Roland Bautista (May 30, 1951 – February 29, 2012) was an American singer, songwriter and guitarist. Bautista was best known for his work with

Earth, Wind & Fire Earth, Wind & Fire (EW&F or EWF) is an American band whose music spans the genres of jazz, R&B, soul, funk, disco, pop, big band, Latin, and Afro pop. They are among the best-selling bands of all time, with sales of over 90 million re ...

. He also worked with such artists as Ronnie Laws, The Crusaders,

George Duke George M. Duke (January 12, 1946 – August 5, 2013) was an American keyboardist, composer, singer-songwriter and record producer. He worked with numerous artists as arranger, music director, writer and co-writer, record producer and as a pr ...

and

Randy Crawford Veronica "Randy" Crawford (born February 18, 1952) is an American jazz and R&B singer. She has been more successful in Europe than in the United States, where she has not entered the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 as a solo artist. However, she has ap ...

Career

Earth, Wind and Fire

Bautista first played as a rhythm guitarist on

's 1972 album '' Last Days and Time''. He left the band soon after the album's release, but returned in 1981 to replace departed guitarist

Al McKay AL, Al, Ål or al may stand for: Arts and entertainment Fictional characters * Al (''Aladdin'') or Aladdin, the main character in Disney's ''Aladdin'' media * Al (''EastEnders''), a minor character in the British soap opera * Al (''Fullmetal ...

. Bautista played on the Earth, Wind & Fire albums ''

Raise! ''Raise!'' is the eleventh studio album by the American band Earth, Wind & Fire, released on November 14, 1981, by ARC/Columbia Records. The album spent 11 weeks atop the ''Billboard'' Top R&B albums chart and peaked at No. 5 on the ''Billboard'' ...

'', ''

Powerlight ''Powerlight'' is the twelfth studio album by American band Earth, Wind & Fire, released in February 1983 by Columbia Records. The album rose to No. 4 on the ''Billboard'' Top R&B Albums chart and No. 12 on the Billboard 200 chart. ''Powerlight' ...

'' and ''

Electric Universe Electric Universe is a psychedelic trance project from Germany formed by Boris Blenn and Michael Dressler in 1991. Their first EP release, ''Solar Energy'', was an instant hit with the underground trance scene and is often credited with putting the ...

'' from 1981 to 1983. The band then took a four-year hiatus, and Bautista did not return when they reformed in 1987.

Work with other artists

During 1967, Roland Bautista joined the Velvet Illusions, a teen band originally from Yakima, Washington, in Hollywood, California, playing guitar in live shows and on at least one recording, which was made at

Sunset Sound Sunset, also known as sundown, is the daily disappearance of the Sun below the horizon due to Earth's rotation. As viewed from everywhere on Earth (except the North and South poles), the equinox Sun sets due west at the moment of both the sprin ...

, entitled, "Lazy". The Velvet Illusions' 45 RPM records are sought-after on the collectors' market. The band broke up in early fall, 1967. But nearly fifty years later, in 2019, their material was reissued on CD and LP. As a rhythm guitarist Bautista later played on Ronnie Laws's 1975 debut LP Pressure Sensitive,

Leon Haywood Otha Leon Haywood (February 11, 1942 – April 5, 2016) was an American funk and soul singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is best known for his 1975 hit single "I Want'a Do Something Freaky to You", which has been frequently sampled by ...

's 1975 album Come and Get Yourself Some and The Crusaders 1976 LP Free as the Wind. Bautista then issued two solo albums being 1977's ''Bautista'' and 1978's ''The Heat of the Wind'' on

ABC Records ABC Records was an American record label founded in New York City in 1955. It originated as the main popular music label operated by the Am-Par Record Corporation. Am-Par also created the Impulse! jazz label in 1960. It acquired many labels befo ...

. As well he played on Ronnie Laws 1977 album Friends & Strangers. Friends & Strangers has been certified Gold in the US by the

RIAA The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

. Bautista then performed upon

B.B. King Riley B. King (September 16, 1925 – May 14, 2015), known professionally as B.B. King, was an American blues singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. He introduced a sophisticated style of soloing based on fluid string bending, shi ...

's 1978 album

Midnight Believer ''Midnight Believer'' is the twenty-fifth studio blues album by B.B. King, released in 1978 on ABC Records. The album reached No. 27 on the '' Billboard'' Top Soul Albums chart. Overview ''Midnight Believer'' was produced by Stewart Levine. Ar ...

and

Tom Waits Thomas Alan Waits (born December 7, 1949) is an American musician, composer, songwriter, and actor. His lyrics often focus on the underbelly of society and are delivered in his trademark deep, gravelly voice. He worked primarily in jazz during ...

' 1978 release Blue Valentine. He also featured on The Crusaders' 1978

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 ...

nominated album Images,

's 1978 LP Don't Let Go and

The Jacksons The Jackson 5 (sometimes stylized as the Jackson 5ive, also known as the Jacksons) are an American pop band composed of members of the Jackson family. The group was founded in 1964 in Gary, Indiana, and for most o ...

1978 album

Destiny Destiny, sometimes referred to as fate (from Latin ''fatum'' "decree, prediction, destiny, fate"), is a predetermined course of events. It may be conceived as a predetermined future, whether in general or of an individual. Fate Although often ...

. Destiny has been certified

Platinum Platinum is a chemical element with the symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a dense, malleable, ductile, highly unreactive, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name originates from Spanish , a diminutive of "silver". Platinu ...

in the US by the

. Bautista later played upon George Duke's 1979 LP Follow the Rainbow,

Dee Dee Bridgewater Dee Dee Bridgewater (née Denise Garrett, May 27, 1950) is an American jazz singer and actress. She is a three-time Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter, as well as a Tony Award-winning stage actress. For 23 years, she was the host of National ...

's 1979 album Bad for Me and The Crusaders' 1979 LP Street Life. Street Life has been certified

Gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile met ...

in the US by the

. Bautista once again played with

on his 1980 album ''

Heartattack and Vine ''Heartattack and Vine'' is the seventh studio album by Tom Waits, released on September 9, 1980, and his final album to be released on the Asylum Records, Asylum label. "On the Nickel" was recorded for On the Nickel, the Ralph Waite film of the ...

''. He also featured on

's 1980 LP Now You May Begin. Now You May Begin has been certified

Silver Silver is a chemical element with the Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag (from the Latin ', derived from the Proto-Indo-European wikt:Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/h₂erǵ-, ''h₂erǵ'': "shiny" or "white") and atomic number 47. A soft, whi ...

in the UK by the BPI. As well Bautista made guest appearances on

Ramsey Lewis Ramsey Emmanuel Lewis Jr. (May 27, 1935 – September 12, 2022) was an American jazz piano, jazz pianist, composer, and radio personality. Lewis recorded over 80 albums and received five RIAA certification, gold records and three Grammy Awards ...

's 1980 LP Routes,

The Dramatics The Dramatics are an American soul music vocal group, formed in Detroit, Michigan, in 1964. They are best known for their 1970s hit songs " In the Rain" and "Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get", both of which were Top 10 Pop hits, as well as their late ...

1980 album 10 1/2 and George Duke's 1980 LP A Brazilian Love Affair. He also featured on

Stanley Turrentine Stanley William Turrentine (April 5, 1934 – September 12, 2000) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. He began his career playing R&B for Earl Bostic and later soul jazz recording for the Blue Note label from 1960, touched on jazz fusion dur ...

's 1981 album Tender Togetherness, the

Yellowjackets A yellowjacket is a black-and-yellow vespid wasp. Yellowjacket(s) or Yellow Jacket(s) may also refer to: Places * Yellow Jacket, Colorado, an unincorporated town * Yellow Jacket, Florida, an unincorporated area in Dixie County, Florida Arts, e ...

1981 self titled debut LP and

Ella Fitzgerald Ella Jane Fitzgerald (April 25, 1917June 15, 1996) was an American jazz singer, sometimes referred to as the "First Lady of Song", "Queen of Jazz", and "Lady Ella". She was noted for her purity of tone, impeccable diction, phrasing, timing, in ...

's 1981 album

Ella Abraça Jobim ''Ella Abraça Jobim'' or ''Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Antonio Carlos Jobim Songbook'' is a 1981 studio album by Ella Fitzgerald, devoted to the songs of Antônio Carlos Jobim. It was reissued on CD in 1991, although the CD version does not inclu ...

. Bautista went on to play rhythm guitar on Ronnie Laws' 1983 album Mr. Nice Guy,

Phillip 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, ...

's 1983 LP

Continuation In computer science, a continuation is an abstract representation of the control state of a computer program. A continuation implements ( reifies) the program control state, i.e. the continuation is a data structure that represents the computati ...

Jennifer Holliday Jennifer Yvette Holliday (born October 19, 1960) is an American actress and singer. She started her career on Broadway in musicals such as ''Dreamgirls'' (1981–83), ''Your Arms Too Short to Box with God'' (1980–1981) and later became a su ...

nominated 1983 album

Feel My Soul ''Feel My Soul'' is the debut album by singer Jennifer Holliday, released in October 1983 on Geffen Records. The album reached No. 6 on the '' Billboard'' Top Soul Albums chart and No. 31 on the Top Albums chart. ''Feel My Soul'' was Grammy ...

. He also appeared on Laws' 1984 album Classic Masters, The Crusaders' 1984

nominated LP Ghetto Blaster and

Morris Day Morris E. Day (born December 13, 1956) is an American musician and songwriter. He is best known as the lead singer of The Time. Music career Morris Day is best known as the lead singer of The Time, a group associated with Prince. Day and Pri ...

's 1985 album Color of Success. Color of Success has been certified Gold in the US by the

. He again collaborated with Ramsey Lewis on his 1987 album

Keys to the City The Freedom of the City (or Borough in some parts of the UK) is an honour bestowed by a municipality upon a valued member of the community, or upon a visiting celebrity or dignitary. Arising from the medieval practice of granting respected ...

. On Keys to the City he played alongside his former EWF bandmates

Maurice White Maurice White (December 19, 1941 – February 4, 2016) was an American singer, musician, songwriter, and record producer. He was best known as the founder, leader, main songwriter, and producer of the band Earth, Wind & Fire, and served as the ...

Larry Dunn Larry is a masculine given name in English, derived from Lawrence or Laurence. It can be a shortened form of those names. Larry may refer to the following: People Arts and entertainment * Larry D. Alexander, American artist/writer *Larry Boone ...

and

Don Myrick Donald Myrick (April 6, 1940 – July 30, 1993) was an American saxophonist. A member of The Phenix Horns, he is best known for his work with Earth, Wind & Fire and Phil Collins. He played alto, tenor, and soprano sax as a member of Earth, Wind ...

. Bautista later guested on Ronnie Laws' 1989 LP True Spirit and The Crusaders 1993 album Live in Japan.

Personal life

On February 29, 2012, Roland Bautista died. He was 60 years old.

Legacy

Artists such as Brandon Williams and

William DuVall William Bradley DuVall (born September 6, 1967) is an American musician best known as the current co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist for the rock band Alice in Chains. He joined Alice in Chains in 2006, replacing the band's original lead s ...

Alice in Chains Alice in Chains (often abbreviated as AIC) is an American rock band from Seattle, Washington, formed in 1987 by guitarist and vocalist Jerry Cantrell and drummer Sean Kinney, who later recruited bassist Mike Starr and lead vocalist Layne ...

have been influenced by Bautista.

Selective discography

*1972 '' Last Days and Time'' –

*1975 '' Pressure Sensitive'' – Ronnie Laws *1975 '' Come and Get Yourself Some'' -

*1976 '' Free as the Wind'' – The Crusaders *1977 ''Bautista'' – Roland Bautista *1977 '' Friends & Strangers'' – Ronnie Laws *1977 ''Genie'' –

Bobby Lyle Robert Lyle (born March 11, 1944) is a jazz pianist/organist and educator. Early life Lyle was born in Memphis, Tennessee, on March 11, 1944 to parents Robert and Elise Lyle. He grew up in a musical household after the family moved from Memphis ...

*1977 ''New Warrior'' – Bobby Lyle *1977 ''Peddlin' Music on the Side'' –

Lamont Dozier Lamont Herbert Dozier (; June 16, 1941 – August 8, 2022) was an American singer, songwriter, and record producer from Detroit, Michigan. He co-wrote and produced 14 US ''Billboard'' number-one hits and four number ones in the UK. Career Doz ...

*1978 '' Blue Valentine'' –

*1978 ''

'' –

*1978 ''

Flame A flame (from Latin ''flamma'') is the visible, gaseous part of a fire. It is caused by a highly exothermic chemical reaction taking place in a thin zone. When flames are hot enough to have ionized gaseous components of sufficient density they ...

'' – Ronnie Laws *1978 '' Don't Let Go'' –

*1978 ''Images'' – The Crusaders *1978 ''Heat of the Wind'' – Roland Bautista *1978 ''

'' –

*1979 '' Street Life'' – The Crusaders *1979 '' Master of the Game – George Duke *1980 ''Seawind'' – Seawind *1980 '' A Brazilian Love Affair'' – George Duke *1980 ''

'' –

*1980 '' 10½'' –

*1980 '' Now We May Begin'' –

*1980 ''Rhapsody and Blues'' – The Crusaders *1980 '' Routes'' – Ramsey Lewis *1980 '' Tender Togetherness'' –

*1981 ''Electric Collection'' –

*1981 '' Solid Ground'' – Ronnie Laws *1981 ''

'' – Earth, Wind & Fi *1983 ''

'' – Earth, Wind & Fire *1983 '' Mr. Nice Guy'' - Ronnie Laws *1983 ''

'' -

*1983 ''

'' -

*1983 ''

'' – Earth, Wind & Fire *1984 '' Classic Masters'' – Ronnie Laws *1984 ''Ghetto Blaster'' - The Crusaders *1985 '' Color of Success'' –

*1987 ''

'' – Ramsey Lewis *1989 ''True Spirit'' - Ronnie Laws *1993 ''Live in Japan'' – The Crusaders

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bautista, Roland 1951 births 2012 deaths Rhythm guitarists American funk guitarists American session musicians Earth, Wind & Fire members American rhythm and blues guitarists American soul guitarists American male guitarists 20th-century American guitarists People from Hemet, California