Elan Portnoy is an American record producer and a guitarist in three bands: The Headless Horsemen,

The Fuzztones The Fuzztones are an American garage rock revival band formed in 1982. History Founded by singer-guitarist Rudi Protrudi in New York City, the band has gone through several member changes but is currently active in Europe. Dismissed by some cri ...

and The Waspmen.

Music history

The Headless Horsemen

In the late 1980s, Portnoy was a guitarist for The Headless Horsemen, a New York City based 60s Rock-n-Roll group. The band reunited in 2013 and opened for Billy Gibbons'(

ZZ Top ZZ Top is an American rock band formed in 1969 in Houston, Texas. For 51 years, they comprised vocalist-guitarist Billy Gibbons, drummer Frank Beard and vocalist-bassist Dusty Hill, until Hill's death in 2021. ZZ Top developed a signature sound ...

) band

The Moving Sidewalks The Moving Sidewalks were an American four-person psychedelic blues rock band formed in 1966 from Houston, Texas, United States. They released several singles and an album, before bassist Don Summers and keyboardist Tom Moore were drafted into th ...

at BB King Blues Club & Grill in New York City.

The Fuzztones

Between 1982 and 1985, Portnoy was the lead guitarist for

. This 1980s Garage/Psychedelic band was the first US band in the genre to tour Europe and the UK in 1985. The Fuzztones regularly appeared at The Peppermint Lounge, Irving Plaza,

CBGB CBGB was a New York City music club opened in 1973 by Hilly Kristal in Manhattan's East Village. The club was previously a biker bar and before that was a dive bar. The letters ''CBGB'' were for '' Country'', '' BlueGrass'', and '' Blues'', Kri ...

, and The Dive. They also appeared at The Elixir Festival in Brittany, France, in 1985 alongside

The Clash The Clash were an English rock band formed in London in 1976 who were key players in the original wave of British punk rock. Billed as "The Only Band That Matters", they also contributed to the and new wave movements that emerged in the wa ...

and

Midnight Oil Midnight Oil (known informally as "The Oils") are an Australian rock band composed of Peter Garrett (vocals, harmonica), Rob Hirst (drums), Jim Moginie (guitar, keyboard) and Martin Rotsey (guitar). The group was formed in Sydney in 1972 by ...

. The Fuzztones released over a dozen recordings on vinyl and CD in Europe and the US during this era, and they have played on bills with

The Bangles The Bangles are an American pop rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1981. The band recorded several singles that reached the U.S. top 10 during the 1980s, including "Manic Monday" (1986), "Walk Like an Egyptian" (1986), " Hazy Shade ...

The Lords of the New Church The Lords of the New Church were an English/American supergroup with a line-up originally consisting of four musicians from 1970s punk bands. This line-up comprised vocalist Stiv Bators (ex- the Dead Boys), guitarist Brian James (ex- the Da ...

, The Damned, The Cramps and

R.E.M. R.E.M. was an American rock band from Athens, Georgia, formed in 1980 by drummer Bill Berry, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills, and lead vocalist Michael Stipe, who were students at the University of Georgia. One of the first alternati ...

They have also played on a special Christmas show with

Screamin' Jay Hawkins Jalacy J. "Screamin' Jay" Hawkins (July 18, 1929 – February 12, 2000) was an American singer-songwriter, musician, actor, film producer, and boxer. Famed chiefly for his powerful, operatic vocal delivery and wildly theatrical performances of s ...

which was released as an LP in the US.

Other appearances

Portnoy has played onstage with Screamin' Jay Hawkins, Lenny Kaye Patty Smith Group, Roy Loney of the

Flamin' Groovies Flamin' Groovies is an American rock band that formed in San Francisco in 1965, originally co-led by Roy Loney and Cyril Jordan. After the Groovies released three albums, on Epic ('' Supersnazz'') and Kama Sutra (''Flamingo'' and '' Teenage Head' ...

Mark Lindsay Mark Lindsay (born March 9, 1942) is an American musician, best known as the lead singer of Paul Revere & the Raiders. Early life Lindsay was born in Eugene, Oregon, and was the second of eight children of George and Esther Ellis Lindsay. The ...

Paul Revere and The Raiders Paul Revere & the Raiders (also known as Raiders) were an American rock band formed in Boise, Idaho, in 1958. They saw considerable U.S. mainstream success in the second half of the 1960s and early 1970s. The band was known for including Revolu ...

, Jimy Sohns of

The Shadows of Knight The Shadows of Knight were an American rock band from Chicago, Illinois, that played a version of British blues influenced by their native city. When they began recording in 1965, the band's self-description was "the Stones, Animals and the Ya ...

, Tony Valentino of

The Standells The Standells are an American garage rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in the 1960s, who have been referred to as a "punk band of the 1960s", and said to have inspired such groups as the Sex Pistols and Ramones. They are best known ...

, Mitch Ryder

Detroit Wheels The Detroit Wheels were an American football team, a charter member of the defunct World Football League. Founding Soon after Gary Davidson announced the WFL's formation in October 1973, he was approached by a man named Bud Hucul about putting ...

and

Hilton Valentine Hilton Stewart Paterson Valentine (21 May 1943 – 29 January 2021) was an English skiffle and rock and roll musician who was the original guitarist in The Animals. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994 and into Hollywoo ...

The Animals The Animals (also billed as Eric Burdon and the Animals) are an English rock band, formed in Newcastle upon Tyne in the early 1960s. The band moved to London upon finding fame in 1964. The Animals were known for their gritty, bluesy sound and ...

. He has also recorded with

, Teisco Del Ray, Herrera and The Handouts, Lone Wolves, Savage Suns and The Roamin’ Numerals.

Producing

Since 1984, Portnoy has produced dozens of records and CDs for bands in New York City such as his bands The Fuzztones and The Headless Horsemen, The Outta Place, The Primeval Unknown, The Bohemian Bedrocks, The Twisted, and The Lone Wolves. Portnoy is currently working with a new group, Screamin' Mikey and The MoKan Sharks.

References

External links

Facebook: Elan Portnoy
{{DEFAULTSORT:Portnoy, Elan Year of birth missing (living people) Living people American rock guitarists American male guitarists American record producers