He is a keyboard player, pianist and songwriter who
was a classical competition winner while still only young.He was signed up at Edwin H. Morris
Music as a studio musician and songwriter when he was only 14, and soon he
was performing piano on recordings by many of the day’s popular
artists.In 1974 he became a
member of the Rod Stewart Band who he toured and recorded with and during
his stay with them he would feature on the hits “Hot Legs”, You’re In My
Heart” and “Tonight’s the Night”.At the same time he could continue his work as a studio musician as
well as appear as a pianist in 1978 movie The Buddy Holly Story and
then in 1982 he moved to Nashville, Tennessee, from California to carry on
his recording work with many of the popular musicians in the world of
country music.An award
winning songwriter his song “The Flame” was sung by Trisha Yearwood at the
1996 Olympics, he has been nominated for an Emmy, and the songs “Love Can
Build a Bridge” by The Judds and “I Still Believe in You” by Vince Gill
both brought him Grammy Awards.The artists he has accompanied
through the course of his career are to numerous to mention but include Air
Supply, Chet Atkins, Long John Baldry, Bobby Bare, Stephen Bishop, Debby
Boone, Bonnie Bramlett, Jimmy Buffett, Glen Campbell, Mary Chapin Carpenter,
Ray Charles, The Chieftains, Steve Cropper, Mac Davis, Art Garfunkel, Vince
Gill, Crystal Gayle, Dobie Gray, Faith Hill, Eddie Kendricks, Mark
Knopfler, Lyle Lovett, Mac MacAnally, Reba MacEntire, John Mellencamp, Edgar
Meyer, The Miracles, Olivia Newton John, Harry Nilsson, Mark O’Connor, Jerry
Reed, Diana Ross, Carole Bayer Sager, Leo Sayer, Earl Scruggs, Bob Seger, Dusty
Springfield, Ringo Starr, George Strait, James Taylor, Randy Travis, Travis
Tritt, Shania Twain, Hank Williams Jr. and Tammy Wynette.The artists who have recorded his
work are even more numerous but have included Alabama, John Denver, Amy
Grant, Brenda Lee, Stevie Nicks, Taj Mahal and Conway Twitty.In 1985 he was asked by MCA to
record for their Master Series label and between 1985 and 1993 he released five
solo CDs including Whatever Works, So Fa So Good, Something Constructive,
Contours and Balancing Act that reached the jazz Top 10 and 2007
saw him releasing his yet a further solo one, View From a Southern Porch,
which received even more critical acclaim.Other albums he features on are Come on Over by
Shania Twain, Foot Loose & Fancy Free by Rod Stewart, Montana
Café by Hank Williams Jr., Words and Music by John Mellencamp, Last
Mango in Paris by Jimmy Buffett, Enchanted by Stevie Nicks, Reba
Duets with Reba MacEntire, Nashville Rebel by Waylon Jennings, Pure
Country by George Strait, Songbird: Rare Tracks & Forgotten Gems
by Emmylou Harris, Photograph by Ringo Starr, White Limozeen
by Dolly Parton, What a Crying Shame by The Mavericks and The
Conway Twitty Collection.
