John Guerin

John Payne Guerin (October 31, 1939 – January 5, 2004) was an American percussionist. He was a proponent of the jazz-rock style.[1]

This article is about the American musician. For the Canadian politician, see James John Edmund Guerin.
John Guerin
Guerin in San Francisco, 1976
Background information
Birth nameJohn Payne Guerin
Born(1939-10-31)October 31, 1939
Hawaii, U.S.
DiedJanuary 5, 2004(2004-01-05) (aged 64)
West Hills, California, U.S.
Occupation(s)Musician
Instrument(s)Percussion

Biography

Guerin was born in Hawaii and raised in San Diego. As a young drummer, he began performing with Buddy DeFranco in 1960. In the late 1960s, he moved to Los Angeles where his drum work was utilized by artists including Frank Sinatra, The Beach Boys, George Harrison, Frank Zappa, The Animals, Joni Mitchell, Them, Thelonious Monk, Lou Rawls, Ray Conniff, George Shearing, Peggy Lee, Ella Fitzgerald, Linda Ronstadt, Nelson Riddle and many others.

From July 1972 to January 1973, he was the drummer for The Byrds and joined the L.A. Express later that year. The band served as Joni Mitchell's back-up band on tour during the mid- to late-1970s; Guerin had a brief relationship with Mitchell during that time. She later wrote the song Hejira about leaving him.

Guerin was an exponent of the jazz-rock style and played in many different genres, including for film and television.[1] Among his contributions to motion picture and television scores, Guerin worked on the soundtrack to the 1988 film homage to Charlie Parker, Bird by Clint Eastwood. Those are also his drums on the theme song during the opening credits for the 1968 television series Hawaii Five-O.

In later years, Guerin worked with Oscar Peterson, Jon Faddis, Jimmy Heath, Ray Charles, Sonny Rollins, Justin Morell, Andreas Pettersson, David Basse, David Garfield, Gary Lemel, and Mike Melvoin.

Guerin died of heart failure on January 5, 2004, in West Hills, California.[2]

Selected discography

As sideman

With David Axelrod

  • The Auction (Decca, 1972)
  • Seriously Deep (Polydor, 1975)

With The Beach Boys

With Michael Franks

  • The Art of Tea (Reprise Records, 1976)
  • Sleeping Gypsy (Warner Bros. Records, 1977)
  • Blue Pacific (Reprise Records, 1990)

With Terry Garthwaite

  • Terry (Arista, 1975)
  • Hand in Glove (Fantasy, 1978)

With David Gates

  • First (Elektra, 1973)
  • Goodbye Girl (Elektra, 1978)

With Jack Jones

  • Harbour (RCA Victor, 1974)
  • What I Did For Love (RCA Victor, 1975)

With Peggy Lee

  • Pass Me By (Capitol Records, 1965)
  • Then Was Then – Now Is Now! (Capitol Records, 1965)
  • Guitars a là Lee (Capitol Records, 1966)
  • Make It With You (Capitol Records, 1970)
  • Mirrors (A&M Records, 1975)
  • Close Enough for Love (DRG, 1979)

With Melanie

  • Photograph (Atlantic, 1976)
  • Seventh Wave (Neighbourhood Records, 1983)

With Joni Mitchell

With Oliver Nelson

  • Black, Brown and Beautiful (Flying Dutchman, 1969)
  • Zig Zag (Original Motion Picture Score) (MGM, 1970)

With Aaron Neville

  • The Grand Tour (A&M Records, 1993)
  • Aaron Neville's Soulful Christmas (A&M Records, 1993)

With Tom Pacheco

  • The Outsider (RCA, 1976)
  • Swallowed Up in the Great American Heartland (RCA Victor, 1976)

With Howard Roberts

  • Spinning Wheel (Capitol Records, 1969)
  • Antelope Freeway (Impulse!, 1971)

With Linda Ronstadt

  • What's New (Asylum Records, 1983)
  • Lush Life (Asylum Records, 1984)
  • For Sentimental Reasons (Asylum Records, 1986)
  • A Merry Little Christmas (Elektra Records, 2000)

With Diane Schuur

  • Love Walked In (GRP, 1996)
  • Music Is My Life (Atlantic, 1999)

With Seals and Crofts

  • Summer Breeze (Warner Bros., 1972)
  • Diamond Girl (Warner Bros., 1973)

With Bud Shank

  • Magical Mystery (World Pacific, 1967)
  • Let It Be (Pacific Jazz, 1970)

With O. C. Smith

  • Together (Caribou, 1977)

With Patrick Williams

  • Wind, Sky and Diamonds (Impulse!, 1967)
  • Threshold (Capitol Records, 1973)

With Frank Zappa

With others

References
  1. "John Guerin Obituary". The Daily Telegraph. 15 January 2004.
  2. "John Guerin, 64, Popular Drummer". The New York Times. Associated Press. 18 January 2004.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.