LOBUE GUITARS - Key Persons

One of the "Three Kings of the Blues Guitar" (along with B.B. King and Freddie King), he stood at least 6' 4", weighed in at least 260 lbs (118 kg) and was known as "The Velvet Bulldozer". He was born Albert Nelson on a cotton plantation in Indianola, Mississippi. During his childhood he would sing at a family gospel group at a church. He began his professional work as a musician with a group called In The Groove Boys, in Osceola, Arkansas. He also briefly played drums for Jimmy Reed's band and on several early Reed recordings. Influenced by Blues musicians Blind Lemon Jefferson and Lonnie Johnson, but also interestingly Hawaiian music, the electric guitar became his signature instrument, his preference being the Gibson Flying V, which he named "Lucy". King was a left-handed "upside-down/backwards" guitarist. He was left-handed, but usually played right-handed guitars flipped over upside-down so the low E string was on the bottom. In later years he played a custom-made guitar that was basically left-handed, but had the strings reversed (as he was used to playing). He also used very unorthodox tunings (i.e., tuning as low as C to allow him to make sweeping string bends). A "less is more" type blues player, he was known for his expressive "bending" of notes, a technique characteristic of blues guitarists. His first minor hit came in 1958 with "I'm A Lonely Man" written by Bobbin Records A&R man and fellow guitar hero Little Milton, responsible for King's signing with the label. However, it was not until his 1961 release "Don't Throw Your Love on Me So Strong" that he had a major hit, reaching number fourteen on the R&B charts. In 1966 he signed with the famous Stax record label. Produced by powerhouse drummer Al Jackson, Jr., King with Booker T. & the MGs recorded dozens of hugely influential sides, such as "Crosscut Saw" and "As the Years Go Passing By", and in 1967 Stax released the legendary album, Born Under A Bad Sign. The title track of that album (written by Booker T. Jones and William Bell) became King's most well known song and has been covered by many artists (from Cream to Homer Simpson)

Alex Carozza, a New York-based accordion dealer and technician has bought the name Bell Duovox, with plans to develop it in the future. Mr. Carozza announced the news at the Opening Reception for his Accordion Museum on December 7th, 2006. Aldo Mencaccini, founder and President of Bell Accordion Co. was present to coincide with the announcement.

Alphonso Johnson (born 1951 in Philadelphia, PA ) is a jazz bassist who has been influential since the early 1970s.

Bill Lawrence (born Willi Lorenz Stich on March 24, 1931 in Wahn-Heide (near Cologne), Germany) is a recording musician and an electric guitar pickup designer/maker and guitar designer/maker in the musical instrument industry, designing pickups and guitars for Fender, Gibson, Peavey and other guitar companies from the late 1960s to the present, with many patents (see below). His birth name was anglicized to "Bill Lawrence" and claims under oath at the USPTO to have used "BILL LAWRENCE" since 1962. In the early 50's, he also used Billy Lorento as a stage name and had his own guitar and string line with the German guitar manufacturer, Framus. However, since the 1960s he has performed and recorded under the name Bill Lawrence (see 'external links' below). Later, in the 1970s, Bill designed guitars for Framus Nashville. Hans Peter Wilfer, who owns Framus today, is writing a book about Framus' history and has interviewed Bill about him and his extensive knowledge of the company's history.

Chuck Ruff is an American rock drummer most prominently known for his drum duet with Edgar Winter and The Edgar Winter Group in the #1 hit instrumental "Frankenstein". Chuck was born on May 25, 1951 in Reno, Nevada and played in the rock group Sawbuck with Ronnie Montrose and Bill Church from 1968-1970. Ruff andMontrose later joined Edgar Winter with Dan Hartman to form The Edgar Winter Group in 1972. It was with this band that he had his biggest successes: first with the 1973 album They Only Come Out at Night, featuring "Frankenstein" which reached number one in the U.S. in May of 1973 and the top 15 single "Free Ride;" which reached number 14 that same year, then the album Shock Treatment which featured the song "Easy Street". In 1977, Chuck, joined Sammy Hagar and performed on the albums Street Machine and Danger Zone, including the song "Bad Reputation" which is in the film Fast Times at Ridgemont High. Chuck Ruff is currently living and performing with the Chuck Ruff Group in Reno, Nevada.

Dan Kent Armstrong was born in Lakewood, Ohio - a surburb of Cleveland, on October 7th 1934 - the son of Harry & Ruth Armstrong. Harry was an engineer responsible for heat treating equipment at the Lee Wilson Engineering Co., of Rocky River, Ohio while Ruth, (maiden name Frost) was a registered nurse working at Grant Hospital, then the Berea Community Hospital, and finally for Dr. William Bond all of which were located in Berea, Ohio. While his fathers engineering skills would help serve Dan later on, his interests at the time was music, and at the age of 11 he began playing guitar. Years later he moved to New York and was soon involved doing studio recordings as a session guitarist. He was quickly in demand, making one record a week while working with big name bands and it wasn't long before the music would take Dan on the road, and often he would rent, or borrow equipment from a music shop called Caroll's. The owner, Caroll Bratman, soon noticed that his rental instruments were coming back in better shape than when they went out, and eventually asked Dan to repair guitars for him. Dan agreed and was soon taken to a warehouse chock full of instruments - Gibsons, Fenders, Guilds, and many others. Dan recalls, "I have never seen so many instruments in one building before." In 1965, Dan Armstrong opened his own luthier/repair shop on 48th Street across from Manny's Music, called Dan Armstrong's Guitar Service and one of his first customers was John Sebastian (Loving Spoonful). Dan still continued his session work and as his new business grew, his studio calls for standby work also had him working with numerous artists. By this time things had gotten so busy that Dan had 3 employees working for him. Dan's shop was open until 1968 when it was demolished to make room for the Rockefeller building, and he relocated to a shop in Laguardia Place in Greenwich Village which Dan liked better anyway, as it was "more relaxed".

Ed Diehl has been playing Jazz guitar on the highest level since the late 1950s with some of the great jazz legends. His expertise in playing has driven his pursuit of the art of setting up guitars. Over the years Ed worked for Dan Armstrong, Matt Umanov, the Folklore Center in New York City and is much sought after for his fret work by professional guitarists. He is currently living in Poughkeepsie, New York, where he does repairs, teaches improvisation, lectures on the Beat era and plays Jazz in various venues on the East Coast.

Edgar Holland Winter (born December 28, 1946 in Beaumont, Texas) is an American musician who had significant success in the 1970s and 1980s. He is a keyboard player, vocalist, saxophonist and percussionist, well-versed in jazz, blues and rock. He is the second son of John and Edwina Winter, who were very much responsible for Edgar and his older brother Johnny Winter's early musical awareness. Both Edgar and Johnny have albinism. As teens Edgar and Johnny (who is three years older than Edgar) began performing together at local watering holes such as Tom's Fish Camp. The two played in R&B and blues groups; Johnny and the Jammers, The Crystaliers, and The Black Plague. By the time he was of college age Edgar had become competent on keyboards, saxophone, bass, guitar and drums. After recording with his brother, Edgar was signed to his own Epic Records contract in 1970 and recorded two R&B flavored albums, Entrance and Edgar Winter's White Trash. In 1972 he formed The Edgar Winter Group which included Dan Hartman, Ronnie Montrose and Chuck Ruff. It was with this band that he had his biggest successes: first with the 1972 album They Only Come Out at Night which featured the #1 hit instrumental "Frankenstein" which pioneered the use of the synthesizer as a lead instrument and reached number one in the U.S. in May 1973 and the top 15 single Free Ride; which reached number 14 that same year, then the album Shock Treatment which featured the song "Easy Street". The preponderance of vocals and songwriting by Hartman on Shock Treatment led to the release of Jasmine Nightdreams with all vocals by Winter. It was nominally a solo album, but it used the same personnel as the Edgar Winter Group. A full band album followed, the Edgar Winter Group with Rick Derringer, featuring songs and vocals by Derringer. Success was waning, however, and Edgar teamed with brother Johnny for a live album of blues and early rock classics, including Harlem Shuffle (later a revival hit for the Rolling Stones). This album too performed below expectations, so the White Trash was reformed. They recorded Recycled, and toured as an opening act to support the album. The tour was cut short by a tragic plane crash, which killed some members of the tour's headliner, Lynyrd Skynyrd. This was followed by two solo albums, an attempt at literate disco on the Edgar Winter Album and a return to 1970s rock on Standing on Rock. Since then there have been more obscure solo albums and session work, namely with David Lee Roth on Crazy from the Heat in 1985, which included a cover version of the song Easy Street. With over 20 albums and many television and radio appearances both to promote his music-and to give his opinion on everything politically incorrect- Edgar Winter's music is solidly in the popular vein. Winter's 1970s albums are bluesier than his later albums, but there are blues tunes like "Big City Woman" on his 1990 album Not a Kid Anymore. In 2005, "Frankenstein" was featured in the PlayStation 2 music video game Guitar Hero. It has also been covered by Gary Hoey on the 2003 album "Wake Up Call", as well as by Derek Sherinian in his album album Inertia. "Free Ride" is the main song used in the Disney/Pixar video game "Cars" which is the video game spin off of the animated film of the same name, the initial guitar riff is used on the menu screens and the full song features during game play. In 2006, Winter joined Hamish Stuart, Rod Argent, Richard Marx, Billy Squier, and Sheila E touring with Ringo Starr & His All Starr Band. In 2008, he is appearing in the 10th All-Starr Band with Colin Hay, Billy Squier, Hamish Stuart, first timer Gary Wright and, on drums, Gregg Bissonette.

Gene Simmons (born Chaim Witz on August 25, 1949) is an Israeli-born American hard rock bass guitarist and vocalist. He is best known as "The Demon", his blood-spitting, fire-breathing, and tongue-wagging persona in the hard rock band Kiss, an act which he co-founded in the early 1970s. Simmons was born in Israel, and at the age of eight he immigrated to New York City, United States[1], with his mother Florence Klein-a Jewish Hungarian immigrant and the only member of her family to survive the Holocaust. His father, Feri Witz, had abandoned his family years earlier. When Simmons was young, (as he has discussed on Gene Simmons Family Jewels, a reality-based television program on the American cable network A&E), his mother's long absences while working two jobs in order to make ends meet left emotional scars which left him with a strong desire for wealth. After arriving in the U.S., he took the name Eugene Klein (later Gene Klein, Klein being his mother's maiden name). In the late-1960s, he changed his name again, to Gene Simmons. Simmons became involved with his first band, Lynx, then renamed The Missing Links, when he was a teenager. Eventually he disbanded The Missing Links to form the Long Island Sounds. While he played in these bands, he kept up odd jobs on the side to make more money, including making fanzines and buying used comic books. Simmons then attended Sullivan County Community College in Loch Sheldrake, New York. He then joined a new band Bullfrog Beer, and the band made a demo, "Leeta", which was eventually released on the Kiss box set in demo form.

John McLaughlin (born January 4, 1942), also Mahavishnu John McLaughlin (not to be confused with pop/rock artist Jon McLaughlin), is a jazz fusion guitarist from Doncaster, Yorkshire in England. He came to prominence with Miles Davis' electric jazz-fusion groups from the late 1960s. He is regarded by many as one of the most influential and technically gifted guitarists of all time, having mastered a remarkable range of styles and genres, including jazz, Indian classical music, and fusion. He has also incorporated aspects of Flamenco music in some of his acoustic periods.

John Tropea is one of the most admired and highly regarded guitar players of his generation. His playing shows a vast knowledge and respect for the tradition of the instrument as well as an original style that continues to define how the guitar best serves a wide variety of musical styles. He is a musician's musician who attracts the finest players for his own projects. Tropea has written for and played with major recording artists from around the world. In his long career, his contributions to other artist's successes have been numerous, including his solo work with Deodato, (2001 theme), projects with Laura Nyro, Harry Chapin (Cat's in the Cradle), Paul Simon (Fifty Ways), Alice Cooper (Goes to Hell), Eric Clapton (Journey Man), Dr. John, and many others. He is also a composer, arranger, and producer whose vital work is ably demonstrated by his personal projects. Tropea has a deserved worldwide reputation as an artist of quality among both audiences and other musician

Johnny Gale has been a noted force in music since the 60's. He is currently working with Little Isidore and the Inquisitors as musical director, guitarist and writer. Johnny penned the surf hit "Jitterbop" on the Hy-Sam release "Bring It On" by artist Little Leopold, and produced the release as well. His own album, 1994's "Gale Force" (Guitar Recordings), was awarded "Best Guitar Record of 1994". Johnny has worked as musical director for a number of legendary Rock and Roll stars, including Hank Ballard, Gary U.S. Bonds, The Drifters, The Jive Five, The Capris, The Chiffons, The Cadillacs, Ruth McFadden, and many, many more. Johnny is accomplished as an arranger, writer, guitarist, bassist, singer, and band leader. He is the one that gets called when things have to be done right the first time, and is a noted expert in the field R&B. He has received endorsements from Gibson Guitars and Laney Amps.

John Dawson "Johnny" Winter III (born on 23 February 1944 in Beaumont, Texas, USA) is an American blues guitarist, singer and producer. He is the first son of John and Edwina Winter who were very much responsible for Johnny's and his younger brother's, Edgar Winter's, early musical awareness. Both Johnny and Edgar have albinism. He began performing at a young age with Edgar. His recording career began at the age of 15, when their band Johnny and the Jammers released "School Day Blues" on a Houston record label. During this same period, he was able to see performances by classic blues artists such as Muddy Waters, B. B. King and Bobby Bland. In 1968, Winter began playing in a trio with bassist Tommy Shannon and drummer Uncle John Turner. An article in Rolling Stone magazine written by Larry Sepulvado helped generate interest in the group. The album Johnny Winter was released near the end of that year. In 1969 they performed at numerous rock festivals including Woodstock. Contrary to urban legend, however, Johnny did not perform with Jimi Hendrix and Jim Morrison on the infamous Hendrix bootleg recording "Woke Up This Morning and Found Myself Dead" done at New York City's Scene Club. He has said, "Oh, I never even met Jim Morrison! There's a whole album of Jimi and Jim and I'm supposedly on the album but I don't think I am `cause I never met Jim Morrison in my life! I'm sure I never, never played with Jim Morrison at all! I don't know how that [rumour] got started." In 1973, after recovering from a drug abuse, he returned to the music scene in classic form with Still Alive and Well, a song written by Rick Derringer saluting Winter for overcoming his addiction.

1970 Larry Di Marzio came to LoBue with basic electronics know how and LoBue showed him what he wanted done. In short order, DiMarzio had a knack for pickup design and Bill Lawrence still a close friend to LoBue, took him under his wing. The clients would tell LoBue what they wanted and DiMarzio through his own ingenuity and advice from LoBue and Lawrence designed some exceptional pickups. Early at Thompson Street DiMarzio started to work on his own from his basement. He would then take them in to LoBue for trial. While working with LoBue, DiMarzio developed the pickup which would be he Super Distortion, one of the most successful pickups in Rock history. Di Marzio, president of Di Marzio Pickups has become one of the preeminent pickup designers in the world

Michael Gurian is a major supplier of custom parts to guitar manufacturers wolrdwide and a builder of some of the most distinctive steel-strings to appear in a long time. Born in 1943, a Brooklynite of Armenian descent, he took lessons on various instruments and developed a fondness for wood. He later studied sculpture at Long Island University, took up classical guitar, and taught music in Roslyn, New York. With his studio apartment for a workshop, Michael built his first guitar-a copy of a classical made by Victor Manuel Piniero, a student of Velasquez. In 1965 he moved to a three-room shop in Greenwich Village, and with two assistants began building classical instruments. Traditional steel-strings were added four years later, and Gurian introduced his own distinctive body shapes soon after that. The company moved to Bedford Street and then Grand Street, his crew of builders growing to 15. In 1971 he relocated in Hinsdale, New Hampshire, because of that state's favorable business climate. Vintage retailer Matt Umanov encouraged him to build a cutaway, and he did. It became a regular member of the line. A terrible 1979 fire resulting from a boiler explosion destroyed not only all of Gurian's guitars but also his tooling and machinery as well. After the half-million-dollar loss he rebuilt and grew, recovering with remarkable perseverance from a defeat that would have sent a lesser person back to guitar teaching for good. By late 1979 Gurian was employing over two dozen people and servicing nearly 200 dealers worldwide. Gurian's background as an expert with old-fashioned techniques manifests itself in his instruments, whose unusually rounded bodies are most appealing. They combine classical appointments and modern interior construction; the tone is bright and strong.

Job Titles:

• Newspaper Ad for Phantom of the Opera, Starring Paul Stanley

Before joining Wicked Lester, Paul Stanley was in a local band, Rainbow (not to be confused with Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow) and Uncle Joe. Through a mutual friend of Gene Simmons, Stanley joined Simmons' band Wicked Lester in the early 1970s. The band recorded an album in 1971, but as of 2005 it has never been officially released (although songs from the album appeared on Kiss's 2001 box set). Wicked Lester soon fell apart and Stanley and Simmons placed ads for a drummer and a guitarist in various New York papers. This resulted in Peter Criss and Ace Frehley joining the group, and they named themselves Kiss. Kiss released their self-titled debut in February 1974. Paul's persona in Kiss is "The Starchild." Wearing Spandex and platform boots, Stanley's persona is that of a Don Juan-esque lover, combining effeminate elements with elements of extreme masculinity, rather than mere androgyny. Although Paul's voice is generally very soft and eloquent during normal conversation, he uses a specific "stage voice" which is like a "Rock N' Roll Preacher" unlike most leading rock frontmen, he gets the crowd to join the band in many of their classic hits and also tends to give a speech or "scripted" story for certain songs (i.e. having sexual encounters with nurses and other women he's met on tour and how much he supports U.S. troops overseas) much like Gene Simmons adopts an animalistic growl on stage for his demon persona. In his book Sex Money Kiss, Gene Simmons admits that Paul was the driving force for Kiss during the makeup-free 1980s, while Simmons was feeling lost without his demon makeup and attempting to launch a film career.

Pete Townshend (born Peter Dennis Blandford Townshend on 19 May 1945 in Chiswick, London), is an award-winning English rock guitarist, singer, songwriter, composer, and writer. Townshend made his name as the guitarist and principal songwriter for rock band The Who. His career with them spans more than 40 years, during which time the band grew to be considered one of the greatest and most influential rock bands of all time, in addition to being "possibly the greatest live band ever." Townshend is the primary songwriter for the group, writing over 100 songs on the band's eleven studio albums, including the rock operas Tommy and Quadrophenia, plus dozens of additional songs that appeared as non-album singles, bonus tracks on reissues, and tracks on rarities compilations such as Odds and Sods. Although known mainly for being a guitarist, he is also an accomplished singer and keyboard player, and has played many other instruments on his solo albums, and on some Who albums (such as banjo, bass guitar, drums). Townshend has also written newspaper and magazine articles, book reviews, essays, books, and scripts.

Job Titles:

• Chief
• Owner

Ralph Novak is the owner and chief luthier at Novax Guitars in Eugene Oregon. Ralph worked with Charles LoBue for a number of years assisting Charles make a number of wonderful instruments. After LoBue returned to New York Ralph first worked at Subway Guitars and then opened Novax Guitars.

Randy Jo Hobbs (22 March 1948 - 5 August 1993) was an American musician born in Winchester, Indiana. Hobbs played bass in the bands of the brothers Edgar Winter and Johnny Winter during the period of 1970-1974. He was found dead in a hotel room in Dayton in 1993 and is buried in Union City.

Ren was originally born Lawrence Ferguson on February 26, 1946, in Detroit, Michigan. As was family tradition on his father's side, all first born males were to be named after their paternal grandfather - in this case, Ren's grandfather, Lawrence. Not a big fan of the nickname "Larry," Mrs. Ferguson intervened, instead giving him the nickname, "Ren," after a favorite artist. "My mother, who had been an artist at Disney for a while, had a great admiration for an airbrush artist named Renwick," he recalls. Ren began his luthier career, as it were, in shop class at Westchester High School, in Westchester, California. By the early sixties Ren had a Harmony guitar and his brother had a banjo - both rather poor excuses for instruments. Ren decided he could make a banjo in shop class for his brother. "I had no idea how complicated instrument building was back then," he says. "I soon found out how critical tolerances had to be for frets and bridges and the like." Ren's father had a furniture business with a spray booth in it, and he got to experiment with refinishing wood furniture that people would trade in - in addition to plenty of Nocasters and Telecasters. "I ruined a lot of potentially expensive guitars back then," Ren recalls. Later in high school he took a job selling guitars at a local music store, Westchester Music, which is now part of the runway at LAX airport. Westchester Music was a big store with a large record department in those days; they offered lessons on piano, organ, guitar and most any other band instrument. The store had a large rental department, and Ren was kept busy. "I learned a lot about what it takes to keep band instruments in service," he explains. "The airport would break about one guitar a day, and they would ask us to replace the instrument or repair it. Often the passenger would sell me his broken guitar or even give it to me after being reimbursed by the airport for the damage - I had a big stack of guitars from airport passengers. Back in those days it was easy enough to get a brace from Martin or a neck from Gibson." Ren cut his luthier teeth learning how to rebuild these broken guitars before taking a brief hiatus from Westchester to sell Dobros for the Dopera family. "I would hustle Dobros on the street, in clubs or wherever there were musicians I could demo the instrument to. I even designed a thin profile Dobro we called the ‘Californian,' which was going into production about the time that the company was bought up by Mosrite and Buck Owens and ultimately moved to Bakersfield," he says. Eventually he set up classes teaching guitar and mandolin building in California before being drafted. While in the Navy he met two brothers, the Millers, who kept telling him how beautiful Montana was; soon after his discharge from the Navy in February of 1969, he traveled to Montana for his first Mountain Man Rendezvous, an event where men cavort as rugged outdoorsmen from days gone by. "I still wonder what would have happened to me financially if I had stayed in California and built guitars, instead of coming up here to Montana to eat dirt and chew grass," he says. Ren wonders if he would have had Bob Taylor's place in history as the premier California guitar maker.

To say that Richard Friedman was born with a vintage guitar in his hand is certainly not far from the truth. His family's rich History in the music business stretches back to 1922, when his grandfather opened what might well have been the country's first-ever "vintage" guitar store. The legacy continued when Richie's family established several music stores in mid-Manhattan, one of them the original We Buy Guitars on the city's famed "Music Row."

Rick Derringer (born Richard Zehringer, 5 August 1947, in Fort Recovery, Ohio) is an American guitarist, vocalist, and entertainer. He is perhaps best known for the song "Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo". Rick was also "Weird Al" Yankovic's Lead guitarist for five years, before being replaced by Jim West. When he was just 17, his band The McCoys recorded "Hang on Sloopy" in the summer of 1965, which became the number one song in America before "Yesterday" by The Beatles knocked it out of the top spot. Derringer also recorded and played with a version of Johnny Winter's band called "Johnny Winter And ..." and both Edgar Winter's White Trash and The Edgar Winter Group. Derringer also had a successful solo career, and his solo version of "Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo" was a hit single. He also recorded extensively with Steely Dan, playing lead guitar on songs such as "Show Biz Kids".

Rick Turner co-founded Alembic in 1970 and designed the classic Series 1 and Series 2 basses. He founded Rick Turner Guitars in 1979 and joined Gibson in 1988 where he served as president of Gibson Labs West Coast R&D Division. Turner left Gibson in 1992 and ran a guitar repair shop at Westwood Music in Los Angeles where he developed piezo pickup designs, working with Jackson Browne, David Crosby and others. He later co-founded Highlander™ Musical Audio, manufacturer of piezo pickups for acoustic guitars. He continues to design and build guitars for many professional players such as Lindsey Buckingham, Ry Cooder, David Lindley, David Crosby and Andy Summers. He is also a regular columnist for Acoustic Guitar and a former columnist for Bass Player, Frets and Guitar Player magazines. His present company is Renaissance Guitars and he has partnered with Seymour Duncan to form D-TAR. Turner's designs are considered significant and innovative, and include at least the following:

While most children simply play with their toys. Sherwood T. "Woody" Phifer spent his childhood deconstructing them. By the age of 4, he was making his own Phifer built go-carts, bicycles, kites, and remote control glider planes. "If it was a tool or a toy--if it was something I couldn't afford or [something] I simply wanted, I would just make it," he says. Phifer no longer makes toys: He now builds exquisitely handcrafted electric and acoustic guitars that range in price from $4,900 to $12,000. His 20-year clientele includes musicians such as Ronnie Jordan, Mos Def, Will Lee, Ron Carter, Stanley Clark, Wyclef Jean, and George Benson, all of whom subscribe to Woody's personally coined phrase, "If you don't have a Woody, you just have a guitar." Although long-standing companies like Fender and Gibson have cornered the market on mass producing electric guitars, Phifer has found his niche. "Most companies use generic hardware parts that are made out of metal and composite materials," he explains. "I have designed my own bridge and tailpiece systems. My bridge is made of wood and is fully adjustable. It provides a more acoustic sound with a longer sustain. I've also developed my own internal structures that enhance the instrument's tone." Phifer's instruments are carved from maple, Sitka spruce, and African gibbon mahogany in finishes that include bing cherry, indigo blue, purple, and lemon yellow.

Job Titles:

• Leader

In a special issue of Japan's "JAZZ LIFE" magazine, they selected the 22 All-Time Greatest Jazz Guitarists. Of course, legends like Charlie Christian, Django Reinhardt, Wes Montgomery, Kenny Burrell, and Jim Hall were included alongside more recent giants George Benson, Pat Martino, Larry Coryell, and John McLaughlin. But right there amongst contemporaries John Abercrombie, Pat Metheny, John Scofield, Mike Stern and Bill Frisell was Steve Khan! Testament to a large body of work which now spans more than 30 years. Hard to believe this dream began at a rather late age with Wes Montgomery held as the model to which to aspire. Steve admits that, when he was a teenager, "I was a terrible drummer with no musical training. I had developed a love for the guitar, and when I was 19 I switched instruments. I decided that I would not make the same mistakes I had made with the drums and studied hard in college along with private lessons from Ron Anthony." During these years, Khan always found himself in fast company and, from such situations he learned, developed and survived. By the time he graduated from U.C.L.A., in 1969, he felt ready to make the move to New York City. From this point forward, so much of Steve's career is well documented. In 1974, he performed in one of the first contemporary jazz guitar duos with Larry Coryell. During this same period, he became a key member of the Brecker Bros. Band. His first recordings as a leader were a trio of well-received albums for Columbia Records titled: "TIGHTROPE"('77), "THE BLUE MAN"('78), and, "ARROWS"('79). These recordings featured Michael and Randy Brecker, David Sanborn, Don Grolnick, Will Lee, Steve Gadd, Mike Mainieri and others. In 1994, Sony Music/Columbia released a CD compilation drawn from these three LPs titled, "THE COLLECTION." In 1980, Steve began a great transition when he recorded a brilliant solo acoustic guitar album, "EVIDENCE," which paid tribute to his earliest jazz inspirations and served to establish him as one of the great interpreters of the music of Thelonious Monk. Between 1981 and 1985, he worked and recorded steadily with his quartet, Eyewitness, which included Anthony Jackson, Manolo Badrena, and Steve Jordan. Together they made three recordings: "EYEWITNESS"('81),

Paul Reed Smith (February 18, 1956) is one of the world's premier luthiers and the founder and owner of PRS Guitars. His electric guitars are played by the likes of Ted Nugent, Mike Shinoda, Brad Delson, Alex Lifeson, Carlos Santana, Al Di Meola, Dave Navarro, Mark Tremonti, Mikael Åkerfeldt, Peter Lindgren, Steven Wilson, Tim Mahoney, Marcos Curiel, Larry Lalonde, Pete Loeffler, Benjamin Burnley, Paul Allender, Chad Kroeger and Dan Spitz. Smith is originally from Bowie, Maryland. He made his first guitar while at St. Mary's College of Maryland, and continued to build guitars after he finished college, making them one at a time, one a month. Together with another local, John "Orkie" Ingram, they formed the nucleus of what would become Paul Reed Smith Guitars. Smith would often bring his guitars backstage at concerts, and eventually got his break when Derek St. Holmes, of the Ted Nugent Band, agreed to try out #2, the second guitar Smith had ever made. St. Holmes played the guitar for the first few songs of his set, and Smith told him that after he showed it to some other musicians, he would fly out to Detroit and give it to him. St. Holmes eventually sold the guitar for $200, not realizing how big Paul Reed Smith was going to get. Smith then contacted Ted McCarty, former president of Gibson and creator of the Explorer, ES-335 and Flying V guitars, and McCarty became his mentor and adviser. The result of their collaboration was the current line of PRS Guitars, which include solid- and hollow-body guitars. The Private Stock line of PRS guitars are made utilizing a vast range of exotic materials including various stones, elaborately figured tone woods, and intricate shells for inlays.

Wendy Taylor (Wendy Simmons) Wendy's musical interests began with flute in high school. She studied music at Hunter College in NYC and upright bass with famed bassist Milt Hinton. She was the bass player for RCA artist Vicki Sue Robinson on her "Turn the Beat Around" and toured and recorded on Vicki's second album. Wendy has played top venues throughout the country and appeared on major TV shows (Midnight Special, Don Kirshners Rock Concert, Merv Griffin, Mike Douglas, etc). She also toured throughout the far east and Pacific Theater in the all-female rock band, "Fire"' for the D.O.D. U.S.O show. Wendy has also performed with various Latino salsa bands and recorded with the Vinny & Ray Orchestra on theor debut 1998 CD. She performs with the all-female band, "Sister Funk", who are currently recording their 2nd CD. Wendy's funky, 6-string bass playing provides the driving force and grooving dance power for the Butch Taylor Band.