Carl Verheyen is an American musician best known for being the guitarist of

Supertramp Supertramp were an English rock band that formed in London in 1969. Marked by the individual songwriting of founders Roger Hodgson (vocals, keyboards, and guitars) and Rick Davies (vocals and keyboards), they are distinguished for blending ...

, the leader of the Carl Verheyen Band, and as a

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wor ...

session guitarist. He was ranked ''One of the World's Top 10 Guitarists'' by Guitar Magazine and won the LA Music Awards category of ''Best Guitarist'' at their 6th annual awards ceremony. He has recorded with such artists as

The Bee Gees ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in ...

Dolly Parton Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter, actress, philanthropist, and businesswoman, known primarily for her work in country music. After achieving success as a songwriter for others, Parton made her album d ...

Victor Feldman Victor Stanley Feldman (7 April 1934 – 12 May 1987) was an English jazz musician who played mainly piano, vibraphone, and percussion. He began performing professionally during childhood, eventually earning acclaim in the UK jazz scene as ...

Richard Elliot Richard Elliot (born January 16, 1960) is a Scottish-born American saxophonist. He was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Album at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards for '' Summer Horns''. Career Elliot started out as a memb ...

, and

Stanley Clarke Stanley Clarke (born June 30, 1951) is an American bassist, film composer and founding member of Return to Forever, one of the first jazz fusion bands. Clarke gave the bass guitar a prominence it lacked in jazz-related music. He is the first jaz ...

and has played guitar on film soundtracks including ''

The Crow The Crow is a supernatural superhero comic book series created by James O'Barr revolving around the titular character of the same name. The series, which was originally created by O'Barr as a means of dealing with the death of his fiancée at t ...

'', ''

The Usual Suspects ''The Usual Suspects'' is a 1995 neo-noir mystery thriller film directed by Bryan Singer and written by Christopher McQuarrie. It stars Stephen Baldwin, Gabriel Byrne, Benicio del Toro, Kevin Pollak, Chazz Palminteri, Pete Postlethwaite, ...

'', ''

Ratatouille Ratatouille ( , ), oc, ratatolha , is a French Provençal dish of stewed vegetables which originated in Nice, and is sometimes referred to as ''ratatouille niçoise'' (). Recipes and cooking times differ widely, but common ingredients include ...

'', and '' Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol'', and TV shows ''

Cheers ''Cheers'' is an American sitcom television series that ran on NBC from September 30, 1982, to May 20, 1993, with a total of 275 half-hour episodes across 11 seasons. The show was produced by Charles/Burrows/Charles Productions in association w ...

'', ''

Seinfeld ''Seinfeld'' ( ) is an American television sitcom created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld. It aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, over nine seasons and List of Seinfeld episodes, 180 episodes. It stars Seinfeld as Jerry Seinfeld ( ...

'', and '' Scrubs''. He has been an adjunct instructor of studio jazz guitar for the

USC Thornton School of Music The USC Thornton School of Music is a private music school in Los Angeles, California. Founded in 1884 only four years after the University of Southern California, the Thornton School is the oldest continually operating arts institution in Los An ...

and makes frequent instructional performances at the

Musicians Institute Musicians Institute (MI) is a private for-profit music school in Los Angeles, California. MI students can earn Certificates and – with transfer of coursework taken at Los Angeles City College – Associate of Arts Degrees, as well as Bachel ...

(MI) in

Hollywood, California Hollywood is a neighborhood in the Central Los Angeles, central region of Los Angeles, California. Its name has come to be a metonymy, shorthand reference for the Cinema of the United States, U.S. film industry and the people associated with i ...

, Guitar Institute of Technology and has authored instructional books including ''Improvising Without Scales'', as well as ''Studio City'', a collection of articles written for the magazine ''

Guitar for the Practicing Musician ''Guitar for the Practicing Musician'' was a guitar magazine published in the United States by Cherry Lane Music from 1982 to 1999. The magazine was published monthly. In 1992, it was the most popular music publication at newsstands, selling 740, ...

Career

Supertramp

In 1985, Verheyen was hired as a session guitarist on a recording project at Wildcat Studios in Los Angeles. He exchanged phone numbers with the recording engineer who passed along his contact information to

's management after learning that the band was currently auditioning guitarists. Verheyen auditioned for the band the next day and was hired as a ''sideman'' and toured with the band on their 1985–1986 world tour, ''

Brother Where You Bound ''Brother Where You Bound'' is the eighth studio album by the English rock band Supertramp, released in 1985. It was their first album after original member Roger Hodgson left the band, leaving Rick Davies to handle the songwriting and sing ...

''. In 1996, Rick Davies re-formed Supertramp adding Verheyen as a formal band member along with three other new members bringing the band up to an eight-man line-up. The result of this reunion was '' Some Things Never Change'', a new studio album released in March 1997 that echoed the earlier Supertramp sound and reached number 74 in the UKSupertramp in the UK Charts
The Official Charts. Retrieved August 6, 2011. In the summer of 1997, Supertramp returned to the road, resulting in the live '' It Was the Best of Times'' (1999). After a three-year hiatus, Verheyen performed on the band's 2002 new studio album entitled ''

Slow Motion Slow motion (commonly abbreviated as slo-mo or slow-mo) is an effect in film-making whereby time appears to be slowed down. It was invented by the Austrian priest August Musger in the early 20th century. This can be accomplished through the use ...

'', as well as performing on the 2002 world tour entitled, ''One More for the Road Tour''. He performed in 35 concerts with the band in late 2010 and 2011 in Europe. The tour was titled ''70–10'' (1970 to 2010) to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the group's first release.

The Carl Verheyen Band

In 1987 the Carl Verheyen Band was founded although the first release titled ''No Border'' was released under the name Carl Verheyen Group on CMG Records.

1990s

The follow up album, 1994's ''Garage Sale'', was initially released on Legato Records along with an expanded version of ''No Borders'' called ''No Borders Plus''. By 1996 the CVB had moved to CMG Mighty Tiger Records and released ''Slang Justice'' featuring bassist Dave Marotta and keyboardist Jim Cox. The record was simultaneously released in Europe on the Provogue label and the CVB began touring in Europe extensively and continues to do so to the present day. The fourth album entitled ''Slingshot'' was written on the road with Supertramp on the 1997 ''Some Things Never Change'' Tour. Released in 1999 it featured drummers Steve DiStanislao, John Ferraro and

Gregg Bissonette Gregg Bissonette (born June 9, 1959) is an American jazz and rock drummer and vocalist. He is the brother of bassist Matt Bissonette, with whom he frequently collaborates. He has played on albums by dozens of recording artists, including David ...

. Fellow Supertramp members

Mark Hart Mark Hart (born July 2, 1953), is an American musician and multi-instrumentalist best known for being a member of both Supertramp (1986–1988, 1996–2002, 2015–present) and Crowded House (1993–1996, 2007–2019). As well as being a group memb ...

sang background vocals and

Cliff Hugo Clifford Clyde Hugo (born April 23, 1951 in Glendale, California), is the bass guitarist for the art rock band Supertramp. Hugo worked with fellow Supertramp member Carl Verheyen in the Carl Verheyen Band from '97 - 2008 . He has toured the wo ...

played bass.

2000s

Verheyen released the trio recording ''Atlas Overload'' in 2000 with bassist

and drummer Steve DiStanislao. In 2001 a solo album titled ''Solo Guitar Improvisations'' was released featuring the acoustic side of Verheyen's guitar playing. And later that year a jazz fusion project called ''Real to Reel'' was released featuring Karl Ratzer on guitar. ''SIX'' recorded with Hugo and DiStanislao along with Jim Cox on

Hammond B-3 The Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond and John M. Hanert and first manufactured in 1935. Multiple models have been produced, most of which use sliding drawbars to vary sounds. Until 1975, Hammond organs generated s ...

and

Wurlitzer The Rudolph Wurlitzer Company, usually referred to as simply Wurlitzer, is an American company started in Cincinnati in 1853 by German immigrant (Franz) Rudolph Wurlitzer. The company initially imported stringed, woodwind and brass instruments ...

piano was released in 2004.

Bernie Dresel Bernard John Dresel Jr. (born November 12, 1961) is an American studio drummer and percussionist. He has been with multi-Grammy award-winning artists and recordings; most notably having performed and recorded extensively with The Brian Setzer Orc ...

replaced DeStanislao on drums for the 2005 release ''Rumor Mill''. The live record was recorded by AIX Records in LA's Zipper Hall and featured a 5.1 surround mix and a DVD of the concert. It won the award for ''Best Additional Features'' at the Surround Sound Awards that year. The European version on Mascot/Provogue is called ''Live in LA'' and was released separately as a CD and a DVD." In 2007 the CVB released "Take One Step".

Chad Wackerman Chad Wackerman (born March 25, 1960) is an American jazz, jazz fusion and rock drummer, who has played with Frank Zappa and Allan Holdsworth. He has worked as a band member, session musician, sideman, and leader of his own ensembles. He is th ...

and

share the drum duties with Jim Cox on keyboards and

on bass. AIX released the CD along with a making-of DVD showing the band in the studio and on tour. In 2009, Walfredo Reyes Jr. joined the CVB along with Dave Marotta on bass and Jim Cox on keyboards they released ''Trading 8s'' featuring six of Verheyen's guitar playing friends:

Robben Ford Robben Lee Ford (born December 16, 1951) is an American blues, jazz, and rock guitarist. He was a member of the L.A. Express and Yellowjackets and has collaborated with Miles Davis, Joni Mitchell, George Harrison, Larry Carlton, Rick Sprin ...

Albert Lee Albert William Lee (born 21 December 1943) is an English guitarist known for his fingerstyle and hybrid picking technique. Lee has worked, both in the studio and on tour, with many famous musicians from a wide range of genres. He has also mai ...

Joe Bonamassa Joseph Leonard Bonamassa ( ; born May 8, 1977) is an American blues rock guitarist, singer and songwriter. He started his career at age twelve, when he opened for B.B. King. Since 2000, Bonamassa has released fifteen solo albums through his ind ...

Steve Morse Steve J. Morse (born July 28, 1954) is an American guitarist, best known as the founder of the Dixie Dregs and as the lead guitarist of Deep Purple from 1994 to 2022. Morse has also enjoyed a successful solo career and was briefly a member ...

Rick Vito Richard Francis (Rick) Vito (born October 13, 1949, in Darby, Pennsylvania, United States) is an American guitarist and singer. He was part of Fleetwood Mac between 1987 and 1991. Vito took over as lead guitarist after Lindsey Buckingham left t ...

and

Scott Henderson Scott Henderson (born August 26, 1954) is an American jazz fusion and blues guitarist best known for his work with the band Tribal Tech. Tribal Tech Henderson formed Tribal Tech with bass player Gary Willis in 1984. Under the direction of H ...

. The subsequent tour produced the double live album and DVD called ''The Road Divides'' released in 2011.

2010s

In 2013, Verheyen released ''Mustang Run'', a mostly instrumental record with one vocal track, Supertramp's classic ''Bloody Well Right''. Musicians included Simon Phillips, Greg Bissonette,

and Walfredo Reyes Jr. on drums with Supertramp's John Helliwell and solo artist

Bill Evans William John Evans (August 16, 1929 – September 15, 1980) was an American jazz pianist and composer who worked primarily as the leader of his trio. His use of impressionist harmony, interpretation of traditional jazz repertoire, block ch ...

on sax.

Jerry Goodman Jerry Goodman (born March 16, 1949) is an American violinist who played electric violin with The Flock and the jazz fusion ensemble Mahavishnu Orchestra. Career Jerry Goodman was born on March 16, 1949, in Chicago, Illinois. His parents we ...

plays violin and Jimmy Johnson, Dave Marotta and

Stuart Hamm Stuart Hamm (born February 8, 1960) is an American bass guitar player, known for his session and live work with numerous artists as well as for his unconventional playing style and solo recordings. Career Born in New Orleans, Hamm spent his chil ...

share the bass duties. Keyboard players include Jim Cox and

Mitchel Forman Mitchel Forman (born January 24, 1956) is a jazz and fusion keyboard player. Biography and music career Mitchel Forman began studying classical piano at the age of seven. At 17 he entered the Manhattan School of Music (MSM) for three years of s ...

. A movie called ''Turn It Up - A Celebration of the Electric Guitar'' featuring Verheyen extensively, was released in 2014. Then in 2015 Verheyen released another solo acoustic recording called ''Alone: Solo Guitar Improvisations, Volume 2''. In 2016, the CVB added drummer John Mader and recorded ''The Grand Design'' at Sweetwater Studios in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Stuart Hamm joins Dave Marotta on bass and

Chester Thompson Chester Cortez Thompson (born December 11, 1948) is an American drummer best known for his tenures with Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention, Weather Report, Santana, the progressive rock band Genesis and Phil Collins as a solo artist. Thom ...

adds drums on one track. A documentary movie was made of the creative and recording process called ''Grand Designs: The Music of Carl Verheyen''. It won the ''Special Jury Remi'' Award at the 2017 Worldfest Film Festival. Verheyen returned to Sweetwater Studios to record ''Essential Blues'' in 2018 with drummer

Nick D'Virgilio Nicholas D'Virgilio (born November 12, 1968), often referred to as NDV, is an American drummer, singer and guitarist, best known as a member of the progressive rock band Spock's Beard. He was also one of two drummers chosen to replace Phil Col ...

and bassist Dave Martin. The live studio record also featured Jim Cox and was completed in two days. It was the first recording also released on vinyl since 1987's ''No Borders''. In 2021, he released a new studio album called ''Sundial''. It features Dave Marotta, John Mader and Jim Cox, as well as contributions by Nick D'Virgilio and Chad Wackerman. ''Classic Rock Magazine'' in the UK called Verheyen "One of the Top 100 Guitarists of all time" and Guitar Magazine in the US called him one of the top 10 guitarists in the World.

Discography

Videography

References

External links

*
Carl Verheyen Interview (2010)
– iTalkGuitar
Audio interview with Carl on Guitar Jam Daily
*
Carl Verheyen Interview
NAMM Oral History Library (2019) {{DEFAULTSORT:Verheyen, Carl American rock guitarists American male guitarists American people of Dutch descent Living people 1954 births Supertramp members Provogue Records artists