User:Mindcolors85/Tom Canning

Tom Canning is an American pianist/keyboardist, producer, composer and Grammy-nominated arranger based in Los Angeles, CA.

Early Life
Born and raised in Rochester, New York, Canning is the son of noted composer/professor of composition Thomas S. Canning (1911-1989) and former professional church vocal soloist Ruby M. Canning (1919-). At the age of 5, Canning began studying classical piano at the Eastman School of Music. By the age of 9, he had been chosen to sing the lead role of Amahl in Gian Carlo Menotti's classic Christmas opera, "Amahl and The Night Visitors" with the Eastman Philharmonic for two successive years. During his pre-teen years, Canning was exposed to such widely-divergent styles of music as African Pygmy chants, Karlheinz Stockhausen, J.S. Bach, Miles Davis and John Coltrane, and the roots of Rock and Roll. This early appreciation of eclecticism informed the development of his subsequent musical career.

Career
Shortly after a summer session at The Berklee School of Music in Boston, Canning attended North Texas State University, studying jazz performance and arranging, while playing rock and soul gigs in local clubs at night. Classmates at that time included Dean Parks, David Hungate, Tom Malone, Lou Marini, and many others. Relocating to Los Angeles in 1970, Canning began performing and recording with such artists as John Klemmer, Delbert McClinton, Freddie King and T-Bone Burnett. Canning has maintained an on-going relationship with T-Bone and has played on several of Burnett's early solo album and film soundrtracks, including Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, Walk The Line and Crazy Heart.

A turning point came in 1974 when he met singing legend Al Jarreau. For several years, Canning worked as Jarreau's musical director, and eventually his co-writer and co-producer. Extensive international touring and recording led to seven albums (We Got By, Glow, Look To The Rainbow, All Fly Home, This Time, Breakin' Away and Jarreau), multi-platinum album sales and numerous Grammy awards. Canning co-wrote such songs as "Breakin' Away", "Never Givin' Up" and "Roof Garden", and he and Jarreau collaborated again later on Jarreau's 2003 album All I Got with the song "Lost and Found", a duet with Joe Cocker.

At the beginning of his long-time relationship with Spiritual Master Bhagavan Adi Da Samraj, Canning met fellow devotee and composer Ray Lynch. Together Canning and Lynch wrote and produced "The Oh of Pleasure", a composition which appears on Lynch's multi-platinum album Deep Breakfast. This piece has been licensed many times for a wide variety of film, television and commercial outlets; A stint as musical director/bandleader for the short-lived televised variety show Thicke of the Night. Staff comedians/writers included Richard Belzer, Gilbert Gottfried, Charles Fleisher and Arsenio Hall, with notable performances by James Brown, Cheap Trick, and Eartha Kitt

A world tour with saxophonist/composer giant Wayne Shorter. Band members included Gary Willis on bass and Tom Brechtlein on drums.

Continuing to tour and record throughout the 80's and 90's, Canning worked with such diverse artists as Elvis Costello, Jim Carroll, Glenn Frey & Joe Walsh, Bonnie Raitt and Stephen Bruton (producing Bruton's first two solo albums), as well becoming active in film and television.

In 1998, Canning began performing with French singing sensation Johnny Hallyday. This developed into five years of touring in France and Canada, as well as three live albums-- Le Stade de France, Le Tour Eiffel and L'Olympia. Canning subsequently returned to France in 2007 with famed singer Eddy Mitchell, touring and recording two albums,--Jambalaya and Jambalaya Live.

Concurrently, Canning also began touring and recording with legendary British blues artist John Mayall. They have recorded nine albums together, including Wake-Up Call, 70th Birthday Concert with Eric Clapton and Tough.

In September 2009, Canning performed on and recorded a live DVD in Tokyo with Japanese singing sensation Atsushi.

Albums

 * 1975: We Got By (Reprise)

Film Soundtracks

 * Divine Secrets Of The Ya-Ya Sisterhood
 * Walk The Line
 * Crazy Heart