Russ Klyne Artist Profile
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Bio
Russ KlyneI began playing guitar at age 11, inspired by my father’s Chet Atkins/Merle Travis finger picking style, and as a youngster made many appearances in his middle of the road group. I always loved the guitar but throughout school experimented with other instruments such as violin drums, tuba, and piano to broaden my perspective. Finally through, I settled on the guitar as my home instrument and focused my efforts on becoming a professional musician. In the early days I played with the Saskatoon Jazz Society Big Band, jazz trombonist Ross Ulmer’s band, and performed guitar cues on radio jingles sessions.To deepen my knowledge of music theory and jazz performance, when I was 19, I enrolled at Grant McEwan College in Edmonton, Alberta. Life at McEwan opened many doors for me: here I met a future musical partner drummer Ray Garraway, and performed with the up and coming K.D. Lang and the Reclines. After graduating from my music program, I was drawn to Vancouver, enticed by the city’s vibrancy and increased career opportunities I knew awaited me there. It was a good move and soon after I began making my living recording guitar cues for television and film. I made many new contacts and began gigging with top 40 “A” circuit cover bands across Canada and the US. A turning point in my career came when there was an opportunity to join a recording/touring group that included Loverboy’s Mike Reno. His high profile solidified my reputation and opened the way to meeting with Journey’s guitarist, Neal Schon. In 1992, I was in Saskatoon when Ray Garraway arrived to play a show with the reggae band Activate. I was invited to make a guest appearance with the trio, a seemingly innocuous event that changed the course of my musical career overnight. The synergy between Ray, and the bassist Toby Peter and myself was so compelling that within 8 months we formed the alternative fusion band Salvador Dream, cut a demo CD and entered the Canadian music industry talent list. At the height of the “90”s rock scene, Salvador Dream incited a bidding war between 3 major labels before signing to Warner Music. The experience of touring, giving interviews and making recordings and videos gave me confidence and professionalism and led to liaisons with prominent industry personnel – connections that remain valuable to this day. After Salvador Dream, I joined Bif Naked for her world tour, made a recording with the Rascalz and continued to create successful musical media for radio, video, film and television. Meanwhile, Salvador Dream’s prolific musical energies sought new expression in a jazz-fusion, drum and bass medley called Namedropper. Namedropper’s talent attracted considerable attention, which included collaborations with Canadian jazz heavyweights Brad Turner and Chris Gestrin, who later became satellite members of the band. The evolving creative union was powerful because it provided a continuous wellspring of inspiration and opportunity; yet had an open door policy that allowed members their musical independence. This arrangement meant that when EMI Hip-Hop recording artist Kevin Brereton, also known as K-OS, approached me to collaborate on his first album, I was free to pursue that creative partnership. In the mean time my full schedule consisted of teaching, and working in two house-bands, Soulstream and The Retrofitz. Simultaneously I began to pursue my higher musical goals on guitar, studying the works of John McLaughlin, George Benson, Paul Gilbert and Eric Johnson. Today, my musical partnership with K-OS continues to thrive. In support of the first album Exit, K-OS and I did an acoustic tour with national and international dates. I also helped co-write and co-produce K-OS’s highly successful second album Joyful Rebellion, enlisting my Namedropper colleagues for writing, recording and touring support. Released in 2004, Joyful Rebellion achieved platinum sales album in Canada within 7 months, and won 4 Juno awards including best rap single. The international acclaim of this album led to many high profile television and radio spots including Much Music, Music Plus, the Much Music Video Awards, as well as European television performances. Despite this busy schedule, I also found time to accompany Grammy Award winner Nelly Furtado on her “Folklore” world tour. I am currently the acting musical director for K-OS and anticipate another album of touring with K-OS and logistics permitting, Nelly Furtado. |
Links
Connected Artists
Chris Gestrin
Discography
| Discography Major Label Recordings 2004 K-OS Joyful Rebellion EMI 2004 Soul Decision Shady Satin Drug Sextant 2004 Breach of Trust Self-titled EMI 2000 Rascalz Reloaded BMG 1998 K-OS Exit EMI 1997 Rascalz Global Warning BMG 1997 Bif Naked I Bificus Atlantic 1996 Bif Naked Self-titled Aquarius 1995 Breach of Trust Song for a Dying Nation EMI 1993 Salvador Dream Ur Warner |
