Highlights of Howard Roberts Life and Career

To put it in the words of a colleague and peer, Tom Wheeler, Editor of Guitar Player Magazine.

"Howard Roberts has been called one of the leading guitarists in jazz, but while the description is indisputably true, it restricts his accomplishments in two ways: He's more than a guitarist, and his music extends beyond jazz. One of Hollywood's leading session musicians, Howard played on thousands of pop and rock records by the likes of Frank Sinatra, Ray Charles, Elvis Presley, and many more, as well as literally thousands of motion picture and TV sound-tracks. He also recorded nearly two dozen acclaimed LPs as a feature artist in his own right.

After delivering a series of provocative and well-attended seminars, he went on to author several method books, establish Playback Publications, design elegant arch-top guitars for Gibson, write the popular Jazz Improvisation column each month in Guitar Player magazine, and co-found the internationally renowned Guitar Institute of Technology (now Musician's Institute).

Howard's innovative Chroma system is the culmination of his remarkably broad experiences as a guitarist, teacher, author, columnist, educational administrator, and instrument designer."

--Tom Wheeler
Editor, Guitar Player magazine

You probably grew up hearing the work of Howard Roberts and just didn't know. At the height of his career, Howard was the premier guitar player on the L.A. studio music scene, playing on thousands of recordings, motion picutre and TV sound tracks. Very few can match the volume of recognizable tunes peformed by Howard Roberts. From the spooky guitar theme of the Television Hit "The Twilight Zone," to the 60s pop sound on the Television Show "I Dream of Jeanie," Howard Roberts nearly played them all. Here are a few of the legacies Roberts left for us to enjoy.

Here is a list of some of many people with who Howard Roberts played.