Brian Haner
| Brian Haner Sr. | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Brian Elwin Haner Sr. |
| Also known as | Guitar Guy, Papa Gates |
| Born |
April 7, 1958 California, United States |
| Genres | Comedy, rock, country, metal |
| Occupation(s) | Singer/Songwriter, Guitarist, Comedian, Writer, Film composer |
| Instruments | Guitar |
| Years active | 1977–present |
| Labels | Polydor, Indie |
| Associated acts | Jeff Dunham, Frank Zappa, Rose Royce, Tower of Power, Undisputed Truth, Avenged Sevenfold, Z Nation, Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs |
Brian Elwin Haner Sr. (born April 7, 1958), also known as Guitar Guy or Papa Gates, is an American musician, comedian, and author. Haner is known for touring with fellow stand-up comedian/ventriloquist Jeff Dunham, as in the 2008 holiday program, Jeff Dunham's Very Special Christmas Special. He is also a noted Session Musician for Avenged Sevenfold, a band which his son, Brian Haner Jr. a.k.a. Synyster Gates, is lead guitarist for.
Haner got his first guitar when he was 5 years old, after seeing The Beatles perform on The Ed Sullivan Show. He joined his first band, The Plastic Mind, when he was ten years old.
A year before finishing high school, Haner got a summer job touring with Sam the Sham and Pharaohs, best known for their hit songs Woolly Bully and Little Red Riding Hood. After high school, Haner did session work and played in night clubs in the LA area while attending The Dick Grove School of music where he studied Composition, Arranging, Advanced Music Theory and Film Scoring.
He spent a year as one of Motown star Norman Whitfield's main session guitar players – working with Undisputed Truth, Rose Royce & Jr. Walker.
Haner signed his first record deal with Polydor under the name of Brian West. His self-produced first album "Don't Stop Now" featuring the Tower of Power Horns was successful in Europe, where it was certified gold in several countries. Throughout the 1980s, Haner recorded and toured mainly in Europe. In the early 90s, his composition work extended to scoring television shows and films. From 1998 to 2003, Haner produced his wife's hypnosis show as he continued as a session musician. in 2003, he signed with a Nashville music publisher and released two CDs; "My Old Guitar" and "Carney Man". Carney Man's success led to a successful run in stand-up comedy.
In 2005, Haner's first novel "Carney Man" was published. After a year spent mostly in comedy clubs and in Vegas opening for Bobby Slayton, Haner started touring and doing Comedy Central television specials as "Guitar Guy" with Jeff Dunham. While on tour with Jeff Duhnam, Haner released two solo CDs, "Cougar Bait" and "Fistfight at the Wafflehouse." He also released a CD with Jeff Dunham: "Jeff Dunham's Very Special Christmas", featuring Dunham's puppets singing Haner's original songs. Since leaving Jeff Dunham's show in 2011, he has released three more CDs: "The Artist Formerly Known As Guitar Guy", "Alone" and "Perfect World".
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