Steve Hunter - wikipedia Steve Hunter This article is about the musician. For the basketball player, see Steven Hunter. For the novelist, see Stephen Hunter. Steve Hunter Hunter in March 2013 Background information Birth name Stephen John Hunter Also known as The Deacon ( 1948 - 06 - 14 ) June 14, 1948 ( age 70 ) Decatur, Illinois Genres Blues, pop, rock Occupation ( s ) Musician Instruments Guitar Years active 1971 -- present Labels Atco, I.R.S. Associated acts Mitch Ryder Detroit Peter Gabriel Lou Reed Alice Cooper Julian Lennon Bette Midler Tracy Chapman David Lee Roth John Sauter Website www.stevehunter.com Stephen John Hunter ( born June 14, 1948 ) is an American guitarist, primarily a session player. He has worked with Lou Reed and Alice Cooper and been often called `` The Deacon ''. Hunter first played with Mitch Ryder 's Detroit, beginning a long association with record producer Bob Ezrin who has said Steve Hunter has contributed so much to rock music in general that he truly deserves the designation of `` Guitar Hero ''. Steve Hunter has played some of the greatest riffs in rock history - that first slamming solo that rings in Aerosmith 's `` Train Kept A Rollin ' '', the acoustic intro on Peter Gabriel 's `` Solsbury Hill '' and he wrote the legendary intro interlude that made Lou Reed 's live version of `` Sweet Jane '' Reed 's first gold record ( the Rock ' N ' Roll Animal live set ). Contents 1 Early life 2 Career 2.1 Work with Mitch Ryder 2.2 Work with Alice Cooper 2.3 Work with Lou Reed 2.4 Work with Aerosmith 2.5 Work with Jack Bruce, Peter Gabriel and other artists 2.6 Solo work 3 Awards 4 Personal life 5 Solo discography 6 Other contributions 7 References 8 External links Early life Steve Hunter was born and raised in Decatur, Illinois. He was first introduced to music when, as a young child, he would listen to country and western music on a Zenith console radio and his father would play the guitar. He watched the Lawrence Welk show on TV at his grandparents home where he saw Neil LeVang and Buddy Merrill. His grandparents had a Harmonium and his father would sit young Steve on his lap and pump the organ while Steve would work out melodies on the keyboard. When he was eight years old he began to take guitar lessons on a Lap steel guitar. He saw and heard Jerry Byrd play the lap steel and learned what could be done on the instrument. He eventually switched to the standard guitar and was influenced by the music of Chet Atkins, The Ventures and Duane Eddy. Hunter continued playing guitar throughout high school where he played in a group called the Weejuns, taking their name from a shoe. Later he joined the Light Brigade, a rock and soul group that played in the Decatur area. In 1967, during the Vietnam War, Hunter was drafted into the Army, trained as an x-ray technician, and served in an air evacuation hospital in Okinawa, Japan where Vietnam combat casualties were being treated. He considered becoming a doctor but he enjoyed music so much he knew he would follow a career in music. After his service in the Army, he returned to Decatur where he built a reputation as a gifted guitar player. One day he got a telephone call from his Decatur friend, John `` Polar Bear '' Sauter, that changed his life. Career Hunter has had an illustrious 40 - year career as a session musician, band member and as a solo performer. Work with Mitch Ryder John Sauter called Hunter to tell him that he was playing with Mitch Ryder in Detroit and that Ryder was auditioning for guitar players. He suggested that Hunter come to Detroit and try out. Hunter packed up his guitar and made the eight - hour drive to Detroit. Hunter made the cut and became part of Mitch Ryder 's new band Detroit. Here Hunter met and formed a long - time professional association with producer Bob Ezrin. Detroit released one self - titled album on Paramount Records. They had a hit with a cover of Lou Reed 's `` Rock & Roll ''. Reed was so impressed with Hunter 's arrangement and performance on that song that he recruited Hunter to join his band. Work with Alice Cooper In the 1970s, he appeared on five Alice Cooper albums, all of which were produced by Ezrin. His first recording with Alice Cooper was in 1973 as a session musician on the second to last and most successful album recorded by the Alice Cooper group, Billion Dollar Babies. When Alice Cooper became a solo artist, Hunter followed and appeared on the 1975 groundbreaking album and live show Welcome to My Nightmare alongside guitarist Dick Wagner as seen in the film Welcome to My Nightmare. This was released on home video in 1976 and featured the celebrated guitar battle between Hunter and Wagner that formed part of the Alice Cooper 1975 live show. In 2010, Hunter also worked on the basic tracks and solos for Alice Cooper 's album Welcome 2 My Nightmare and then toured with Alice Cooper throughout 2011 on the No More Mr. Nice Guy Tour. Steve notched up his 9th Alice Cooper release with ' Paranormal ' released in 2017 Work with Lou Reed His first collaboration with Lou Reed was for the Berlin album. He also played with Dick Wagner in the band captured on Reed 's live albums, Rock ' n ' Roll Animal and Lou Reed Live, including the `` Intro '' to `` Sweet Jane '', which was composed by Hunter, who plays the solo up to Lou walking on stage. In 2006, Reed and Hunter presented a new live version of Berlin, released in 2008 as a DVD and CD Berlin : Live at St. Ann 's Warehouse. Work with Aerosmith In 1974, he played the ( uncredited ) opening - half solo on Aerosmith 's `` Train Kept A Rollin '' from Get Your Wings. In a February 2015 interview in Detroit Rock N Roll Magazine Hunter tells how it came about that he recorded the opening solo of Aerosmith 's `` Train Kept a Rollin '' : `` Aerosmith was in Studio C of The Record Plant and I was doing work with Bob Ezrin in Studio A. I had a long wait between dubs and was waiting in the lobby. Jack Douglas popped his head out of Studio C and asked ' Hey, do you feel like playing ? ' I said sure, so I grabbed my guitar and went in. I had two run thru 's, then Jack said ' great, that 's it ! ' That turned out to be the opening solos on ' Train Kept A Rollin ' '. '' Work with Jack Bruce, Peter Gabriel and other artists In 1974, shortly after his work with the band on the live Reed albums, Hunter played guitar on former Cream bassist Jack Bruce 's solo album Out of the Storm. He played on Peter Gabriel 's self - titled first solo album ( 1977 ) that included the classic single `` Solsbury Hill '' which was likewise produced by Ezrin. He also played on tour with Gabriel for the North American leg and a few shows in the UK during March / April 1977, sharing guitar duties with Robert Fripp. Other artists Hunter has worked with include David Lee Roth ( in the mid-1990s ), Julian Lennon, Dr. John, Tracy Chapman and more recently Glen Campbell and 2Cellos. It was while recording Roth 's A Little Ai n't Enough that Hunter met Jason Becker. Hunter and Becker have remained the best of friends since. He wrote `` Camelia '', which is featured on the soundtrack of the film The Rose, starring Bette Midler, and performed as part of the backing band. Additionally, he appears in the film Blame it on the Night, a movie co-written by Mick Jagger, featured as one of the guitarists in the band. Solo work Hunter 's first solo album, 1977 's critically acclaimed Swept Away, was produced by Bob Ezrin. Hunter opted to leave Alice Cooper 's touring band in 2012 to concentrate on solo projects. His 5th solo album The Manhattan Blues Project was released on April 30, 2013, and features contributions from Joe Satriani, Tony Levin, Johnny Depp, Joe Perry, Marty Friedman, Michael Lee Firkins, Phil Aaberg, 2Cellos and Tommy Henriksen, with background vocals provided by Karen Ann Hunter. In Sep 2014 a DVD and Soundtrack CD called Tone Poems Live was released, featuring Hunter, bass player Tony Levin, pianist Phil Aaberg and drummer Alvino Bennett. Awards In 2009 Hunter received an Emmy Award for his contribution to the Detroit Free Press Christ Child House multimedia project. In June 2015 Hunter was inducted into the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Hall of Fame. Personal life Hunter lives in Altea, Spain, with his wife, Cornish singer / songwriter, Karen Ann Hunter. He suffers from pigmentary glaucoma, which has rendered him legally blind. Solo discography 1977 - Swept Away ( Atco ) 1989 - The Deacon ( IRS ) 2008 - Hymns for Guitar ( Deacon Records ) 2008 - Short Stories 2013 - The Manhattan Blues Project ( Deacon Records ) 2014 - Tone Poems Live ( Singular Recordings / Gokuhi ) 2017 - Before the Lights Go Out Other contributions 1971 - Detroit ( Mitch Ryder ) 1973 - Berlin ( Lou Reed ) 1973 - Billion Dollar Babies ( Alice Cooper ) 1974 - Alice Cooper 's Greatest Hits ( Alice Cooper ) 1974 - Rock ' n ' Roll Animal ( Lou Reed ) 1974 - Out of the Storm ( Jack Bruce ) 1974 - Get Your Wings ( Aerosmith ) 1975 - Ai n't It Good to Have It All ( Jim & Ginger ) 1975 - Hollywood Be Thy Name ( Dr. John ) 1975 - Lou Reed Live ( Lou Reed ) 1975 - Welcome to My Nightmare ( Alice Cooper ) 1976 - Alice Cooper Goes to Hell ( Alice Cooper ) 1976 - Glass Heart ( Allan Rich ) 1977 - Peter Gabriel ( Peter Gabriel ) 1977 - Lace and Whiskey ( Alice Cooper ) 1977 - The Alice Cooper Show ( Alice Cooper ) 1977 - The Band Milwaukee Made Famous ( Bad Boy ) 1978 - Night Flight ( Yvonne Elliman ) 1980 - The Rose ( soundtrack ) ( Bette Midler ) 1980 - Do n't Look Back ( Natalie Cole ) 1989 - H Factor ( with Pete Haycock and Derek Holt ) 1989 - Night Of The Guitar Live 1991 - A Little Ai n't Enough ( David Lee Roth ) 1991 - Help Yourself ( Julian Lennon ) 1992 - The Best of Flo & Eddie ( Flo & Eddie ) 1993 - Fit For A King ( Tribute to Albert King ) 1993 - Hats Off To Stevie Ray ( L.A. Blues Authority Vol III ) ( Lenny ) 1993 - Dodgin ' The Dirt ( Leslie West ) 1994 - Your Filthy Little Mouth ( David Lee Roth ) 1996 - Perspective ( Jason Becker ) 2000 - Telling Stories ( Tracy Chapman ) 2002 - Let It Rain ( Tracy Chapman ) 2007 - À croire que c'était pour la vie ( Henry Padovani ) 2008 - Berlin : Live at St. Ann 's Warehouse ( Lou Reed ) 2008 - Collection ( Jason Becker ) 2009 - Lollapalooza Live ( Lou Reed ) 2010 - Empty Spaces ( Karen Ann Hunter ) ( Producer ) 2011 - Welcome 2 My Nightmare ( Alice Cooper ) 2011 - Ghost on the Canvas ( Glen Campbell ) 2012 - No More Mr Nice Guy : Live ( Alice Cooper ) 2013 - In2ition ( 2Cellos ) ( Melody on the bonus track ' Every Breath You Take ' ) 2015 - Tommy ! Tommy ! ! Tommy ! ! ! ( Tommy Henriksen ) 2017 - ' Paranormal ' ( Alice Cooper ) ' Holy Water ' ' Genuine American Girl ' ' You And All Of Your Friends ' References Jump up ^ Sparks, Ryan. `` Steve Hunter : Sound & Vision ''. classicrockrevisited.com. Retrieved March 18, 2015. Jump up ^ `` Exclusive Interview with A Real Rock & Roll Animal Steve Hunter ''. Real Good Time Together. Summer 2007. Retrieved March 16, 2015. ^ Jump up to : Conley, Tony ( July 22, 2013 ). `` Steve Hunter - The Rock Guitar Daily Interview ''. Rock Guitar Daily. Retrieved March 16, 2015. ^ Jump up to : Hernandez, Al Carlos ( August 27, 2013 ). `` Steve Hunter a Guitar Icon with Some Serious Friends ''. Herald de Paris. Retrieved March 11, 2015. Jump up ^ Derrough, Leslie Michele ( June 15, 2013 ). `` Steve Hunter ''. Glide Magazine. Retrieved March 15, 2015. Jump up ^ `` Alice Cooper Announces Tour and New Band Lineup : : Alice Cooper News ''. antiMusic.com. Retrieved 2013 - 08 - 24. Jump up ^ Hall, Russell ( August 15, 2013 ). `` Steve Hunter : The Gibson Interview ''. gibson.com. Retrieved March 18, 2015. Jump up ^ `` Who Really Played the Guitar Solos on Aerosmith 's `` Train Kept A Rollin ? '' ``. Detroit Rock N Roll Magazine. 2015 - 02 - 16. Retrieved 2015 - 03 - 10. Jump up ^ Allen, Rick. `` Steve Hunter - The deacon Sets It Straight ''. Vintage Guitar Magazine. Retrieved 2015 - 03 - 14. Jump up ^ Obrecht, Jas ( April 28, 2011 ). `` Jason Becker : The Complete 1990 Interview About David Lee Roth, Cacophony... '' Jas Obrecht Music Archive. Retrieved June 7, 2015. Jump up ^ Joe Viglione ( 1976 - 08 - 18 ). `` Swept Away - Steve Hunter Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards ''. AllMusic. Retrieved 2013 - 08 - 24. Jump up ^ `` Steve Hunter Leaves Alice Cooper Group To Concentrate On Solo Album ''. Sleaze Roxx. 2012 - 02 - 11. Retrieved 2013 - 08 - 24. Jump up ^ `` The Album ''. Themanhattanbluesproject.com. 2013 - 04 - 30. Retrieved 2013 - 08 - 24. Jump up ^ Free Press, Staff ( September 22, 2009 ). `` Detroit Free Press wins 4th Emmy Award for Christ Child House ''. Detroit Free Press. Retrieved June 13, 2015. Jump up ^ Christ Child House Emmy Award winning video. Jump up ^ Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Jump up ^ Karen Ann Hunter 's webpage Jump up ^ Discogs External links Steve Hunter 's Homepage Steve Hunter at AllMusic Steve Hunter discography at Discogs Steve Hunter discography at MusicBrainz Steve Hunter on IMDb Alice Cooper Alice Cooper Ryan Roxie Chuck Garric Tommy Henriksen Glen Sobel Nita Strauss Original band members Former solo band members Studio albums Pretties for You ( 1969 ) Easy Action ( 1970 ) Love It to Death ( 1971 ) Killer ( 1971 ) School 's Out ( 1972 ) Billion Dollar Babies ( 1973 ) Muscle of Love ( 1973 ) Welcome to My Nightmare ( 1975 ) Alice Cooper Goes to Hell ( 1976 ) Lace and Whiskey ( 1977 ) From the Inside ( 1978 ) Flush the Fashion ( 1980 ) Special Forces ( 1981 ) Zipper Catches Skin ( 1982 ) DaDa ( 1983 ) Constrictor ( 1986 ) Raise Your Fist and Yell ( 1987 ) Trash ( 1989 ) Hey Stoopid ( 1991 ) The Last Temptation ( 1994 ) Brutal Planet ( 2000 ) Dragontown ( 2001 ) The Eyes of Alice Cooper ( 2003 ) Dirty Diamonds ( 2005 ) Along Came a Spider ( 2008 ) Welcome 2 My Nightmare ( 2011 ) Hollywood Vampires ( 2015, Hollywood Vampires album ) Paranormal ( 2017 ) Live albums The Alice Cooper Show ( 1977 ) Toronto Rock ' n ' Roll Revival 1969, Volume IV ( 1982, recorded 1969 ) Live at the Whiskey a Go - Go, 1969 ( 1987, recorded 1969 ) A Fistful of Alice ( 1997 ) Brutally Live ( 2000 ) Live at Montreux 2005 ( 2006 ) Singles `` Reflected '' `` I 'm Eighteen '' `` Caught in a Dream '' `` Under My Wheels '' `` Be My Lover '' `` School 's Out '' `` Elected '' `` Hello Hooray '' `` No More Mr. Nice Guy '' `` Billion Dollar Babies '' `` Halo of Flies '' `` Teenage Lament ' 74 '' `` Only Women Bleed '' `` Department of Youth '' `` Welcome to My Nightmare '' `` I Never Cry '' `` You and Me '' `` How You Gonna See Me Now '' `` Clones ( We 're All ) '' `` 7 and 7 Is '' `` I Am the Future '' `` He 's Back ( The Man Behind the Mask ) '' `` Teenage Frankenstein '' `` Freedom '' `` Poison '' `` Bed of Nails '' `` House of Fire '' `` Only My Heart Talkin ' '' `` Hey Stoopid '' `` Love 's a Loaded Gun '' `` Feed My Frankenstein '' `` Lost in America '' `` It 's Me '' `` Brutal Planet '' `` Gimme '' `` Keepin ' Halloween Alive '' Compilations and box sets School Days : The Early Recordings ( 1973 ) Greatest Hits ( 1974 ) Prince of Darkness ( 1989 ) The Beast of Alice Cooper ( 1989 ) Science Fiction Classicks ( 1995 ) The Life and Crimes of Alice Cooper ( 1999 ) Mascara and Monsters : The Best of Alice Cooper ( 2001 ) The Definitive Alice Cooper ( 2001 ) The Essentials : Alice Cooper ( 2002 ) Hell Is ( 2002 ) School 's Out and Other Hits ( 2004 ) Videography Good to See You Again, Alice Cooper ( 1974 ) The Nightmare ( 1975 ) Welcome to My Nightmare ( 1976, filmed 1975 ) Alice Cooper and Friends ( 1978, filmed 1977 ) The Strange Case of Alice Cooper ( 1979 ) The Nightmare Returns ( 1987, filmed 1986 ) Alice Cooper Trashes the World ( 1990, filmed 1989 ) Brutally Live ( 2000 ) Live at Montreux 2005 ( 2006, filmed 2005 ) Super Duper Alice Cooper ( 2014, documentary ) Tours Welcome to My Nightmare Tour ( 21.3. 1975 -- 4.4. 1977 ) Theatre of Death Tour ( 31.7. 2009 -- 27.11. 2010 ) Masters of Madness Tour ( 1.6. 2013 -- 21.7. 2013 ) Related articles Discography Filmography Steven Nights with Alice Cooper Solid Rock Foundation The Hollywood Vampires Hollywood Vampires ( band ) Book David Lee Roth Former guitarists Steve Vai Jason Becker Steve Hunter Joe Holmes John 5 Terry Kilgore Rocket Ritchotte Mike Hartman Bart Walsh Brian Young Toshi Hiketa Former bassists Billy Sheehan Matt Bissonette Steve Hunter B'urbon Bob Marco Mendoza James LoMenzo Todd Jensen Former drummers Gregg Bissonette Ron Wikso Ray Luzier Pat Torpey Jimmy DeGrasso Larry Aberman Former keyboardists Brett Tuggle EPs Crazy from the Heat Albums Eat ' Em and Smile Skyscraper A Little Ai n't Enough Your Filthy Little Mouth DLR Band Diamond Dave Compilations The Best Greatest Hits / The Deluxe Edition Songs `` California Girls '' `` Just a Gigolo / I Ai n't Got Nobody '' `` Yankee Rose '' `` That 's Life '' `` Tobacco Road '' `` Just Like Paradise '' Concert tours Eat ' Em and Smile Tour Skyscraper Tour Related articles Discography Crazy from the Heat The David Lee Roth Show Van Halen Manny Roth Strummin ' with the Devil : The Southern Side of Van Halen ( tribute album ) ISNI : 0000 0001 1838 8881 MusicBrainz : 3d1aee55 - e0c2 - 4f5e - b339 - 8252991fe9da VIAF : 66675917 Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Steve_Hunter&oldid=842408747 '' Categories : Living people 1948 births Musicians from Decatur, Illinois Neverland Express members American session musicians American rock guitarists Electric blues musicians American blues guitarists American male guitarists Blues rock musicians Atco Records artists Guitarists from Illinois The Chambers Brothers members The Detroit Wheels members 20th - century American guitarists Hidden categories : Articles with hCards MusicBrainz artist same as Wikidata Articles with MusicBrainz artist links Wikipedia articles with ISNI identifiers Wikipedia articles with MusicBrainz identifiers Wikipedia articles with VIAF identifiers Talk Contents About Wikipedia Čeština Español Français Italiano Norsk nynorsk Edit links This page was last edited on 22 May 2018, at 07 : 51 ( UTC ). 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Question: who played guitar on lou reed rock and roll animal
Answer: Stephen John Hunter