Stevie Salas (born November 17, 1964) is a Native American guitarist, author, television host, music director, record producer, film composer, and former advisor of contemporary music at the Smithsonian

National Museum of the American Indian The National Museum of the American Indian is a museum in the United States devoted to the culture of the indigenous peoples of the Americas. It is part of the Smithsonian Institution group of museums and research centers. The museum has three ...

Career

Salas was born on November 17, 1964, in

Oceanside, California Oceanside is a city on the South Coast of California, located in San Diego County. The city had a population of 167,086 at the 2010 census. The city is a popular tourist destination, owing to its historic landmarks, beaches, and architecture. ...

, United States. He is of Apache ancestry. In 1989, Stevie was credited in ''

Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure ''Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure'' is a 1989 American science fiction comedy film directed by Stephen Herek and written by Chris Matheson and Ed Solomon. The first installment of the ''Bill & Ted'' franchise, it stars Keanu Reeves, Alex Wi ...

'' as performing the guitar solo of the character Rufus (played by

George Carlin George Denis Patrick Carlin (May 12, 1937 – June 22, 2008) was an American comedian, actor, author, and social critic. Regarded as one of the most important and influential stand-up comedians of all time, he was dubbed "the dean of countercul ...

) in the closing scene. Stevie's hands were also featured performing the solo, according to the film's end credits. In 1990, Salas released his first solo album ''

Stevie Salas Colorcode ''Stevie Salas Colorcode'' is the debut album by the Native American guitar player Stevie Salas, released in 1990. Colorcode was the name Salas gave to his band. Salas supported the album by opening for Joe Satriani on a North American tour. The a ...

'', opening for

Joe Satriani Joseph Satriani (born July 15, 1956)Prato, Greg"Joe Satriani – Music Biography, Credits and Discography". ''AllMusic''. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved May 28, 2014. is an American guitarist, composer, songwriter, and guitar teacher. Early in his ...

and his 1989 album ''

Flying in a Blue Dream ''Flying in a Blue Dream'' is the third studio album by guitarist Joe Satriani, released on October 30, 1989 through Relativity Records. It is one of Satriani's most popular albums and his second highest-charting release to date, reaching No. 23 o ...

''. Salas' music received attention in both Japan and Europe. In 1993, he released ''Stevie Salas Presents: The Electric Pow Wow'', a covers album of songs that inspired Salas as a youth featuring guest artists like

Zakk Wylde Zachary Phillip Wylde (born Jeffrey Phillip Wielandt; January 14, 1967) is an American musician. He is best known as the lead guitarist for Ozzy Osbourne and as the founder, lead guitarist, lead singer, songwriter and producer of the heavy meta ...

Glenn Hughes Glenn Hughes or Glen Hughes may refer to: *Glenn Hughes (musician), born 1951 *Glenn Hughes (American singer) (1950–2001) *Glenn Hughes (cricketer), born 1959 *Glen Hughes Glen Hughes is an Australian former professional rugby league footbal ...

T.M. Stevens Thomas Michael "T. M." Stevens (born July 28, 1951) is an American bass guitarist from New York City. Stevens has worked with an array of rock, R&B, and pop acts as a session musician, and also leads his own groups and works as a solo performer ...

, Richie Kotzen and Slim Jim Phantom. Then in 1994, Salas released ''Back from the Living'' in Japan, where his singles "Start Again" and "Tell Your Story Walkin" were released. During this time, he also appeared on the album ''Rats'' by then girlfriend

Sass Jordan Sass Jordan (c. 1962) is a British-born Canadian rock singer from Montreal, Quebec. Her first single, "Tell Somebody," from her debut album of the same name won the Juno Award for Most Promising Female Vocalist in 1989. Since then, she has been ...

. Salas was touring guitarist for Rod Stewart´s Out of Order Tour where he got the inspiration for his book ˝When We Were the Boys˝, a book of memories from touring world stages. In 2001,

Mick Jagger Sir Michael Philip Jagger (born 26 July 1943) is an English singer and songwriter who has achieved international fame as the lead vocalist and one of the founder members of the rock band the Rolling Stones. His ongoing songwriting partnershi ...

hired him as guitarist and music director for Jagger's "Goddess in the Doorway" Tour. Later that year Salas released ''Shapeshifter: The Fall and Rise of Stevie No Wonder''. In 2003, he released ''The Soulblasters of the Universe'', and did his first European Colorcode tour since 1999. From 2006 to 2010, Salas served as music director and consultant for

American Idol ''American Idol'' is an American singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It aired on Fox from June 11, 2002, to A ...

and

19 Entertainment 19 Entertainment is a producer of entertainment properties for television with a focus on music. Founded by Simon Fuller in London in 1985, the company co-produced '' Pop Idol'' in the United Kingdom with Thames Television in 2001. The '' Idol ser ...

nurturing

Kris Allen Kristopher Neil Allen (born June 21, 1985) is an American singer and songwriter from Conway, Arkansas, and the winner of the eighth season of ''American Idol''. Prior to ''Idol'', he self-released a 2007 album, ''Brand New Shoes''. Allen's ' ...

Adam Lambert Adam Mitchel Lambert (born January 29, 1982) is an American singer and songwriter. Since 2009, he has sold over 3 million albums and 5 million singles worldwide. Lambert is known for his dynamic vocal performances that fuse his theatrical tra ...

, Chris Daughtry, and their respective touring bands for subsequent American tours. Salas began working as host and executive producer of the Canadian Music TV series Arbor Live for APTN. In mid-2009, Salas co-founded with the internet entrepreneur Laurence Dorazio the company Rockstar Solos, LLC which focuses on iPhone and

iPad The iPad is a brand of iOS and iPadOS-based tablet computers that are developed by Apple Inc. The iPad was conceived before the related iPhone but the iPhone was developed and released first. Speculation about the development, operati ...

gaming and entertainment application development. The first application also called Rockstar Solos became available in the

iTunes Store The iTunes Store is a digital media store operated by Apple Inc. It opened on April 28, 2003, as a result of Steve Jobs' push to open a digital marketplace for music. As of April 2020, iTunes offered 60 million songs, 2.2 million apps, 25,00 ...

in December 2009. The company Rockstar Logic has thousands of downloads to date. In 2009, Salas worked with T.I and Justin Timberlake on the song "Dead and Gone", the single eventually reaching #2 on the US Billboard Charts. Later that year, Salas received a Native American Lifetime Achievement Award at the

Native American Music Awards The Native American Music Awards (also known as the NAMAs or "Nammys") are an awards program presented annually by Elbel Productions, Inc., The Native American Music Awards Inc., and The Native American Music Association, a 501(c)(3) non-profi ...

. From 2010 to 2012, he served as the advisor to contemporary music at

. He co-created both the Up Where We Belong-Natives In Popular Culture exhibit and

The Living Earth Festival ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in ...

. In 2012 Salas created and is executive producer of Catch The Dream Bios with Adam Beach for APTN with shows airing 2014. Salas is Executive Producer of 'RUMBLE: The Indians Who Rocked the World', a Native American music documentary for

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of ed ...

and Super Channel. (2017 Sundance winner for Masterful Storytelling ). Executive Producer and Creator of Dreamcatcher Bios (currently in production). Produced by Rezolution Pictures Montreal Canada for APTN television. Co-Wrote and Produced the new project/band INABA/SALAS with Japanese superstar vocalist, multi-instrumentalist and songwriter

Koshi Inaba (born September 23, 1964 in Tsuyama, Okayama) is a Japanese vocalist, multi-instrumentalist and songwriter. He is best known as the singer and lyricist of the rock duo B'z, the best-selling music act in their native Japan. He has also had a su ...

for the Japanese record label Vermillion Records. ''

Chubby Groove ''Chubby Groove'' is a collaborative studio album by Japanese singer Koshi Inaba, of B'z fame, and Native American musician Stevie Salas. It was released by Vermillion Records on January 18, 2017. Overview The album debuted at #2 at the Japanese ...

'' album was released on January 18, 2017 and was the #2 album in the country that week, and remained in the top 10 for several weeks after. The album was supported by sold-out Chubby Groove Tour 2017 that played throughout Japan in January/February 2017. The record was certified Gold in Japan on October 4, 2017. On February 15, 2020, Inaba/Salas released their second album, titled ''Maximum Huavo''.

Musical influences

Salas' musical influences are derived mainly from late 60s and 70s

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It originated from African-American music such as jazz, rhythm an ...

music, as well as funk. Artists who have influenced Salas as a musician include James Brown, Jimi Hendrix,

Mick Ronson Michael Ronson (26 May 1946 – 29 April 1993) was an English musician, songwriter, arranger, and producer. He achieved critical and commercial success working with David Bowie as the guitarist of the Spiders from Mars. He was a session music ...

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...

, and

Frank Black Charles Michael Kittridge Thompson IV (born April 6, 1965) is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He is best known as the frontman of the alternative rock band Pixies, with whom he performs under the stage name Black Francis. F ...

Discography

Solo career

Studio albums

EPs

Live albums

Compilations

Group projects

Hardware – Stevie Salas with

Bootsy Collins William Earl "Bootsy" Collins (born October 26, 1951) is an American bass guitarist and singer. Rising to prominence with James Brown in the early 1970s, and later with Parliament-Funkadelic, Collins established himself as one of the leading ...

and

Buddy Miles George Allen "Buddy" Miles Jr. (September 5, 1947February 26, 2008) was an American composer, drummer, guitarist, vocalist and producer. He was a founding member of the Electric Flag (1967), a member of Jimi Hendrix's Band of Gypsys (1969–1 ...

Nicklebag – Stevie Salas with

Bernard Fowler Bernard Fowler (born January 2, 1960) is an American musician. He is known for a long association with The Rolling Stones, providing backing vocals since 1989 and on their studio recordings and live tours. Fowler has been a featured guest vocal ...

Inaba/Salas – Stevie Salas with

Guest appearances

*1986 – George Clinton: '' R&B Skeletons in the Closet'' (

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of note ...

) *1988 –

: ''

What's Bootsy Doin'? ''What's Bootsy Doin'?'' is a 1988 album by Parliament-Funkadelic bassist Bootsy Collins. The album was released by Columbia Records and was his first album after a six-year hiatus from the music scene. The album reunites Collins with former P-Fun ...

'' (

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...

) *1988 –

Was (Not Was) Was (Not Was) is an American pop rock group founded in 1979 in Detroit, Michigan, by David Weiss and Don Fagenson, who adopted the stage names David Was and Don Was. Their song catalog features an eclectic mix of pop and rock styles, often ...

: ''

What Up, Dog? ''What Up, Dog?'' is a 1988 album by Was (Not Was). It became the group's breakthrough album worldwide and was ranked #99 on the ''Rolling Stone'' magazine's list of the 100 Best Albums of the 1980s. The cover illustration was credited to Christop ...

'' (

Chrysalis Records Chrysalis Records () is a British record label that was founded in 1968. The name is both a reference to the pupal stage of a butterfly and a combination of its founders' names, Chris Wright and Terry Ellis. It started as the Ellis-Wright A ...

) *1988 –

Eddie Money Edward Joseph Mahoney (March 21, 1949 – September 13, 2019), known professionally as Eddie Money, was an American singer and songwriter who, in the 1970s and 1980s, had eleven Top 40 songs, including " Baby Hold On", " Two Tickets to Pa ...

: '' Nothing to Lose'' (Columbia Records) *1988 –

The Pandoras The Pandoras is an all-female garage punk band from Los Angeles, California with a run from 1982 to 1991. The band is among the first handful of all-female rock bands to ever be signed. From the beginning, the band found a strong following in th ...

: ''Rock Hard'' EP ( Restless Records) *1988 –

Phil Cristian Phil Cristian, aka Magic Cristian, is an American keyboardist and singer. He is best known for being 'Magic' Cristian, the touring keyboardist and background singer for the rock band Cheap Trick. Pre Cheap Trick After relocating to Los Angeles ...

: ''No Prisoner'' *1989 –

Shakespears Sister Shakespears Sister is an alternative pop and rock musical duo based in the United Kingdom that was formed in 1988 by singer-songwriter Siobhan Fahey, a former member of Bananarama. Shakespears Sister was initially a solo act, but became a ...

: ''

Sacred Heart The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus ( la, Cor Jesu Sacratissimum) is one of the most widely practised and well-known Catholic devotions, wherein the heart of Jesus is viewed as a symbol of "God's boundless and passionate love for mankind". This de ...

'' (

FFRR Records FFRR Records (sometimes credited as Full Frequency Range Recordings) is a dance music label previously run and founded by English DJ Pete Tong. Originally the dance music label of London Records, FFRR is currently a sublabel of Parlophone ...

) *1989 – Shakespears Sister: " You're History" single (FFRR Records) *1989 – Cats in Boots: ''KickedClawed'' *1989 –

The Burns Sisters The Burns Sisters are an American folk music group from Ithaca, New York. The group has performed and recorded with various siblings, most recently consisting of sisters Marie and Annie. They have toured with Arlo Guthrie providing backup vocals ...

: ''Endangered Species'' (Columbia Records) *1990 –

Ronald Shannon Jackson Ronald Shannon Jackson (January 12, 1940 – October 19, 2013) was an American jazz drummer from Fort Worth, Texas. A pioneer of avant-garde jazz, free funk, and jazz fusion, he appeared on over 50 albums as a bandleader, sideman, arranger, and ...

: ''Red Warrior'' ( Axiom Records) *1991 – Mister Fiddler: ''With Respect'' *1992 –

: '' Racine'' (

MCA Records MCA Records was an American record label owned by MCA Inc., which later became part of Universal Music Group. Pre-history MCA Inc., a powerful talent agency and a television production company, entered the recorded music business in 1962 wi ...

) *1992 – Steve Thomson: ''Steve Thomson'' *1992 – Jeff Healey Band: ''

Feel This ''Feel This'' is the third album by the Jeff Healey Band, released in 1992. Critical reception The ''Toronto Star'' noted that "the biggest drawback is the weak songwriting, including Tom Petty's contribution, 'Lost In Your Eyes'." ''The Gazette ...

'' (

Arista Records Arista Records () is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. The label was previously handled by BMG Entertain ...

) *1993 –

Terence Trent D'Arby Sananda Francesco Maitreya (born Terence Trent Howard; March 15, 1962), who started his career with the stage name Terence Trent D'Arby, is an American singer and songwriter who came to fame with his debut studio album, ''Introducing the Hardlin ...

featuring

Des'ree Desirée Annette Weekes (born 30 November 1968), known by her stage name Des'ree (), is an English pop recording artist who rose to popularity during the 1990s. She is best known for her hits " Feel So High", " You Gotta Be", "Life", and " Ki ...

: " Delicate" single (Columbia Records) *1994 – Sass Jordan: ''Rats'' ( Impact Records) *1995 – TM Stevens: ''Out of Control... BOOM!!!'' *1995 – Terence Trent D'Arby: '' Vibrator'' (Columbia Records) *1995 – Red Thunder: ''Makoce Wakan'' *1996 – Cassius Slade: ''Land of Opportun-ists'' *1997 – Anri: ''Twin Soul'' (

For Life Music is a Japanese record label founded in 1975.Official site
of FLME Inc.'

Sub-divisions

*Güt Records *Anri * < ...

) *1997 – TM Stevens: ''Radioactive'' *1997 – Carmine Appice: ''Guitar Zeus 2: Channel Mind Radio'' *1997 – Munetaka Higuchi with Dream Castle: ''Free World'' *1998 – Tomoya with 3T: "

Eternal Flame An eternal flame is a flame, lamp or torch that burns for an indefinite time. Most eternal flames are ignited and tended intentionally, but some are natural phenomena caused by natural gas leaks, peat fires and coal seam fires, all of which c ...

" single (

Universal Music Japan , often referred to as just Universal Music Japan or UMJ, is a Japanese subsidiary of the Universal Music Group founded in 1990. It is the largest subsidiary for a foreign company in the country regarding music distribution. The company is resp ...

) *1998 – Taisuke: ''Heavy Pop'' *1998 –

Robert Williams Robert, Rob, Robbie, Bob or Bobby Williams may refer to: Entertainment Film * Robert Williams (actor, born 1894) (1894–1931), American stage and film actor * Robert B. Williams (actor) (1904–1978), American film actor * R. J. Williams (born ...

: ''Date with the Devil's Daughter'' *1998 –

Tokio Tokio may refer to: * , the capital of Japan, used primarily in non-English-speaking countries may also refer to: Music * Tokio (band), a Japanese pop/rock band ** ''Tokio'' (album), their debut album * Tokio Hotel, a German rock band * Toki ...

: ''

Graffiti Graffiti (plural; singular ''graffiti'' or ''graffito'', the latter rarely used except in archeology) is art that is written, painted or drawn on a wall or other surface, usually without permission and within public view. Graffiti ranges from s ...

'' (

Sony Japan , often abbreviated as SMEJ or simply SME, and also known as Sony Music Japan for short (stylized as ''SonyMusic''), is a Japanese music arm for Sony. Founded in 1968 as CBS/Sony, SMEJ is directly owned by Sony Group Corporation and is opera ...

) *1999 –

Michael Hutchence Michael Kelland John Hutchence (22 January 1960 – 22 November 1997) was an Australian musician, singer-songwriter and actor. Hutchence co-founded the rock band INXS, which sold over 75 million records worldwide and was inducted into th ...

: ''

'' (

V2 Records V2 Records (or V2 Music; V2 being an abbreviation for Virgin 2) is a record label that was purchased by Universal Music Group in 2007 and sold to IASin 2013. In the Benelux, V2 operates separately from PIAS, as the label bought itself out from ...

) *1999 –

: '' The Way It Is'' ( SPV/

Nippon Crown is a Japanese record label established as Crown Records on 6 September 1963. It is a spin-off of Nippon Columbia and is owned by karaoke maker Daiichikosho. The record label singles which topped the Oricon Singles Chart are Kaze's "22-Sai no ...

Shrapnel Records Shrapnel Records is an American record label founded in 1980 by record producer Mike Varney. History Guitarist Marty Friedman (formerly of Megadeth and Cacophony), one of the label's most successful artists, first appeared on the album ''U ...

) *2000 – Takul: ''Nuclear Sonic Punk'' *2000 – Jeff Healey Band: '' Get Me Some'' (

Eagle Records Eagle Records is a British record label, a division of Eagle Rock Entertainment, itself a subsidiary of Universal Music Group. In the United Kingdom, the label's managing director is Lindsay Brown, former manager of Van Halen, while in th ...

) *2001 – TM Stevens: ''Shocka Zooloo'' *2002 – Andy Dick: ''Andy Dick and the Bitches of the Century'' *2003 – Chris Catena: ''Freak Out'' *2003 – Ken Tamplin and Friends: ''Wake the Nations'' *2004 –

: ''Peace of Mind'' *2005 – OctavePussy: ''Here Are the Results of the Universal Jury'' *2006 –

: ''Friends with Privileges'' (Sony Japan) *2008 – T.I. feat. Justin Timberlake: " Dead and Gone" single (Atlantic/WEA) *2009 –

Heavy Glow Heavy Glow was a modern American rock band originally from San Diego, California. Formed by vocalist and guitarist Jared Mullins, the band released two albums, two EP's, one single, and three music videos. History Drummer Jared Mullins moved from ...

: "It's Too Late" (StockXChange Music Australia) *2020 –

Chris Catena's Rock City Tribe Chris is a short form of various names including Christopher, Christian, Christina, Christine, and Christos. Chris is also used as a name in its own right, however it is not as common. People with the given name *Chris Abani (born 1966), Nig ...

: "Truth in Unity" (Grooveyard Records)

Signature equipment

*LAA Custom Nishi Drive Stevie Salas Signature Overdrive Pedal *Framus Idolmaker Stevie Salas Signature Guitar *The Guyatone Stevie Salas Wah Rocker Pedal

References

External links

*
Stevie Salas biography by Greg Prato, discography and album reviews, credits & releases
at

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 dat ...

Stevie Salas discography, album releases & credits
at

Discogs Discogs (short for discographies) is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. While the site was originally created with a goal of becoming the la ...

Stevie Salas biography & filmography
at

IMDb IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, p ...

Stevie Salas albums to be listened
as stream on

Spotify Spotify (; ) is a proprietary Swedish audio streaming and media services provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. It is one of the largest music streaming service providers, with over 456 million monthly active us ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Salas, Stevie 1964 births Place of birth missing (living people) Living people American film producers American film score composers American male film score composers American funk guitarists American male guitarists American people who self-identify as being of Native American descent Record producers from California American rock guitarists American session musicians American television personalities American television producers Island Records artists Mass Mental members