Elliot Easton (born Elliot Steinberg, December 18, 1953)
is an American guitarist. He played lead guitar and sang backing vocals for
The Cars
The Cars were an American rock band formed in Boston in 1976. Emerging from the new wave scene in the late 1970s, they consisted of Ric Ocasek ( rhythm guitar), Benjamin Orr (bass guitar), Elliot Easton (lead guitar), Greg Hawkes (keyboards), ...
, and his guitar solos are an integral part of the band's music. Easton has also recorded music as a solo artist, and has played in other bands. He is a left-handed guitarist.
In 2018, Easton was inducted into the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), sometimes simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum
A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and othe ...
as a member of the Cars.
Career
Easton studied music at the
Berklee College of Music
Berklee College of Music is a private music college in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known for the study of jazz and modern American music, it also offers college-level cours ...
.
Easton is a founding member of The Cars and was its lead guitarist. The band was formed in 1976. Its debut album, ''
The Cars
The Cars were an American rock band formed in Boston in 1976. Emerging from the new wave scene in the late 1970s, they consisted of Ric Ocasek ( rhythm guitar), Benjamin Orr (bass guitar), Elliot Easton (lead guitar), Greg Hawkes (keyboards), ...
'' (1978), contained the hit single "Just What I Needed". The band went on to release five more albums over the next nine years before breaking up in 1988. Easton was the youngest member of the band.
Easton released one solo album, ''
Change No Change
''Change No Change'' is the first and only solo album released by Elliot Easton of The Cars. It was originally released in 1985 by Elektra Records, re-released in 1996 by Elektra Traditions/Rhino Records, and again released by Wounded Bird in 2006 ...
'' (1985), featuring songs co-written with
Jules Shear
Jules Mark Shear (born March 7, 1952) is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He wrote the Cyndi Lauper hit single " All Through the Night" and The Bangles' hit "If She Knew What She Wants", and charted a hit as a performer with "Stead ...
. One single, "(Wearing Down) Like a Wheel", was released and became a moderate hit on the rock charts.
In the mid-1990s, Easton produced and played on the first two albums by
Amy Rigby
Amy Rigby (born Amelia McMahon, January 27, 1959) is an American singer-songwriter. After playing with several New York bands she began a solo career, recording several albums which had only modest sales despite enthusiastic reviews. She settled ...
. He was also the lead guitarist on Jules Shear's 1994 album 'Healing Bones'.
Easton then joined
Creedence Clearwater Revisited
Creedence Clearwater Revisited is an American rock band formed in 1995 by bassist Stu Cook and drummer Doug "Cosmo" Clifford, former members of Creedence Clearwater Revival, to play live versions of that band's music.
Overview
Much of Creede ...
.
Easton was a member of
The New Cars
The New Cars were a band formed in 2005 by two of the original members of the 1970s/1980s new wave band the Cars. The band was composed of original Cars members Elliot Easton and Greg Hawkes, along with vocalist/guitarist Todd Rundgren, vocalist ...
,
along with original Cars keyboardist
Greg Hawkes
Gregory A. Hawkes (born October 22, 1952) is an American musician best known as the keyboardist for the rock band The Cars.
Hawkes, a native of Fulton, Maryland, United States, attended Atholton High School where he played in a band called Teet ...
, singer/songwriter
Todd Rundgren
Todd Harry Rundgren (born June 22, 1948) is an American multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, multimedia artist, sound engineer and record producer who has performed a diverse range of styles as a solo artist and as a member of the band Ut ...
, former
Utopia
A utopia ( ) typically describes an imaginary community or society that possesses highly desirable or nearly perfect qualities for its members. It was coined by Sir Thomas More for his 1516 book ''Utopia (book), Utopia'', describing a fictional ...
bassist/vocalist
Kasim Sulton
Kasim Sulton (born December 8, 1955) is an American bass guitarist, keyboardist and vocalist. Best known for his work with Utopia, Sulton sang lead on 1980's "Set Me Free," Utopia's only top 40 hit in the United States. As a solo artist, Sulton ...
, and
Tubes
Tube or tubes may refer to:
* ''Tube'' (2003 film), a 2003 Korean film
* ''The Tube'' (TV series), a music related TV series by Channel 4 in the United Kingdom
* "Tubes" (Peter Dale), performer on the Soccer AM television show
* Tube (band), a ...
drummer
Prairie Prince
Charles Lempriere "Prairie" Prince (born May 7, 1950) is an American drummer and graphic artist. He came to prominence in the 1970s as a member of the San Francisco–based rock group The Tubes, was a member of Jefferson Starship from 1992 to 2 ...
.
In June 2006, the band released a live album, ''
It's Alive!'', that includes three new studio tracks.
Easton was featured and played the solo in the
Click Five
The Click Five (often abbreviated as TC5) was an American rock band from Boston, Massachusetts. The original members, most of them students at Berklee College of Music, started on January 1, 2004, and played in various local venues. They then ...
song "Angel to You (Devil to Me)".
In 2010, Easton reunited with the surviving original members of The Cars to record their first album in 24 years, entitled ''
Move Like This
''Move Like This'' is the seventh and final studio album by American rock band the Cars, released on May 10, 2011. The album was their first since 1987's '' Door to Door'', and the only one without bassist and vocalist Benjamin Orr, who died of ...
''. The album was released in 2011,
and the band toured in support of it.
Easton next became a founding member of
The Empty Hearts supergroup formed in 2014. The band also included
The Chesterfield Kings bassist Andy Babiuk,
Blondie drummer
Clem Burke
Clement Burke (born Clement Anthony Bozewski; November 24, 1954) is an American musician who is best known as the drummer for the band Blondie from 1975, shortly after the band formed, throughout the band's entire career. He also played drums f ...
,
The Romantics
The Romantics are an American rock band formed in 1977 in Detroit. The band is often put under the banner of new wave and power pop. They were influenced by 1950s American rock and roll, Detroit's MC5, the Stooges, early Bob Seger, Motown R&B ...
guitarist and vocalist
Wally Palmar
Wally Palmar (born Volodymyr Palamarchuk; April 27, 1954 in Hamtramck, Michigan) is a Ukrainian-American musician, singer, songwriter and composer. He is best known as a founding member and lead singer of The Romantics, a rock band from Detroit, ...
, and
Faces
The face is the front of an animal's head that features the eyes, nose and mouth, and through which animals express many of their emotions. The face is crucial for human identity, and damage such as scarring or developmental deformities may affe ...
pianist
Ian McLagan
Ian Patrick McLagan (; 12 May 1945 – 3 December 2014) was an English keyboardist, best known as a member of the rock bands Small Faces and Faces. He also collaborated with the Rolling Stones and led his own band from the late 1970s. He was i ...
.
Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1985. When they signed to Geffen Records in 1986, the band comprised vocalist Axl Rose, lead guitarist Slash, rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin, bassist Duff McKa ...
and
Velvet Revolver
Velvet Revolver was an American hard rock supergroup consisting of Guns N' Roses members Slash (lead guitar), Duff McKagan (bass, backing vocals) and Matt Sorum (drums, backing vocals), alongside Dave Kushner (rhythm guitar) formerly of pun ...
guitarist
Slash
Slash may refer to:
* Slash (punctuation), the "/" character
Arts and entertainment Fictional characters
* Slash (Marvel Comics)
* Slash (''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'')
Music
* Harry Slash & The Slashtones, an American rock band
* Nash ...
has cited Easton as one of his musical influences, praising Easton's concise and melodic solos.
In 2018, Easton was inducted into the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), sometimes simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum
A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and othe ...
as a member of the Cars.
Gibson Guitars Signature Model
In 2013, the Gibson Guitar Company launched the Elliot Easton "Tikibird" Firebird guitar, which is a modified version of their Firebird model.
Personal life
Easton has been married twice. As of 2018, he is married to Jill Easton. He has a daughter, Sydney, from his first marriage. He lives in
Bell Canyon, California
Bell Canyon is an unincorporated community in eastern Ventura County, California, United States. Bell Canyon is a gated community in the Simi Hills with the main access through the Los Angeles community of West Hills and the western San Fernan ...
.
Discography
Studio albums
*''
Change No Change
''Change No Change'' is the first and only solo album released by Elliot Easton of The Cars. It was originally released in 1985 by Elektra Records, re-released in 1996 by Elektra Traditions/Rhino Records, and again released by Wounded Bird in 2006 ...
'' (1985) – US #99
With the Cars
*''
The Cars
The Cars were an American rock band formed in Boston in 1976. Emerging from the new wave scene in the late 1970s, they consisted of Ric Ocasek ( rhythm guitar), Benjamin Orr (bass guitar), Elliot Easton (lead guitar), Greg Hawkes (keyboards), ...
'' (1978)
*''
Candy-O
''Candy-O'' is the second studio album by American rock band the Cars, released on June 13, 1979 by Elektra Records. Produced by Roy Thomas Baker, the album spawned two singles, " Let's Go" (number 14 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100) and " It's ...
'' (1979)
*''
Panorama'' (1980)
*''
Shake It Up Shake It Up may refer to:
* ''Shake It Up'' (Boney James & Rick Braun album), 2000
* ''Shake It Up'' (The Cars album), 1981
** "Shake It Up" (The Cars song), the title song
* "Shake It Up" (Divine song), 1983
* "Shake It Up" (Koda Kumi song), ...
'' (1981)
*''
Heartbeat City'' (1984)
*''
Door to Door
Door-to-door is a canvassing technique that is generally used for sales, marketing, advertising, evangelism or campaigning, in which the person or persons walk from the door of one house to the door of another, trying to sell or advertise a ...
'' (1987)
*''
Move Like This
''Move Like This'' is the seventh and final studio album by American rock band the Cars, released on May 10, 2011. The album was their first since 1987's '' Door to Door'', and the only one without bassist and vocalist Benjamin Orr, who died of ...
'' (2011)
With Benjamin Orr
*''
The Lace
''The Lace'' is the only solo studio album by American rock and roll singer Benjamin Orr, best known for his work with The Cars. It was released on October 6, 1986, by Elektra Records and features his only solo hit, the song, " Stay the Night" ...
'' (1986)
With Elliot Easton's Tiki Gods
*''Easton Island'' (2013)
Singles
*"(Wearing Down) Like a Wheel" (1985)
*"Shayla" (1985)
*"Tools of Your Labor" (1985)
*"Monte Carlo Nights"
with Elliot Easton's Tiki Gods (1995)
References
External links
*
Elliott Easton InterviewNAMM Oral History Library (2016)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Easton, Elliot
The Cars members
The New Cars members
Creedence Clearwater Revisited members
American new wave musicians
American rock guitarists
American male guitarists
Lead guitarists
Musicians from Brooklyn
1953 births
Living people
People from Bell Canyon, California
Guitarists from New York (state)
20th-century American guitarists