Hiram Law Bullock (September 11, 1955 – July 25, 2008) was an American

guitarist A guitarist (or a guitar player) is a person who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of guitar family instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselve ...

known mainly for playing in jazz funk and jazz fusion, but he also worked as a session musician in a variety of genres.

Biography

Bullock was born in Osaka, Japan, to

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...

parents serving in the U.S. military. At the age of two he returned to

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; ...

, with his parents and showed musical talent. He studied piano at the city's Peabody Conservatory of Music, giving his first public performance at the age of six. After playing

saxophone The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of Single-reed instrument, single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed (mouthpi ...

and

bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and s ...

, he took up the

electric guitar An electric guitar is a guitar that requires external amplification in order to be heard at typical performance volumes, unlike a standard acoustic guitar (however combinations of the two - a semi-acoustic guitar and an electric acoustic gu ...

at age sixteen. Bullock attended McDonogh School for Boys in Reisterstown, Maryland. He was captain of the band in middle school. He studied at the

University of Miami The University of Miami (UM, UMiami, Miami, U of M, and The U) is a private research university in Coral Gables, Florida. , the university enrolled 19,096 students in 12 colleges and schools across nearly 350 academic majors and programs, ...

, where he met guitarists

Pat Metheny Patrick Bruce Metheny ( ; born August 12, 1954) is an American jazz guitarist and composer. He is the leader of the Pat Metheny Group and is also involved in duets, solo works, and other side projects. His style incorporates elements of progr ...

and Steve Morse, and bass players Jaco Pastorius and Will Lee. He paid for tuition by performing at nightclubs in

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, a ...

before moving to New York. He became best known for playing with Lee on ''

Late Night with David Letterman ''Late Night with David Letterman'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on NBC, the first iteration of the ''Late Night'' franchise. It premiered on February 1, 1982, and was produced by Letterman's production company ...

'' and working with

David Sanborn David William Sanborn (born July 30, 1945) is an American alto saxophone, alto saxophonist. Though Sanborn has worked in many genres, his solo recordings typically blend jazz with instrumental Pop music, pop and R&B. He released his first solo ...

and Bob James. His work can be heard on Bob James' Angela which is also the theme song for the TV show ''Taxi'', Steely Dan's '' Gaucho'' (1980), Paul Simon's '' One Trick Pony'' (1980), Sting's '' ...Nothing Like the Sun'' (1987) and

Billy Joel William Martin Joel (born May 9, 1949) is an American singer, pianist and songwriter. Commonly nicknamed the " Piano Man" after his album and signature song of the same name, he has led a commercially successful career as a solo artist since th ...

's ''The Stranger'' (1977). He also worked with

Harry Belafonte Harry Belafonte (born Harold George Bellanfanti Jr.; March 1, 1927) is an American singer, activist, and actor. As arguably the most successful Jamaican-American pop star, he popularized the Trinbagonian Caribbean musical style with an internat ...

, Marcus Miller, Carla Bley,

Miles Davis Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926September 28, 1991) was an American trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Davis adopted a variety of musi ...

, Ruben Rada, and Gil Evans. He recorded as a member of the 24th Street Band, which released three albums: ''24th Street Band'' (1979), ''Share Your Dreams'' (1980) and ''Bokutachi'' (1981). In 1982, he released his debut album, ''First Class Vagabond'', which was exclusively distributed for the Japanese market by the JVC-Victor Company and later reissued on CD. Also in 1982, he was an original member of

The World's Most Dangerous Band Paul Shaffer and the World's Most Dangerous Band is an American musical ensemble led by Paul Shaffer. It was David Letterman's house band for 33 years. The band formed in 1982 to serve as house band for NBC's ''Late Night with David Letterman ...

, the house band on the NBC-TV program ''Late Night with David Letterman''. He stayed with Letterman's show for about two years. In 1986, Bullock released his first album as a leader for

Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most ...

called ''From All Sides'', followed by the albums ''Give It What You Got'' in 1987, and ''Way Kool'' in 1990. Shortly after the Atlantic albums, he recorded a few tracks from those sessions for a live event at the Indigo Blues Venue, in order to release it in Japan. His live band from the Indigo Blues sessions included Dave Delhomme (keyboards), Steve Logan (bass guitar), and Steven Wolf (drums). On May 27, 2004, he teamed up with drummer Billy Cobham for a performance of the works of Jimi Hendrix at the University of Cologne in Germany. An album of this performance was released posthumously in 2008. He had his own signature model guitars made by

Cort Cort is the surname of several people: * Cornelis Cort (1536–1578), Dutch engraver * Henry Cort (1740–1800), English ironmaster * Frans de Cort (1834–1878), Flemish writer * Hendrik Frans de Cort (1742-1810), Flemish landscape painter * Joh ...

, the HBS & HBS-II. Bullock died of cancer on July 25, 2008 in New York City, at the age of 52.

Discography

As leader

* ''First Class Vagabond'' (Trio, 1982) * ''From All Sides'' (Atlantic, 1986) * ''Give It What U Got'' (Atlantic, 1987) * ''PDB'' with Jaco Pastorius, Kenwood Dennard (DIW, 1989) * ''Way Kool'' (Atlantic, 1992) * ''World of Collision'' (Big World Music, 1994) * ''A-014'' (Jazz a Go-go, 1996) * ''Manny's Car Wash'' (Big World Music, 1996) * ''Carrasco'' (Fantasy, 1997) * ''Late Night Talk'' (Venus, 1997) * ''55 Bar Sessions'' with Haru Takauchi, Leni Stern, Mike Stern (Paddle Wheel, 1998) * ''Guitar Man'' (JVC, 2000) * ''Color Me'' (JVC, 2001) * ''Try Livin' It'' (ESC, 2003) * ''Jam Jam/The Heavy Cats'' (& Forest Music, 2004) * ''Too Funky 2 Ignore'' (BHM, 2005) * ''Plays the Music of Jimi Hendrix'' (BHM, 2005)

As sideman

With Carla Bley * '' Heavy Heart'' (WATT/ECM, 1984) * '' Night-glo'' (WATT/ECM, 1985) * '' Sextet'' (WATT 1987) With

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* '' Don't Stop the Music'' (Arista, 1977) * '' Detente'' (Arista, 1980) With

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 ...

* ''The Alternative Man'' (Blue Note, 1985) * ''Big Fun'' (ESC, 2002) * ''Soul Bop Band Live'' (BHM, 2005) With Gil Evans * '' Live at Sweet Basil'' (Gramavision, 1986) * ''75th Birthday Concert'' (BBC, 2001) With

Roberta Flack Roberta Cleopatra Flack (born February 10, 1937) is a retired American singer. She topped the ''Billboard'' charts with the No. 1 singles " The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face", " Killing Me Softly with His Song", " Feel Like Makin' Love", " W ...

* ''

'' (Atlantic, 1978) * '' Roberta Flack Featuring Donny Hathaway'' (Atlantic, 1979) * '' Roberta'' (Atlantic, 1994) With Michael Franks * '' Passionfruit'' (Warner Bros., 1983) * '' Skin Dive'' (Warner Bros., 1985) * ''

The Camera Never Lies ''The Camera Never Lies'' is a jazz vocal album by Michael Franks, released in 1987 by Warner Bros. Records. Track listing Personnel * Michael Franksbanjo, guitar, mandolin, vocals * Randy Breckertrumpet * Lew Solofftrumpet * Bill Evan ...

'' (Warner Bros., 1987) With Bob James * ''

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'' (Tappan Zee/Columbia, 1978) * '' Lucky Seven'' (Tappan Zee/Columbia, 1979) * '' H'' (Tappan Zee, 1980) * ''Joined at the Hip'' (Evosound, 2019) With Chaka Khan * '' Naughty'' (Warner Bros., 1980) * ''

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'' (Warner Bros., 1981) * '' Chaka Khan'' (Warner Bros., 1982) With David Matthews * ''Dune'' (CTI, 1977) * ''Digital Love'' (Electric Bird, 1979) * ''Guitars On Fire!'' (Bandai, 1996) With Marcus Miller * ''

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'' (Dreyfus, 1993) * '' Tales'' (Dreyfus, 1995) * '' M²'' (Telarc, 2001) With

Idris Muhammad Idris Muhammad ( ar, إدريس محمد; born Leo Morris; November 13, 1939 – July 29, 2014) was an American jazz drummer and bandleader. He had an extensive career performing jazz, funk, R&B, and soul music and recorded with musicians suc ...

* ''

Turn This Mutha Out ''Turn This Mutha Out'' is a 1977 album by Idris Muhammad. Produced and arranged by CTI/Kudu staff arranger David Matthews, it was aimed more at the R&B/dance market than the jazz market. One of only a few Kudu albums not produced by label own ...

'' (Kudu, 1977) * ''You Ain't No Friend of Mine!'' (Fantasy, 1978) * ''Boogie to the Top'' (Kudu, 1978) * ''Foxhuntin'' (Fantasy, 1979) * ''My Turn'' (Lipstick, 1991) With Jaco Pastorius * ''Live in New York City Vol. 1: Punk Jazz'' (Big World Music, 1990) * ''Live in New York City Vol. 2: Trio'' (Big World Music, 1991) * ''Live in New York City Vol. 3: Promise Land'' (Big World Music, 1991) * ''Trio 2 Live in New York City Vol. 4'' (Big World Music, 1992) * ''Jaco Pastorius in New York'' (Jazz Door 1993) * ''Live in New York City Vol. 6: Punk Jazz 2'' (Big World Music, 1998) * ''Live in New York City Vol. 7: History'' (Big World Music, 1998) With

* ''Sanborn'' (Warner Bros., 1976) * '' Promise Me the Moon'' (Warner Bros., 1977) * ''Heart to Heart'' (Warner Bros., 1978) * '' Hideaway'' (Warner Bros., 1980) * '' Voyeur'' (Warner Bros., 1981) * '' Backstreet'' (Warner Bros., 1983) * '' Straight to the Heart'' (Warner Bros., 1984) * '' A Change of Heart'' (Warner Bros., 1987) * ''Close-Up'' (Reprise, 1988) * '' Upfront'' (Elektra, 1992) With

Spyro Gyra Spyro Gyra is an American jazz fusion band that was formed in Buffalo, New York, in 1974. The band's music combines jazz, R&B, funk, and pop music. The band's name comes from '' Spirogyra'', a genus of green algae which founder Jay Beckens ...

* ''

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'' (Amherst, 1980) * '' Catching the Sun'' (MCA, 1980) * '' City Kids'' (MCA, 1983) * '' Incognito'' (MCA, 1982) With Lew Soloff * ''Hanalei Bay'' (Bellaphon, 1985) * ''Rainbow Mountain'' (Enja, 1999) With

Bonnie Tyler Gaynor Sullivan (née Hopkins; born 8 June 1951), known professionally as Bonnie Tyler, is a Welsh people, Welsh singer who is known for her distinctive husky voice. Tyler came to prominence with the release of her 1977 album ''The World Start ...

* '' Faster Than the Speed of Night'' (CBS, 1983) * '' Holding Out for a Hero'' (CBS/Sony, 1984) * '' Secret Dreams and Forbidden Fire'' (CBS, 1986) With others *

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, '' Me Myself I'' (A&M, 1980) *

Burt Bacharach Burt Freeman Bacharach ( ; born May 12, 1928) is an American composer, songwriter, record producer and pianist who composed hundreds of pop songs from the late 1950s through the 1980s, many in collaboration with lyricist Hal David. A six-time Gr ...

, ''Futures'' (A&M, 1977) * Ray Barretto, ''Can You Feel It'' (Atlantic, 1978) * Wilbur Bascomb, ''And Future Dreams'' (H&L, 1977) * John Blair, ''We Belong Together'' (CTI, 1977) * Alex Blake, ''Especially for You'' (Denon, 1979) * Blues Brothers, ''The Blues Brothers'' (Atlantic, 1980) * Randy Brecker, ''Hangin' in the City'' (ESC, 2001) * Jonatha Brooke, '' The Works'' (C.A.R.E., 2009) *

Irene Cara Irene Cara Escalera (March 18, 1959 – November 25, 2022) was an American singer, songwriter and actress of Black, Puerto Rican and Cuban descent. Cara rose to prominence for her role as Coco Hernandez in the 1980 musical film '' Fame'', and f ...

, '' Anyone Can See'' (Epic, 1982) * Terri Lyne Carrington, ''Real Life Story'' (Verve Forecast 1989) * Felix Cavaliere, ''Castles in the Air'' (Epic, 1979) * Linda Clifford, ''I'll Keep On Loving You'' (Capitol, 1982) *

Freddy Cole Lionel Frederick Cole (October 15, 1931 – June 27, 2020) was an American jazz singer and pianist whose recording career spanned almost 70 years. He was the brother of musicians Nat King Cole, Eddie Cole, and Ike Cole, father of Lionel Cole, an ...

, ''Love Makes the Changes'' (Fantasy, 1998) * Hank Crawford, ''Cajun Sunrise'' (Kudu, 1978) * Kenwood Dennard, ''Just Advance'' (Big World Music, 1992) * Ronnie Dyson, ''If the Shoe Fits'' (Columbia, 1979) * Art Farmer, ''

Something You Got ''Something You Got'' is an album by American flugelhornist Art Farmer featuring performances with Yusef Lateef and the David Matthews Big Band recorded in 1977 and released on the CTI label.Payne, DCTI Records discographyaccessed February 27, 2 ...

'' (CTI, 1977) * Lisa Fischer, '' So Intense'' (Elektra, 1991) * Al Foster, ''Mr. Foster'' (Better Days, 1979) * Mike Gibbs, ''Nonsequence'' (Provocateur, 2001) * Dizzy Gillespie, '' Closer to the Source'' (Atlantic, 1984) * Bunky Green, '' Visions'' (Vanguard, 1978) *

Don Grolnick Don Grolnick (September 23, 1947 – June 1, 1996) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and record producer. He was a member of the groups Steps Ahead and Dreams, both with Michael Brecker, and played often with the Brecker Brothers. As a ses ...

, ''Hearts and Numbers'' (Hip Pocket, 1985) * Chris Hinze, ''Word Sound and Power'' (CBS, 1980) * Chris Hinze, ''Chelsea Bridge'' (Keytone, 1987) * Adam Holzman, ''Overdrive'' (Lipstick, 1994) * Phyllis Hyman, '' Phyllis Hyman'' (Buddah, 1977) * Chuck Jackson & Cissy Houston, '' I'll Take Care of You'' (Shanachie, 1992) * Al Jarreau, '' L Is for Lover'' (Warner Bros., 1986) *

, '' The Stranger'' (Columbia, 1977) *

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, '' Crazy for You'' (Liberty, 1981) *

Wayne Krantz Wayne Krantz is an American guitarist and composer. He has performed and recorded with Steely Dan, Michael Brecker, Donald Fagen, Billy Cobham, Chris Potter, David Binney, and Carla Bley. Since the early 1990s, Krantz has focused primarily on ...

, '' Signals'' (Enja, 1990) * Stacy Lattisaw, '' Young and in Love'' (Cotillion, 1979) * Hubert Laws, ''Say It with Silence'' (CBS, 1978) * Will Lee, ''Oh!'' (Go Jazz, 1994) * Kenny Loggins, '' Celebrate Me Home'' (Columbia, 1977) * Kenny Loggins, '' Leap of Faith'' (Columbia, 1991) * Darlene Love, ''Paint Another Picture'' (CBS, 1988) * Karen Mantler, ''Karen Mantler's Pet Project'' (Virgin, 2000) * Manzanita, ''Echando Sentencias'' (RCA 1986) * Jackie McLean, ''Monuments'' (RCA 1979) * Frankie Miller, ''Dancing in the Rain'' (Mercury, 1986) * Monkey Business, ''Kiss Me On My Ego'' (Columbia, 2005) * Airto Moreira, ''Killer Bees'' (B&W Music, 1993) * Meli'sa Morgan, ''Still in Love with You'' (Pendulum, 1992) *

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, ''Royal Blue'' (Chrysalis, 1988) * Eddie Palmieri, ''Lucumi Macumba Voodoo'' (Epic, 1978) *

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, ''American Made World Played'' (Capitol, 2005) * Noel Pointer, ''Feel It'' (Soul Music.com 1979) * Wolfgang Puschnig, ''Pieces of the Dream'' (Amadeo 1988) * Lou Rawls, ''Shades of Blue'' (Philadelphia International 1980) *

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, ''

'' (Atlantic, 1998) * Nicki Richards, ''Naked to the World'' (Atlantic, 1991) *

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, ''L.A. & N.Y.'' (Cool Sound, 2001) * Candi Staton, '' Chance'' (Warner Bros., 1979) * Marlena Shaw, ''Take a Bite'' (Columbia, 1979) * Michael Shrieve, ''Transfer Station Blue'' (Fortuna, 1984) * Leni Stern, ''The Next Day'' (Passport, 1987) * Mike Stern, ''Neesh'' (Kenwood, 1983) * Paul Shaffer, ''Coast to Coast'' (Capitol, 1989) * Paul Simon, '' One-Trick Pony'' (Warner Bros., 1980) * Philippe Saisse, ''Storyteller'' (Philips, 1991) * Steely Dan, '' Gaucho'' (MCA, 1980) * Steps Ahead, ''Magnetic'' (Elektra, 1986) * Steve Swallow, '' Carla'' (XtraWATT, 1987) * Steve Swallow, '' Swallow'' (XtraWATT, 1992) * Sting, '' ...Nothing Like the Sun'' (A&M, 1987) * Janis Siegel, ''At Home'' (Atlantic, 1987) * Jeremy Steig, ''

Firefly The Lampyridae are a family of elateroid beetles with more than 2,000 described species, many of which are light-emitting. They are soft-bodied beetles commonly called fireflies, lightning bugs, or glowworms for their conspicuous production ...

'' (CTI, 1977) * John Scofield, '' Blue Matter'' (Gramavision, 1987) * Taj Mahal, ''

Like Never Before ''Like Never Before'' is an album by the American blues artist Taj Mahal, released in 1991. Track listing # "Don't Call Us" (Richard Feldman, Taj Mahal) # "River of Love" (Jimmy Scott, Porter Carroll, Richard Feldman) # "Scattered" (Mark Jordan, ...

'' (Private Music, 1991) * Tasha Thomas, ''Midnight Rendezvous'' (SoulMusic, 2015) * Narada Michael Walden, '' I Cry I Smile'' (Atlantic, 1977) * Narada Michael Walden, '' Awakening'' (Atlantic, 1979) * Grover Washington Jr., '' Breath of Heaven'' (Columbia, 1997) *

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, '' Miracles of the Heart'' (Funkytowngrooves/Sony 2011) * Bernie Worrell & Jesse Rae, ''Worae'' (Luzuli Music, 2017)

References

External links

* (Archived) * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bullock, Hiram 1955 births 2008 deaths 20th-century American guitarists 21st-century American guitarists Jazz-funk guitarists Jazz fusion guitarists American jazz guitarists Paul Shaffer and the World's Most Dangerous Band members African-American guitarists Deaths from esophageal cancer Deaths from cancer in New York (state) American male guitarists American session musicians Musicians from Baltimore Jazz musicians from Maryland American male jazz musicians 20th-century American male musicians