Elan Portnoy is an American record producer and a guitarist in three bands: The Headless Horsemen,

The Fuzztones The Fuzztones are an American garage rock revival band formed in 1980. History Founded by singer-guitarist Rudi Protrudi in New York City, the band has gone through several member changes but is currently active in Europe. Since the 1980s the ...

and The Waspmen.

Music history

The Headless Horsemen

In the late 1980s, Portnoy was a guitarist for The Headless Horsemen, a New York City based 60s Rock-n-Roll group. The band reunited in 2013 and opened for Billy Gibbons'(

ZZ Top ZZ Top is an American rock band formed in Houston, Texas, in 1969. For almost 56 years, it consisted of vocalist-guitarist Billy Gibbons, drummer Frank Beard (musician), Frank Beard, and bassist-vocalist Dusty Hill prior to his death in 2021. ZZ ...

) band The Moving Sidewalks at BB King Blues Club & Grill in New York City.

The Fuzztones

Between 1982 and 1985, Portnoy was the lead guitarist for

. This 1980s Garage/Psychedelic band was the first US band in the genre to tour Europe and the UK in 1985. The Fuzztones regularly appeared at The Peppermint Lounge, Irving Plaza,

CBGB CBGB was a New York City music club opened in 1973 by Hilly Kristal in the East Village, Manhattan, East Village in Manhattan, New York City. The club was previously a biker bar and before that was a dive bar. The letters ''CBGB'' were for ''Cou ...

, and The Dive. They also appeared at The Elixir Festival in Brittany, France, in 1985 alongside

The Clash The Clash were an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1976. Billed as "The Only Band That Matters", they are considered one of the most influential acts in the original wave of British punk rock, with their music fusing elements ...

and

Midnight Oil Midnight Oil (known informally as "The Oils") are an Australian rock band composed of Peter Garrett (vocals, harmonica), Rob Hirst (drums), Jim Moginie (guitar, keyboard) and Martin Rotsey (guitar). The group was formed in Sydney in 1972 by H ...

. The Fuzztones released over a dozen recordings on vinyl and CD in Europe and the US during this era, and they have played on bills with

The Bangles The Bangles are an American all-female band, all-female pop rock band formed in Los Angeles, in 1981. They are known for hit singles during the 1980s that made them one of the most successful pop rock groups of the decade. The band’s biggest ...

The Lords of the New Church The Lords of the New Church were a British-American rock music, rock band. A Supergroup (music), supergroup, the line-up originally consisted of four musicians from 1970s punk rock, punk bands. This line-up comprised vocalist Stiv Bators (ex-th ...

, The Damned, The Cramps and

R.E.M. R.E.M. was an American alternative rock band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1980 by drummer Bill Berry, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills, and lead vocalist Michael Stipe, who were students at the University of Georgia. One of the fir ...

They have also played on a special Christmas show with

Screamin' Jay Hawkins Jalacy J. "Screamin' Jay" Hawkins (July 18, 1929 – February 12, 2000) was an American singer-songwriter, musician, actor, film producer, and boxer. Famed chiefly for his powerful, shouting vocal delivery and wildly theatrical performances of s ...

which was released as an LP in the US.

Other appearances

Portnoy has played onstage with Screamin' Jay Hawkins, Lenny Kaye Patty Smith Group, Roy Loney of the

Flamin' Groovies Flamin' Groovies is an American rock band that formed in San Francisco in 1965, originally co-led by Roy Loney and Cyril Jordan. After the Groovies released three albums, on Epic ('' Supersnazz'') and Kama Sutra (''Flamingo'' and '' Teenage He ...

Mark Lindsay Mark Lindsay (born March 9, 1942) is an American musician, best known as the lead singer of the rock band Paul Revere & the Raiders. Early life Lindsay was born in Eugene, Oregon, and was the second of eight children of George and Esther Ell ...

Paul Revere and The Raiders Paul Revere & the Raiders (also known as Raiders) were an American Rock music, rock band formed in Boise, Idaho, in 1958. They saw considerable U.S. mainstream success in the second half of the 1960s and early 1970s. The band was known for inclu ...

, Jimy Sohns of

The Shadows of Knight The Shadows of Knight were an American rock band from Chicago, Illinois, that played a version of British blues influenced by their native city. When they began recording in 1965, the band's self-description was "the Stones, Animals and the Ya ...

, Tony Valentino of

The Standells The Standells are an American garage rock band from Los Angeles, California, Los Angeles, California, formed in the 1960s, who have been referred to as a "punk band of the 1960s", and are said to have inspired such groups as the Sex Pistols and ...

, Mitch Ryder

Detroit Wheels The Detroit Wheels were an American football team, a charter member of the defunct World Football League. Founding Soon after Gary Davidson announced the WFL's formation in October 1973, he was approached by a man named Bud Hucul about putting ...

and

Hilton Valentine Hilton Stewart Paterson Valentine (21 May 1943 – 29 January 2021) was an English people, English skiffle and Rock music, rock and roll musician who was the original guitarist in the Animals. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ...

The Animals The Animals, currently billed as Eric Burdon & the Animals (featuring original frontman Eric Burdon) and also as Animals & Friends (featuring original drummer John Steel (drummer), John Steel), are an English Rock music, rock band formed in Ne ...

. He has also recorded with

, Teisco Del Ray, Herrera and The Handouts, Lone Wolves, Savage Suns and The Roamin’ Numerals.

Producing

Since 1984, Portnoy has produced dozens of records and CDs for bands in New York City such as his bands The Fuzztones and The Headless Horsemen, The Outta Place, The Primeval Unknown, The Bohemian Bedrocks, The Twisted, and The Lone Wolves. Portnoy is currently working with a new group, Screamin' Mikey and The MoKan Sharks.

References

External links

Facebook: Elan Portnoy
{{DEFAULTSORT:Portnoy, Elan Year of birth missing (living people) Living people American rock guitarists American male guitarists American record producers