Craig Wuest

Craig Wuest
Craig Wuest of Earthstar in 1977
Background information
Origin	Utica, New York, United States
Genres	Electronic, ambient, new-age, Kosmische Musik, art rock
Occupation(s)	musician, Producer
Instruments	Synthesizer Keyboards
Years active	1977–1984
Labels	Sky Moontower Records
Associated acts	Earthstar Dennis Rea Klaus Schulze

Craig Wuest is an American keyboardist currently based in Atlanta, Georgia. He is best known as the founder and leader of the electronic music group Earthstar during the 1970s and 1980s. Earthstar was only American band who participated in Germany's Kosmische Musik/electronic music scene while still at its height.

Wuest is originally from Utica, New York. According to former Earthstar guitarist Dennis Rea in the early 1970s Wuest was among the first musicians in Utica who owned a synthesizer. Wuest was heavily influenced by the German electronic music scene of the 1970s, including Klaus Schulze, Popol Vuh, Harmonia, Tangerine Dream, and Kraftwerk. Around the same time Rea had founded what he describes as an "eccentric progressive rock band," Zuir. According to Rea, "...being the only two adventurous music acts in town, collaboration between Craig and the members of Zuir was inevitable." Earthstar was born out of the partnership of Wuest, Rea, and other Utica-area musicians. In 1977 Earthstar was signed by Nashville-based Moontower Records, who released the group's first album, Salterbarty Tales, the following year.

Craig Wuest was an admirer of electronic music pioneer Klaus Schulze, with whom he struck up a correspondence. Schulze encouraged Wuest and Earthstar to come to Germany, intending to sign them to his Innovative Communications record label. Wuest sold his grand piano, which had played a prominent part on Salterbarty Tales, to finance the move. Other Earthstar musicians joined Wuest in Germany to work on French Skyline, the group's second album, While much of French Skyline was recorded at Klaus Schulze studios in Hambühren, West Germany, Schulze's label never signed Earthstar. The group was instead signed by Hamburg-based Sky Records.