Andy Rinehart (born 1960) is an American balladeer, composer and multi instrumentalist.

Biography

Rinehart was born in 1960 in Norwalk,

Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...

. Rinehart started his studies of the guitar at an early age, and at the age of 10 he was recruited by a substitute teacher at his elementary school to sing backing vocals for two pieces performed by

Judy Collins Judith Marjorie Collins (born May 1, 1939) is an American singer-songwriter and musician with a career spanning nearly seven decades. An Academy Awards, Academy Award-nominated documentary director and a Grammy Awards, Grammy Award-winning rec ...

on a television show. Afterwards, he learned the piano, and played in several rock bands during high school. He subsequently studied music and theatre at

Bard College at Simon's Rock Bard College at Simon's Rock (more commonly known as Simon's Rock) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. It is part of Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudso ...

, a progressive college which introduced him to his first non-western music forms and instruments. His formal musical education continued when he enrolled in the classical conservatory of the

State University of New York The State University of New York (SUNY ) is a system of Public education, public colleges and universities in the New York (state), State of New York. It is one of the List of largest universities and university networks by enrollment, larges ...

where he researched the relationship between rhythm, culture and perception. He graduated in 1992 with his thesis, ''Rhythm In Culture'', given a special merit award. While at the university he formed his own group, Zulife, and backed regular CBGB’s headliners Being Don And Nothingness. He has analogised the purpose of his songs as similar to that of ‘minstrels in medieval Europe, or the griots of West Africa’. His interests grew from singer-songwriters such as

Joni Mitchell Roberta Joan Mitchell (née Anderson; born November 7, 1943) is a Canadian and American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and painter. As one of the most influential singer-songwriters to emerge from the 1960s folk music circuit, Mitch ...

to encompass progressive and hard rock groups including

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and

Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock music, rock band formed in London in 1968. The band comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist-keyboardist John Paul Jones (musician), John Paul Jones and drummer John Bonham. With a he ...

. By the early 1980s he was attuned to what he termed ‘more dramatic’ music, including

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and

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, as well as Celtic folk from the Chieftains and traditional music from eastern Europe, Africa and India. He subsequently attended the California Institute of the Arts to study African and Indian music full-time. After a year spent hitchhiking in 1982 he returned to California to undergo a luthier apprenticeship, enabling him to work as a journeyman instrument repairer. He also began to build his own instruments, one of which, a mbira, was later employed by

Robert Fripp Robert Fripp (born 16 May 1946) is an English musician, composer, record producer, and author, best known as the guitarist, founder and longest-lasting member of the progressive rock band King Crimson. He has worked extensively as a session mu ...

. Having returned to Connecticut in 1984 Rinehart became a studio engineer and played in a number of rock bands. Rinehart got a strong interest in a variety of cultures from growing up in a home filled with diverse musical sounds ranging from classical to pop music. His first album, ''Walking Home'' (1988), released on his own record label, received several strong reviews in performers’ magazines including Guitar Player and Music Technology. With the album ''Jason’s Chord'' (1993) we saw him combine with other established musicians including guitarist

David Torn David M. Torn (born May 26, 1953) is an American guitarist, composer, and producer. He is known for combining electronic and acoustic instruments and for his use of looping. Background Torn has contributed to recordings by artists as diverse ...

(a Windham Hill Records recording artist known from

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), bass player

Mick Karn Andonis Michaelides (Greek: Αντώνης Μιχαηλίδης; 24 July 1958 – 4 January 2011), better known as Mick Karn, was a British musician who rose to fame as the bassist for the art rock/ new wave band Japan. His distinctive fretles ...

(known from

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

) and former

Bruce Springsteen Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American Rock music, rock singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Nicknamed "the Boss", Springsteen has released 21 studio albums spanning six decades; most of his albums feature th ...

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live drummer Kurt Wortmann.

Discography

*1988: ''Walking Home'' (Self Release) *1993: ''Jason's Chord'' (CMP Records), with

and Kurt Wortmann *2004: ''Pillbox'' (Contamine World Music)

References

External links

*
Andy Rinehart - Mick Karn (feat. David Torn). House of home.wmv
on YouTube
Andy Rinehart-PedalUp-from "jason's chord" 1993
on YouTube {{DEFAULTSORT:Rinehart, Andy 1960 births Living people Musicians from Norwalk, Connecticut American percussionists American multi-instrumentalists Crossover (music) 20th-century American drummers American male drummers 20th-century American pianists 21st-century American accordionists American male pianists 21st-century American pianists 20th-century American male musicians 21st-century American male musicians Drummers from Connecticut