Patrick John O'Hearn (born September 6, 1954) is an American multi-instrumentalist, composer, and recording artist. Known primarily as a

bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...

ist and keyboardist, O'Hearn came to prominence with

Frank Zappa Frank Vincent Zappa (December 21, 1940 – December 4, 1993) was an American musician, composer, and bandleader. His work is characterized by wikt:nonconformity, nonconformity, Free improvisation, free-form improvisation, sound experimen ...

and co-founded the early 1980s new wave band

Missing Persons A missing person is a person who has disappeared and whose status as alive or dead cannot be confirmed as their location and condition are unknown. A person may go missing through a voluntary disappearance, or else due to an accident, crime, de ...

with several other veterans from Zappa's bands. O'Hearn's musical repertoire spans a diverse range including

new-age New Age is a range of spiritual or religious practices and beliefs which rapidly grew in Western society during the early 1970s. Its highly eclectic and unsystematic structure makes a precise definition difficult. Although many scholars conside ...

. In addition to solo albums, he has composed soundtracks for movies and television.

Biography

Formative years

Born in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, California and raised in the

Pacific Northwest The Pacific Northwest (sometimes Cascadia, or simply abbreviated as PNW) is a geographic region in western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Though ...

, O'Hearn began his professional music career at age 15 when he joined the Musicians Union and began playing night clubs in

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...

. Upon graduating from Sunset High School in 1972, he moved to

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

, Washington. There, he briefly attended

Cornish College of the Arts Cornish College of the Arts (CCA) is a private art college in Seattle, Washington. It was founded in 1914. History Cornish College of the Arts was founded in 1914 as the Cornish School of Music, by Nellie Cornish (1876–1956), a teacher of pi ...

and, as well, studied privately with bassist Gary Peacock. In 1973, he moved to

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

, California and soon became involved in the

Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, often referred to as simply the Bay Area, is a populous region surrounding the San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun Bay estuaries in Northern California. The Bay Area is defined by the Association of Bay Area Gov ...

jazz scene of that time, playing bass for established artists Charles Lloyd,

Joe Henderson Joe Henderson (April 24, 1937 – June 30, 2001) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. In a career spanning more than four decades, Henderson played with many of the leading American players of his day and recorded for several prominent l ...

Dexter Gordon Dexter Gordon (February 27, 1923 – April 25, 1990) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist, composer, bandleader, and actor. He was among the most influential early bebop musicians, which included other greats such as Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gi ...

Joe Pass Joe Pass (born Joseph Anthony Jacobi Passalaqua; January 13, 1929 – May 23, 1994) was an American jazz guitarist. Pass is well known for his work stemming from numerous collaborations with pianist Oscar Peterson and vocalist Ella Fitzgerald, an ...

Woody Shaw Woody Herman Shaw Jr. (December 24, 1944 – May 10, 1989) was an American jazz trumpeter, flugelhornist, cornetist, composer, arranger, band leader, and educator. Shaw is widely known as one of the most important and influential jazz trumpet ...

, Eddie Henderson, and Bobby Hutcherson. He also collaborated with musicians his own age, including

Terry Bozzio Terry John Bozzio (born December 27, 1950) is an American drummer best known for his work with Missing Persons and Frank Zappa. He has been featured on nine solo or collaborative albums, 26 albums with Zappa and seven albums with Missing Person ...

Mark Isham Mark Ware Isham (born September 7, 1951) is an American musician and film composer. A trumpeter and keyboardist, Isham works in a variety of genres, including jazz and electronic. He is also a film composer, having worked on numerous films and t ...

and Peter Maunu. While on tour in Los Angeles in 1976, O'Hearn met musician

, who offered him a job as bass player in his band—a position he held for over two years. During this period, O’Hearn shifted from the acoustic bass to the electric bass guitar, and also became increasingly interested in electronic music. Zappa encouraged O’Hearn to explore his collection of synthesizers, and also introduced him to the technical aspects of music production, audio engineering, and home studio audio recording equipment. In 1979, O'Hearn teamed with trumpet player Mark Isham and guitarist Peter Maunu to form Group 87. They only produced two LPs—''Group 87'' in 1980, and ''A Career in Dada Processing'' in 1984. Isham and Maunu would appear as collaborators on several of O'Hearn's subsequent solo releases.

1980s and solo career

In 1981, drummer and former Zappa bandmate

invited O’Hearn to join his emerging new wave band,

along with guitarist and fellow Zappa alumnus

Warren Cuccurullo Warren Bruce Cuccurullo (born December 8, 1956) is an American musician, singer-songwriter, restaurant owner and former body builder who first worked with Frank Zappa during the 1970s. He was also a founding member of Missing Persons in the 1980s ...

and

Dale Bozzio Dale Frances Bozzio (née Consalvi; born March 2, 1955) is an American rock and pop vocalist. She is best known as co-founder and lead singer of the '80s new wave band Missing Persons and for her work with Frank Zappa. While with Zappa, she perf ...

, who had performed vocals in several Zappa productions and recently married Terry. O'Hearn shifted from electric bass to synthesizers. Missing Persons recorded three albums for Capitol Records: ''

Spring Session M ''Spring Session M'' is the debut studio album by American new wave band Missing Persons. It was released on October 8, 1982 by Capitol Records. The title of the album is an anagram of the band's name. Produced by Ken Scott with the songs writ ...

'' (1982), '' Rhyme & Reason'' (1984), and '' Color In Your Life'' (1986). The band dissolved in early 1986; subsequently, O'Hearn joined with former

Duran Duran Duran Duran () are an English Rock music, rock band formed in Birmingham in 1978 by singer and bassist Stephen Duffy, keyboardist Nick Rhodes and guitarist/bassist John Taylor (bass guitarist), John Taylor. With the addition of drummer Roger ...

guitarist Andy Taylor and former

Sex Pistols The Sex Pistols were an English punk rock band formed in London in 1975. Although their initial career lasted just two and a half years, they were one of the most groundbreaking acts in the history of popular music. They were responsible for ...

guitarist Steve Jones for one album, ''

Thunder Thunder is the sound caused by lightning. Depending upon the distance from and nature of the lightning, it can range from a long, low rumble to a sudden, loud crack. The sudden increase in temperature and hence pressure caused by the lightning pr ...

'' (1987), and a brief tour. O'Hearn's solo career was spurred in large part by former

Tangerine Dream Tangerine Dream is a German electronic music band founded in 1967 by Edgar Froese. The group has seen many personnel changes over the years, with Froese having been the only constant member until his death in January 2015. The best-known lineup ...

member

Peter Baumann Peter Baumann (born 29 January 1953) is a German musician. He formed the core line-up of the pioneering German electronic group Tangerine Dream with Edgar Froese and Christopher Franke in 1971. Baumann composed his first solo album in 1976, whi ...

, who had been conceiving of a new music label that would showcase progressive instrumental music—a niche earlier explored by Group 87. Baumann formed the

Private Music Private Music was an American independent record label founded in 1984 by musician Peter Baumann as a "home for instrumental music". Baumann signed Ravi Shankar, Yanni, Suzanne Ciani, Andy Summers, Patrick O'Hearn, Leo Kottke, and his former ...

label in late 1984, and produced O'Hearn's debut solo album, ''Ancient Dreams'' (1985). O'Hearn followed ''Ancient Dreams'' with two more albums—''Between Two Worlds'' (1987), which earned the artist his first

Grammy The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...

nomination, and ''Rivers Gonna Rise'' (1988). O'Hearn began to receive greater airplay on jazz and new-age radio stations. O'Hearn also co-produced several tracks for guitarist Colin Chin's ''Intruding on a Silence'', featuring Mark Isham on trumpet. O'Hearn released ''Eldorado'' in 1989.

1990s

O'Hearn released ''Indigo'' in 1991. Winding up their contract, Private Music assembled a compilation album in 1992, titled ''The Private Music of Patrick O'Hearn.'' This album included three previously unreleased tracks titled "Down Hill Racer", "Irene", and "Step". In 1992, O'Hearn composed and performed the music score for '' White Sands,'' a police thriller starring

Willem Dafoe Willem James Dafoe (; born July 22, 1955) is an American actor. He is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Willem Dafoe, various accolades, including the Volpi Cup for Best Actor, in addition to receiving nominations for ...

and

Samuel L. Jackson Samuel Leroy Jackson (born December 21, 1948) is an American actor and producer. One of the most widely recognized actors of his generation, the films in which he has appeared have collectively grossed over $27 billion worldwide, making him ...

. The film was directed by

Roger Donaldson Roger Lindsey Donaldson (born 15 November 1945) is an Australian-born List of New Zealand film makers, New Zealand film director, producer and writer whose films include the 1981 relationship drama ''Smash Palace'', and a run of titles shot in ...

. Later that year he composed the score to ''

Silent Tongue ''Silent Tongue'' is a 1994 American Western horror film written and directed by Sam Shepard. It was filmed in the spring of 1992, but not released until 1994. It was filmed near Roswell, New Mexico and features Richard Harris, Sheila Tousey, ...

'', written and directed by

Sam Shepard Samuel Shepard Rogers III (November 5, 1943 – July 27, 2017) was an American actor, playwright, author, screenwriter, and director whose career spanned half a century. He won 10 Obie Awards for writing and directing, the most by any write ...

and starring Alan Bates,

Richard Harris Richard St John Francis Harris (1 October 1930 – 25 October 2002) was an Irish actor and singer. He appeared on stage and in many films, notably as Corrado Zeller in Michelangelo Antonioni's '' Red Desert'', Frank Machin in ''This Sporting ...

River Phoenix River Jude Phoenix (; August 23, 1970 – October 31, 1993) was an American actor, musician and activist. Phoenix grew up in an itinerant family, as the older brother of Rain Phoenix, Joaquin Phoenix, Liberty Phoenix, and Summer Phoenix. He ha ...

and Dermot Mulroney. O'Hearn released ''Trust'' in 1995 under the newly formed Deep Cave record label. Featuring contributions from

David Torn David M. Torn (born May 26, 1953) is an American guitarist, composer, and producer. He is known for combining electronic and acoustic instruments and for his use of looping. Background Torn has contributed to recordings by artists as diverse ...

and former bandmates Terry Bozzio and

, ''Trust'' earned O'Hearn his second

nomination. Shortly after the release of his next album, ''Metaphor'' (1996), the Deep Cave record label folded. Also released in 1996 was the soundtrack to the film ''

Crying Freeman is a Japanese manga series written by Kazuo Koike and illustrated by Ryoichi Ikegami. ''Crying Freeman'' follows a Japanese assassin hypnotized and trained by the Chinese mafia (called the "108 Dragons") to serve as its agent and covered in ...

,'' There have been a few various artists albums that O'Hearn has contributed new material to. In 1998, his 12-minute composition "35th Parallel" appeared on the five-artist album ''The Ambient Expanse''. In 2000, his version of a Johann Sebastian Bach piece called "Prelude from Cello Suite No. 1" appeared on the compilation ''A Different Prelude: A Contemporary Collection''. In 2003 his version of the

Joaquín Rodrigo Joaquín Rodrigo Vidre, 1st Marquess of the Gardens of Aranjuez (; 22 November 1901 – 6 July 1999), was a Spanish composer and a virtuoso pianist. He is best known for composing the ''Concierto de Aranjuez'', a cornerstone of the classical gui ...

composition "Adagio from Fantasy for a Gentleman" appeared on the compilation ''Adagio: A Windham Hill Collection''. This last track can also be found on the various artists compilation ''Sundown: Windham Hill Piano Collection'', released in 2006.

2000s

O'Hearn's next solo project, ''So Flows the Current'' (2001), was recorded over a three-year period from 1997 to 2000. In 2002, cinematographer David Fortney created a film of landscape images paired with O'Hearn music. The result was ''Timeless - A National Parks Odyssey'' which was released on DVD in 2003. This also includes a new version of the track "Beauty In Darkness," originally from O'Hearn's debut album. ''Beautiful World'' was O'Hearn's next release in 2003, and it was voted the No. 1 album on the nationally syndicated radio program '' Echoes''. This was followed by ''Slow Time'' in 2005. In 2006, O'Hearn released three recordings via iTunes online delivery only. The first two of these were the soundtrack EP to Sean Garland's short film ''The Wheelhouse'' and the soundtrack to the Sam Shepard play '' Simpatico'' (originally recorded in 1994). These were shortly followed by ''The So Flows Sessions'', which was previously unreleased material from the same recording sessions in 1997–2000 that produced ''So Flows The Current''. The next year in 2007 O'Hearn released the CD ''Glaciation'', inspired by images of Earth's Arctic regions. In the summer of 2007, O'Hearn was introduced to singer-songwriter

John Hiatt John Robert Hiatt (born August 20, 1952) is an American singer-songwriter. He has played a variety of musical styles on his albums, including new wave, blues, and country. Hiatt has been nominated for nine Grammy Awards and has been awarded ...

and played bass on Hiatt's '' Same Old Man'' album. Hiatt subsequently asked him to join his band and tour in support of the album's 2008 release. O'Hearn continued to tour with Hiatt through 2010 and recorded on his following releases: ''

The Open Road ''The Open Road'' is a 2009 comedy-drama film written and directed by Michael Meredith. It stars Justin Timberlake, Kate Mara, Jeff Bridges, and Mary Steenburgen and was produced by Anchor Bay Entertainment. Country singer Lyle Lovett and ...

'' (2010), '' Dirty Jeans and Mudslide Hymns'' (2011), and '' Mystic Pinball'' (2012).

2010s

O'Hearn's 13th album ''Transitions'' was released digitally on August 23, 2011, and on CD on October 4. It was voted No.1 album of 2011 on the ''Echoes'' Listener's Poll. In December 2013, a various artists album titled ''Nashville Indie Spotlight'' was released, which includes a new piece by Patrick O'Hearn and Peter Maunu called "Out of Reach". His daughter, Rachel, is an

electronic Electronic may refer to: *Electronics, the science of how to control electric energy in semiconductor * ''Electronics'' (magazine), a defunct American trade journal *Electronic storage, the storage of data using an electronic device *Electronic co ...

musician, performing under the names Chromatiq and Black Sound Effects.

2020s

In October 2020, Patrick O’Hearn released a new track online titled “Rivulet”, which also had a second version titled “Rivulet (Tranquility Mix)”.

Discography

Solo albums

Compilations

Soundtracks

Soundtracks not released

Notes

External links

Official site
* Patrick O'Hearnat

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

*
Patrick O'Hearn Discography
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ohearn, Patrick 1954 births Living people American electronic musicians New-age musicians Private Music artists Windham Hill Records artists Missing Persons (band) members Musicians from Los Angeles People from Malden, Massachusetts Musicians from Portland, Oregon American new wave musicians Cornish College of the Arts alumni American male musicians Sunset High School (Beaverton, Oregon) alumni The Tony Williams Lifetime members