Nathan East

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Nathan East (2005)

Nathan East (born December 8, 1955, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is a jazz, R&B and rock bass player. Born to Thomas and Gwendolyn East, he is one of seven children (five boys and two girls) raised in San Diego, California, where the family moved when he was four.

East first studied cello in seventh through ninth grades and played in his (Horace Mann) junior high school orchestra. At age fourteen he developed an interest in the bass guitar, playing in church (Christ the King) for folk masses with his brothers Raymond and David. He was active in his (Crawford) high school's music programs along with a local top 40 band called "Power". He has said his early influences included Ray Brown and Ron Carter on upright bass; and James Jamerson, Paul McCartney and Chuck Rainey on electric bass.

East has recorded, performed and co-written songs with Anita Baker, Babyface, Eric Clapton, Elton John, Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Barbara Streisand, Celine Dion, Sting, Quincy Jones, Al Jarreau, Kenny Loggins, Herbie Hancock and B.B. King. He co-wrote the Number one hit song "Easy Lover" for Phil Collins and Philip Bailey. East appears with Phil Collins on the "Live & Loose in Paris" DVD (1998). He also performed on the Grammy award winning Unplugged album with Eric Clapton which featured the classic song "Tears In Heaven"(1992). East has been a long-time member of Eric Clapton's studio and touring bands since 1983.^[1] Nathan appears on Andrea Bocelli's, Vivere:Live in Tuscany (2007).

Nathan has endorsed Yamaha instruments since 1981 and developed his own Signature model 5-string bass, the BBNE2, available worldwide. He has used a custom 6-string version of his signature bass since late 2003. He also created with Yamaha the NE1 Parametric EQ Pedal otherwise known as the "Magic Box".

His awards include Most Valuable Player (bass category) at the International Rock Awards and three time Bassist of the Year at the U.S. National Smooth Jazz Awards, N.A.R.A.S. MVP (bassist), ASCAP Awards for most performed work and The British Academy of Songwriters, Composers & Authors prestigious Ivor Novello Award for "Easy Lover". In 2007 Nathan received a Congressional Record, one of America's highest honors awarded for his outstanding achievements and contribution to the music community worldwide. East is one of the original members of the contemporary jazz supergroup Fourplay, along with Bob James (keyboards), Lee Ritenour (later replaced by Larry Carlton) and Harvey Mason (drums). Their Grammy-nominated albums have earned platinum status, and have topped Billboard's contemporary jazz charts.