John Victor Colla (born July 2, 1952) is an American musician (playing the guitar and saxophone), singer and songwriter. He is a founding member of the American

rock band A rock band or pop band is a small musical ensemble that performs rock music, pop music, or a related genre. A four-piece band is the most common configuration in rock and pop music. In the early years, the configuration was typically two guita ...

Huey Lewis and the News Huey Lewis and the News are an American rock band based in San Francisco, California. They had a run of hit singles during the 1980s and early 1990s, eventually achieving 19 top ten singles across the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, Adult Contempora ...

. He has been heavily involved in the San Francisco Bay Area music scene for decades, having been in several other bands, including Rubicon, Sly and the Family Stone, Van Morrison, Sound Hole, and Johnny Colla & The Lucky Devils. Colla has two children, Allison Colla and Ryan Colla.

Career

The first bands that Colla was involved with from Fairfield, California,were The Furlanders, The Yewess Army and Cottonmouth. In the early 1970s, he moved to Marin County, California and joined Sound Hole as a singer and saxophonist. Sound Hole was successful at a local level and became Van Morrison's backing band for a time. Other members of Sound Hole were drummer Bill Gibson and bassist Mario Cipollina, who also eventually joined with Huey and The News. Sound Hole was the major local competition to Huey's band Clover. After Sound Hole, Colla was enlisted as sax man/arranger with Sly and the Family Stone, recording and touring with Sly for a few years. In the late 1970s, Sound Hole and Clover alumni merged to form a new group, the American Express, which later became known as

. For the News, Colla became saxophonist, rhythm guitarist, backing singer and songwriter. Colla was drawn to San Francisco]from the Sacramento Valley during the 1960s

Summer of Love The Summer of Love was a social phenomenon that occurred during the summer of 1967, when as many as 100,000 people, mostly young people sporting hippie fashions of dress and behavior, converged in San Francisco's neighborhood of Haight-Ashbury. ...

. Like many others, Colla patronized the Avalon Ballroom and the Fillmore Auditorium.

"I moved to Marin because that's where all the musicians moved after the San Francisco scene blew up. For a start-up musician in the 1970s, it was a hot-bed of musical activity; a great place to be and be heard." He says. "Then I beat the odds. We not only started a great band, but actually became successful at it!"

Colla co-wrote hit songs such as " The Heart of Rock & Roll", " If This Is It", " The Power of Love", and " Back in Time". Lewis and Colla co-produced the band's 2001 album '' Plan B'', and they are currently working on a new HLN project. Colla embarked upon a solo career, releasing his first solo album ''Lucky Devil'' in the mid 1990s. He released his second solo album, ''I Hear Voices'', in 2012, which takes a more vocal approach than ''Lucky Devil'', and he is currently working on an a cappella version of the same CD.

Discography

Colla also produced or performed on these records: * Patrick Simmons, ''Arcade'' (

Elektra Records Elektra Records (or Elektra Entertainment) is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group, founded in 1950 by Jac Holzman and Paul Rickolt. It played an important role in the development of contemporary folk and rock music between the 1 ...

, 1982) songwriter, "Don't Make Me Do It" * Heart (EMD/

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of note ...

, 1985), backing vocals on "Nothin' at All" and "These Dreams" on '' Heart'' * Nick Lowe album – '' The Rose of England'' ( CBS Records, 1985) backing singer " I Knew the Bride (When She Used to Rock 'n' Roll)" * ''Back to the Streets: Celebrating the Music of

Don Covay Donald James Randolph (March 24, 1936 – January 31, 2015), better known by the stage name Don Covay, was an American R&B, rock and roll, and soul singer-songwriter most active from the 1950s to the 1970s. His most successful recordings incl ...

'' (Shanachie Records, 1993) lead vocal (duet) with

Arlene Smith Arlene may refer to: * Arleen, a feminine name, also spelled Arlene * "Arlene" (song), the 1985 debut single by American country music artist Marty Stuart * Arlene, a Beanie Baby cat produced by Ty, Inc. * Hurricane Arlene, the name of several tro ...

, "

Letter Full of Tears "Letter Full of Tears" is a song written by American singer-songwriter Don Covay and released by Gladys Knight & the Pips as a single in November 1961. It became their second top-20 hit, peaking at number 19 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. The son ...

" * Pablo Cruise, ''Out of Our Hands'' ( A&M Records, 1993) saxophone solo, "Talk to Me Right" * Yoshihiro ishikawa, ''Peace'' (Pioneer ldc, Japan, 1993) produced, recorded, arranged and performed on several tracks * A tribute to Curtis Mayfield ''People Get Ready'' (shanachie records, 1993) produced, arranged and sang with Huey Lewis and the News on "It's Alright" * Yoshihiro Ishikawa ''Love'' (Pioneer ldc, Japan, 1994) produced, recorded, arranged and performed on several tracks * Doc Kupka's Strokeland Superband ''Kick It Up A Step'' (Strokeland Records) backing vocals and vocal arrangement, "Bittersweet With a Ray of Hope" * Holiday Heroes compilation cd ''Holiday Heroes'' (Soul Purpose Records, 1995) songwriter, lead vocal, producer, "My Christmas Wish" * Grace Slick, '' Software'' ( RCA Records) backing vocals, "Through the Window", "It Just Won't Stop" * Deborah Coleman, ''Soft Place to Fall'' (Blind Pig Records, 2000) songwriter, "Don't Lie to Me"

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Colla, Johnny 1952 births Living people American rock saxophonists American male saxophonists American rock guitarists American male singers American male songwriters Huey Lewis and the News members Sly and the Family Stone members Musicians from Sacramento, California 20th-century American guitarists 21st-century saxophonists American people of Italian descent American male guitarists Rubicon (American band) members