Famous and Influential Musicians - "Keyboards"
Throughout the history of music
individual performers have had a major impact on the music scene. These
influential/notable musicians have left their mark
by expanding the envelope of their respective genres, either
through technical proficiency, experimentation/exploration, or persona.
The following list of
notable/influential keyboard ists is by no means complete. The
performers listed are those that readily came to mind, and any additions
to the list can be sent
using the link at the bottom of the page.
Al Kooper
- born Alan Peter Kuperschmidt, February 5, 1944, in Brooklyn, New
York, is an American songwriter, record producer and musician, probably
best known for organizing the group Blood, Sweat & Tears, though he
did not stay with the group long enough to share its popularity. He
provided important studio support for Bob Dylan when he went electric in
1965, and also brought together guitarists Mike Bloomfield and Stephen
Stills of CSNY fame to record the Super Session album.
He performed with Bob Dylan in concert in 1965, and in the
recording studio in 1965 and 1966, including playing Hammond organ with
Dylan at the (in)famous Newport Folk Festival of 1965. It was a young Al
Kooper who played the classy, yet improvised gospel music-influenced
Hammond organ riffs (usually an eighth note behind) on Dylan's milestone
rock recording Like a Rolling Stone. It was in those recording sessions
that Kooper met and befriended Mike Bloomfield, whose guitar-playing he
instantly admired. He worked extensively with Mike Bloomfield for a
number of years after the two met as session musicians on Dylan's
Highway 61 Revisited album. Kooper also played organ with Dylan during
his 1981 world tour.
Ben Folds
- born September 12, 1966) is an American singer-songwriter and the
former frontman of the band Ben Folds Five. He is widely acclaimed for
his prowess as a pianist, composer, songwriter, performer, and
multi-instrumentalist. As of 2008, Folds has released six solo LPs,
including an experimental side project called Fear of Pop, which was
released while Ben Folds Five was still together. Because of his
father's work as a builder and carpenter, Folds moved frequently
throughout his childhood. As a result, making friends was difficult.
Consequently, Folds became attached to a piano his father brought home
when he was 9, the result of a barter trade his father made with a
customer who was unable to pay for his work. During this time, Folds
listened to songs by Elton John and Billy Joel on AM radio, and learned
them by ear. Over the last 15 years, Ben Folds’ first-class melodic
gifts, irony-laced lyrics, and punk-rock tendency to play piano as if it
were a contact sport have earned the North Carolina native a legion of
devoted fans of all ages.
Bill Payne
- born March 12, 1949, Waco, Texas is a founding member of critically
acclaimed American rock band, Little Feat. He is considered to be one of
the finest American piano rock and blues music artists by many other
piano rock musicians. Little Feat is an American band formed by
singer-songwriter, frontman and guitarist Lowell George and keyboard
player Bill Payne in 1969 in Los Angeles. The band plays a mixture of
blues, R&B, country, New Orleans funk, and rock and roll. Payne was a
pioneer in the development of online music communities. In the early
1990s, he contacted his fan base, and enlisted the help of friend Jay
Herbst to develop the Little Feat Grass-roots Movement. This model went
on to be a template for many bands in the creation of their "Street
Teams." Street Teams enlist the help of bands' fans for purposes of
music and concert promotion. These street teams have proven to be an
effective vehicle for bringing bands and fans closer together, and
forging friendships between them. As an example, Jay Herbst's own band,
Shocking Edison, released it's debut CD, Scientific Curiosity in 2006,
which featured Billy Payne on keyboards and Hammond B3. The Boat Drunks,
a Jimmy Buffett-style band, includes another fan-turned-friend, Larry
Lister, on drums. The Boat Drunks were added to Payne's own record
label, Hot Tomato Records. '
Billy Joel
- born May 9, 1949, is an American rock musician and singer-songwriter.
He released his first hit song, "Piano Man", in 1973. According to the
RIAA, Billy Joel is the sixth best-selling recording artist in the
United States. Joel had Top 10 hits in the '70s, '80s, and '90s; is a
six-time Grammy Award winner, and has sold in excess of 150 million
albums worldwide. He was inducted into the Songwriter's Hall of Fame
(Class of 1992), the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (Class of 1999), and the
Long Island Music Hall of Fame (Class of 2006). Joel "retired" from
recording pop music in 1993 but continued to tour (sometimes with Elton
John). In 2001 he subsequently released Fantasies & Delusions, a CD
of classical compositions for piano. In 2007 he returned to recording
with a single entitled "All My Life," followed by an extensive world
tour from 2006-2008, covering many of the major world cities. Upon
seeing the Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1964, Joel decided to
pursue a full-time musical career, and set about finding a local Long
Island band to join. Eventually he found the Echoes, a group that
specialized in British Invasion covers. The Echoes became a popular New
York attraction, convincing him to leave high school to become a
professional musician. He began playing for the Echoes when he was 14
years old.
Joel began playing recording sessions with the Echoes in 1965, when
he was 16 years old. Joel played piano on several recordings produced by
Shadow Morton, including (as claimed by Joel, but denied by songwriter
Ellie Greenwich) the Shangri-Las' Leader of the Pack, as well as several
records released through Kama Sutra Productions. During this time, the
Echoes started to play numerous late-night shows.
Later, in 1965, the Echoes changed their name to the Emeralds
and then to the Lost Souls. For two years, he played sessions and
performed with the Lost Souls. In 1967, he left that band to join the
Hassles, a Long Island band that had signed a contract with United
Artists Records. Over the next year and a half, they released The
Hassles in 1967, Hour of the Wolf in 1968, and four singles, all of
which failed commercially. Following The Hassles' demise in 1969, he
formed the duo Attila with Hassles drummer Jon Small. Attila released
their eponymous debut album in July 1970, and disbanded the following
October.
In late 1975, he played piano and organ on several tracks on Bo
Diddley's The 20th Anniversary of Rock 'n' Roll all-star album. Whereas
most records are owned by the recording company, Billy Joel is one of a
number of performers — including Paul Simon, Johnny Rivers, Pink Floyd,
Queen, Genesis, and Neil Diamond — who have their own name as the
copyright owner on their recordings.
Billy Preston -
(September 2, 1946 – June 6, 2006) was an American soul musician from
Houston, Texas, raised mostly in Los Angeles, California. In addition to
his successful, Grammy-winning career as a solo artist, Preston
collaborated with some of the greatest names in the music industry,
including the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Nat King Cole, Little
Richard, Eric Burdon, Ray Charles, George Harrison, Elton John, Eric
Clapton, Bob Dylan, Sam Cooke, King Curtis, Sammy Davis Jr., Sly Stone,
Aretha Franklin, the Jackson 5, Quincy Jones, Richie Sambora, and Red
Hot Chili Peppers. He played the Fender Rhodes electric piano and the
Lowrey DSO Heritage organ on the Get Back sessions in 1969. Preston
began playing piano while sitting on his mother's lap at age three, and
he was considered something of a prodigy on piano and organ. By the age
of 10 he was performing in the bands of gospel singers Mahalia Jackson
and James Cleveland. At age 12 he appeared in the 1958 Paramount
Pictures film St. Louis Blues, portraying blues composer W.C. Handy as a
young man. In the 1960s he performed with Little Richard and Ray
Charles. He also began a recording career as a solo artist with the 1965
album The Most Exciting Organ Ever. He was also a regular on the
mid-1960s ABC-TV musical variety series Shindig! as a member of the
show's house band. Preston is the only non-Beatle to receiving billing
as an artist alongside the Beatles (as distinct from receiving credit as
a session musician on album packaging) on an official Beatles record
release. The label of the Get Back single credits the artists on the
record as "The Beatles with Billy Preston". Preston is the only
non-Beatle to receive billing as an artist alongside the Beatles (as
distinct from receiving credit as a session musician on album packaging)
on an official Beatles record release. The label of the Get Back single
credits the artists on the record as "The Beatles with Billy Preston".
Billy Ritchie - Keyboard player of "
Clouds",
a 1960s Progressive rock band that disbanded in October 1971. The band
consisted of Ian Ellis (bass & lead vocals), Harry Hughes (drums)
and Billy Ritchie . Clouds were a fairly successful live act, whose
performances and recordings often earned rave reviews from music
critics, but their records never quite captured public imagination.
More importantly though, in their earlier days as "
1-2-3", they
pioneered a sound and musical approach that became the blueprint for
many successful acts, such as Yes, The Nice, and King Crimson.
Ritchie, was credited as being the first of his kind, standing to
play and taking a leading role, thereby providing a model for others,
such as Keith Emerson and Rick Wakeman. The elimination of a lead
guitar in favour of keyboards was virtually unheard of at a time when
lead guitarists were pushing to the forefront in most bands, and
Ritchie's practice of "standing" at his keyboards instead of sitting
was a format quickly adopted by others, creating an effect that has
been the standard ever since, and shifting the role of keyboard from
rhythm to lead.
Ritchie's playing style was also unusual, in that whereas most players
used a right hand supported by the left, Ritchie used both hands to
play leading lines or solos, using octaves or harmonies, effectively
like two right hands. This gave the Hammond organ an exceptionally
strong and dynamic sound, and was also most striking when he played
electric piano and organ at the same time. That, with the guitarist
role being supplanted by Ritchie, meant that 1-2-3 had a much different
sound from any other band of that era. They were described as "a unique
group...who have created an entirely new sound in pop group music".
The arrangements of the music were also revolutionary. Ritchie was also
an exceptional arranger and writer, whose ideas were out on a limb for
the times, providing inspiration for musicians by showing them that
all musical bets were off, and that there need be no limits to the
imagination. Now seen as “a definitive precursor of the Progressive
Rock movement”, by all accounts, 1-2-3’s music consisted of drastic
re-writes of known material, infused with a mixture of classics, jazz,
scat, acapella vocals, unusual time signatures and unexpected pauses,
often all occurring in the same song. According to David Bowie (Mojo
1994) Ritchie was a genius. The Clouds were one of those unfortunate
bands who were more appreciated by other musicians than by fans. They
had a major influence on their contemporary musicians, and on the
direction the art form took at this time in music history.
.
Booker T. Jones
- born November 12, 1944, is a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter,
record producer and arranger, best known for fronting the band, Booker
T. and the MGs. Born in South Memphis, Tennessee, Jones was a child
prodigy, playing the oboe, saxophone, trombone, and piano at school and
serving as organist at his church. Jones's first entry into professional
music came at age sixteen, when he played baritone saxophone on
Satellite (soon to be Stax) Records' first hit, "Cause I Love You", by
Rufus Thomas and Carla Thomas.
While hanging around the Satellite Record Shop run by Estelle
Axton, co-owner of Satellite Records with her brother Jim Stewart, Jones
met record clerk Steve Cropper, who would become one of the MGs when
the group formed in 1962. Besides Jones on organ and Cropper on guitar,
Booker T. and the MGs featured Lewie Steinberg on bass guitar and Al
Jackson, Jr. on drums (Donald "Duck" Dunn eventually replacing
Steinberg). While still in high school, Jones wrote the group's
instrumental "Green Onions", which not only became a hit in 1962, but
remains an enduring classic more than 40 years later.
Over the next few years, Jones would divide his time between
studying classical music composition, composing and transposition at
Indiana University, playing with the MGs on the weekends back in
Memphis, serving as a session musician with other Stax acts, and writing
songs that would become classics. He wrote, with Eddie Floyd, "I've
Never Found a Girl (To Love Me Like You Do)", Otis Redding's "I Love You
More Than Words Can Say", and, with William Bell, Albert King's "Born
Under a Bad Sign." The latter would later be popularized in the cover
version by power trio Cream.
Brian Auger
- born 18 July 1939, is a jazz and rock keyboardist, who has
specialized in playing the Hammond organ. A jazz pianist, bandleader,
session musician and Hammond B3 player, Auger has played or toured with
artists such as Rod Stewart, Tony Williams, Jimi Hendrix, Sonny Boy
Williamson, Led Zeppelin, Eric Burdon and others. He has incorporated
jazz, early British pop, R&B, soul music and rock, and he has been
nominated for a Grammy. In 1965 Auger formed the group The Steampacket,
along with Long John Baldry, Julie Driscoll, Vic Briggs and Rod Stewart.
With Driscoll and the band, Trinity, he went on to record several hit
singles, notably a cover version of David Ackles' "Road to Cairo" and
Bob Dylan's "This Wheel's on Fire", which was featured on Dylan Covered.
In 1969 Auger, Driscoll and Trinity appeared performing on the national
telecast of "33⅓ Revolutions Per Monkee".
In 1970 he formed Brian Auger's Oblivion Express, shortly after
abandoning the abortive "Wassenaar Arrangement" jazz-fusion commune in a
small suburb of The Hague. The Oblivion Express served to cultivate
several musicians, including future The Average White Band drummers
Robbie McIntosh and Steve Ferrone, as well as guitarist Jim Mullen.
Likewise, in 1971 he produced and appeared on Mogul Thrash's only album.
Two members of that band, Roger Ball and Malcolm Duncan, would also go
on to form the Average White Band.
In 1989, Auger was musical director for the thirteen-part film
retrospective series "Villa Fantastica", made for German TV. A live
recording of the series, Super Jam (1990), features Auger on piano, Pete
York on drums, Dick Morrissey on tenor saxophone, Roy Williams on
trombone, Harvey Weston on bass guitar, with singers Zoot Money and
Maria Muldaur.
Auger toured with blues rocker Eric Burdon in the early 1990s, and
recorded the live album Access All Areas with him in 1993. After
several projects, including albums with family members, he reformed the
Oblivion Express in the late 1990s, with a line-up that eventually
featured both his son and daughter. The Oblivion Express was revived
with a 2005 recording and subsequent touring. The group featured Brian
Auger, his son Karma Auger on drums, his daughter Savannah Auger on
vocals, and Derek Frank on bass. '
Artist Discography'
Brian Eno
- Brian Peter George St. John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno, born 15 May
1948, commonly known as Brian Eno, is an English musician, composer,
producer, music theorist, and singer, who, as a solo artist, is best
known as the father of ambient music. Eno became prominent in the early
1970s as the keyboards and synthesiser player of the glam rock and art
rock band Roxy Music. Upon leaving the group, he recorded four
influential rock albums, including Another Green World (1975), his first
venture into more abstract musical territory. Eno then concentrated on
sound landscapes in records such as Discreet Music (1975) and Ambient
1/Music for Airports (1978), continuing to make ambient music over the
next several decades. Before and After Science (1977) was Eno's last
solo album emphasising his own singing until 2005's Another Day on
Earth.
From 1976 to 1979 Eno worked with David Bowie on the avant-garde
"Berlin Trilogy"; helped to popularise the band Devo and the punk
rock-influenced "No Wave" genre; and introduced the concepts of chance
music to wider audiences, partly through his collaborations with popular
musicians. Eno has worked frequently with Harold Budd, John Cale,
Cluster, Robert Fripp and David Byrne. He produced three albums by
Talking Heads including Remain in Light (1980), six albums by U2
including No Line on the Horizon (2009), and albums by James, Laurie
Anderson and Coldplay.
Bruce Hornsby
- born November 23, 1954, is an American singer, pianist, accordion
player, and songwriter. Known for the spontaneity and creativity of his
live performances, Hornsby draws frequently from classical, jazz,
bluegrass, Folk, motown, rock, blues, and jam band musical traditions
with his songwriting and the seamless improvisations contained within.
Hornsby's recordings have been recognized on a number of occasions with
industry awards, including the Best New Artist Grammy in 1987 with Bruce
Hornsby and the Range, the Best Bluegrass Recording Grammy in 1989, and
the Best Pop Instrumental Grammy in 1993. Hornsby has also achieved
recognition for his solo albums and performances, his current live act
Bruce Hornsby & the Noise Makers, his bluegrass project with Ricky
Skaggs, his jazz act The Bruce Hornsby Trio, and his appearances as a
session- and guest-musician. He also collaborated with the Grateful
Dead.
Don Airey
- born 21 June 1948 in Sunderland, England, has been the keyboardist
in the rock band Deep Purple since 2002, succeeding Jon Lord. He has had
a long and productive career, playing with such acts as Gary Moore,
Ozzy Osbourne, Judas Priest, Black Sabbath, Jethro Tull, Whitesnake,
Colosseum II, Sinner, Michael Schenker, Uli Jon Roth, Rainbow, Divlje
jagode and Living Loud. He has also worked with Andrew Lloyd Webber.
Doug Ingle
- born September 9, 1946 in Omaha, Nebraska, U.S. was the organist,
vocalist and primary composer for the band Iron Butterfly. He is
reportedly a very kind person with an extravagant personality. Ingle's
father, a church organist, introduced him to music at an early age.
Ingle moved from his native Nebraska within three months of his birth to
the Rocky Mountains and after spending his impressionable years as a
mountain child moved to San Diego, California. His work featured on
Heavy, In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida, Ball and Metamorphosis. Most famously, he
authored the band's biggest hit, the epic seventeen-minute
"In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida." Ironically, when he originally wrote the song, he
had not intended it to run seventeen minutes long. The album and
subsequent single release of the title track vaulted Ingle and the band
to national prominence, "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" received the first Platinum
Record sales award in the history of the Recording Industry and became a
landmark record in psychedelic rock.
Dr. John
- is the stage name of Malcolm John Rebennack Jr. (born November 21,
1940), a colorful pianist, singer, and songwriter, whose music spans,
and often combines, blues, boogie woogie, and rock and roll. Born in New
Orleans, Louisiana, his professional musical career began in New
Orleans in the 1950s. He originally concentrated on guitar and he gigged
with local bands included Mac Rebennack and the Skyliners, Frankie Ford
and the Thunderbirds, and Jerry Byrnes and the Loafers. He had a
regional hit with a Bo Diddley influenced instrumental called "Storm
Warning" on Rex Records in 1959. Rebennack's career as a guitarist came
to an end when his left ring finger was injured by a gunshot while he
was defending singer/keyboardist Ronnie Barron, his bandmate, Jesuit
High School classmate, and longtime friend. After the injury, Rebennack
concentrated on bass guitar before making piano his main instrument;
pianist Professor Longhair was an important influence on Rebennack's
piano stylings.
Duke Ellington
- Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was
an American composer, pianist, and bandleader. Duke Ellington was
recognized during his life as one of the most influential figures in
jazz, if not in all American music. His reputation has increased since
his death, including a special award citation from the Pulitzer Prize
Board. Ellington called his style and sound "American Music" rather than
jazz, and liked to describe those who impressed him as "beyond
category." These included many of the musicians who served with his
orchestra, some of whom were considered among the giants of jazz and
performed with Ellington's orchestra for decades. While many were
noteworthy in their own right, it was Ellington who melded them into one
of the most well-known orchestral units in the history of jazz.
Ellington's long-term aim became to extend the jazz form from the
three-minute limit of the 78 rpm record side, of which he was an
acknowledged master. He had composed and recorded Creole Rhapsody as
early as 1931, and his tribute to his mother, "Reminiscing in Tempo,"
had filled four 10" record sides in 1935; however, it was not until the
1940s that this became a regular feature of Ellington's work. In this,
he was helped by Strayhorn, who had enjoyed a more thorough training in
the forms associated with classical music than Ellington. The first of
these, "Black, Brown, and Beige" (1943), was dedicated to telling the
story of African-Americans, the place of slavery, and the church in
their history. Unfortunately, starting a regular pattern, Ellington's
longer works were generally not well-received; Jump for Joy, an earlier
musical, closed after only six performances in 1941.
Eddie Jobson
- born 28 April 1955, is an English keyboardist and violinist noted for
his use of synthesizers. He has been a member of several progressive
rock bands, including Curved Air, Roxy Music, 801, U.K., and Jethro
Tull. He was also part of Frank Zappa's band in 1976-77. Aside from his
keyboard work Jobson has also gained acclaim for his violin playing. In
1973 he replaced Brian Eno in Roxy Music, getting the job partially
through a connection between his sister and the sister of singer Bryan
Ferry, who knew each other in college.
Elton John
- Sir Elton Hercules John CBE (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight on 25 March
1947) is an English singer-songwriter, composer and pianist. In his
four-decade career, John has been one of the dominant forces in rock and
popular music, especially during the 1970s. He has sold over 200
million records, making him one of the most successful artists of all
time. He has more than 50 Top 40 hits including seven consecutive No. 1
U.S. albums, 59 Top 40 singles, 16 Top 10, four No. 2 hits, and nine No.
1 hits. He has won five Grammy awards and one Academy Award. His
success has had a profound impact on popular music and has contributed
to the continued popularity of the piano in rock and roll. In 2004,
Rolling Stone ranked him #49 on their list of the 100 greatest artists
of all time.
Some of the characteristics of John's musical talent and work
include an ability to quickly craft melodies for the lyrics of
songwriting partner Bernie Taupin, his former rich tenor (now baritone)
voice, his classical and gospel-influenced piano, the sensitive
orchestral arrangements of Paul Buckmaster among others, and the
on-stage showmanship, especially evident during the 1970s.
John was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in
1994. He has been heavily involved in the fight against AIDS since the
late 1980s, and was knighted in 1998. He entered into a civil
partnership with David Furnish on 21 December 2005 and continues to be a
champion for LGBT social movements. On 9 April 2008, John held a
benefit concert for Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign, raising
$2.5 million. In 2008, Billboard magazine released a list on which are
present Hot 100's top 100 artists and Elton John reached #3, preceded by
Madonna and The Beatles.
Eric Drew Feldman
- is an American keyboard and bass guitar player. Feldman has worked
with Captain Beefheart, Snakefinger, The Residents, Pere Ubu, Pixies,
dEUS, Katell Keineg, Frank Black, The Polyphonic Spree, Tripping Daisy,
Reid Paley, Charlotte Hatherley, Custard, and PJ Harvey. He was already
an experienced keyboard player when he joined Captain Beefheart's Magic
Band in 1976, in which he also played bass. Like other members of the
band, Feldman was expected to capture (on tape or notepad) Beefheart's
musical ideas. Once instrumental parts had been created, the band
members had to play them exactly as composed.
Garth Hudson
- born August 2, 1937 in Windsor, Ontario, is a Canadian musician. As
the organist and keyboardist for Canadian-American rock group The Band,
he was a principal architect of the group's unique sound. A master of
the Lowrey organ, Hudson's orchestral tone sense and style anticipated
many of the sonic advances of the polyphonic synthesizer. His other
primary instruments are piano, electronic keyboards, tenor saxophone,
soprano saxophone and accordion. He has been a much-in-demand session
musician, performing with dozens of artists. He also plays in a duo with
his wife, Maud, and in 2002 joined his friend Sneaky Pete Kleinow (died
January 6, 2007) in another group, Burrito Deluxe, an offshoot of The
Flying Burrito Brothers. He also has his own twelve piece band, The
Best!.
Greg Hawkes
- born October 22, 1952, is a musician best known as the keyboardist
for the New Wave band The Cars. Hawkes, a native of Fulton, Maryland,
attended Atholton High School where he played in a band called Teeth. He
then attended Berklee College of Music for two years, majoring in
composition and flute. He left to play in various bands, including
Martin Mull and his Fabulous Furniture, where he played flute,
saxophones and clarinet. He also played in a band called Richard and The
Rabbits, which included future Cars bandmates Ric Ocasek and Benjamin
Orr. Greg Hawkes' most notable involvement was with The Cars. Hawkes
pushed the limits of available technology and sequencing helping to
forge the sound of the 1980's. His signature sounds include the
Prophet-5 "touch sync" sound heard on "Let's Go" and "Hello Again" as
well as arpeggiated and syncopated synth lines such as on "Shake it Up"
and "Heartbeat City".
Ian Underwood
- (born May 22, 1939, is a saxophonist, flutist and pianist. He was a
member of The Mothers of Invention, ('I am the straight member of the
group') and later worked with Frank Zappa on his solo recordings, most
notably on 1969's Hot Rats. He later married Ruth Komanoff (Underwood),
marimbist/percussionist from the Mothers of Invention (mainly 1970s).
After his lengthy career with Frank Zappa, he pursued a career as a
session keyboardist, and is known for his proficiency on the Minimoog
synthesizer. His work includes various projects, including recordings
for Quincy Jones, Barbra Streisand, Ronee Blakley, Hugh Cornwell and
Barry Manilow.
"
Champion" Jack Dupree
- was an American blues pianist. His birth date is disputed, given as
July 4, July 10, and July 23, in the years 1908, 1909, or 1910. He died
January 21, 1992. Champion Jack Dupree was the embodiment of the New
Orleans blues and boogie woogie pianist, a true barrelhouse "professor".
His father was from the Belgian Congo and his mother was African
American and Cherokee. He was orphaned at the age of 2 and sent to the
New Orleans Home for Colored Waifs (also the alma mater of Louis
Armstrong). He taught himself piano there and later apprenticed with
Tuts Washington and the legendary Drive'em Down, whom he called his
"father" and from whom he learned "Junker's Blues". He was also "spy
boy" for the Yellow Pochahantas tribe of Mardi Gras Indians and soon
began playing in barrelhouses, drinking establishments organized around
barrels of booze. As a young man he began his life of travelling, living
in Chicago, where he worked with Georgia Tom, and Indianapolis,
Indiana, where he hooked up with Scrapper Blackwell and Leroy Carr.
While he was always playing piano, he also worked as a cook, and in
Detroit he met Joe Louis, who encouraged him to become a boxer. He
ultimately fought in 107 bouts and winning Golden Gloves and other
championships, and picking up the nickname Champion Jack, which he used
the rest of his life.
Jerry Lee Lewis - born
September 29, 1935) is an American rock and roll and country music
singer, songwriter and pianist. An early pioneer of rock and roll music,
Lewis was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986 and his
pioneering contribution to the genre has been recognized by the
Rockabilly Hall of Fame. In 2004, Rolling Stone Magazine ranked him #24
on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. In 2003, they
listed his box set All Killer, No Filler: The Anthology #242 on their
list of "500 greatest albums of all time". Lewis was born to the poor
family of Elmo and Mamie Lewis in Ferriday in Concordia Parish in
eastern Louisiana, and began playing piano in his youth with his two
cousins, Mickey Gilley and Jimmy Swaggart. His parents mortgaged their
farm to buy him a piano. Influenced by a piano-playing older cousin Carl
McVoy, the radio, and the sounds from the black juke joint across the
tracks, Haney's Big House, Lewis developed his own style mixing rhythm
and blues, boogie-woogie, gospel, and country music, as well as ideas
from established "country boogie" pianists like recording artists Moon
Mullican and Merrill Moore. Soon he was playing professionally.
John Evans
- born John Spencer Evans, 28 March 1948, played keyboards for Jethro
Tull from April 1970, to June 1980. He was educated at King's College
London. He changed his name when his first band, The Blades changed
their name to The John Evan Band. Jeffrey Hammond apparently thought
'The John Evan Band' sounded better than 'The John Evans Band'. Whilst a
member of Jethro Tull, Evan had a penchant for wearing his trademark
white suit, along with a yellow shirt underneath and a pink-and-yellow
polka-dot tie. Evan can be seen wearing this outfit in photographs on
the album War Child and the live album Bursting Out, while a painted
version of him is seen wearing the suit and tie on the inside cover of
the album Aqualung. Evan left Jethro Tull in 1980, forming Tallis with
fellow departing Tull member David Palmer. After many years running his
own construction company he now resides in Australia. He also appeared
in the 2008 DVD, 'Jethro Tull - Their Fully Authorized Story'.
Jon Lord
- born in Leicester on 9 June, 1941, is an English composer, Hammond
organ and piano player. Lord is recognized for his Hammond organ
blues-rock sound and for his pioneering work in fusing rock and
classical or baroque forms. He has most famously been a member of Deep
Purple, as well as of Whitesnake, Paice, Ashton & Lord, The Artwoods
and Flower Pot Men. He has worked with numerous other artists including
Graham Bonnet (following Bonnet's departure from Rainbow). In 1968,
Lord co-founded Deep Purple. He and drummer Ian Paice were the only
constant band members during the band's existence from 1968 to 1976 and
from when they reformed in 1984 until Lord's retirement in 2002.One of
his finest works was his composition Concerto for Group and Orchestra,
which was performed at the Royal Albert Hall in 1969 with Deep Purple
(Lord and Paice with guitarist Ritchie Blackmore, singer Ian Gillan and
bass guitarist Roger Glover) and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. The
concerto was revived for its 30th anniversary in 1999 with another
performance at the Albert Hall, again performed by Deep Purple (Lord,
Paice, Gillan, Glover and Steve Morse in place of Ritchie Blackmore)
with the London Philharmonic Orchestra. In 2002 he retired from Deep
Purple for good, to concentrate on composing and on lower-key blues/rock
performances. In 2008, he achieved success as a classical composer when
his Durham Concerto entered the classical album charts .
Leon Russell
- born Claude Russell Bridges on April 2, 1942, is a singer,
songwriter, pianist, and guitarist. Russell attended Will Rogers High
School in Tulsa, Oklahoma. First known mostly as a session musician,
Russell has played with artists as varied as Jerry Lee Lewis, Phil
Spector, Joe Cocker, George Harrison, Ringo Starr, Elton John, BB King,
Freddie King, Eric Clapton, Bill Wyman, The Beach Boys, Willie Nelson,
Badfinger, Tijuana Brass, J.J. Cale, David Gates, Frank Sinatra, The
Band, Marc Benno, Edgar and Johnny Winter, Glen Campbell, Gary Busey,
Jesse Ed Davis, and The Rolling Stones. With a solo career spanning the
genres of rock, blues, and gospel, Russell began his musical career at
14 in Tulsa nightclubs.
Keith Emerson
- born November 2, 1944, is a British keyboard player and composer.
Formerly a member of the Keith Emerson Trio, John Brown's Bodies, The
T-Bones, V.I.P.s, P.P. Arnold's backing band, and The Nice (which
evolved from P.P.Arnold's band), he started Emerson, Lake & Palmer
(ELP), one of the early supergroups, in 1970. Following the breakup of
ELP, circa 1979, Emerson had modest success with Emerson, Lake &
Powell in the 1980s. ELP reunited during the early 90s. Emerson also
reunited The Nice in 2002 for a tour. He is currently on tour (as of
Aug/Sept 2008) with The Keith Emerson Band and the new album titled
"Keith Emerson Band Featuring Marc Bonilla" is released in Aug/Sept
2008.
He is known for his technical skill and for his live antics,
including using knives to wedge down specific keys of his Hammond organ
during solos, playing the organ upside down while having it lie over
him and backwards while standing behind it. He also employed a special
rig to rotate his piano end-over-end while he's "playing" it . Along
with contemporaries Richard Wright of Pink Floyd, Tony Banks of Genesis,
Billy Ritchie of Clouds and Rick Wakeman of Yes, Emerson is widely
regarded as one of the top keyboard players of the progressive rock
era.. Allmusic refers to Emerson as "perhaps the greatest, most
technically accomplished keyboardist in rock history."He is known for
his technical skill and for his live antics, including using knives to
wedge down specific keys of his Hammond organ during solos, playing the
organ upside down while having it lie over him and backwards while
standing behind it. He also employed a special rig to rotate his piano
end-over-end while he's "playing" it (purely theatrical, since grand
pianos cannot function when turned upside down in this manner). Along
with contemporaries Richard Wright of Pink Floyd, Tony Banks of Genesis,
Billy Ritchie of Clouds and Rick Wakeman of Yes, Emerson is widely
regarded as one of the top keyboard players of the progressive rock
era.. Allmusic refers to Emerson as "perhaps the greatest, most
technically accomplished keyboardist in rock history."
Kerry Livgren
-born September 18, 1949, is an American musician and songwriter, best
known as one of the founding members and primary songwriters for the
1970s progressive rock band, Kansas. As primary songwriter, lead
guitarist and keyboard player for Kansas, having penned such hits as
Carry On Wayward Son and Dust in the Wind, Livgren propelled the band to
worldwide success and critical acclaim, with numerous gold and
multi-platinum albums, and over 14 million recordings sold to date.
Kansas produced eight gold albums, one platinum album, two triple
platinum albums, one platinum live album, and a one million-selling gold
single, Dust in the Wind, according to the Kansas State Historical
Society. Livgren was a member of numerous bands in the late 1960s and
early 1970s and quickly developed a reputation for complex compositions
and poetic lyrics that explored spiritual themes. His investigations
into various religions are reflected in the lyrics of his songs on
Kansas' first six albums. He explored themes such as reincarnation,
astral travel, apparitions, nihilism, and human frailty, among others.
Klaus Schulze
- born August 4, 1947, is a German electronic music composer and
musician. He also used the alias Richard Wahnfried. He was briefly a
member of the electronic bands Tangerine Dream and Ash Ra Tempel before
launching a solo career lasting over 3 decades. He has had a prolific
career, with more than 40 original albums to his name since Irrlicht,
some highlights being 1976's Moondawn, 1979's Dune, and 1995's
double-album In Blue (featuring one long track with electric guitar by
his pal Manuel Göttsching of Ash Ra Tempel). He often takes German
events as a starting point in his compositions, particularly on his
album "X" (the title signifying it was his tenth album) in 1978 which
was subtitled "Six Musical Biographies", including such notables as
Ludwig II of Bavaria, Friedrich Nietzsche, and Wilhelm Friedemann Bach.
His use of the pseudonym Richard Wahnfried indicates his interest in
Richard Wagner, which also informs other albums of his music, notably
Timewind.
Madonna Wayne Gacy
- Stephen Gregory Bier Jr., formerly known by his stage name Madonna
Wayne Gacy, born March 6, 1964, is the former keyboard player for
Marilyn Manson. His stage name is taken from the names of the singer
Madonna and the serial killer John Wayne Gacy. He is often referred to
as "Pogo," John Wayne Gacy's clown name. Reportedly, Stephen Bier Jr.
did not play keyboards until he joined Marilyn Manson. He has played the
following other instruments or sound-shaping techniques on Marilyn
Manson's albums as well: calliope, Hammond organ, saxophone, theremin,
various brass instruments, overdubs, loops, bassoon, drums, electronic
drums, piano, sampling, mellotron, shaker, and synthesizer. He is
responsible for much of the Kabbalic and numerological meanings behind
Manson's albums.
Michael McDonald
- born February 12, 1952, is an American R&B/soul singer and
songwriter. He is sometimes described as a "blue-eyed soul" singer and
sings in a distinctive and deceptive "husky, soulful yet baritone"
range. He is known for his work as a member of the Doobie Brothers,
Steely Dan, and for several hits as a solo artist.
Michael McDonald first gained wide attention as an adjunct member of
the group Steely Dan, providing back-up vocals on tracks for 1975's
Katy Lied. He would return on subsequent Steely Dan recordings including
1976's The Royal Scam as well as both "Peg" and "I Got the News" from
the 1977 album Aja. He also played keyboards on some Steely Dan tracks.
McDonald continued to do background vocals for Steely Dan up to their
1980 release, Gaucho. He also was a member of the original Steely Dan
touring band playing keyboards/piano and singing backup in the short
time they toured in the early '70s
As a member of the Doobies, he recorded some of his most well-known
songs, such as "Takin' It to the Streets", "Little Darling", "It Keeps
You Runnin'" "Minute by Minute" and "What a Fool Believes" (which became
a number one single in the U.S. and earned him a 1980 Grammy Award for
Song of the Year). At the same time he appeared as a session singer and
piano player for artists like Christopher Cross, Jack Jones, Bonnie
Raitt, the rock band Toto and Kenny Loggins.
Nicky Hopkins
- (February 24, 1944 - September 6, 1994 ), was an English pianist and
organist. Hopkins recorded and performed on some of the most important
British and American popular music recordings of the 1960s and 1970s,
and is widely regarded as one of the most important session musicians in
rock history. He began his career as a session musician in London in
the early Sixties and quickly became one of the most in-demand players
on the thriving session scene there, contributing his fluid and
dexterous boogie-woogie influenced piano style to many hit recordings.
He recorded with most of the top British acts of the Sixties, including
The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Who and The Kinks, and on solo
albums by John Lennon, Jeff Beck, and others. He also helped define the
"San Francisco sound", playing on albums by Jefferson Airplane, New
Riders of the Purple Sage, and Steve Miller Band. He briefly joined
Quicksilver Messenger Service and performed with Jefferson Airplane at
the Woodstock Festival.
Ray Charles
- Ray Charles Robinson, (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004), known by
his stage name Ray Charles, was an American pianist and singer, who
shaped the sound of rhythm and blues. He brought a soulful sound to
country music and pop standards through his Modern Sounds recordings, as
well as a rendition of "America the Beautiful" that Ed Bradley of 60
Minutes called the "definitive version of the song, an American anthem —
a classic, just as the man who sung it." Frank Sinatra called him "the
only true genius in the business".n 2004, Rolling Stone Magazine ranked
Charles number ten on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time
and also voted him number two on their November 2008 list of The 100
Greatest Singers of All Time.
Ray Charles was born in Albany, Georgia on September 23, 1930.
He was the son of Aretha Williams, a share cropper, and Bailey Robinson,
a railroad repair man, mechanic and handyman. The two were never
married. The family moved to Greenville, Florida, when Ray was an
infant. Bailey had three more families, leaving Aretha to raise the
family on her own.
Ray Charles was not born blind. He started to lose his sight somewhere
around the age of six. He was rendered totally blind by the age of
seven. Charles never knew exactly why he lost his sight, though there
are sources that suggest his blindness was due to glaucoma, and some
other sources suggest that Ray began to lose his sight from an infection
caused by soapy water to his eyes which was left untreated. He attended
school at the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind in St.
Augustine, Florida. He also learned how to write music and play various
musical instruments. His father died when he was ten, followed by his
mother five years later.
Charles moved to Seattle in 1947. He soon started recording, first
for the label Swing Time Records, achieving his first hit with
"Confession Blues", recorded in 1949. The song hit #2 on the R&B
charts. He followed his first recording with his only other hit with
Swingtime, "Baby, Let Me Hold Your Hand" in 1951. It hit #5 on the
R&B charts. He then signed with Ahmet Ertegün at Atlantic Records a
year later. When he entered show business, his name was shortened to Ray
Charles to avoid confusion with boxer Sugar Ray Robinson. Almost
immediately after signing with Atlantic, Charles scored his first hit
singles with the label with "It Should Have Been Me" and the
Ertegün-composed "Mess Around", both making the charts in 1953. But it
was Charles' "I Got A Woman" (composed with band mate Renald Richard)
that brought the musician to national prominence.
Ray Manzarek
- born February 12,1939, is an American musician, singer, producer,
movie director, writer, co-founder, and keyboardist of The Doors from
1965 to 1973, and the Doors of the 21st century (renamed Riders on the
Storm) since 2001. Manzarek has been in several groups since the Doors,
including, Nite City and recorded a rock adaptation of Carl Orff's
Carmina Burana with Philip Glass, produced Echo and the Bunnymen and Los
Angeles band X, played with Iggy Pop and backed San Francisco poet
Michael McClure's poetry readings.
Richard Wright
- (July 28,1943 – September 15, 2008, was a pianist, keyboardist,
vocalist and songwriter, best known for his career with Pink Floyd.
Wright's richly textured keyboard layers were a vital ingredient and a
distinctive characteristic of Pink Floyd's sound. Wright frequently sang
background and occasionally lead vocals onstage and in the studio with
Pink Floyd (most notably on the songs "Time", "Echoes", and on the Syd
Barrett composition "Astronomy Domine"). Though not as prolific a
songwriter as his bandmates Roger Waters and David Gilmour, he wrote
significant parts of the music for classic albums such as Meddle, The
Dark Side of the Moon and Wish You Were Here, as well as for Pink
Floyd's final studio album The Division Bell. Wright's richly textured
keyboard layers were a vital ingredient and a distinctive characteristic
of Pink Floyd's sound. Wright frequently sang background and
occasionally lead vocals onstage and in the studio with Pink Floyd (most
notably on the songs "Time", "Echoes", and on the Syd Barrett
composition "Astronomy Domine"). Though not as prolific a songwriter as
his bandmates Roger Waters and David Gilmour, he wrote significant parts
of the music for classic albums such as Meddle, The Dark Side of the
Moon and Wish You Were Here, as well as for Pink Floyd's final studio
album The Division Bell.
Rick Wakeman
- born 18 May 1949, is an English keyboard player best known as the
keyboardist for progressive rock group Yes. Originally a classically
trained pianist, he was a pioneer in the use of electronic keyboards and
in the use of a rock band in combination with orchestra and choir. He
purchased his first electronic keyboard, a Minimoog, from the actor Jack
Wild. Wakeman was able to buy it for half the regular selling price
because Wild thought it did not work as it only played one note at a
time. He hosts a regular radio show on Planet Rock.
Steve Winwood
- born 12 May 1948 in Handsworth, Birmingham) is an English
singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. In addition to his solo
career, he was a member of the bands the Spencer Davis Group, Traffic,
Blind Faith, and Go. At the age of 15 Winwood became a member of the
Spencer Davis Group. Steve co-wrote and recorded Gimme Some Lovin' and
I'm a Man before leaving to form Traffic with Chris Wood, Jim Capaldi
and Dave Mason. During this time, Winwood joined forces with guitarist
Eric Clapton as part of the one-off group Eric Clapton's Powerhouse.
Songs were recorded for the Elektra label but only three tracks were
released on the compilation album, What's Shakin'.
During the late-1960s, Winwood and Mason became close
friends of Jimi Hendrix. Hendrix first heard All Along the Watchtower at
a party he was invited to by Mason; they recorded the Hendrix version
later that night in a London recording studio. Winwood actually only
appeared on one track of Electric Ladyland, "Voodoo Chile". In 1969,
Winwood once again gave a powerful organ performance on Joe Cocker's
With a Little Help from My Friends and later played keyboards on albums
as diverse as Toots & The Maytals' Reggae Got Soul and Howlin'
Wolf's The London Howlin' Wolf Sessions. He formed Blind Faith in 1969
with Eric Clapton, Ginger Baker and Ric Grech.
Winwood has released several solo albums since the Blind Faith, including a Traffic re-union.
T. Lavitz
- born April 16, 1956) is an American jazz-rock/fusion keyboardist,
composer and producer. He is best known for his work with the Dixie
Dregs and Jazz Is Dead.
Since 2000 T Lavitz took part in several projects. 'Endangered
Species', with Jimmy Herring, Richie Hayward and Kenny Gradney was
released in 2001, 'Cosmic Farm', with Rob Wasserman, Craig Erickson and
Jeff Sipe, was released in 2005 and 'Boston T Party', with Dennis
Chambers, Jeff Berlin and Dave Fiuczynski, was released in 2006. In the
summer of 2006 he taught at the Summer Performance Program at the
Berklee College of Music, Boston, MA.
Thijs van Leer
- born 31 March 1948 in Amsterdam) is a Dutch musician, singer and
composer, best known for heading Dutch progressive rock band, Focus, as
primary vocalist, Hammond organ virtuoso, and flutist. In addition to
his work with Focus, van Leer has released a large number of solo albums
since 1972. He also appeared as a guest musician on the album Into the
Electric Castle by Arjen Anthony Lucassen's musical project Ayreon.
Tom Waits
- Thomas Alan Waits (born December 7, 1949) is an American
singer-songwriter, composer, and actor. Waits has a distinctive voice,
described by critic Daniel Durchholz as sounding "like it was soaked in a
vat of bourbon, left hanging in the smokehouse for a few months, and
then taken outside and run over with a car." With this trademark growl,
his incorporation of pre-rock music styles such as blues, jazz, and
vaudeville, and experimental tendencies verging on industrial music,
Waits has built up a distinctive musical persona. He has worked as a
composer for movies and musical plays and as a supporting actor in
films, including The Fisher King, Coffee & Cigarettes, Bram Stoker's
Dracula, and Short Cuts. He was nominated for an Academy Award for his
soundtrack work on One from the Heart.
Lyrically, Waits' songs contain atmospheric portrayals of
bizarre, seedy characters and places, although he has also shown a
penchant for more conventional ballads. He has a cult following and has
influenced subsequent songwriters, and has had an influence on several
genres of music ranging from Jazz music to Death Metal despite having
little radio or music video support. His songs are best-known to the
general public in the form of cover versions by more visible artists—for
example, "Jersey Girl," performed by Bruce Springsteen; "Downtown
Train" performed by Rod Stewart; and "Ol' '55," performed by the Eagles.
Although Waits' albums have met with mixed commercial success in his
native United States, they have occasionally achieved gold album sales
status in other countries. He has been nominated for a number of major
music awards and has won Grammy Awards for two albums, Bone Machine and
Mule Variations.
Tony Banks
- born March 27, 1950, is an English songwriter, pianist/keyboard
player, and guitarist. He is one of the founding members of progressive
rock group Genesis and one of only two members (the other being
guitarist/bassist Mike Rutherford) to belong to Genesis throughout its
entire history. As a member of Genesis, Banks has been a pioneer in the
use of synthesizers, as well as in the use of many other keyboards (such
as the Yamaha CP-70 and Hammond T-102). Through most of the band's
history, Banks was the leading force in Genesis' songwriting; although
the group was often officially responsible as a whole for the
songwriting, his ideas were often the nucleus of the songs' music, and
he would frequently write lyrics as well. Outside of Genesis, Banks has
enjoyed a modestly successful career in the world of film scoring, and a
limited solo career as well.
Trent Reznor
- born Michael Trent Reznor on May 17, 1965, is an American musician,
singer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist. He operates under the
studio name Nine Inch Nails, and was previously associated with the
bands Option 30, Exotic Birds, and Tapeworm, among others. As of 2007,
Reznor split his ties with Interscope Records, and is now an
independent, unsigned musician. He is considered by the Los Angeles
Times to be one of the most acclaimed creative figures of his generation
of music. Reznor's first release as Nine Inch Nails, Pretty Hate
Machine, was a commercial success, and he has released several major
albums and singles since then. He has worked with David Bowie, Saul
Williams, and Marilyn Manson (considered by some to be Reznor's
protégé). In 1997, Reznor appeared in Time magazine's list of the year's
most influential Americans, and Spin magazine described him as "the
most vital artist in music.
Jean Michel Jarre:Jean Michel André Jarre (born 24 August 1948 in Lyon) is a French composer, performer and music producer. He is a pioneer in the electronic, ambient and New Age genres, and known as an organiser of outdoor spectacles of his music featuring lights, laser displays, and fireworks.
Jarre was raised in Lyon by his mother and grandparents, and trained on the piano. From an early age he was introduced to a variety of art forms, including those of street performers, jazz musicians, and the artist Pierre Soulages. He played guitar in a band, but his musical style was perhaps most heavily influenced by Pierre Schaeffer, a pioneer of musique concrète at the Groupe de Recherches Musicales.
His first mainstream success was the 1976 album
Oxygène. Recorded in a makeshift studio at his home, the album sold an estimated 12 million copies.
Oxygène was followed in 1978 by
Équinoxe, and in 1979 Jarre performed to a record-breaking audience of more than a million people at the Place de la Concorde,
a record he has since broken three times. More albums were to follow,
but his 1979 concert served as a blueprint for his future performances
around the world. Several of his albums have been released to coincide
with large-scale outdoor events, and he is now perhaps as well known as a
performer as a musician.
As of 2004 Jarre had sold an estimated 80 million albums. He was the first Western musician to be allowed to perform in the People's Republic of China, and holds the world record for the largest-ever audience at an outdoor event.
FR Jean-Michel André Jarre naît le 24 août 1948 à Lyon, quartier de la Croix Rousse, fils de Maurice Jarre (compositeur de musiques de films) et de France Pejot (ancienne résistante) dans une famille de musiciens. Il est influencé dès son plus jeune âge par son grand-père musicien et bricoleur, co-inventeur de la première table de mixage pour la radio française.
C'est en 1953 que ses parents se séparent : son père part définitivement pour les États-Unis, le laissant seul avec sa mère. Il vit alors à Vanves, en banlieue parisienne. Jean-Michel se réconciliera avec son père à l'occasion de son mariage avec l'actrice Anne Parillaud
en mai 2005, mais pas suffisamment tôt pour envisager des projets
musicaux avec lui. L'absence du père sera sans doute une des plus
grandes fêlures de sa vie, même s'il n'en a que très peu parlé
.
Il commence le piano
à huit ans. Dégoûté par une enseignante particulièrement stricte, il
abandonnera l'instrument pour ne s'y remettre que deux ans plus tard. Sa
mère l'emmène alors à Paris dans une boîte de jazz, « Le Chat qui
pêche », tenue par une de ses amies Mimi Ricard (rencontrée dans la Résistance Lyonnaise). Les jazzmen Archie Shepp, Don Cherry et Chet Baker,
initient le petit Jean-Michel à la musique et, pour lui, c'est le coup
de foudre. Sa mère se charge d'organiser sa nouvelle passion. Il prend
donc des cours d'harmonie et de contrepoint au Conservatoire de Paris,
avec Jeanine Rueff. Il développe ainsi de solides bases classiques, tout en s'intéressant également à la musique de son temps en apprenant la guitare électrique et en jouant au début des années 1960 dans plusieurs groupes de rock et de jazz, dont les Mystères IV avec lequel il remporte le premier prix du
tremplin de la Foire de Paris. Il fait une apparition dans le film
Des garçons et des filles d'Étienne Périer, sorti en 1967, avec son groupe les Dustbins (« poubelles » en anglais). Il interprète deux chansons durant le film
Let me take your hands et
I feel so down.
Il obtient son bac en 1966, puis entreprend durant trois ans des
études supérieures. Il réussit une licence de lettres à la Sorbonne avec
notamment un essai sur le
Faust de Gounod comparé à celui de Goethe.
Adobe Audition - Music recording,
music mixing, music editing, and mastering — This software, originally
called Cool Edit Pro, was renamed Adobe Audition after Adobe Systems
Incorporated acquired the technology assets of Syntrillium Software in
May 2003. This new version does everything the original did and more!
You can add special effects, slow down/speed up tempo without affecting
pitch, translate one audio format to another, or practically anything
else you'd want to do to audio. http://www.adobe.com/products/audition/
Audacity - If you can't afford Adobe
Audition, then Audacity is your best bet! And the price is right -
Free! It's open source. Download it and try it out! http://audacity.sourceforge.net/
ACID Pro 6 - Professional music
workstation. - In the world of digital music creation, ACID Pro
software has always stood out from the crowd. Its automatic loop
time-stretching and tempo-matching technology is second-to-none, and
its straightforward pick, paint, and play functionality has helped make
ACID Pro software the favorite loop-based music creation tool for
millions of users worldwide. Now reformulated to add multi-track
recording and full MIDI sequencing to its superior looping
functionality, ACID Pro 6 software delivers a new formula for
ground-breaking music creation: loops + multi-track + MIDI. Together,
these key components add up to a full-featured professional music
workstation unlike any other.
AudioMulch Interactive Music Studio - AudioMulch is software for real-time sound synthesis, music composition and performance-oriented audio processing.http://www.audiomulch.com/
Cakewalk - is the world’s leading
developer of powerful and easy to use products for music creation and
recording . These products include award-winning digital audio
workstations and sequencers, fully-integrated music software and
hardware solutions, recording software, editing software, and innovative
virtual instruments. 
Fleximusic - FlexiMusic turns your
home PC into a complete music studio. You will find FlexiMusic products
to be fun, easy to use and economical, no matter what your experience
level. FlexiMusic offers; Wave Editor an easy-to-use audio editor for professionals and home users, a Music Composer multi-track program for composing, editing and mixing, a Music Generator to generate musical and non-musical sounds, and a Music Orchestra for virtual musical instruments on your PC. Their Music composer also comes in a easy to use version for children. http://www.fleximusic.com/
SONAR 7 Studio Edition - offers the
best creative tools, and the most power of any digital audio
workstation in its price range. Built upon the same core feature set as
SONAR 7 Producer Edition, SONAR 7 Studio Edition gives users the edge
in their productions—from recording audio and MIDI, composing with
virtual instruments, re-mixing with loops, mixing with professional
effects, to delivery of a polished final track—with the recognized best
audio quality of the industry. http://www.cakewalk.com/
Mackie Tracktion Music Production Software
- Get started making music fast on Mac or PC with the Tracktion 3
Project Bundle, a complete production package with dozens of bundled
plug-ins and samples. Based on a simple, single-screen interface with
Loop Browser, Tracktion 3 keeps your music flowing, not locked in
menus. http://www.mackie.com/products/tracktion3/index.html
Guitar Chords Laboratory - For all your guitar chord needs. http://www.guitar-chords-laboratory.com/
Guitar Pro - Guitar Pro is a
multi-track tablature editor for guitar, banjo and bass. Besides
writing scores, Guitar Pro is a useful resource for guitarists from
beginner to experienced levels to progress , compose , or simply
accompany themselves. http://www.guitar-pro.com/en/index.php
G7 Guitar Studio - a
computer program for Microsoft Windows and Apple Macintosh for writing
guitar music and songs, developed by UK software company Sibelius
Software and based on the Sibelius notation program. http://www.sibelius.com/home/index_flash.html
Sibelius - This powerful, yet easy to use music notation and composition program is perfect for aspiring composers and songwriters. 
Sound Forge 9 - Professional digital
audio production suite. The Sound Forge 9 professional digital audio
production music software includes everything you need to quickly get
from raw audio to finished master. Recording music , editing music and
music mixing-Use this suite to create and edit stereo and multi-channel
audio files with speed and precision. Efficiently analyze, record and
edit audio, digitize and restore old recordings, model acoustic
environments, design sound for multimedia, and master replication-ready
CDs. http://www.sonycreativesoftware.com/products/product.asp?pid=431
Steinberg Sequel Software Music Studio
- Sequel combines intuitive tools and gives you the power to record
edit mix and perform music with great-sounding loops instruments and
effects quickly and easily. http://www.steinbergusers.com/
Steinberg Cubase SE - Music
Creation and Production System. Cubase is Steinberg's premier music
production tool, offering unsurpassed audio and MIDI recording
facilities on either PC or Mac platforms. http://www.steinbergusers.com/
Steinberg WaveLab Audio Editing and Mastering Software
- WaveLab 6 is the all-in-one solution for professional mastering,
high resolution multi-channel audio editing, audio restoration, sample
design and radio broadcast work right through to complete CD/DVD-A
production. Already a standard application for digital audio editing
and processing due to its outstanding flexibility and pristine audio
quality, WaveLab is used worldwide by top professionals and audio
enthusiasts alike. http://www.steinbergusers.com/
