Steve Rodby | |
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Steve Rodby and Pat Metheny. Photo by Pino d'Amico
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Background information | |
Born |
Joliet, Illinois, U.S. |
December 9, 1954
Genres | Jazz |
Occupation(s) | Musician, producer |
Instruments | Bass |
Years active | 1975–present |
Labels | Geffen, Warner Bros., Nonesuch, Naim, Basho |
Associated acts | Pat Metheny Group, Impossible Gentlemen |
Website | www |
Steve Rodby (born December 9, 1954 in Joliet, Illinois) is an American jazz bassist and producer known for his time with the Pat Metheny Group.
Rodby was born in Joliet, Illinois, into a musical family. His father was a music teacher who bought him an acoustic bass, electric bass, and amp when he was 12. He heard classical music from a young age and was educated in classical until high school when he learned jazz. During high school summers, he went to jazz camps, where he met Pat Metheny, Lyle Mays, and Danny Gottlieb, three of the four members of The Pat Metheny Group.
Rodby played acoustic bass until he graduated from Northwestern University in 1977, when he taught himself how to play electric. He performed in the house band at the Jazz Showcase in Chicago, with local and visiting musicians such as Milt Jackson, Joe Henderson, and Art Farmer. He joined the Pat Metheny Group in 1981, starting on electric bass before spending most of his time on acoustic. He spent the next thirty years at Metheny's side, touring, recording, and producing, in Group projects and in Metheny's other projects. With Metheny he earned multiple Grammy awards and nominations, and admiration from critics, magazines, and reader polls.
Rodby collaborated with Fred Simon and Paul McCandless on two albums: Since Forever and Remember the River. In 2011 he collaborated with Paul Wertico, a former drummer for the Metheny Group, and with Israeli musicians Danny Markovitch and Dani Rabin on the group's album Breaking the Cycle.
With the Pat Metheny Group: