Elliot Easton - Biography

Elliot Easton (born Elliot Steinberg, December 18, 1953, in Brooklyn, New York) plays lead guitar and sings backing vocals for The Cars. His guitar solos are integral part of the band's hit singles. He studied music at the Berklee College of Music. He plays guitar left-handed.

Upon the collapse of The Cars in 1988, Easton played in bands such as the new wave supergroup The New Cars and the roots rock group Creedence Clearwater Revisited. He has also played in songs by newer artists such as the power pop band the Click Five, whose guitarist Joe Guese referred to him as "the Boston connection".

Solo career

Easton released one solo album in 1985, Change No Change, featuring songs co-written with Jules Shear. A later band project, Band of Angels, was formed with singer Danny Malone, and recorded one album, Band of Angels, which was not released, but selections from which were included in the 1996 CD release of Change No Change.

In the mid-1990s, Easton produced and played on the first two albums by Amy Rigby. He was also the lead guitarist on Jules Shear's 1994 album "Healing Bones".

In 1998, Easton's playing was featured on No Cats, an album from bassist Lee Rocker of Stray Cats. He contributed guitar parts for "Rumblin' Bass" and "One Way or Another." According to both Easton and Rocker, the two have known each other since they were young boys growing up in New York.

Easton then joined Creedence Clearwater Revisited, the modern touring version of Creedence Clearwater Revival.

He has also played with Ric Ocasek as a solo artist. Easton was a member of The New Cars, along with original Cars keyboardist Greg Hawkes, singer/songwriter Todd Rundgren, former Utopia bassist/vocalist Kasim Sulton, and Tubes drummer Prairie Prince. In June 2006, the band released a live album, It's Alive!, that includes three new studio tracks.

He was featured and played the solo in the Click Five song "Angel To You (Devil To Me)".

In 2010, Easton reunited with the surviving original members of The Cars to record their first album in 24 years, titled Move Like This, which was released on May 10, 2011.

Personal life

Elliot Easton is married and has one daughter. Elliot Easton has a brother named Leslie and a sister named Lisa.

Trivia

Easton has played several signature model guitars over the years: a Kramer in the mid-1980s and currently a Gibson SG. He played a red Dean ML (an ad can be seen on the manufacturer's website) with white binding around the time of the first Cars album; he has also played a Gretsch Duo Jet, among many other makes and models.

Easton makes a cameo appearance in the upcoming Australian mockumentary musical film Ricky! The Movie.

Solo discography

• Change No Change (1985 Elektra Records, 2006 Re-Release & Remastered)

1. "(Wearing Down) Like a Wheel" (1985)
2. "Shayla" (1985)
3. "Tools of Your Labor" (1985)
4. "Monte Carlo Nights" (1995 Elliot Easton's Tiki Gods)