Masters of the Telecaster
featuring Jim Weider, G.E. Smith & Larry Campbell
Friday, February 7, 2020 at 8:00 PM at SOPAC
With three of the most prolific rock guitarists in the world Jim Weider (The Band), G.E. Smith (SNL / Roger Waters band), Larry Campbell (Bob Dylan / Levon Helm band) this is sure to be a historic night of Blues, Roots and Rock and Roll. Playing tunes from Roy Buchanan, Little Richard, Sam Cooke, Stevie Winwood and Bo Diddley to the Rolling Stones and more! The three masters are joined by Lincoln Schleifer & Josh Dion to complete this righteous band.
Jim Weider
A master of classic telecaster guitar, Jim Weider, is renowned for his Rock and Blues-based signature sound. He is among a select group of musicians with an endorsement from Fender Stratocaster Guitars and, for the past three decades, he’s earned enormous respect from fellow musicians and music fans throughout the world. Born and raised in the famed arts colony of Woodstock, New York, Jim received great acclaim during his long tenure (1985-2000) as lead guitarist (replacing Robbie Robertson) for Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees, The Band. During 15 years of international touring with original members Levon Helm, Garth Hudson and Rick Danko, Jim was featured on numerous albums, films, videos and television appearances. Highlights included a 1990 performance with The Band and Ronnie Hawkins at The Berlin Wall concert produced by Roger Waters of Pink Floyd; several cable TV specials (notably “The Bob Dylan Tribute” at Madison Square Garden; “The Road,” and “This Country’s Rocking”); a performance and recording at the “Unofficial Blue Jean Bash” for President Clinton’s 1993 Inaugural Ball, with special guests Bob Dylan, Steven Stills and Dr. John; a 1994 pay-per-view concert telecast from the Woodstock ’94 Festival; and a 1995 appearance on the A&E Biography documentary “The Authorized Video Biography The Band” for cable TV and video, released by ABC Video. Jim furthered his reputation as a versatile and talented guitarist in performances and recordings with Scotty Moore, Keith Richards, Los Lobos, Graham Parker, Taj Mahal, Mavis Staples, Hot Tuna, Bob Weir/Rat Dog, Johnny Paycheck, James Talley, Kim Wilson, Paul Butterfield, Robbie Dupree Levon Helm Band and currently with The Weight Band. www.jimweider.com
G.E. Smith
G.E. Smith was the music Director and led the Saturday Night Live (SNL) band for 10 years. During this time, he also toured with Bob Dylan for four years. He also helped Mike Myers write a song for Aerosmith for when they performed on SNL. GE Smith was sought out by major recording artists like Jagger, who, shortly after Live Aid, called Smith to work with him on his first solo album, She’s the Boss. During this period Smith also did a few one-off recordings and concerts with David Bowie and Peter Wolfe. He just finished a three-year run with Roger Water’s Wall Live worldwide tour. www.gesmithmusic.com/
Larry Campbell
Three-time Grammy Award-winning producer and multi-instrumentalist Larry Campbell was born and raised in New York City and was the music director for the Levon Helm Band for eight years. Larry sings and plays mandolin, guitar, pedal steel, fiddle and other string instruments and was given a Lifetime Achievement Award for instrumentalist by the Americana Music Association and voted Instrumentalist of the Year in 2013. Larry was a member of Bob Dylan’s band from 1997-2004 and he and his wife Teresa Williams can frequently be seen performing with Phil Lesh and Friends, Hot Tuna and Little Feat as well as performing on their own as a duo. Aside from producing many other records such as Hot Tuna’s Steady as She Goes, the long list of artists that Larry has performed and recorded with includes Paul Simon, Sheryl Crow, Rosanne Cash, Buddy and Julie Miller, Emmylou Harris, B.B. King and many others. www.larrycampbell.com