Los Angeles is a town that has always offered scores of musical opportunities for guitarists. Personally, I've been very fortunate to have a successful career in music and maintain a fulfilling life with my family and friends. I strive to keep a balance that will provide many years of sanity in an often erratic and unpredictable business. It is possible to make a respectable living and enjoy a stable and creative life, but only if you are well prepared in your craft, have a great attitude, and take care of business. It's also important to have a vision, help others, and stay true to yourself and your music.

I have worked as a studio session guitarist, recording artist, touring musician, composer, producer, arranger, recording engineer, teacher, and clinician for many years, and I'm still excited about becoming a better musician day by day.

Currently I am working on a new CD of my own, teaching in the Studio/Guitar Department at the University of Southern California's Thornton School of Music, working as a session guitarist and composer, and touring with Natalie Cole and David Benoit in addition to working with my own band.

In my first of a series of articles for the "L.A. Scene" column, I want to elaborate on the sideman touring aspect of the music business. Many musicians will spend a substantial portion of their careers touring as backup musicians for other artists. Countless big-name tours originate in Los Angeles. Touring gigs can fatten your resume, establish long-term industry bonds of friendship with other musicians, and lead to work in other areas such as recording or becoming an artist in your own right. It is also a superb way to see the world. I have toured more than thirty countries with numerous artists since moving to Los Angeles in the 70s from my hometown of Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Although I am a dedicated jazz guitarist, I have always enjoyed playing various styles of music and I believe that the key to success has been my ability to cover a lot of different styles. I got a call to join Natalie Cole's band about a year and a half ago and this will serve as a perfect example for this article. Natalie has a huge repertoire book of more than one hundred songs. Being able to read music is a must for her band (although that is not true for many touring bands). Natalie also needed a guitarist who could play jazz, Latin, funk, gospel, and rock 'n roll.

I use an archtop jazz guitar on most of the jazz tunes, but I also need a Stratocaster for the funk and rock charts, and a nylon-string for a few other styles. The guitar sounds Natalie's music requires go from mellow jazz tones to bright funky rhythm sounds to screaming overdrive, some with slide guitar. I enjoy the challenge of making each style sound authentic. I suggest that aspiring young guitarists listen to a lot of styles so that if a job comes along where you are asked to play something that is outside your area of expertise, you will at least have a few clues about the sound and feel.

I had the pleasure of touring with George Benson for nearly five years and it was an education just hearing him play. Oddly enough, his management company and most of his band are Los Angeles based, even though George himself spends most of his time on the East Coast. George's band also required a backup guitarist who could cover various styles. I got the call to play with George based not only on my reputation as a guitarist who can do all styles well, but because I'm also known as a person who can get along with others on the road.

This last point is not one to be overlooked. If you want to have a career in music, some self-examination is in order. Everyone likes to be around great musicians who are fun and easy to work with. If you develop a good personality in your own way and if you can play, others will want to work with you.

Over the years I have also performed with David Benoit's band. David plays a lot of funky jazz and I like my James Tyler Strat for this style. David also plays straight-ahead jazz. For that I like to use my Roger Borys archtop jazz guitar.

I have also employed a nylon-string classic guitar on some Latin-flavored jazz, and have performed the Claude Bolling Guitar Concerto as the featured artist with a symphony orchestra with David conducting. Since I have spent most of my time in the jazz world, I had to work really hard on the Bolling concerto to master it ahead of time. In L.A. and other important music centers, it is important to have some ability on a classic guitar as it is often used in situations other than the performance of classical guitar repertoire. I have used a nylon-string guitar for various recording sessions and will discuss this further in a future article.

Years of playing with numerous different musicians and establishing myself in Los Angeles have gotten me a lot of calls for touring work with no audition required. Many artists, however, do want to audition musicians. I remember auditioning for Kenny Loggins about fifteen years ago. Probably every known guitarist in town who was willing to travel auditioned for that gig. I didn't get the job, but Kenny was a true gentleman and I enjoyed the experience and opportunity to learn from the process.

When I first moved to Los Angeles, my circle of contacts was much smaller (or should I say nonexistent). I regularly went out at night and heard musicians play in the L.A. scene. I spoke with them, exchanged phone numbers, made follow-up calls, organized time to play and practice reading with others, and made a sincere effort to make good music and be involved in the music scene.

Only a couple of weeks after moving to L.A., I was recommended for an audition with saxophonist Ronnie Laws at a time when he had some really hot records and was touring all over the country. He hired me and a month later I was at Carnegie Hall playing with him on a month-long tour which was my first real touring experience with a big-name artist. This gig opened a lot of doors for me and was also a real musical eye opener. Having an opportunity to record on Ronnie's album later that year demonstrated to me the challenge and value of being able to invent the right guitar part and make it groove. This very touring job turned into a thirty-year relationship. I played on Ronnie's latest CD and I will always be grateful to him for hiring me at such a green and tender stage in my career.

Happy music making, and remember to enjoy the process!

Pat Kelley

To learn more about versatile guitarist and educator Pat Kelley, please see his website at http://www.patkelley.com.