Joe Solo
Encyclopedia
Joe Solo is an American record producer, songwriter, film /TV composer and musician. He has done work for many artists including Macy Gray
, Fergie, and Rami Jaffee
of The Wallflowers
. He has also done substantial work for Atlantic Records
, Sony Records, Universal Records
, as well as NBC
, MTV
, HBO, and CBS
.
suburb, Shaker Heights. At age 6 his father began teaching him basic music theory on the piano. When he turned 8 he received his first guitar and took classical guitar lessons. Soon after, he began composing and performing his own musical pieces. When he was 13 he began to learn rock guitar from then James Gang
band member Bill Jeric. His interest in recording sound began at age 15 when his parents bought him his first four track recorder. He attended Shaker Heights High School, where he took college level music composition classes and played lead guitar in numerous bands. At 16 years old he attended a summer session at the Berklee College of Music
in Boston
. After high school, he attended Hofstra University
where he majored in marketing. After the first semester, Solo decided to pursue a career in the music industry and moved to Los Angeles
.
in Hollywood. It was there that he was introduced to many local bands and he began writing and performing for an array of bands in the area. Soon after, he formed his own band that came to be known as Solodancer. The band played many venues in L.A. are, but broke up in the pre-production stage of their first album. After the breakup, Joe began writing and producing all the material for a new solo album entitled Encounter, which was released and distributed in 1997. After finishing the album, Joe became increasingly focused on the production side of the music business.
In the Summer of 2009, he began recording the guitar based electronic instrumental record "Braincloud".
. In 1995, Joe was asked to be the musical director and co-produce her debut album Thing of Beauty
on Atlantic Records
. Joe’s work with Macy Gray landed them a song on the soundtrack for the Ed Burns
film, No Looking Back
. The project gave him the opportunity to work with Porno for Pyros
producer, Matt Hyde, as well as co-write and produce projects with Ozomatli
's Wil-Dog Abers
and Wallflowers' keyboard player, Rami Jaffe. In August 2001, the song Sweet Baby, written by Joe and Macy, was released to a world wide audience. Sweet Baby reached billboard and MTV’s top 20 list within two weeks of release.
At this time, Joe signed an exclusive publishing contract as a songwriter and producer with Paramount
's Famous Music
.
and Cradle of Filth
, titled Strung Out on The Used: The String Quartet Tribute
and Scorched Earth Orchestra Plays Cradle of Filth: The Orchestra Tribute, which were both released on Vitamin Records
. Solo also produced a Prince
tribute album which was recorded with children's toy musical instruments which Vitamin never released. Although uncredited, he developed Shiny Toy Guns, producing and co-writing their single "Le Disko".
featured on Gray's 2001 release, The Id
. The critically acclaimed single, which was produced by Rick Rubin
and featured singer Erykah Badu
, topped the Billboard charts.
On Macy Gray's 2007 album Big
Solo and Macy teamed up once again to co-write the song "I'm So Glad You're Here". The song was produced by The Black Eyed Peas
' Will.i.Am
and featured guest vocals by Fergie.
He has a song, "Sea of Love", which he and Gray wrote together, coming out on her next release in 2010.
, BMG
's Killer Tracks
. His music has been on television shows including MTV
's True Life
program, NBC
's Las Vegas
, ESPN
's Extreme 16 & Core Culture, and in commercials for Pepsi / Mountain Dew, Honda, So You Think You Can Dance, Motorola's Razor phone and the Apple iPhone.
's 45th birthday party at his Neverland Ranch
.
Solo was childhood friends with R&B singer Gerald Levert
(son of The O'Jays
leader Eddie Levert
)
In 11th grade he was known as the "token white guitar player" in a funk band led by Bobby Harris Jr. (Son of The Dazz Band's saxophonist Bobby Harris).
Solo was the first person to perform inside the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame.
In 2007 Solo was inducted into the Shaker Heights Alumni Hall of Fame.
Macy Gray
Macy Gray is a Grammy Award-winning American R&B and soul singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress, famed for her distinctive raspy voice, and a singing style heavily influenced by Billie Holiday and Betty Davis.Gray has released five studio albums, with her fifth studio album, The Sellout,...
, Fergie, and Rami Jaffee
Rami Jaffee
Rami Jaffee, born March 11, 1969, in Los Angeles, is best known as the keyboardist of The Wallflowers and work for several bands and artists, including Foo Fighters, Pete Yorn, Soul Asylum, Pearl Jam, Stone Sour, Joseph Arthur and Coheed and Cambria....
of The Wallflowers
The Wallflowers
The Wallflowers is a rock band from Los Angeles, California, fronted by Jakob Dylan. Formed in 1989 and originally known as The Apples, the ensemble has gone through numerous personnel changes with Dylan the only constant....
. He has also done substantial work for Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
, Sony Records, Universal Records
Universal Records
Universal Records was a record label owned by Universal Music Group, and it is now owned by Manny Patino and Michael Jackson, and operated as part of the Universal Motown Republic Group.-History:...
, as well as NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
, MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
, HBO, and CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
.
Early years
Joe Solo was born and raised in the Cleveland, OhioOhio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
suburb, Shaker Heights. At age 6 his father began teaching him basic music theory on the piano. When he turned 8 he received his first guitar and took classical guitar lessons. Soon after, he began composing and performing his own musical pieces. When he was 13 he began to learn rock guitar from then James Gang
James Gang
The James Gang was a rock band formed in Cleveland, Ohio in 1966. Though the band was not a huge commercial success, except in the Northeast Ohio area, the fame garnered by guitarist Joe Walsh has since made the group more notable.- History :...
band member Bill Jeric. His interest in recording sound began at age 15 when his parents bought him his first four track recorder. He attended Shaker Heights High School, where he took college level music composition classes and played lead guitar in numerous bands. At 16 years old he attended a summer session at the Berklee College of Music
Berklee College of Music
Berklee College of Music, located in Boston, Massachusetts, is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known primarily as a school for jazz, rock and popular music, it also offers college-level courses in a wide range of contemporary and historic styles, including hip...
in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
. After high school, he attended Hofstra University
Hofstra University
Hofstra University is a private, nonsectarian institution of higher learning located in the Village of Hempstead, New York, United States, about east of New York City: less than an hour away by train or car...
where he majored in marketing. After the first semester, Solo decided to pursue a career in the music industry and moved to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
.
As an Artist
Once in Los Angeles, Joe began attending the Musicians InstituteMusicians Institute
Musicians Institute is a privately owned for-profit music vocational school located in Hollywood, California. Although not a regionally accredited school, the school offers a variety of unaccredited Bachelor Degree, Associate Degree and Certificate programs in fields including contemporary music...
in Hollywood. It was there that he was introduced to many local bands and he began writing and performing for an array of bands in the area. Soon after, he formed his own band that came to be known as Solodancer. The band played many venues in L.A. are, but broke up in the pre-production stage of their first album. After the breakup, Joe began writing and producing all the material for a new solo album entitled Encounter, which was released and distributed in 1997. After finishing the album, Joe became increasingly focused on the production side of the music business.
In the Summer of 2009, he began recording the guitar based electronic instrumental record "Braincloud".
As a Producer
While finishing up work on Encounter, Joe was simultaneously co-writing with and producing the now multi-platinum artist Macy GrayMacy Gray
Macy Gray is a Grammy Award-winning American R&B and soul singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress, famed for her distinctive raspy voice, and a singing style heavily influenced by Billie Holiday and Betty Davis.Gray has released five studio albums, with her fifth studio album, The Sellout,...
. In 1995, Joe was asked to be the musical director and co-produce her debut album Thing of Beauty
Thing of Beauty
Thing of Beauty is a 1989 double album from the band Volcano Suns. It was the first Suns album to feature David Kleiler, Jr. as primary guitarist, with previous guitarist Chuck Hahn having exited the group. This album sees the band functioning more democratically than before...
on Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
. Joe’s work with Macy Gray landed them a song on the soundtrack for the Ed Burns
Ed Burns
Ed Burns is a producer, screenwriter, and novelist. He has worked closely with writing partner David Simon. They have collaborated on The Corner and The Wire . Burns is a former Baltimore police detective for the Homicide and Narcotics divisions, and a public school teacher...
film, No Looking Back
No Looking Back
No Looking Back is a 1998 American drama-genre film directed, written, produced, and starring Edward Burns. The film centers on the relationship of Charlie and Claudia . The film had a limited theatrical release and grossed less than $250,000 domestically.-Plot:Claudia is a waitress in a seaside...
. The project gave him the opportunity to work with Porno for Pyros
Porno for Pyros
Porno for Pyros was an American alternative rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1992, following the initial break-up of Jane's Addiction...
producer, Matt Hyde, as well as co-write and produce projects with Ozomatli
Ozomatli
Ozomatli is a seven to ten piece band playing primarily Latin, hip hop, and rock music, formed in 1995 in Los Angeles. They are known both for their vocal activist viewpoints and their wide array of musical styles - including salsa, jazz, funk, reggae, rap, and others.In a 2007 NPR interview, band...
's Wil-Dog Abers
Wil-Dog Abers
Willy "Wil-Dog" Abers is a bassist primarily for the LA-based Ozomatli band, but has also played in Los Super Seven, a Latin rock supergroup.- Early life :...
and Wallflowers' keyboard player, Rami Jaffe. In August 2001, the song Sweet Baby, written by Joe and Macy, was released to a world wide audience. Sweet Baby reached billboard and MTV’s top 20 list within two weeks of release.
At this time, Joe signed an exclusive publishing contract as a songwriter and producer with Paramount
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
's Famous Music
Famous Music
Famous Music was the worldwide music publishing division of Paramount Pictures, a division of Viacom since 1994. Its copyright holdings span several decades and includes music from such Academy Award-winning motion pictures as The Godfather and Forrest Gump...
.
Joe Solo Productions, Inc.
Solo, who is a long time contributor to ASCAP, is a writer, record producer, and developer of emerging artists under his own production company Joe Solo Productions, Inc. As both a composer and songwriter, Solo and Joe Solo Productions, Inc. have many film and TV credits. As a result of Solo's understanding of both orchestral composition and contemporary music styles, in 2007, Solo was commissioned to compose and produce the orchestral tributes to The UsedThe Used
The Used is an American rock band from Orem, Utah. The band was founded in 2001 and signed to Reprise Records the same year. They rose to fame in June 2002 after releasing their self-titled debut album. They followed up with their second album, In Love and Death, in September 2004 and their third...
and Cradle of Filth
Cradle of Filth
Cradle of Filth are an English extreme metal band, formed in Suffolk in 1991. The band's musical style evolved from black metal to a cleaner and more "produced" amalgam of gothic metal, symphonic black metal, and other extreme metal styles, while their lyrical themes and imagery are heavily...
, titled Strung Out on The Used: The String Quartet Tribute
Strung Out on The Used: The String Quartet Tribute
Strung Out On The Used: The String Quartet Tribute is a tribute album to The Used released on March 13, 2007.-Track listing:All songs written by The Used.#A Box Full of Sharp Objects#The Taste of Ink#Buried Myself Alive#Blue and Yellow#On My Own...
and Scorched Earth Orchestra Plays Cradle of Filth: The Orchestra Tribute, which were both released on Vitamin Records
Vitamin Records
Vitamin Records is a Los Angeles based record label founded in 1999 as a subsidiary of CMH Records. The label is home to the Vitamin String Quartet, who are best known for performing string quartet tributes to popular rock and metal acts such as Tool, Nine Inch Nails, and Radiohead...
. Solo also produced a Prince
Prince (musician)
Prince Rogers Nelson , often known simply as Prince, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Prince has produced ten platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles during his career. Prince founded his own recording studio and label; writing, self-producing and playing most, or all, of...
tribute album which was recorded with children's toy musical instruments which Vitamin never released. Although uncredited, he developed Shiny Toy Guns, producing and co-writing their single "Le Disko".
Developing Macy Gray
Solo and Gray began collaborating in 1985, when both were just getting their feet wet in the LA music scene.Solo added chords and rhythm to Gray's lyrics and melodies, and then helped to transform those songs into full-blown arrangements. They ended up with a wealth of songs, including the hit Sweet Baby
"We met in a Beverly Hills diner," says Solo. "Macy was a cashier. I had the obligatory '80s guitar-player hairdo, and when I went to pay, she immediately pegged me as a musician. She said she was a singer and songwriter looking for a guitarist who could write songs. We hooked up the next morning. I listened to her for just 10 seconds and I knew I was in it for the long haul.
Sweet Baby (song)
"Sweet Baby" is the lead single from Macy Gray's second studio album The Id, released in 2001. The single is a collaboration with Erykah Badu, who was a featured vocalist, and John Frusciante from the Red Hot Chili Peppers, who played the guitar....
featured on Gray's 2001 release, The Id
The Id
-External links:*...
. The critically acclaimed single, which was produced by Rick Rubin
Rick Rubin
Frederick Jay "Rick" Rubin is an American record producer and the co-president of Columbia Records. Along with Russell Simmons, Rubin was the co-founder of Def Jam Records and also established American Recordings...
and featured singer Erykah Badu
Erykah Badu
Erica Abi Wright , better known by her stage name Erykah Badu , is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. Her work includes elements from R&B, hip hop and jazz. She is best known for her role in the rise of the neo soul sub-genre, and for her eccentric, cerebral musical...
, topped the Billboard charts.
On Macy Gray's 2007 album Big
Big (album)
Big is the fourth studio album by American recording artist Macy Gray, released in the United States on March 27, 2007 by Geffen Records. It is Gray's first studio album in four years....
Solo and Macy teamed up once again to co-write the song "I'm So Glad You're Here". The song was produced by The Black Eyed Peas
The Black Eyed Peas
The Black Eyed Peas are an American pop group , formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1995. The group includes rappers will.i.am, apl.de.ap, and Taboo, and singer Fergie. Since the release of their third album Elephunk in 2003, the group has sold an estimated 56 million records worldwide...
' Will.i.Am
Will.i.am
William James Adams, Jr. , better known by his stage name will.i.am and occasionally by his other stage name Zuper Blahq, is an American rapper, musician, songwriter, singer, actor and producer...
and featured guest vocals by Fergie.
He has a song, "Sea of Love", which he and Gray wrote together, coming out on her next release in 2010.
As a Film/TV Composer
Solo has also done extensive work doing film score libraries for film/TV and networks including Fox SportsFox Sports (USA)
Fox Sports is a division of the Fox Broadcasting Company . It was formed in 1994 with Fox's acquisition of broadcast rights to National Football League games...
, BMG
BMG
Bertelsmann Music Group, , was a division of Bertelsmann before its completion of sale of the majority of its assets to Japan's Sony Corporation of America on October 1, 2008. It was established in 1987 to combine the music label activities of Bertelsmann...
's Killer Tracks
Killer Tracks
Killer Tracks is a company that provides production music for use in film, television, radio, advertising and interactive media. The company was founded in Hollywood, California in 1989 with an original catalog of 30 CDs. Today, Killer Tracks' catalog contains over 2,000 CDs of music from 21...
. His music has been on television shows including MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
's True Life
True Life
True Life is a documentary series running on MTV since 1998. Each episode follows a particular topic, such as heroin addiction as in the first episode, "Fatal Dose." The show is created by following a series of subjects by a camera crew through a certain part of their lives.-Topics covered:True...
program, NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
's Las Vegas
Las Vegas (TV series)
Las Vegas was an American television series broadcast by NBC from September 22, 2003 to February 15, 2008. The show focuses on a team of people working at the ficticional Montecito Resort & Casino dealing with issues that arise within the working environment, ranging from valet parking and...
, ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
's Extreme 16 & Core Culture, and in commercials for Pepsi / Mountain Dew, Honda, So You Think You Can Dance, Motorola's Razor phone and the Apple iPhone.
Miscellaneous
Solo was the music director for Michael JacksonMichael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
's 45th birthday party at his Neverland Ranch
Neverland Ranch
Neverland Valley Ranch is a developed property in Santa Barbara County, California, most famous for being a home of American entertainer Michael Jackson from 1988 to 2005. Jackson named the property after Neverland, the fantasy island in the story of Peter Pan, a boy who never grows up...
.
Solo was childhood friends with R&B singer Gerald Levert
Gerald Levert
Gerald Levert was an American R&B singer. Gerald Levert sang with his brother, Sean Levert, and friend Marc Gordon in the R&B trio LeVert. He was also a part of LSG, an R&B supergroup comprising Keith Sweat, Johnny Gill, and Levert...
(son of The O'Jays
The O'Jays
The O'Jays are an American R&B group from Canton, Ohio, formed in 1963 and originally consisting of Eddie Levert , Walter Williams , William Powell , Bobby Massey and Bill Isles. The O'Jays were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2004, and The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2005...
leader Eddie Levert
Eddie Levert
Edward "Eddie" Levert is an American singer, and is the lead vocalist of the soul/funk/R&B vocal group, The O'Jays.Levert was born in Bessemer, Alabama, but was raised in Canton, Ohio. While attending high school, he met buddies Walter Williams, Bill Isles, Bobby Massey, and William Powell...
)
In 11th grade he was known as the "token white guitar player" in a funk band led by Bobby Harris Jr. (Son of The Dazz Band's saxophonist Bobby Harris).
Solo was the first person to perform inside the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame.
In 2007 Solo was inducted into the Shaker Heights Alumni Hall of Fame.