Stevie Salas
Encyclopedia
Stevie Salas is a guitarist known for his work on George Clinton
's albums, his collaborations with Koshi Inaba
of B'z
, and Hardware
. He was in Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure, providing the fingerwork for George Carlin
's guitar solo.
He has worked with many giants in the industry of music, including Steve Vai
, Rod Stewart
,, Sass Jordan
providing guitar for several of her albums, T.M. Stevens, Justin Timberlake
, among others. He helps create studio bands for American Idol
and continues to tour in Europe and Japan, as well as release his solo albums.
In 2007 UK indie label Invisible Hands Music are releasing his first-ever career retrospective, The Sun And The Earth.
, who was looking for someone to play some chords on a song he was making. Salas offered his services. When he went into the studio, Salas said he began to play all sorts of weird stuff on the guitar to freak George out, which it did, and in turn, Salas was hired to play some tracks on George Clinton's 1986 release, R&B Skeletons in the Closet
.
's album Out Come the Freaks
. In 1988, Salas wrote the guitar score and appeared in the movie Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure, playing Rufus' guitar solo. That same year, he joined Rod Stewart
as lead guitar player on Rod's world tour. Salas then received the biggest record deal in Island Records
history (at that point in time), as a solo artist. In 1989, he moved to New York City where he began to explore Native Music and recorded guitar on Ronald Shannon Jackson
's album Red Warrior. Finally, in 1990, Salas released his first solo album Stevie Salas Colorcode, opening for Joe Satriani
and his record Flying in a Blue Dream
. Despite massive promotion, Salas' first album did not make a mark in the charts. However, while not very popular in the U.S.A., Salas' music began to receive the attention of listeners in both Japan and Europe.
with one-off power trio Hardware
, consisting of Bootsy Collins
on bass guitar, Buddy Miles
on drums, and Salas on guitar. In 1993, Salas became music director for Terence Trent D'Arby and toured with Duran Duran
. That same year, he released Stevie Salas Electric Pow Wow, a cover album featuring celebrity guests playing covers of songs that Salas was influenced by growing up, to much critical acclaim. Then in 1994, Salas released Back From the Living. He was instantly thrown to international stardom, especially in Japan, where his single "Tell Your Story Walkin" became a Top-Ten hit. During this time he also produced and co-wrote the album Rats by Sass Jordan
.
of the Rolling Stones under the name Nicklebag. Stevie Salas then released his fourth solo album Alter Native. In 1998 Salas released The Sometimes Almost Never Was. In 1999, Salas retired after a final performance at the Fuji Rock Festival
.
of Rolling Stones fame asked him to play lead guitar for his tour. Salas credits this tour as one of the reasons that he began to write music again. In 2001, Salas released Shapeshifter: The Fall and Rise of Stevie No-Wonder, to many eager fans. In 2003, he released The Soulblasters of the Universe, and in 2006, he released Be What It Is.
' acoustic album Tattoo. In 2008, he played some guitar sessions for Justin Timberlake
, and many of his guitar tracks ended up on the album TI
, which debuted at #1 in the USA. In the same year, Salas became the host and executive producer of the Canadian Music TV series Arbor Live. On July 15, 2009, Salas released his newest album Set It On Blast in Japan, featuring Tak Matsumoto
. Also in 2009, Salas became music director for American Idol
stars Kris Allen
, Adam Lambert
, and Allison Iraheta
. In Mid-2009, Salas co-founded with Internet Entrepreneur Laurence Dorazio the company Rockstar Solos, LLC which focuses on iPhone / iPad gaming and entertainment application development, first application also called Rockstar Solos available in iTunes store in late December 2009.
George Clinton (funk musician)
George Clinton is an American singer, songwriter, bandleader, and music producer and the principal architect of P-Funk. He was the mastermind of the bands Parliament and Funkadelic during the 1970s and early 1980s, and launched a solo career in 1981. He has been cited as one of the foremost...
's albums, his collaborations with Koshi Inaba
Koshi Inaba
is a Japanese vocalist. His real name is . He graduated from the Faculty of Education at the Yokohama National University, and has a degree in mathematics.- Musical career :...
of B'z
B'z
is a Japanese hard rock duo, composed of and .B'z has released 45 consecutive #1 singles, 24 #1 albums, and sold more than 79 million records in Japan alone...
, and Hardware
Hardware (band)
Hardware were a funk supergroup consisting of Buddy Miles, Bootsy Collins and Stevie Salas.It featured Mudbone Cooper, Bernard Fowler and George Clinton on backing vocals, and was produced by Bill Laswell. The group was originally called The Third Eye, but changed their name due to conflicts with...
. He was in Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure, providing the fingerwork for George Carlin
George Carlin
George Denis Patrick Carlin was an American stand-up comedian, social critic, actor and author, who won five Grammy Awards for his comedy albums....
's guitar solo.
He has worked with many giants in the industry of music, including Steve Vai
Steve Vai
Steven Siro "Steve" Vai is a three time Grammy Award-winning American guitarist, songwriter and producer who has sold over 15 million albums. Steve Vai is widely known as a flamboyant guitar virtuoso....
, Rod Stewart
Rod Stewart
Roderick David "Rod" Stewart, CBE is a British singer-songwriter and musician, born and raised in North London, England and currently residing in Epping. He is of Scottish and English ancestry....
,, Sass Jordan
Sass Jordan
Sarah "Sass" Jordan is a Canadian, Juno Award winning, rock singer/songwriter who grew up in Montreal.- Biography :...
providing guitar for several of her albums, T.M. Stevens, Justin Timberlake
Justin Timberlake
Justin Randall Timberlake is an American pop musician and actor. He achieved early fame when he appeared as a contestant on Star Search, and went on to star in the Disney Channel television series The New Mickey Mouse Club, where he met future bandmate JC Chasez...
, among others. He helps create studio bands for American Idol
American Idol
American Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...
and continues to tour in Europe and Japan, as well as release his solo albums.
In 2007 UK indie label Invisible Hands Music are releasing his first-ever career retrospective, The Sun And The Earth.
Move to Hollywood, Meeting George Clinton (1985–86)
Salas attended high school in San Diego, where he played in a rock band called This Kids, which toured the Southwest and released two EP's. In 1985, Salas moved to Hollywood to pursue his dream of becoming a professional musician. He lived there for a year without much success, almost starving to death (Salas says he lost 20 pounds (9.1 kg) because of hunger). In 1985, he received a job as custodian for a small recording studio in L.A. where one night at 3a.m. he was awoken by George ClintonGeorge Clinton (musician)
George Clinton is an American singer, songwriter, bandleader, and music producer and the principal architect of P-Funk. He was the mastermind of the bands Parliament and Funkadelic during the 1970s and early 1980s, and launched a solo career in 1981. He has been cited as one of the foremost...
, who was looking for someone to play some chords on a song he was making. Salas offered his services. When he went into the studio, Salas said he began to play all sorts of weird stuff on the guitar to freak George out, which it did, and in turn, Salas was hired to play some tracks on George Clinton's 1986 release, R&B Skeletons in the Closet
R&B Skeletons in the Closet
R&B Skeletons in the Closet is the fourth solo album by Parliament-Funkadelic leader George Clinton. It was released in May 1986 by Capitol Records and was the last album that Clinton would record for the label...
.
Record Deal, Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure, and First Record (1987–1990)
In 1987 Salas moved part-time to the United Kingdom and Holland to work on guitar and production sessions. That same year, he co-produced Was (Not Was)Was (Not Was)
-Studio albums:-Compilation albums:-Singles:-Contributions:* A Christmas Record - "Christmas Time In The Motor City"* That's The Way I Feel Now: A Tribute to Thelonious Monk - "Ba-Lue-Bolivar-Ba-Lues-Are"...
's album Out Come the Freaks
Out Come the Freaks
"Out Come the Freaks" is the name of a trilogy of songs by art-funk ensemble Was . The trilogy consists of three songs that feature the same basic title, tune and chorus lyric: "Out Come the Freaks" , " Out Come the Freaks" , and "Out Come The Freaks" Despite the...
. In 1988, Salas wrote the guitar score and appeared in the movie Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure, playing Rufus' guitar solo. That same year, he joined Rod Stewart
Rod Stewart
Roderick David "Rod" Stewart, CBE is a British singer-songwriter and musician, born and raised in North London, England and currently residing in Epping. He is of Scottish and English ancestry....
as lead guitar player on Rod's world tour. Salas then received the biggest record deal in Island Records
Island Records
Island Records is a record label that was founded by Chris Blackwell in Jamaica. It was based in the United Kingdom for many years and is now owned by Universal Music Group...
history (at that point in time), as a solo artist. In 1989, he moved to New York City where he began to explore Native Music and recorded guitar on Ronald Shannon Jackson
Ronald Shannon Jackson
Ronald Shannon Jackson is an American jazz drummer. He was born in Fort Worth, Texas.Jackson is notable for his unusual approach to his instrument, which draws as much inspiration from military and parade bands as from traditional jazz drumming.He is the only person to have recorded and performed...
's album Red Warrior. Finally, in 1990, Salas released his first solo album Stevie Salas Colorcode, opening for Joe Satriani
Joe Satriani
Joseph "Joe" Satriani is an American instrumental rock guitarist and multi-instrumentalist, with multiple Grammy Award nominations...
and his record Flying in a Blue Dream
Flying in a Blue Dream
Flying in a Blue Dream is a 1989 album by instrumental rock solo artist Joe Satriani. It is his third studio album .-Album information:...
. Despite massive promotion, Salas' first album did not make a mark in the charts. However, while not very popular in the U.S.A., Salas' music began to receive the attention of listeners in both Japan and Europe.
Rise to Fame (1991–1994)
In 1992, Salas recorded the album Third Eye OpenThird Eye Open (Hardware album)
Third Eye Open is a 1992 album release by the Funk/Rock band Hardware. Hardware consists of lead guitarist Stevie Salas, P-Funk bassist Bootsy Collins, and drummer Buddy Miles, formerly of the Band of Gypsys. The album was produced by Bill Laswell and co-produced by Steve Salas...
with one-off power trio Hardware
Hardware (band)
Hardware were a funk supergroup consisting of Buddy Miles, Bootsy Collins and Stevie Salas.It featured Mudbone Cooper, Bernard Fowler and George Clinton on backing vocals, and was produced by Bill Laswell. The group was originally called The Third Eye, but changed their name due to conflicts with...
, consisting of Bootsy Collins
Bootsy Collins
William Earl "Bootsy" Collins is an American funk bassist, singer, and songwriter.Rising to prominence with James Brown in the late 1960s, and with Parliament-Funkadelic in the '70s, Collins's driving bass guitar and humorous vocals established him as one of the leading names in funk...
on bass guitar, Buddy Miles
Buddy Miles
George Allen Miles, Jr. , known as Buddy Miles, was an American rock and funk drummer, most known as a founding member of The Electric Flag in 1967, then as a member of Jimi Hendrix's Band of Gypsys from 1969 through to January 1970.-Early life:George Allen Miles was born in Omaha, Nebraska on...
on drums, and Salas on guitar. In 1993, Salas became music director for Terence Trent D'Arby and toured with Duran Duran
Duran Duran
Duran Duran are an English band, formed in Birmingham in 1978. They were one of the most successful bands of the 1980s and a leading band in the MTV-driven "Second British Invasion" of the United States...
. That same year, he released Stevie Salas Electric Pow Wow, a cover album featuring celebrity guests playing covers of songs that Salas was influenced by growing up, to much critical acclaim. Then in 1994, Salas released Back From the Living. He was instantly thrown to international stardom, especially in Japan, where his single "Tell Your Story Walkin" became a Top-Ten hit. During this time he also produced and co-wrote the album Rats by Sass Jordan
Sass Jordan
Sarah "Sass" Jordan is a Canadian, Juno Award winning, rock singer/songwriter who grew up in Montreal.- Biography :...
.
Bidding War for Label, Continued Success, Retirement (1995–99)
In 1995, Salas entered a bidding with Polygram Records and ended up winning his own label. In that year, he produced and self-released the album 12 Hits and a Bump with Bernard FowlerBernard Fowler
Bernard Fowler is an American musician, songwriter, producer, and actor. He has provided backing vocals with The Rolling Stones for over 20 years on recordings and tours, and has been a featured guest vocalist on the majority of solo albums released by the members of that band. He has also been a...
of the Rolling Stones under the name Nicklebag. Stevie Salas then released his fourth solo album Alter Native. In 1998 Salas released The Sometimes Almost Never Was. In 1999, Salas retired after a final performance at the Fuji Rock Festival
Fuji Rock Festival
Fuji Rock Festival is an annual rock festival held in Naeba Ski Resort, in Niigata Prefecture, Japan. The 3 day event, organized by Smash Japan, features more than 200 Japanese and international musicians, making it the largest outdoor music event in Japan...
.
Personal Tragedy, Tour with Mick Jagger, Return to Music (2000–2006)
Salas' girlfriend died soon after his retirement, after which Salas entered a depression. In 2001, Mick JaggerMick Jagger
Sir Michael Philip "Mick" Jagger is an English musician, singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist and a founding member of The Rolling Stones....
of Rolling Stones fame asked him to play lead guitar for his tour. Salas credits this tour as one of the reasons that he began to write music again. In 2001, Salas released Shapeshifter: The Fall and Rise of Stevie No-Wonder, to many eager fans. In 2003, he released The Soulblasters of the Universe, and in 2006, he released Be What It Is.
Television Show Arbor Live, Recent Projects (2007–Present)
In 2007, he produced Jordin SparksJordin Sparks
Jordin Brianna Sparks is an American pop / R&B singer-songwriter and actress. She hails from Glendale, Arizona who rose to fame as the winner of the sixth season of American Idol. Sparks won when she was 17 years old, making her the youngest winner in Idol history...
' acoustic album Tattoo. In 2008, he played some guitar sessions for Justin Timberlake
Justin Timberlake
Justin Randall Timberlake is an American pop musician and actor. He achieved early fame when he appeared as a contestant on Star Search, and went on to star in the Disney Channel television series The New Mickey Mouse Club, where he met future bandmate JC Chasez...
, and many of his guitar tracks ended up on the album TI
TI
TI, Ti, ti or T.I. may refer to:* Acronis True Image, a disk imaging program* Cordyline fruticosa, a plant known as Ti by the Polynesians* Taiwan independence, a political movement* Thermal instability* Thermodynamic integration...
, which debuted at #1 in the USA. In the same year, Salas became the host and executive producer of the Canadian Music TV series Arbor Live. On July 15, 2009, Salas released his newest album Set It On Blast in Japan, featuring Tak Matsumoto
Tak Matsumoto
is a Grammy Award-winning Japanese guitarist, producer, arranger, composer, singer and songwriter. In addition to guitarist and lead composer for the hard rock band B'z, he has also had a successful solo career.-Background:...
. Also in 2009, Salas became music director for American Idol
American Idol
American Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...
stars Kris Allen
Kris Allen
Kristopher Neil "Kris" Allen is an American musician and singer-songwriter from Conway, Arkansas, and the winner of the eighth season of American Idol...
, Adam Lambert
Adam Lambert
Adam Mitchel Lambert is an American singer, songwriter, and actor from San Diego, California. In May 2009, he finished as the runner-up on the eighth season of American Idol...
, and Allison Iraheta
Allison Iraheta
Allison Iraheta is an American singer from Los Angeles, California, who was the fourth place finalist on the eighth season of American Idol. Prior to Idol, Iraheta won the Telemundo competition Quinceañera: Mamá Quiero Ser Artista. Following the conclusion of Idol, Iraheta was signed to a record...
. In Mid-2009, Salas co-founded with Internet Entrepreneur Laurence Dorazio the company Rockstar Solos, LLC which focuses on iPhone / iPad gaming and entertainment application development, first application also called Rockstar Solos available in iTunes store in late December 2009.
Solo albums
Salas has released 18 solo albums, as well as several live albums (listed below).- 1990 Stevie Salas Colorcode
- 1991 Stuff EP
- 1992 Bootleg Like A Mug (Live in Japan)
- 1993 The Electric Pow WowPow woWPow woW is French musical group. Their biggest hit was "Le Chat" in 1992. Their next single was the French version of song "The Lion Sleeps Tonight", titled "Le lion est mort ce soir".- Albums :* Regagner les plaines...
- 1994 Back From The Living
- 1995 All That...And Born To Mack (Live in Japan)
- 1996 Anthology Of Stevie Salas Colorcode 1987–1994
- 1996 Alter Native
- 1996 Alter Native EP
- 1997 Alter Native GoldGoldGold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
- 1997 Le Bootleg (Live in Paris)
- 1997 SeoulSeoulSeoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
Power - 1998 Viva La Noise
- 1998 The Sometimes Almost Never Was
- 1999 Sol Power
- 2001 ShapeshifterShapeShifterShapeShifter is an Application Enhancer plugin for Mac OS X developed by Unsanity that allows the user to make system-wide modifications to the appearance of the operating system's graphical interface by applying GUI skins through “injection” into running code and without modifying system files,...
– The Rise And Fall of Stevie No Wonder - 2004 The Soulblasters of The UniverseUniverseThe Universe is commonly defined as the totality of everything that exists, including all matter and energy, the planets, stars, galaxies, and the contents of intergalactic space. Definitions and usage vary and similar terms include the cosmos, the world and nature...
- 2004 The Soulblasters of The UniverseUniverseThe Universe is commonly defined as the totality of everything that exists, including all matter and energy, the planets, stars, galaxies, and the contents of intergalactic space. Definitions and usage vary and similar terms include the cosmos, the world and nature...
– Cosmic Flutie A Mixtape For The Underdog - 2006 Be What It Is
- 2007 The Sun And The Earth
- 2009 Set It On Blast
- 2010 Jam Power
External links
- Stevie Salas Official Website
- Stevie Salas Artist of the Month June 2007
- 2007 Stevie Salas Interview and Review
- 2006 Stevie Salas Interview
- November 2008 Stevie Salas / Matt Sorum Interview
- Stevie Salas – Sound Academy Toronto Nov. 29 2008 Review
- Stevie Salas – A Conversation at Allaboutjazz.com
- Stevie Salas teaches at Camp Rock