Going Back to Colorado'', featured a new drummer, Bobby Berge, who would pop up from time to time in musician credits in album liner notes from Bolin's later projects.

In 1972 Bolin, at the age of 20, formed the fusion jazz-rock-blues band Energy. While the band never released an album during Bolin's lifetime, several recordings have been released posthumously. He also played on Billy Cobham's ''Spectrum'' album, which included Bolin on guitar, Billy Cobham of Mahavishnu Orchestra on drums, Leland Sklar on bass and Jan Hammer (also of Mahavishnu Orchestra) on keyboards and synthesizers.

1973 found him as Domenic Troiano's replacement, who had replaced Joe Walsh, in the James Gang. He had two records with this band: ''Bang!'' in 1973 and ''Miami'' in 1974.

After the ''Miami'' tour, Bolin wanted out of the James Gang. He went on to do session work for numerous rock bands and also with a number of jazz artists including Alphonse Mouzon's album ''Mind Transplant''. He also toured with Carmine Appice, Moxy and The Good Rats.

Bolin signed with Nemperor records to record a solo album. Bolin decided to do his own vocals on this album as well. Session players on this record included David Foster, David Sanborn, Jan Hammer, Stanley Sheldon, Phil Collins and Glenn Hughes. During the recording of this album, he was contacted to replace Ritchie Blackmore in Deep Purple.

In the start of 1975 Bolin contributed some studio guitar assistance to Canadian band Moxy during the recording of their debut album. Later in 1975 saw the release of Bolin's first solo record, ''Teaser'', on the Nemperor label. After Ritchie Blackmore left Deep Purple, the band had a meeting and discussed whether to disband or try and find a replacement. The band decided to look for a replacement. David Coverdale had been listening the the Billy Cobham (Spectrum) LP and was naturally blown away! David wanted Tommy in Deep Purple and invited him over for a jam. He showed up thin as a rail with his girlfriend in tow wearing a see through mesh mini-skirt! He plugged in to 4 Marshall amps and jammed with the band for 4 hours, and the job was his! They then relocated to Munich Germany to begin work on Come Taste the Band! Bolin and Coverdale co-wrote the entire CD except for 1 track This Time Around, and Owed to G which is a tribute to George Gershwin, those 2 tracks were co-written by Jon Lord and Glenn Hughes respectively. Come Taste the Band was released in late 75, and a Japanese Tour ensued,and that CD remains one of the most musically diverse and adventurous within the Deep Purple spectrum. In 1975 and 1976 Deep Purple allowed Bolin to showcase one song per night from ''Teaser''. The title of this album was inspired by Bolin's passion for cross dressing. He went out to clubs for dancing where he would go by the name "Teaser" instead of Tommy. He would often keep a black duffle bag full of women's clothing locked in the trunk of his car for going out in the evening. He always kept his legs meticulously waxed.

In 2001, ''This Time Around: Live in Tokyo 1975'' was released.

After Deep Purple disbanded in March, 1976, Bolin was back on the road with his solo band and planning a second solo record. The band had a rotating cast of players which included Narada Michael Walden, Mark Stein, Norma Jean Bell, Reggie McBride, Jimmy Haslip, Max Carl Gronenthal and eventually Bolin's younger brother Johnnie Bolin on drums.

By 1976, CBS signed Bolin and he began to record ''Private Eyes'', his second and last solo record.

In 2010, several well known artists gathered to create a tribute album titled ''Mister Bolin’s Late Night Revival'', a compilation of 17 previously unreleased tracks written by the guitar legend. The CD includes works by HiFi Superstar, Doogie White, Eric Martin, Troy Luccketta, Jeff Pilson, Randy Jackson, Rex Carroll, Rachel Barton, Derek St. Holmes, Kimberley Dahme, and The 77’s. A percentage of the proceeds from this project will benefit the Jackson Recovery Centers.

Producer Greg Hampton, who has previously worked on such archival Bolin releases as Whips and Roses is currently co-producing (with Gov't Mule leader Warren Haynes) a star-studded tribute to Bolin - title and release date TBA.

Death

Bolin's tour for ''Private Eyes'' was his last. In his last concert dates, he opened for Peter Frampton and Jeff Beck. However, his final show, in which he opened for Jeff Beck on December 3, 1976, encored with a rendition of "Post Toastee." He also posed for a photo with Jeff Beck after the show.

Bolin died of a drug overdose on December 4, 1976, in Miami, Florida. His remains are buried in Calvary Cemetery, Sioux City, Iowa.

In 1999, Bolin's former Deep Purple bandmate and good friend Glenn Hughes, embarked on a 4-5 city tribute tour in Texas. Bolin's brother, Johnnie (of Black Oak Arkansas) played drums, and Rocky Athas and Craig Erickson (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) played guitar as they performed a roster of Bolin's songs.

Dean Guitars currently makes a Tommy Bolin tribute guitar, based on one of Tommy's favourites, being modeled as a superstrat, with 3 single coil pickups and a maple neck/fingerboard. It has a special inlay at the 12th fret, as well as a graphic modeled after his album Teaser on the body.

Discography

Solo

''Teaser'' (1975)

* ''Whips and Roses I & II'' (2006) : Teaser outtakes

''Private Eyes'' (1976)

''The Bottom Shelf'' (1997)

''Snapshot'' (1999)

''Naked'' (2000)

''Naked II'' (2002)

''After Hours: The Glen Holly Jams - Volume 1'' (2004)

''Teaser Deluxe'' (2011)

Live albums

''Live at Ebbets Field 1974'' (1997)

''Live at Ebbets Field 1976'' (1997)

''Live at Northern Lights Recording Studio'' (1997)

''First Time Live'' (2000)

''Live 9/19/76'' (2001)

''Live in Miami at Jai Alai: The Final Show'' (2002)

''Alive on Long Island'' (2003)

''Albany 9/20/76'' (2004)

''Live at the Jet Bar'' (2004)

Compilations

''From the Archives, Vol. 1'' (1996) ''Vol. 2'' (1998) : demo archive

''The Ultimate: The Best of Tommy Bolin'' (1989)

''Come Taste the Man'' (1999)

''The Ultimate Redux'' (2008)

with Patch of Blue

''Patch of Blue'' (1999)

with Zephyr

''Zephyr'' (1969)

''Going Back to Colorado'' (1971)

''Live at Art's Bar and Grill'' (1996)

with Energy

''The Energy Radio Broadcasts 1972'' (1998)

''Energy'' (1999)

''Tommy Bolin & Energy, Live in Boulder / Sioux City 1972'' (2003)

with James Gang

''Bang'' (1973)

''Miami'' (1974)

with Billy Cobham

''Spectrum'' (1973)

''Rudiments: The Billy Cobham Anthology'' (2004)

''Love Child. The Spectrum Sessions'' (2002)

with Alphonse Mouzon

''Mind Transplant'' (1975)

''Tommy Bolin & Alphonse Mouzon Fusion Jam'' (1999)

with Moxy

''Moxy'' (1975)

with Deep Purple

''Come Taste the Band'' (1975)

Live albums

''Last Concert in Japan'' (1977)

''King Biscuit Flower Hour Presents: Deep Purple in Concert'' (1995)

''On the Wings of a Russian Foxbat - Live in California '76'' (1995)

''Days May Come and Days May Go'' (''The California Rehearsals Volume 1'') (2000)

''1420 Beachwood Drive'' (''The California Rehearsals Volume 2'') (2000)

''Deep Purple: Extended Versions'' (2000)

''This Time Around: Live in Tokyo'' (2001)

Tribute Albums

''Mister Bolin's Late Night Revival'' (2010)

References

External links

The Official Tommy Bolin Archives - maintained by Bolin's family and a source of references to further sites

Billboard.com article by Greg Prato

Category:1951 births Category:1976 deaths Category:People from Sioux City, Iowa Category:Deep Purple members Category:Musicians from Iowa Category:American rock guitarists Category:Cocaine-related deaths in Florida

bg:Томи Боулин ca:Tommy Bolin cs:Tommy Bolin de:Tommy Bolin es:Tommy Bolin fr:Tommy Bolin hr:Tommy Bolin it:Tommy Bolin ka:ტომი ბოლინი hu:Tommy Bolin nl:Tommy Bolin ja:トミー・ボーリン no:Tommy Bolin pl:Tommy Bolin pt:Tommy Bolin ro:Tommy Bolin ru:Болин, Томми fi:Tommy Bolin sv:Tommy Bolin uk:Томмі Болін

background	non_vocal_instrumentalist
birth name	Lester William Polsfuss
born	June 09, 1915Waukesha, Wisconsin, United States
died	August 12, 2009White Plains, New York, United States
genre	Jazz, country, blues, rock and roll
occupation	Innovator, Inventor, Musician, Songwriter
instrument	Guitar, Banjo, Harmonica
years active	1928–2009
website	lespaulonline.com
notable instruments	Gibson Les Paul }}

Lester William Polsfuss (June 9, 1915 – August 12, 2009)—known as Les Paul—was an American jazz and country guitarist, songwriter and inventor. He was a pioneer in the development of the solid-body electric guitar which made the sound of rock and roll possible. He is credited with many recording innovations. Although he was not the first to use the technique, his early experiments with overdubbing (also known as sound on sound), delay effects such as tape delay, phasing effects and multitrack recording were among the first to attract widespread attention.

His innovative talents extended into his playing style, including licks, trills, chording sequences, fretting techniques and timing, which set him apart from his contemporaries and inspired many guitarists of the present day. He recorded with his wife Mary Ford in the 1950s, and they sold millions of records.

Among his many honors, Paul is one of a handful of artists with a permanent, stand-alone exhibit in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He is prominently named by the music museum on its website as an "architect" and a "key inductee" along with Sam Phillips and Alan Freed.

Biography

Early life

Les Paul was born Lester William Polsfuss outside Milwaukee, in Waukesha, Wisconsin, to George and Evelyn (1888–1989) (née Stutz) Polsfus. His family was of German ancestry. Paul's mother was related to the founders of Milwaukee's Valentin Blatz Brewing Company and the makers of the Stutz automobile. His parents divorced when he was a child. The Prussia family name was first simplified by his mother to Polfuss before he took his stage name of Les Paul. He also used the nicknames Red Hot Red and Rhubarb Red.

While living in Wisconsin, he first became interested in music at age eight when he began playing the harmonica. After an attempt at learning the banjo, he began to play the guitar. It was during this time that he invented a neck-worn harmonica holder, which allowed him to play the harmonica hands-free while accompanying himself on the guitar. Paul's device is still manufactured using his basic design. By age thirteen, Paul was performing semi-professionally as a country-music singer, guitarist and harmonica player. While playing at the Waukesha area drive-ins and roadhouses, Paul began his first experiment with sound. Wanting to make himself heard by more people at the local venues, he wired a phonograph needle to a radio speaker, using that to amplify his acoustic guitar. At age seventeen, Paul played with Rube Tronson's Texas Cowboys, and soon after he dropped out of high school to join Wolverton's Radio Band in St. Louis, Missouri, on KMOX.

Early career

Paul migrated to Chicago in 1934, where he continued to perform on radio. His first two records were released in 1936. One was credited to "Rhubarb Red", Paul's hillbilly ''alter ego'', and the other was as an accompanist for blues-artist Georgia White. It was during this time that he began playing jazz and adopted his stage name.

Paul's jazz-guitar style was strongly influenced by the music of Django Reinhardt, whom he greatly admired. Following World War II, Paul sought out and befriended Reinhardt. After Reinhardt's death in 1953, Paul furnished his headstone. One of Paul's prize possessions was a Selmer Maccaferri acoustic guitar given to him by Reinhardt's widow.

Paul formed a trio in 1937 with singer/rhythm guitarist Jim Atkins (older half-brother of guitarist Chet Atkins) and bassist/percussionist Ernie "Darius" Newton. They left Chicago for New York in 1939, landing a featured spot with ''Fred Waring's Pennsylvanians'' radio show. Chet Atkins later wrote that his brother, home on a family visit, presented the younger Atkins with an expensive Gibson archtop guitar that had been given to Jim Atkins by Les Paul. Chet recalled that it was the first professional-quality instrument he ever owned.

Paul was dissatisfied with acoustic-electric guitars and began experimenting at his apartment in Queens, NY with a few designs of his own. Famously, he created several versions of "The Log", which was nothing more than a length of common 4x4 lumber with a bridge, guitar neck and pickup attached. For the sake of appearance, he attached the body of an Epiphone hollow-body guitar, sawn lengthwise with The Log in the middle. This solved his two main problems: feedback, as the acoustic body no longer resonated with the amplified sound, and sustain, as the energy of the strings was not dissipated in generating sound through the guitar body. These instruments were constantly being improved and modified over the years, and Paul continued to use them in his recordings long after the development of his eponymous Gibson model.

While experimenting in his apartment in 1940, Paul nearly succumbed to electrocution. During two years of recuperation, he relocated to Hollywood, supporting himself by producing radio music and forming a new trio. He was drafted into the US Army shortly after the beginning of World War II, where he served in the Armed Forces Network, backing such artists as Bing Crosby, the Andrews Sisters, and performing in his own right. As a last-minute replacement for Oscar Moore, Paul played with Nat King Cole and other artists in the inaugural Jazz at the Philharmonic concert in Los Angeles, California, on July 2, 1944. The recording, still available as Jazz at the Philharmonic- the first concert- shows Paul at the top of his game, both in his solid four to the bar comping in the style of Freddie Green and for the originality of his solo lines. Paul's solo on 'Blues' is an astonishing tour de force and represents a memorable contest between himself and Nat 'King' Cole. Much later in his career, Paul declared that he had been the victor and that this had been conceded by Cole. His solo on Body and Soul is a fine demonstration both of his admiration for and emulation of the playing of Django Reinhardt, as well as his development of some very original lines.

Also that year, Paul's trio appeared on Bing Crosby's radio show. Crosby went on to sponsor Paul's recording experiments. The two also recorded together several times, including a 1945 number-one hit, "It's Been a Long, Long Time." In addition to backing Crosby, The Andrews Sisters and other artists, Paul's trio also recorded a few albums of their own on the Decca label in the late 1940s.

In January 1948, Paul shattered his right arm and elbow in a near-fatal automobile accident on an icy Route 66 just west of Davenport, Oklahoma. Mary Ford was driving the Buick convertible, which rolled several times down a creekbed; they were on their way back from Wisconsin to Los Angeles after performing at the opening of a restaurant owned by Paul's father. Doctors at Oklahoma City's Wesley Presbyterian Hospital told him that they could not rebuild his elbow so that he would regain movement; his arm would remain permanently in whatever position they placed it in. Their other option was amputation. Paul instructed surgeons, brought in from Los Angeles, to set his arm at an angle—just under 90 degrees—that would allow him to cradle and pick the guitar. It took him nearly a year and a half to recover.

Guitar builder

Paul's innovative guitar, "The Log", built after-hours in the Epiphone guitar factory in 1940, a 4" × 4" chunk of pine with strings and a pickup, was one of the first solid-body electric guitars. Paul Tutmarc of Audiovox Manufacturing Co. built a solid body electric bass in 1935 and Adolph Rickenbacker had marketed a solid-body guitar in the 1930s and Paul A. Bigsby had built one for Merle Travis in 1948 and Leo Fender also independently created his own in 1949. Although Paul approached the Gibson Guitar Corporation with his idea of a solid body electric guitar, they showed no interest until Fender began marketing its Esquire which later became known as the Telecaster models.

The arrangement persisted until 1961, when declining sales prompted Gibson to change the design without Paul's knowledge, creating a much thinner, lighter and more aggressive-looking instrument with two cutaway "horns" instead of one. Paul said he first saw the "new" Gibson Les Paul in a music-store window, and disliked it. Although his contract required him to pose with the guitar, he said it was not "his" instrument and asked Gibson to remove his name from the headstock. Others claimed that Paul ended his endorsement contract with Gibson during his divorce to avoid having his wife get his endorsement money. Gibson renamed the guitar "Gibson SG", which stands for "Solid Guitar", and it also became one of the company's best sellers.

The original Gibson Les Paul-guitar design regained popularity when Eric Clapton began playing the instrument a few years later, although he also played an SG and an ES-335. Paul resumed his relationship with Gibson and endorsed the original Gibson Les Paul guitar from that point onwards. His personal Gibson Les Pauls were much modified by him—Paul always used his own self-wound pickups and customized methods of switching between pickups on his guitars. To this day, various models of Gibson Les Paul guitars are used all over the world by both novice and professional guitarists. A less-expensive version of the Gibson Les Paul guitar is also manufactured for Gibson's lower-priced Epiphone brand.

On January 30, 1962, the US Patent and Trademark Office issued Paul a patent, Patent No. 3,018,680, for an "Electrical Music Instrument."

Multitrack-recording innovations

Paul had never been happy with the way his records sounded. During a post-recording session talk with Bing Crosby, the crooner suggested Paul try building his own recording studio so he might be able to get the sound he wanted. At first Paul discounted the idea only to give it a few more minutes thought before deciding Crosby was right. Paul started his own studio in the garage of his home on Hollywood's North Curson Street. The studio drew many other famous vocalists and musicians who wanted the benefit of Paul's expertise. The home and studio are still standing, but both had been moved to Pasadena at some point after Paul no longer owned the home.

In 1948, Les Paul was given one of the first Ampex Model 200A reel-to-reel audio tape recording decks by Crosby and went on to use Ampex's eight track "Sel-Sync" machines for Multitrack recording. Capitol Records released a recording that had begun as an experiment in Paul's garage, entitled "Lover (When You're Near Me)", which featured Paul playing eight different parts on electric guitar, some of them recorded at half-speed, hence "double-fast" when played back at normal speed for the master. ("Brazil", similarly recorded, was the B-side.) This was the first time that Les Paul used multitracking in a recording (Paul had been shopping his multitracking technique, unsuccessfully, since the '30s. Much to his dismay, Sidney Bechet used it in 1941 to play half a dozen instruments on "Sheik of Araby"). These recordings were made not with magnetic tape, but with acetate discs. Paul would record a track onto a disk, then record himself playing another part with the first. He built the multitrack recording with overlaid tracks, rather than parallel ones as he did later. By the time he had a result he was satisfied with, he had discarded some five hundred recording disks.

Paul even built his own disc-cutter assembly, based on automobile parts. He favored the flywheel from a Cadillac for its weight and flatness. Even in these early days, he used the acetate-disk setup to record parts at different speeds and with delay, resulting in his signature sound with echoes and birdsong-like guitar riffs. When he later began using magnetic tape, the major change was that he could take his recording rig on tour with him, even making episodes for his fifteen-minute radio show in his hotel room. He later worked with Ross Snyder in the design of the first eight-track recording deck (built for him by Ampex for his home studio.)

Electronics engineer Jack Mullin had been assigned to a U.S. Army Signal Corps unit stationed in France during World War II. On a mission in Germany near the end of the war, he acquired and later shipped home a German Magnetophon (tape recorder) and fifty reels of I.G. Farben plastic recording tape. Back in the U.S., Mullin rebuilt and developed the machine with the intention of selling it to the film industry, and held a series of demonstrations which quickly became the talk of the American audio industry.

Within a short time, Crosby had hired Mullin to record and produce his radio shows and master his studio recordings on tape, and he invested US$50,000 in a Northern California electronics firm, Ampex. With Crosby's backing, Mullin and Ampex created the Ampex Model 200, the world's first commercially produced reel-to-reel audio tape recorder. Crosby gave Les Paul the second Model 200 to be produced. Using this machine, Paul placed an additional playback head, located before the conventional erase/record/playback heads. This allowed Paul to play along with a previously recorded track, both of which were mixed together on to a new track. This was a mono tape recorder with just one track across the entire width of quarter-inch tape; thus, the recording was "destructive" in the sense that the original recording was permanently replaced with the new, mixed recording.

Paul's re-invention of the Ampex 200 inspired Ampex to develop two-track and three-track recorders, which allowed him to record as many tracks on one tape without erasing previous takes. These machines were the backbone of professional recording, radio and television studios in the 1950s and early 1960s. In 1954, Paul continued to develop this technology by commissioning Ampex to build the first 8-track (multitrack) tape recorder, at his own expense. His design became known as "Sel-Sync" (Selective Synchronization), in which specially modified electronics could either record or play back from the record head, which was not optimized for playback but which had acceptable sound quality for musicians to listen to for the purposes of recording an "overdub" (OD) in sync with the original recording. This is the core technology behind multitrack recording.

Les Paul & Mary Ford

Paul met country-western singer Colleen Summers in 1945. They began working together in 1948, at which time she adopted the stage name Mary Ford. They were married in 1949. The couple's hits included "How High the Moon", "Bye Bye Blues", "Song in Blue", "Don'cha Hear Them Bells", "The World Is Waiting for the Sunrise", and "Vaya con Dios". These songs featured Ford harmonizing with herself.

Like Crosby, Paul and Ford used the now-ubiquitous recording technique known as close miking, where the microphone is less than from the singer's mouth. This produces a more-intimate, less-reverberant sound than is heard when a singer is or more from the microphone. When implemented using a cardioid-patterned microphone, it emphasizes low-frequency sounds in the voice due to a cardioid microphone's proximity effect and can give a more relaxed feel because the performer isn't working so hard. The result is a singing style which diverged strongly from unamplified theater-style singing, as might be heard in musical comedies of the 1930s and 1940s.

Radio and television programs

Paul had hosted a fifteen-minute radio program, ''The Les Paul Show'', on NBC radio in 1950, featuring his trio (himself, Ford and rhythm player Eddie Stapleton) and his electronics, recorded from their home and with gentle humor between Paul and Ford bridging musical selections, some of which had already been successful on records, some of which anticipated the couple's recordings, and many of which presented re-interpretations of such jazz and pop selections as "In the Mood", "Little Rock Getaway", "Brazil" and "Tiger Rag". Over ten of these shows survive among old-time radio collectors today.

The show also appeared on television a few years later with the same format, but excluding the trio and retitled ''The Les Paul & Mary Ford Show'' (also known as ''Les Paul & Mary Ford at Home'') with "Vaya Con Dios" as a theme song. Sponsored by Warner Lambert's Listerine mouthwash, it was widely syndicated during 1954–1955, and was only five minutes (one or two songs) long on film, therefore used as a brief interlude or fill-in in programming schedules. Since Paul created the entire show himself, including audio and video, he maintained the original recordings and was in the process of restoring them to current quality standards up until his death.

During his radio shows, Paul introduced the fictional "Les Paulverizer" device, which multiplies anything fed into it, like a guitar sound or a voice. Paul has stated that the idea was to explain to the audience how his single guitar could be multiplied to become a group of guitars. The device even became the subject of comedy, with Ford multiplying herself and her vacuum cleaner with it so she could finish the housework faster.

Later career

In 1965, Paul went into semi-retirement, although he did return to the studio occasionally. He and Ford had divorced in December 1962, as she could no longer cope with the traveling lifestyle their act required of them. Paul's most-recognizable recordings from then through the mid-1970s were an album for London Records/Phase 4 Stereo, ''Les Paul Now'' (1968), on which he updated some of his earlier hits; and, backed by some of Nashville's celebrated studio musicians, a meld of jazz and country improvisation with fellow guitar virtuoso Chet Atkins, ''Chester and Lester'' (1976), for RCA Victor.

By the late 1980s, Paul had returned to active live performance, continuing into his 80s even though he often found it painful to play the guitar because of arthritis in his hands. In 2006, at age 90, he won two Grammys at the 48th Annual Grammy Awards for his album ''Les Paul & Friends: American Made World Played''. He also performed every Monday night, accompanied by a trio which included guitarist Lou Pallo, bassist Paul Nowinksi (and later, Nicki Parrott) and pianist John Colianni, originally at Fat Tuesdays, and later at the Iridium Jazz Club on Broadway in the Times Square area of New York City.

Composer Richard Stein (1909–1992) sued Paul for plagiarism, charging that Paul's "Johnny (Is the Boy for Me)" was taken from Stein's 1937 song "Sanie cu zurgălăi" (Romanian for "Sledge with Bells"). A 2000 cover version of "Johnny" by Belgian musical group Vaya Con Dios that credited Paul prompted another action by the Romanian Musical Performing and Mechanical Rights Society.

For many years Les Paul would sometimes surprise radio hosts Steve King and Johnnie Putman with a call to the "Life After Dark Show" on WGN (AM) in Chicago. These calls would take place in the wee hours of Tuesday Morning following his show at the Iridium Jazz Club. Steve and Johnnie continue to honor Les on Tuesday Mornings at 2:35 AM with their segment "A Little More Les" drawing from around 30 hours of recorded conversations with Les.

Death

On August 12, 2009, Paul died of complications from pneumonia at White Plains Hospital in White Plains, New York. His family and friends were by his side. Paul is survived by his four children and his companion Arlene Palmer. His attorney told the media Paul had been "in and out of the hospital" because of illness. His last concert took place a few weeks before his death.

Upon learning of his death many artists and popular musicians paid tribute by publicly expressing their sorrow. After learning of Paul's death, former Guns N' Roses guitarist Slash called him "vibrant and full of positive energy.", while Richie Sambora, lead guitarist of Bon Jovi, referred to him as "revolutionary in the music business". U2 guitarist The Edge said, "His legacy as a musician and inventor will live on and his influence on rock and roll will never be forgotten."

On August 21, 2009, he was buried near Milwaukee in Waukesha, Wisconsin at Prairie Home Cemetery which indicated that his plot would be in an area where visitors can easily view it. Like his funeral in New York on August 19, the burial was private, but earlier in the day a public memorial viewing of the closed casket was held in Milwaukee at Discovery World with 1,500 attendees who were offered free admission to the Les Paul House of Sound exhibit for the day.

Awards and honors

Paul was initiated into the Gamma Delta chapter of the Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity at the University of Miami in 1952. He has earned the Presidential award from the Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity.

In 1979, Paul and Ford's 1951 recording of "How High the Moon" was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. Paul received a Grammy Trustees Award for his lifetime achievements in 1983.

In 1988, Paul was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame by Jeff Beck, who said, "I've copied more licks from Les Paul than I'd like to admit." In 1991, the Mix Foundation established an annual award in his name; the Les Paul Award which honors "individuals or institutions that have set the highest standards of excellence in the creative application of audio technology". In 2005, he was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame for his development of the solid-body electric guitar. In 2006, Paul was inducted into the National Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame. He was named an honorary member of the Audio Engineering Society. In 2007, he was awarded the National Medal of Arts.

A one-hour biographical documentary film ''The Wizard of Waukesha'' was shown at the Los Angeles International Film Exposition (FILMEX) March 4–21, 1980, and later on PBS television. A biographical, feature-length documentary titled ''Chasing Sound: Les Paul at 90'' made its world première on May 9, 2007, at the Downer Theater in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Paul appeared at the event and spoke briefly to the enthusiastic crowd. The film is distributed by Koch Entertainment and was broadcast on PBS on July 11, 2007, as part of its American Masters series and was broadcast on October 17, 2008, on BBC Four as part of its Guitar Night. The première coincided with the final part of a three-part documentary by the BBC broadcast on BBC ONE ''The Story of the Guitar''.

In June 2008, an exhibit showcasing his legacy and featuring items from his personal collection opened at Discovery World in Milwaukee. The exhibit was facilitated by a group of local musicians under the name Partnership for the Arts and Creative Excellence (PACE). Paul played a concert in Milwaukee to coincide with the opening of the exhibit.

Paul's hometown of Waukesha is planning a permanent exhibit to be called "The Les Paul experience."

In July 2005, a 90th-birthday tribute concert was held at Carnegie Hall in New York City. After performances by Steve Miller, Peter Frampton, Jose Feliciano and a number of other contemporary guitarists and vocalists, Paul was presented with a commemorative guitar from the Gibson Guitar Corporation.

On November 15, 2008, he received the American Music Masters award through the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at a tribute concert at the State Theater in Cleveland, Ohio. Among the many guest performers were Duane Eddy, Eric Carmen, Lonnie Mack, Jennifer Batten, Jeff "Skunk" Baxter, Dennis Coffey, James Burton, Billy Gibbons, Lenny Kaye, Steve Lukather, Barbara Lynn, Katy Moffatt, Alannah Myles, Richie Sambora, The Ventures and Slash.

In February 2009, only months prior to his death, Les Paul sat down with Scott Vollweiler of Broken Records Magazine, in which would be one of Les Paul's final interviews. His candid answers were direct and emotional. Broken Records Magazine had planned to run that cover feature the following month but due to delays was held until the summer. 3 days before the release, Les Paul died. The issue would be his final cover feature of his storied career.

In August, 2009, Paul was named one of the ten best electric guitar players of all-time by ''Time'' magazine.

On June 9, 2010, which would have been Les Paul's 95th birthday, a tribute concert featuring Jeff Beck, Imelda May, Gary U.S. Bonds and Brian Setzer among others, was held at the Iridium Jazz Club where Les Paul played nearly every week almost to the end of his life. The concert was released on the live album Rock 'n' Roll Party (Honoring Les Paul) in 2011.

On June 9–10, 2011 Google celebrated what would have been Paul's 96th birthday with a Google doodle of an interactive guitar.

Personal life

Paul married Virginia Webb in 1938. They had two children, Gene (Lester Jr.), born in 1941 and named after actor-songwriter Gene Lockhart, and Russell (Rusty), born 1944, before divorcing in 1949. Later that year, Paul and Mary Ford (born Iris Colleen Summers) were married. They adopted a girl, Colleen, in 1958 and their son Robert (Bobby) was born the following year. They had also lost a child, who was born prematurely and died only four days old. Les Paul and Mary Ford divorced in 1963.

Paul was the instructor of rock guitarist Steve Miller of the Steve Miller Band, to whom Paul gave his first guitar lesson. Miller's father was best man at Paul's 1949 wedding to Mary Ford.

Paul resided for many years in Mahwah, New Jersey.

Discography

Hit singles

Year	Single	Chart positions
		! style="width:35px;"	! style="width:35px;"	! style="width:35px;"	! style="width:35px;"
1945		1
1946		4
		21
	22
	11
		9
	21
	18
	6
		23
	2		7
	1	2
	12
	18
	2
	7
	5
	10
		2
	13
	14
	15
	14
	5
	15
	8
	7
		5
	10
	21
style="text-align:left;"	1			7
	15
	25
	13
		11
	6
	10
	19
		7
	38
	96
		91
	49
	91
1957		35
1958		32
		37
	105

Albums

''Feedback'' (1944)—compilation

''Les Paul Trio'' (1946)—compilation

''Hawaiian Paradise'' (1949)

''The New Sound'' (1950)

''Les Paul's New Sound, Volume 2'' (1951)

''Bye Bye Blues!'' (1952)

''Gallopin' Guitars'' (1952)—compilation

''The Hit Makers!'' (1953)

''Les and Mary'' (1955)

''Time to Dream'' (1957)

''Lover's Luau'' (1959)

''The Hits of Les and Mary'' (1960)—compilation

''Bouquet of Roses'' (1962)

''Warm and Wonderful'' (1962)

''Swingin' South'' (1963)

''Fabulous Les Paul and Mary Ford'' (1965)

''Les Paul Now!'' (1968)

''Guitar Tapestry''

''Lover''

''The Guitar Artistry of Les Paul'' (1971)

''The World is Still Waiting for the Sunrise'' (1974)—compilation

''The Best of Les Paul with Mary Ford'' (1974)—compilation

''Chester and Lester'' (1976)—with Chet Atkins

''Guitar Monsters'' (1977)—with Chet Atkins

''Les Paul and Mary Ford'' (1978)—compilation

''Multi Trackin' '' (1979)

''All-Time Greatest Hits'' (1983)—compilation

''The Very Best of Les Paul with Mary Ford'

''Famille Nombreuse'' (1992)—compilation

''The World Is Waiting'' (1992)—compilation

''The Best of the Capitol Masters: Selections From "The Legend and the Legacy" Box Set'' (1992)—compilation

''All-Time Greatest Hits'' (1992)—compilation

''Their All-Time Greatest Hits'' (1995)—compilation

''Les Paul: The Legend and the Legacy'' (1996; a four-CD box set chronicling his years with Capitol Records)

''16 Most Requested Songs'' (1996)—compilation

''The Complete Decca Trios—Plus (1936–1947)'' (1997)—compilation

''California Melodies'' (2003)

''Les Paul – The Legendary Fred Waring Broadcasts (2004)

''Les Paul & Friends: American Made World Played'' (2005)

''Les Paul And Friends: A Tribute To A Legend'' (2008)

Singles

"It's Been a Long, Long Time"—Bing Crosby & The Les Paul Trio (1945), #1 on Billboard Pop singles chart, 1 week, December 8

"Rumors Are Flying"—Andrews Sisters & Les Paul (1946)

"Guitar Boogie" (1947)

"Lover (When You're Near Me)" (1948)

"Brazil" (1948)

"What Is This Thing Called Love?" (1948)

"Nola" (1950)

"Goofus" (1950)

"Little Rock 69 Getaway" (1950/1951)

"Tennessee Waltz"—Les Paul & Mary Ford (1950/1951), #1, Cashbox

"Mockingbird Hill"—Les Paul & Mary Ford (1951), #1, Cashbox

"How High The Moon"—Les Paul & Mary Ford (1951), #1, Billboard Pop singles chart, 9 weeks, April 21 – June 16; #1, Cashbox, 2 weeks; #2, R&B; chart

"I Wish I Had Never Seen Sunshine"—Les Paul & Mary Ford (1951)

"The World Is Waiting for the Sunrise"—Les Paul & Mary Ford (1951), #2, Billboard; #3, Cashbox

"Just One More Chance"—Les Paul & Mary Ford (1951)

"Jazz Me Blues" (1951)

"Josephine" (1951)

"Whispering" (1951)

"Jingle Bells" (1951)

"Tiger Rag"—Les Paul & Mary Ford (1952), #2, Billboard; #8, Cashbox

"I'm Confessin' (That I Love You)"—Les Paul & Mary Ford (1952)

"Carioca" (1952)

"In the Good Old Summertime"—Les Paul & Mary Ford (1952)

"Smoke Rings"—Les Paul & Mary Ford (1952)

"Meet Mister Callaghan" (1952), #5, Billboard

"Take Me In Your Arms And Hold Me"—Les Paul & Mary Ford (1952)

"Lady of Spain" (1952)

"My Baby's Coming Home"—Les Paul & Mary Ford (1952)

"Bye Bye Blues"—Les Paul & Mary Ford (1953)

"I'm Sitting On Top Of The World"—Les Paul & Mary Ford (1953)

"Sleep" (Fred Waring's theme song) (1953)

"Vaya Con Dios"—Les Paul & Mary Ford (1953), #1, Billboard Pop singles chart, 11 weeks, August 8 – October 3, November 7–14; #1, Cashbox, 5 weeks

"Johnny (Is The Boy For Me)"—Les Paul & Mary Ford (1953), #15, Billboard; #25, Cashbox

"Don'cha Hear Them Bells"—Les Paul & Mary Ford (1953), #13, Billboard; #32, Cashbox

"The Kangaroo" (1953), #25, Billboard; #23, Cashbox

"I Really Don't Want To Know"—Les Paul & Mary Ford (1954)

"I'm A Fool To Care"—Les Paul & Mary Ford (1954)

"Whither Thou Goest"—Les Paul & Mary Ford (1954)

"Mandolino"—Les Paul & Mary Ford (1954), #19, Billboard

"Song in Blue"—Les Paul & Mary Ford (1954), #17, Cashbox

"Hummingbird"—Les Paul & Mary Ford (1955)

"Amukiriki (The Lord Willing)"—Les Paul & Mary Ford (1955)

"Magic Melody"—Les Paul & Mary Ford (1955)

"Texas Lady"—Les Paul & Mary Ford (1956)

"Moritat" (Theme from "Three Penny Opera") (1956)

"Nuevo Laredo"—Les Paul & Mary Ford (1956)

"Cinco Robles (Five Oaks)"—Les Paul & Mary Ford (1957)

"Put A Ring On My Finger"—Les Paul & Mary Ford (1958)

"Jura (I Swear I Love You)"—Les Paul & Mary Ford (1961)

"Love Sneakin' Up On You"-Les Paul, Joss Stone & Sting (2005)

Compositions

Les Paul was also a prolific composer. Some of the songs he wrote were "Song in Blue", "Cryin'", "Hip-billy Boogie", "Suspicion", "Mandolino", "Magic Melody", "Don'cha Hear Them Bells", "The Kangaroo", "Big-Eyed Gal", "All I Need is You", "Mammy's Boogie", and "Walkin' and Whistlin' Blues".

See also

Ampex

Discovery World

Gibson Les Paul

Gibson SG

List of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees

Mary Ford

References

External links

History of Les Paul

Les Paul: Chasing Sound (may require subscription) PBS Documentary on the life of Les Paul, including extended interviews with Paul.

Remembering Les Paul Photos and extended interviews with Les on WGN Chicago's Steve & Johnnie early morning show

Staff writer (August 13, 2009). "Les Paul", obituary at ''The Daily Telegraph'' (Accessed August 24, 2009)

"Les Paul, 'The Wizard of Waukesha'", a biography (undated) at the Wisconsin Historical Society's official website

''Les Paul – Discovery World 2005'' video (requires Adobe Flash) at Discovery World's (museum) official website

''The Les Paul Show'', archive of Paul's NBC radio show at the Internet Archive's official website (includes MP3 files (free) of eleven of their radio shows including their audition show)

lespaulfoundation.org, Les Paul Foundation website (includes Legacy, Foundation & Community websites)

"Les Paul: Legacy of a Guitar Hero" at LIFE

''The Wizard of Waukesha'' (1980) at Allmovie's official website

''Les Paul – 'Miles of Music''', two video interviews of and performances by Paul (5–6 minutes each; requires Adobe Flash) with Bob Miles on ''Miles of Music'' (milesofmusic.tv), a Public-access television cable TV program

CLASSIC TRACKS: Les Paul & Mary Ford 'How High The Moon'

Photo Library from performances at Iridium

Les Paul's final interview

Category:American jazz guitarists Category:American musical instrument makers Category:American radio personalities Category:Capitol Records artists Category:Columbia Records artists Category:Deaths from pneumonia Category:Decca Records artists Category:American musicians of German descent Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Guitar makers Category:Infectious disease deaths in New York Category:Inventors of musical instruments Category:Lead guitarists Category:Musicians from New Jersey Category:Musicians from Wisconsin Category:National Inventors Hall of Fame inductees Category:People from Mahwah, New Jersey Category:People from Waukesha, Wisconsin Category:RCA Victor artists Category:Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees Category:United States National Medal of Arts recipients Category:1915 births Category:2009 deaths Category:American rock guitarists Category:American inventors Category:American blues guitarists

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name	Joe Bonamassa
landscape	Yes
background	solo_singer
birth date	May 08, 1977
instrument	Vocals, guitar
genre	Blues rock, hard rock, rock and roll
occupation	Musician, singer-songwriter
years active	1989–present
label	J&R; Adventures
associated acts	Bloodline, Black Country Communion
website	Official website
notable instruments	Gibson Les PaulGibson Lucille }}

Joe Bonamassa (born May 8, 1977 in New Hartford, New York, USA) is an American blues rock guitarist and singer.

Early life

Bonamassa was born and raised in New Hartford, NY. His parents owned and ran a guitar shop. As a fourth-generation musician, he recalls knowing he wanted to be a musician as early as age four. With a great-grandfather and grandfather who both played trumpet, and a father who plays guitar, Bonamassa credits his parents with fostering an appreciation of music in his life as early as he can remember. When he was a young child, he would listen to his parents' large record collection. He recalls at age 7, sitting with his parents on Saturdays and listening to Guitar Slim; Bonnie Raitt; Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young; Eric Clapton; and Jethro Tull. Thus, he sees his music as an amalgam of all the various rock and blues he heard as a child.

He received his first guitar from his father at the age of 4, and by age 7 he was playing Stevie Ray Vaughan and Jimi Hendrix tunes note for note. At the age of 11, during a short period of being mentored by Danny Gatton, he learned such styles as country and jazz as well as Polka. During this time with Gatton, Bonamassa sat in with Gatton's band whenever they played in New York. He first opened for B. B. King at 12 years of age. After first hearing him play, King said, “This kid's potential is unbelievable. He hasn't even begun to scratch the surface. He's one of a kind.” At 14, he was invited to attend a Fender guitar event; during that trip to the West Coast he met Berry Oakley, Jr. Bonamassa and Berry founded the group Bloodline with Miles Davis's son Erin and Robby Krieger's son Waylon. They released one album which produced two chart singles — "Stone Cold Hearted", and "Dixie Peach." He has since played with other music greats including Buddy Guy, Foreigner, Robert Cray, Stephen Stills, Joe Cocker, Gregg Allman, Steve Winwood, Paul Jones, Ted Nugent, Warren Haynes, Eric Clapton, Derek Trucks, and Jack Bruce.

Influences

Unlike other successful blues-rock guitarists, Bonamassa has cited his influences as being British and Irish blues acts, rather than American acts. Within the blues genre, hearing the traditional blues players, as with Guitar Slim, Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters, and all the traditional American blues players, (with the exception of B.B. King), comparing the music in the United States to the "European" versions of the blues, Bonamassa found the English blues, fostered by notable musicians such as the Jeff Beck Group, Eric Clapton, and the Irish blues player Rory Gallagher to be far more interesting to him than the original Delta blues players. which debuted at #1 on the Billboard Blues Charts and #38 on the Billboard Top 200.

In May 2010 he asked Ian Anderson to guest at his concert at London's Hammersmith Apollo on May 28in London, and they played "A New Day Yesterday" along with "Locomotive Breath". Joe stated that the concert was the largest audience he had played for, to date. The audience number was 5,200.

The Joe Bonamassa, Glenn Hughes, Jason Bonham, Derek Sherinian supergroup is now called Black Country Communion. The band were forced to add 'Communion' to their original name Black Country after another band with the same name raised an objection.

In March 2011, Bonamassa released his eleventh full-length solo album, titled Dust Bowl.

Discography

Solo

''A New Day Yesterday'' (2000)

''Live At Fort Wayne, Indiana'' (2001)

''So, It's Like That'' (2002)

''A New Day Yesterday, Live'' (2002)

''Blues Deluxe'' (2003)

''Had to Cry Today'' (2004)

''Live At Rockplast'' (2006)

''You & Me'' (2006)

''Imac Theatre, Huntington, NY'' (2007)

''Shepherds Bush Empire'' (2007)

''Sloe Gin'' (2007) UK #50 ''Live From Nowhere in Particular'' (2008) UK #45 ''The Ballad of John Henry'' U.S. #103, (2009) UK #26

''Joe Bonamassa - Live from the Royal Albert Hall'' (2009)

''Live At The B.B.C.'' (2010)

''Black Rock'' (2010) U.S. #39, UK #14, GER: #22

''Dust Bowl'' (2011) U.S. #37, UK #12

Duet

''Don't Explain'' (2011,with Beth Hart)

with Black Country Communion

''Black Country'' (2010)

''2'' (2011)

Guest appearances

!Release	!Artist	!Album	!Song
2000	Joe Lynn Turner		"Honest Crime""Wolves at the Door""Angel"
2003	Joe Lynn Turner	''JLT''	"Jump Start""Dirty Deal""Excess"
2006	Walter Trout	Full Circle	"Clouds On The Horizon"
2009	Carl Verheyen Band	Trading 8's	"Highway 27"
2010/02/09	Shannon Curfman	''What You're Getting Into''	"The Core"
2010/05/17	Sandi Thom	''Merchants and Thieves''	"This Ol' World"
2010	Healing Sixes	Blue Jay	"Fine Time"
2010	Lee Ritenour	Six String Theory	"Give Me One Good Reason"
2011	Henrik Freischlader	''Still Frame Replay''	"Still Frame Replay"
2011	Don Airey		"People in Your Head"
2011/09/19	Leslie West		"Third Degree"

DVDs

''Live at the Rockpalast'' was released in 2005, and recorded at the Burg Satzvey in Mechernich, Germany. It is one of the last concerts Bonamassa performed with his original band.

A live DVD titled ''A New Day Yesterday, Live'' was given away for a short period of time with ''So, It's Like That''. This concert was later re-released as a full CD and DVD.

An instructional DVD, ''Signature Sounds, Styles and Techniques'', was released in 2006.

A live DVD, ''Joe Bonamassa: Live From Royal Albert Hall'' was released in September 2009.

Joe Bonamassa's performance with pedal-steel guitarist Robert Randolph, Randolph's ''Family Band'' and Pino Daniele at the 2010 edition of Crossroads Guitar Festival appears on the ''Crossroads 2010'' DVD. The song they played is ''Going Down''.

References

External links

Joe talks about his birth and influences

Joe Bonamassa official website

Joe Bonamassa Experience official website

Joe Bonamassa Japan official website

Official Joe Bonamassa Fan Website

Dutch Joe Bonamassa Fan Website

Blue and Evil Digital Download via JBonamassa.com

2007 Rock N Roll Universe Interview

2008 Express & Star Interview

2008 Guitar Messenger Interview

Joe Bonamassa guitars, gear and reviews

Joe Bonamassa ItalkGuitar - Interview

Joe Bonamassa on Channel One News

Blues Guitarist Joe Bonamassa studio footage for the song 'Stop' from 'Ballad of John Henry' CD.

Guitar International Interview with Joe Bonamassa

Category:1977 births Category:Living people Category:People from Utica, New York Category:Lead guitarists Category:Slide guitarists Category:American blues guitarists Category:American rock guitarists Category:American blues singers Category:American rock singers Category:Blues rock musicians Category:Electric blues musicians Category:American musicians of Italian descent Category:Black Country Communion members Category:Epic Records artists

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