The Latest

2012

The event was called the Frankfurt Musik Messe and I was there representing VGS Guitars, Laboga Amps, Violet Microphones, Taurus Effects and McPherson Acoustic Guitars. Our band featured Bobby Kimball from Toto, Tommy Denander, Curt Bisquera and myself as well as some incredible locals on bass Jekko and keys Jimmy K. It was way too much fun. The first shot is me on the Agoura Stage with my new VGS TD Radioactive Guitar with an Evertune bridge and True Temperament Frets.

2011

This year has been very good to me.
 

The year started out with 3 sold out shows with Peter Cetera and the Nashville Symphony. Our best symphony shows ever.

Then I went to Germany for the Frankfurt Musik Messe and got to play with my good friends Tommy Denander, Lee Sklar, John Robinson, Ruggero Robin, Frederico Malaman, Vik Heart and the alien Matais Eklund…I made many new friends and I now endorse besides McPherson guitars, VGS Guitars, Laboga Amps, Evertune Bridges, True Temperment Necks, Violet Microphones and Taurus Amps and effects.

I also got to visit Lothar Hartig who runs the Gaitzsch Restaurant in Chemnitz Germany.

When we took Samantha to France for her French immersion we also got to meet our friends Takeshi and Miwa Itoh, Jean-Luc Raymond, Arnaud Leger and the Virgin Megastore staff that sells our CD’s.

We then went to visit my long time pal Nicolas Peyrac and his lovely family in St Brice En Cogles…

Janey and I celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary in Italy on the Amalfi Coast..

Another great concert with Peter in Nashville with my VGS Strat.

I got to represent McPherson Guitars at Sheehans Acoustic Avalon in jolly old England in October. Then Janey and I got to visit Ilse DeLange in Holland and then write and hang out with our favorite singer in the world Lara Fabian.

It felt like Christmas at our house when all of the endorsed products arrived, Taurus bass amp for the studio as well as their incredible Stomp Guitar amp, a new Evertune Bridge for my old Strat that finally makes it play in tune, my new VGS TD Radioactive guitar with an Evertune bridge and True Temperament neck, The Violet mics, man am I spoiled.

We took Samantha off to college in August and she comes home for Christmas in a few weeks.

I got to play on Vik Hearts entire CD as well as write a few tunes for it with Viktor and Tommy Denander.

I truly am the luckiest man in the world.

In January we get to go back to the Cotton Club with Peter Cetera and do promotion for Janey’s new releases on Vivid Sound..
2012 looks like another great year

The Bossa Nova Hotel Coming Out May 27th - EMI Japan

 

 

 

Bruce's 2009 is got off to a bang with three sold out nights with Peter Cetera and Orchestra in Houston TX, January 9th 10th and 11th.

Bruce will be appearing with his band The Emotional Rex in Kingston Springs TN January 30th.

Then in February Bruce heads to Manila, in the Phillipines for a gig with Peter Cetera and orchestra on Valentines Day.

Bruce has two songs on the new Chicago record "Stone of Sisyphus".

He has appeared in Christopher Guests film “A Mighty Wind”. Bruce appears in the film as, you guessed it, a guitarist. Most recently Bruce has been touring with Peter Cetera and orchestra, and working on the "Bossa Nova Hotel" record with Michael Sembello and Janey Clewer.

Ruggero Robin and I	Bossa Nova Hotel teaser art work	Peter Cetera, Claire Cetera, Arnie Roth, Boh Cooper and I in Atlantic City
Bill Champlin and I in New Jersey making his new CD	My new “Wino” Amps project…. Speaker cabinets made from wooden wine cases that fit in your suitcase and sound amazing.	Bruce with Harry Shearer and band.

 

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In the Beginning... 

Bruce Gaitsch was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois.  His early inspiration to write and perform came from many sources.  His father was a pedal steel player on the WLS Barndance for years and owned a music store frequented by many up and coming stars of the midwest scene. (Ted Nugent, The Shadows of Knight, The Buckinghams and Chicago)  Bruce's exposure to all this led him to follow the same road.  Bruce paid his dues in grade school, high school and college by playing every possible kind of gig in Chicago.  He joined Jim Petenck's (Ides of March, Survivor) band in 1975 and together they recorded an album for Epic Records.  Touring with Boston and Heart as an opening act further fueled his passion.  He went on to record more than 3000 sessions in Chicago up until he moved to Los Angeles in 1984.

Arriving in LA, he played David Hawk Wolinski ("Ain't Nobody") a few songs.  Hawk was producing Evelyn Champagne King at the time and used two of the songs on her records with Bruce playing the guitars.  Bruce's first cover went to #13 on the soul charts, "Just for the Night."

Another friend from Chicago, Richard Marx, was looking for a record deal at this same time.  Bruce played in Richard's band for the showcases that got him signed.  Then they wrote and recorded Richard's debut single "Don't Mean Nothing," which was Bruce's first song in the top five.  Richard and Bruce continue their friendship as well as their writing and recording relationship to this day.

Another frequent collaborator (and fellow ex-Chicagoan) is Patrick Leonard.  Together with Madonna they wrote a song for her "True Blue" record and it became Bruce's first number one song: "La Isla Bonita."   This song won Bruce an ASCAP most performed award for 1987.  The song has gone on to be #1 in over 24 countries worldwide.

Timothy B. Schmidt (Eagles), Peter Cetera, Chicago, Kansas, The Fixx, Restless Heart, Poco, Phillip Bailey, Tom Scott, Agnetha Faltskog (ABBA), Lara Fabian, and over 100 other artists have also recorded Bruce's songs.