Ramsey Longaker

Born in the '60s, raised on the college radio of the early 70s, Ramsey was imbued with a vast array of music, including The Beatles, Ike & Tina Turner, The Main Ingredient, James Brown, Janis Joplin, Aretha Franklin, The Ohio Player, The Jackson 5, Neil Young, Arlo Guthrie and Donovan. Weaned on the original Music Television-- The Monkees, American Bandstand, Ed Sullivan and Soul Train-- he moved on to Hard Rock and Classic Rock when The Who's Tommy hit the screens in 1975. Shortly thereafter Led Zeppelin's The Song Remains The Same cast an indelible influence and guidance of Ramsey's musical direction. When MTV finally did hit in the 80s, the draw of New Wave and groups like The Police, Duran Duran, and U2 shaped his Pop awareness and social sensitivities. Seal and Stone Temple Pilots of the 90s taught Ramsey the sophistication of chord and melody changes that come unexpectedly. Most of the influences listed in this bio can be detected in the 20 year long catalog of Ramsey's writing and recording if you listen for them. Lately, the big influences have been Gospel artist Tonex, 70s Soul & Disco, and guitar-driven artists like Robert Randolph.