Randy Stephens and Damascus Steel

Blues-rock guitar virtuoso, vocalist and songwriter Randy Stephens, winner of the 2000 “Jam with Kenny Wayne Shepherd’s Contest for lead guitar and his work on the song “In Too Deep” now continues in the year 2008 with his CD release titled Breaking the Chains recorded at Sony Tree Studio A in Nashville. This project highlights a variety of blues; roots rock and pop tracks engineered and produced by Sony’s own John Palmieri and co/produced by Randy Stephens. “John has been awesome to work with, He makes you feel very comfortable in the studio, plus he really knows his stuff. John is also is in tune with my music, and my sound making it personal”.
Born in Panama City Florida, on June 23, 1966 the same year the Temptations released “aint too proud to beg”, coincidently the same year Jimi Hendrix formed his renowned Jimi Hendrix Experience. Randy’s musical experience began at the age of 10 playing Trumpet in school band. The following year Randy made it to first chair in Honor band Stating, “The only reason I was in Honor band in the first place is because I use to listen to Bill Chase and Maynard Ferguson and tried my best to comp their playing, as a result I could hit some pretty high notes for a kid, but I never practiced the music and eventually lost my position as well as interest.” At 14 Randy discovered guitar bought a bright yellow Hondo LP copy electric guitar and began a love affair that has spanned over 25 years.
At 28 years old Randy decided to get back to the blues, “I got rid of all my pedals and played my Fender amp clean. I went to the record store by the U of O and picked out George Benson’s Breezin, Robert Cray, and Stevie Ray albums and tried my best to play that stuff. That was the hardest thing I ever did in my life musically speaking, man I sounded awful without all my pedals it was really very humbling”.
While living Eugene Oregon Randy helped form and fronted a three piece blues rock cover band Mr. X. with a Japanese Fender Stratocaster and 1968 Fender Pro-Reverb amp Randy Mr. X began playing the local Eugene/ Springfield music scene. On one particular Springfield show Eric Burden of the Animals saw their band perform and asked Mr. X if they would be interested in opening for his band the infamous Animals. Randy also became a much needed studio musician in and around the Eugene and Springfield area. Randy decided to move his family to Tennessee in 2001 to pursue gospel music full time and develop his place in Nashville’s music scene, while still keeping true to his roots rock rhythm and blues approach. His latest CD scheduled for release in August 2008 is a culmination of 11 tunes written over the course of several years. The blues resonates throughout Randy’s playing, R/B and pop in his songwriting. “I grew up in a great music time, so many great songs! In the early 70’s my Dad took over my bedroom when he started his DJ service, he played 50’s, 60’s, and 70’s everything from Elvis to disco, my room was full of records, I mean milk crates full of LP’s. In the other rooms were my brother and sister rocking out to Led Zeppelin, Grand Funk, even BB King’s live in Cook County jail”. The new project Randy says, “It’s just me, it’s what I write and the way I write, while I love the blues, I can’t help it, sometimes I write very poppy”.
The Merchants of Cool a local middle Tennessee horn section has been invited for a cameo appearance in an all out rock jam titled (“Rocking Good Heroes”) a song to all the guitar heroes past and a slam against the guitar hero type video games. As a tribute Randy and the Steel along with Columbia Tennessee local rap artist Josh Turner play homage to the late great guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughn in an excellent version of (“Life without You”), a song written by Stevie Ray Vaughn for his friend and guitar tech Charley Wirz who died in 1984. “Everything Stevie did he did with passion, that’s why we picked this song it just seemed so fitting”. There’s also a Rock ballad (“Melancholy Chains”) referencing the late Marvin Gaye, and his battle with depression. There is plenty of blues and roots rock, from the ZZ Top feel of (“You could be free”), to the more Jazzy Blues of (“Still Lovin you”).
Currently touring with Randy Stephens is his band member’s, son Randy Stephens Jr. on the Drums and good friend Landon Paul on Bass guitar making up “Damascus Steel”. Randy Stephens and the Steel are looking forward to a great year of shows and entertainment and currently scheduling their 2008-09 tour.