John Guerin


John Payne Guerin was an American percussionist. He was a proponent of the jazz-rock style.

Biography

Guerin was born in Hawaii and raised in San Diego. As a young drummer, he began performing with Buddy DeFranco in 1960. In the late 1960s, he moved to Los Angeles where his drum work was utilized by artists including Frank Sinatra, The Beach Boys, George Harrison, Frank Zappa, The Animals, Joni Mitchell, Them, Thelonious Monk, Lou Rawls, Ray Conniff, George Shearing, Peggy Lee, Ella Fitzgerald, Linda Ronstadt, Nelson Riddle and many others.
From July 1972 to January 1973, he was the drummer for The Byrds and joined the L.A. Express later that year. The band served as Joni Mitchell's back-up band on tour during the mid- to late-1970s; Guerin had a brief relationship with Mitchell during that time. She later wrote the song Hejira about leaving him.
Guerin was an exponent of the jazz-rock style and played in many different genres, including for film and television. Among his contributions to motion picture and television scores, Guerin worked on the soundtrack to the 1988 film homage to Charlie Parker, Bird by Clint Eastwood. Those are also his drums on the theme song during the opening credits for the 1968 television series Hawaii Five-O.
In later years, Guerin worked with Oscar Peterson, Jon Faddis, Jimmy Heath, Ray Charles, Sonny Rollins, Justin Morell, Andreas Pettersson, David Basse, David Garfield, Gary Lemel, and Mike Melvoin.
Guerin died of heart failure on January 5, 2004, in West Hills, California.

Selected discography

As sideman

With David AxelrodThe Auction Seriously Deep
With The Beach Boys20/20 Sunflower
With Pat BooneJust the Way I Am
With Michael FranksThe Art of Tea Sleeping Gypsy Blue Pacific
With Terry GarthwaiteTerry Hand in Glove
With David GatesFirst Goodbye Girl
With Jack JonesHarbour What I Did For Love
With Peggy LeePass Me By Then Was Then – Now Is Now! Guitars a là Lee Somethin' Groovy! Make It With You Mirrors Close Enough for Love
With MelaniePhotograph Seventh Wave
With Joni MitchellCourt and Spark The Hissing of Summer Lawns Hejira Don Juan's Reckless Daughter Wild Things Run Fast
With Oliver NelsonBlack, Brown and Beautiful
With Aaron NevilleThe Grand Tour Aaron Neville's Soulful Christmas
With Tom PachecoThe Outsider Swallowed Up in the Great American Heartland
With Lou RawlsLove All Your Blues Away Rawls Sings Sinatra
With Howard RobertsSpinning Wheel Antelope Freeway
With Emitt RhodesThe American Dreams
With Linda RonstadtWhat's New Lush Life For Sentimental Reasons A [Merry Little Christmas (Linda Ronstadt album)|A Merry Little Christmas]
With Diane SchuurLove Walked In Music Is My Life
With Seals and CroftsSummer Breeze Diamond Girl
With Bud ShankMagical Mystery Let It Be
With Frank SinatraMy Way Ol' Blue Eyes Is Back
With O. C. SmithTogether
With Patrick WilliamsWind, Sky and Diamonds Threshold
With Frank ZappaLumpy Gravy Hot Rats Chunga's Revenge Apostrophe (') The Lost Episodes
With others