Daryl Mark Stuermer (born November 27, 1952) is an American musician, songwriter, and producer best known for playing the guitar and bass for
Genesis during live shows, and lead guitar for
Phil Collins during most solo tours and albums. He has also released nine solo albums, and tours with his Daryl Stuermer Band.
Early life
Stuermer was born on November 27, 1952, in
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at th ...
.
He cites Duane, his elder brother of two years, also a musician, who introduced him to music by
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...
and
Ray Charles
Ray Charles Robinson Sr. (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential singers in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Ge ...
. As a youngster he became a fan of the instrumental rock band
The Ventures
The Ventures are an American instrumental rock band formed in Tacoma, Washington, in 1958, by Don Wilson and Bob Bogle. The band, which was a quartet for most of its existence, helped to popularize the electric guitar across the world during the ...
, which "really got me going".
He began to play the guitar at age eleven, and moved into jazz guitar four years later.
In 1970, Stuermer graduated from St. Francis High School in St. Francis, Wisconsin
St. Francis is a city in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 9,161 at the 2020 census.
History
St. Francis Seminary was established in what is now the city in 1845. The Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi establishe ...
.
Career
Early bands
In the early 1970s, Stuermer formed his Milwaukee-based jazz rock band Sweetbottom, playing local gigs five nights a week.[ It was during one of these gigs in 1975 that keyboardist George Duke, then of ]The Mothers of Invention
The Mothers of Invention (also known as The Mothers) was an American rock band from California. Formed in 1964, their work is marked by the use of sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows.
Originally an R&B band ...
with Frank Zappa, noticed him[ and suggested his name to jazz violinist ]Jean-Luc Ponty
Jean-Luc Ponty (born 29 September 1942) is a French jazz violinist and composer.
Early life
Ponty was born into a family of classical musicians in Avranches, France. His father taught violin, his mother taught piano. At sixteen, he was admitt ...
, who was looking for a guitarist to join his own band. After a successful audition, Stuermer became a full time member and is featured on three of their albums released between 1975 and 1977: ''Aurora
An aurora (plural: auroras or aurorae), also commonly known as the polar lights, is a natural light display in Earth's sky, predominantly seen in high-latitude regions (around the Arctic and Antarctic). Auroras display dynamic patterns of bri ...
'', ''Imaginary Voyage
''Imaginary Voyage'' is a studio album by French jazz fusion artist Jean-Luc Ponty. It features guitarist Daryl Stuermer and bassist Tom Fowler (both of whom had played on Ponty’s previous album), along with keyboardist Allan Zavod and drummer ...
'', and '' Enigmatic Ocean''.[
In addition to Ponty, he played on Duke's solo albums '' I Love the Blues, She Heard My Cry'' and '' Liberated Fantasies''.]
Genesis
In late 1977, Stuermer, on insistence of friend Alphonso Johnson, was recommended as a replacement for Steve Hackett
Stephen Richard Hackett (born 12 February 1950) is an English musician, singer, songwriter and record producer who gained prominence as the lead guitarist of the progressive rock band Genesis from 1971 to 1977. Hackett contributed to six Genesis ...
to support Genesis for live performances. Johnson's audition was unsuccessful, and he put Stuermer's name forward. Stuermer's only exposure to the band was when Ponty played him ''A Trick of the Tail
''A Trick of the Tail'' is the seventh studio album by English progressive rock band Genesis. It was released in February 1976 on Charisma Records and was the first album to feature drummer Phil Collins as lead vocalist following the departu ...
'', and a television clip showing Gabriel singing in costume.[ A chance meeting with drummer Chester Thompson, who had replaced ]Bill Bruford
William Scott Bruford (born 17 May 1949) is an English former drummer and percussionist who first gained prominence as a founding member of the progressive rock band Yes. After leaving Yes in 1972, Bruford spent the rest of the 1970s recording ...
as their touring drummer in 1976, convinced Stuermer to go for the audition.[ His audition with ]Mike Rutherford
Michael John Cloete Crawford Rutherford (born 2 October 1950) is an English guitarist, bassist and songwriter, co-founder of the rock band Genesis. Rutherford and keyboardist Tony Banks are the group's two continuous members.
Initially servin ...
took place in early 1978 in New York City, and landed the spot on the same day.[ He retained the role of lead guitarist and bass player with the band from 1978 to 1992: he also rejoined them for the 2007 Turn It On Again Tour, and returned for the 2021-2022 The Last Domino? Tour.
]
Solo career
During Genesis's break in activity for much of 1979, Stuermer secured work by touring North America with singer Gino Vannelli
Gino Vannelli (born June 16, 1952) is a Canadian rock singer and songwriter who had several hit songs in the 1970s and 1980s. His best-known singles include "People Gotta Move" (1974), "I Just Wanna Stop" (1978), "Living Inside Myself" (1981) an ...
in support of his album '' Brother to Brother''.[
In 1981, Stuermer followed Genesis frontman Phil Collins as lead guitarist for Collins' solo career, with a speaking part in the clip for " One More Night" and being mentioned by name in the music video for " Don't Lose My Number". In doing so, he transitioned from what Collins called a "permanent-temporary-part-time member" of Genesis to a "permanent-touring-recording member" of Collins' new group.] Stuermer is credited as a writer on several songs that Collins recorded, including "I Don't Wanna Know" on ''No Jacket Required
''No Jacket Required'' is the third solo studio album by English drummer and singer-songwriter Phil Collins. It was originally released on 25 January 1985 or 18 February 1985 on Virgin (UK and Ireland), Atlantic (US and Canada) and WEA (rest o ...
'', which evolved from one of Stuermer's demos.[
In 1988, Stuermer released his debut solo album ''Steppin' Out''. He considered making it a more vocal-oriented album having performed with Collins throughout the decade, but he opted to produce a rock instrumental album.][Album – Daryl Stuermer – Steppin Out]
thegenesisarchive.co.uk, accessed May 20, 2021.
Stuermer went on to record ''Live and Learn'', ''Another Side of Genesis'', ''Waiting in the Wings'', ''Retrofit'', ''The Nylon String Sampler'', ''Rewired: the Electric Collection'' and ''Go!''. Released in 2002 was a Sweetbottom live reunion album, recorded at Shank Hall in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Stuermer's album ''Go!'' was released in early 2007. It contains many older tracks from Stuermer's Sweetbottom days, and includes appearances from Alphonso Johnson, Kostia, John Calarco, and Eric Hervey. Stuermer released the album on Inside Out Records as they offered him greater freedom to explore a musical direction that he wished to pursue. His current project is called Daryl Stuermer - Symphony Concert, which involves band members Kostia, Alan Arber and Eric Hervey and singer Forrest "Woody" Mankowski, recreating classic Genesis material mixed with instrumentals from his solo career.
Equipment
Stuermer has been a Fender Stratocaster
The Fender Stratocaster, colloquially known as the Strat, is a model of electric guitar designed from 1952 into 1954 by Leo Fender, Bill Carson, George Fullerton, and Freddie Tavares. The Fender Musical Instruments Corporation has continuousl ...
user for most of his career with Phil Collins. His primary guitars have been a Torino Red Eric Clapton Stratocaster and a 3-Tone Sunburst American Standard Stratocaster, though he also played banjo on the Collins song "The Roof Is Leaking". In addition to the Fender Stratocaster in his tenure with Collins and Genesis, he played Gibson RD Artist bass guitars and Ibanez
is a Japanese guitar brand owned by Hoshino Gakki. Based in Nagoya, Aichi, Japan, Hoshino Gakki were one of the first Japanese musical instrument companies to gain a significant foothold in import guitar sales in the United States and Europe, as ...
electric guitars in 1978. He then switched to a SUNTECH Model SA-MFSC "Stratocaster Style" guitar from 1978 to 1984 and used a Shergold
Shergold Guitars, or Shergold Woodcrafts Limited, is an English guitar manufacturing company established in October 1967 by former Burns London employees Jack Golder and Norman Houlder. Based in East London, the company moved from Forest Gate to ...
Bass Guitar (1980), a Fender Precision Bass
The Fender Precision Bass (often shortened to "P-Bass") is a model of electric bass guitar manufactured by Fender Musical Instruments Corporation. In its standard, post-1957 configuration, the Precision Bass is a solid body, four-stringed instrum ...
guitar in 1981/1982, a Strata (Status Graphite) bass guitar and a Roland guitar (1983–84), a Steinberger
Steinberger is a series of distinctive electric guitars and bass guitars, designed and originally manufactured by Ned Steinberger. The name "Steinberger" can be used to refer to either the instruments themselves or the company that originally pro ...
bass guitar and guitar (1986/1987), a Yamaha bass guitar in 1992 and a Lakland
Lakland Guitars is an American manufacturer of electric bass guitars based in Chicago, Illinois. The company's first bass combined elements of the Fender Jazz Bass and the Music Man StingRay. The company's current line-up includes basses inspired ...
custom bass guitar in 2007. Stuermer used a Gibson ES-346 in 2004/2005,[ and as of 2007 he has largely been using a Godin LGXT electric guitar. He also uses a Godin Montreal Premier,] a Godin DS-1 (a custom guitar that Godin built for Stuermer) and a Sadowsky nylon string electric guitar.
Discography
Solo albums
With Jean-Luc Ponty
Jean-Luc Ponty (born 29 September 1942) is a French jazz violinist and composer.
Early life
Ponty was born into a family of classical musicians in Avranches, France. His father taught violin, his mother taught piano. At sixteen, he was admitt ...
With George Duke
With Joan Armatrading
Joan Anita Barbara Armatrading, (, born 9 December 1950) is a Kittitian-English singer-songwriter and guitarist.
A three-time Grammy Award nominee, Armatrading has also been nominated twice for BRIT Awards as Best Female Artist. She received ...
With Frida Lyngstad
Princess Anni-Frid Synni Reuss, Countess of Plauen (born Anni-Frid Synni Lyngstad on 15 November 1945), also known by her nickname "Frida", is a Norwegian-born Swedish singer, songwriter and environmentalist, who is best known as one of the foun ...
(ABBA
ABBA ( , , formerly named Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Anni-Frid or Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Frida) are a Swedish supergroup formed in Stockholm in 1972 by Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. The group's ...
)
With Tony Banks (Genesis)
With Mike Rutherford
Michael John Cloete Crawford Rutherford (born 2 October 1950) is an English guitarist, bassist and songwriter, co-founder of the rock band Genesis. Rutherford and keyboardist Tony Banks are the group's two continuous members.
Initially servin ...
With Philip Bailey
Philip James Bailey (born May 8, 1951) is an American R&B, soul, gospel and funk singer, songwriter and percussionist, best known as an early member and one of the two lead singers (along with group founder Maurice White) of the band Earth, Wi ...
With Phil Collins
With Genesis
Collaborations
* 1986 : ''Marilyn Martin'' from Marilyn Martin - Daryl composed the music for the song ''Wildest Dreams'' and plays on it as well.
* 2004 : '' Crossing the Jordan'' - producer.
* 2015 : ''1985'' from Martin Levac - Daryl plays on the song ''I am sorry''
References
External links
Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stuermer, Daryl
1952 births
Living people
American rock guitarists
American male guitarists
Genesis (band) members
Unicorn Digital artists
Musicians from Milwaukee
Guitarists from Wisconsin
American people of German descent
American rock bass guitarists
American male bass guitarists
American jazz guitarists
Lead guitarists
Songwriters from Wisconsin
American session musicians
American banjoists
20th-century American guitarists
American male jazz musicians
The Phil Collins Big Band members