Masters Of The Telecaster
Premier Concerts and Manic Presents:

Masters Of The Telecaster

featuring G.E. Smith, Jim Weider & Larry Campbell
Doors: 7:00 pm | Show: 8:00 pm
All Ages
StageOne at FTC
Fairfield, CT

Masters Of The Telecaster

With three of the most prolific rock guitarists in the world G.E. Smith ( SNL / Hall & Oates, Bob Dylan and Roger Waters band), Larry Campbell (Bob Dylan / Levon Helm band) and Jim Weider (The Band) this is sure to be a historic night of Blues & Roots Rock & Roll. Playing tunes from Roy Buchanan, Little Richard, Sam Cooke, Stevie Winwood and Bo Diddley to the Rolling Stones and more, the three Masters are joined by Lincoln Schleifer & Josh Dion to complete this righteous band.

G.E. Smith was an Emmy award winner for his tenure as musical Director for Saturday Night Live (SNL) 85’-95'. He was musical director for Bob Dylans’ 30th Anniversary show in Madison Square Garden. During this time, he also toured worldwide with Bob Dylan for four years. He co-wrote "Waynes World" with Mike Myers which went multi-platinum. He toured with Roger Water’s WALL LIVE worldwide for six years. GE Smith was a band member of Hall & Oates and attracted artists like Jagger, who called Smith to work with him, after LIVE AID, on his first solo album, She’s the Boss. Smith also did a few one-off recordings and concerts with David Bowie, Tracy Chapman, Billy Squier and Peter Wolfe. He has played with everyone imaginable from Buddy Guy to Clapton. He hosts a show in East Hampton, NY called PORTRAITS at Guild Hall which has featured diverse artists from Yola, Paula Cole and Valerie June to Avett Bros, Dawes and Richard and Teddy Thompson. He hosted many musical musings for Smithsonian, NPR, Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame, Kennedy Center Honors, and more.

Jim Weider, a master of classic telecaster guitar, is renowned for his rock and blues-based signature sound. He is among a select group of musicians with an endorsement from Fender and, for the past three decades, he's earned enormous respect from fellow musicians and music fans throughout the world. Born and raised in the famed arts colony of Woodstock, NY, Jim received great acclaim during his long tenure (1985-2000) as lead guitarist (replacing Robbie Robertson) for Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame inductees, The Band. During 15 years of international touring with original members Levon Helm, Garth Hudson and Rick Danko, Jim was featured on numerous albums, films, videos and television appearances. Highlights included a 1990 performance with The Band and Ronnie Hawkins at The Berlin Wall concert produced by Roger Waters of Pink Floyd; several cable TV specials (notably "The Bob Dylan Tribute" at Madison Square Garden; "The Road," and "This Country's Rocking"); a performance and recording at the "Unofficial Blue Jean Bash" for President Clinton's 1993 Inaugural Ball, with special guests Bob Dylan, Steven Stills and Dr. John; a 1994 pay-per-view concert telecast from the Woodstock '94 Festival; and a 1995 appearance on the A&E Biography documentary "The Authorized Video Biography The Band" for cable TV and video, released by ABC Video. Jim furthered his reputation as a versatile and talented guitarist in performances and recordings with Scotty Moore, Keith Richards, Los Lobos, Graham Parker, Taj Mahal, Mavis Staples, Hot Tuna, Bob Weir/Rat Dog, Johnny Paycheck, James Talley, Kim Wilson, Paul Butterfield, Robbie Dupree Levon Helm Band and currently with THE WEIGHT BAND.

Three-time Grammy winning producer and multi-instrumentalist Larry Campbell was born and raised in New York City and was the music director for the Levon Helm Band for eight years. Larry sings and plays mandolin, guitar, pedal steel, fiddle and other string instruments and was given a Lifetime Achievement Award for instrumentalist by the Americana Music Association and voted Instrumentalist of the Year in 2013. Larry was a member of Bob Dylan’s band from 1997-2004 and he and his wife Teresa Williams can frequently be seen performing with Phil Lesh and Friends, Hot Tuna and Little Feat as well as performing on their own as a duo. Aside from producing many other records such as Hot Tuna’s Steady as She Goes, the long list of artists that Larry has performed and recorded with includes Paul Simon, Sheryl Crow, Rosanne Cash, Buddy and Julie Miller, Emmylou Harris, B.B. King, and many others.