Nathan East

Born in Philadelphia, PA, Nathan East and his family moved to San Diego, CA, when he was four years old. When Nathan was in the seventh grade, he began playing cello in his junior high school orchestra. At age 14, he switched to bass guitar. The young bassist began playing in his high school’s jazz ensemble, marching band, choir, chorus, and pep band, as well as local Top 40 bands. Nathan credits Chuck Rainey as being one of his biggest influences for his melodic style and mastery of the bass using double stops and chords and simply his rare choice notes, taste, tone, technique and feel.

One of East’s early breakthroughs came while he was a member of a local band named Power. They were hired as the house band for a Stax revue. The recognition brought the attention of Barry White, who hired the entire band for a national tour. Still a teenager, East became a member of the Love Unlimited Orchestra (“Love’s Theme”) playing The Apollo Theater, Madison Square Garden, Kennedy Center, Detroit’s Cobo Arena and other major US venues. This no doubt was a great experience for the young musician who would later travel extensively throughout his career.

In 1978, East earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Music Performance from the University of California San Diego. In the early 80’s, Nathan moved to Los Angeles to pursue music and soon began recording projects for, among others, Whitney Houston, Madonna, Dionne Warwick and Michael Jackson. He now performs and tours regularly with Eric Clapton, Phil Collins and the jazz supergroup Fourplay. To learn more, go to www.NathanEast.com.