Installed in the sidewalk in front of Music City SF at 1353 Bush Street, over 330 intricately connected, engraved bricks, embedded in the sidewalk of the Music City SF building, honors local legends, including many who may never have received national recognition, for their place in the rich, diverse and innovative musical and cultural movements of the San Francisco Scene. The SFMWOF bricks were officially unveiled on Saturday, April 30th. at 6pm PST! 
LINKS TO 2015-16 WEB INTERVIEWS & ARTICLES:
http://www.classicbands.com/CraigChaquicoInterview.html
http://teamrock.com/feature/2016-03-01/craig-chaquico-s-5-essential-guitar-albums
http://b1027.com/35-years-ago-jefferson-starship-reach-their-arena-rock-zenith-on-modern-times/ –
http://www.fifteenminuteswith.com/2016/04/01/craig-chaquico-string-theory/
http://coachellavalleyweekly.com/jefferson-starships-craig-chaquico/
http://rockshowcritique.com/2016/03/interview-craig-chaquico/–
http://www.classicrockrevisited.com/show_interview.php?id=1151
PRESS RELEASE:
CRAIG CHAQUICO, ORIGINAL FOUNDING MEMBER OF JEFFERSON STARSHIP, STARSHIP AND GRAMMY NOMINATED GUITARIST, CONTINUES QUEST TO RETRIEVE BELOVED 1959 LES PAUL SUNBURST GUITAR STOLEN DURING RIOT AT JEFFERSON STARSHIP CONCERT IN LORELEI, GERMANY IN JUNE OF 1978 GUITAR USED TO RECORD MANY OF JEFFERSON STARSHIP’S BIGGEST HITS OF THE 70’S DISCOVERED IN HANDS OF COLLECTOR ALMOST FOUR DECADES AFTER INCIDENT.
It was the summer of 1978 in Lorelei, Germany when all hell broke loose after it was announced that Jefferson Starship would not be taking the stage after all, as a result of legendary singer Grace Slick not feeling well enough to perform.
This wasn’t the first time a band had canceled a show at the Lorelei Amphitheater and, as a result, a riot ensued shortly after the Jefferson Starship cancellation announcement.
Bottles and rocks were thrown at the stage and the band, fearing for their safety, quickly evacuated the area. By morning, the stage had been burned to the ground with many prized instruments lost, stolen or destroyed. All the members were devastated by the incident, including lead guitarist and hit songwriter Craig Chaquico, who returned the following morning to view the destruction. The only piece of equipment that he would recognize would be the charred metal corners of his Fender Bassman amplifiers.
All was lost… or, at least, that’s what Craig thought until some thirty-six years later when his beloved 1959 Les Paul Standard Sunburst guitar was discovered in the hands of a collector.
This is the story of what Craig has had to endure to get his guitar back…
Like all the other band members who lost their equipment, there was no indication that anything had survived the riot so there was nothing to do but to move on, only sadness and nostalgia when the songs were heard on the radio through the decades. All hope was lost until 2013 when Jefferson Starship bassist Pete Sears was reunited with one of his prized bass guitars, inspiring Craig to begin a personal search for his own guitars.
“This distinctive-sounding Les Paul was my voice on so many guitar solos, and I hope it finds its way back home soon,” states Craig, who purchased the guitar from Norman’s Rare Guitars in the mid-70s. “This quest isn’t only for me, but for all the musicians who have ever had their instruments lost or stolen over the years, then eventually found, that just want to get their babies back. For me, there’s a sentimental value involved and I’m still the rightful owner of this Sunburst.”
Craig used this particular guitar on both the 1976 Jefferson Starship album, Spitfire, as well as the following release, Earth, that came out in 1978. Hit songs you can hear the ’59 Sunburst on include “With Your Love,” “Count on Me” and “Runaway” among others.
And then it was gone…
After the riot on June 17, 1978, Jefferson Starship would immediately continue on their European tour, having to purchase, rent or borrow replacement equipment. Their next show in Hamburg, Germany would mark the last time that the original line-up of Grace Slick, Paul Kantner, Marty Balin, Craig Chaquico, David Frieberg, Pete Sears and John Barbata would ever perform together.
In the spring of 2014, out of the blue, Craig was contacted by a fan from Vermont who thought he might have a guitar that Craig used in the Star Wars Christmas Special that featured Jefferson Starship performing a song penned by Craig called, “Light the Sky on Fire.” After conducting extensive research about that particular guitar, the fan uncovered the serial numbers of the instruments used on the 1978 European Tour and informed him of the serial number of his thought-to-be-destroyed 1959 Les Paul Sunburst, along with those of the rest of the instruments that were thought to have been destroyed that day. He went on to tell Craig that he’d seen someone in Southern California chat on a blog about the Sunburst.
Extremely grateful for this information, Craig told the fan he could keep the Boogie Body, and quickly hired an attorney to find out the identity of the person on the blog. With the assistance of a private investigator, the attorney found the collector who had purchased the guitar from a dealer for an alleged $170,000 in February 2005.
With the help of his attorney, Craig was able to contact the collector and inform him that the guitar was stolen from him after the Lorelei riot in 1978. The initial response was one of condolence, with the owner expressing a desire to return the guitar to Craig if there was a way to recover his own initial investment. Craig suggested that they turn to the dealer who sold him the guitar and/or the dealer’s insurance company and offered to help with these efforts to ultimately get his guitar back. Unfortunately, after further thought, the collector, perhaps realizing the now-increased value of the guitar, decided to engage his own attorney, reconsidering the return of the guitar to Craig.
As the saying goes, “nothing’s easy,” and Craig decided at that point to let the legal process take its course… Backed by numerous photos taken by Jefferson Starship’s official photographer, Roger Ressmeyer, in the mid-70s, Craig was easily able to see that this was, indeed, “the guitar.”
After a meeting to view the guitar that included Craig, his attorney and Norman Harris (who sold Craig the guitar) along with the collector, his attorney and the attorney for the insurance company that represented the known guitar expert and national dealer who sold the guitar, it was determined by the attorneys for all parties that mediation might be the way to solve the issue. Unfortunately, that effort also proved to be fruitless and the matter continues to move through the courts, costing Craig tens of thousands of dollars and countless hours.
Craig, now represented by Peter Koenig of the San Francisco law firm, Walker, Hamilton & Koenig LLC, will have what is expected to be his final deposition in February. A trial to determine ownership is scheduled to commence on June 13 in San Francisco federal court.
“So far, no one seems to question that it is the same Sunburst,” states attorney Peter Koenig. “They seem to be arguing that Craig waited too long to search for the guitar so he’s lost his right to have it back. We shall see.”
Craig, as a member of Jefferson Starship from 1974 to 1990, was the only member of the band to appear in every recording, album, tour and music video over the course of the band’s tenure in the rock and roll scene.
Last year marked the 40thAnniversary of one of Jefferson Starship’s greatest albums, Red Octopus, and Craig was able to extensively reflect upon the Billboard chart-topping release in the September issue of Guitar Player magazine.
In addition to Craig’s efforts to recover his guitar, his plans for 2016 include touring throughout the world with a unique crowd-pleasing show where he performs the Jefferson Starship and Starship songs he helped make famous in addition to a selection of songs from his dozen solo efforts released over the past twenty-three years.
His first solo album in 1993, Acoustic Highway, helped create a genre of music and was Billboard’s #1 Independent New Age Album of the Year. His follow-up album, Acoustic Planet, garnered him a Grammy nomination in the category of Best New Age Album and also went to #1 on the Billboard charts.
From rock and roll and the blues to contemporary jazz and new age, Craig has had over forty years of success in a variety of genres.
Now that Craig has found his 1959 Sunburst, he’d like to find his 1957 Gold Top (Serial #7 8793 – only seventeen are known to exist of this particular model) played on the first two Jefferson Starship hit albums, Dragonfly and Red Octopus, that was also lost on that night in ’78. Yet another prized guitar played in major performances and on many hit recordings such as “Miracles,” “Play on Love” and “Ride the Tiger.”
“I would love to see the day where Pete and I perform on the same stage with our newly-discovered instruments,” comments Craig. “This would truly be another rock and roll dream come true.”
Time will tell. Stay tuned.
If you’d like to interview Craig Chaquico or need additional press materials (we have a great selection of photos available), please contact Jeff Albright / The Albright Entertainment Group at RockStarPR@aol.com.
Craig Chaquico performance video can be viewed at the following links:
The Hits –https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWP6xtx_MLk
The Blues –https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8lT7NRGIArw
Jazz –https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4g9BugzdBww
Craig Chaquico Social Media:
Website – www.craigchaquico.com
Facebook –https://www.facebook.com/CraigChaquicoOfficalPage/?ref=hl (this includes Craig’s recent statement regarding the passing of Paul Kantner)
Twitter – https://twitter.com/CraigChaquico
Official YouTube Channel –https://www.youtube.com/user/CraigChaquicoVideo
LINKS TO 2015-16 WEB INTERVIEWS & ARTICLES:
http://www.classicbands.com/CraigChaquicoInterview.html
http://teamrock.com/feature/2016-03-01/craig-chaquico-s-5-essential-guitar-albums
http://b1027.com/35-years-ago-jefferson-starship-reach-their-arena-rock-zenith-on-modern-times/ –
http://www.fifteenminuteswith.com/2016/04/01/craig-chaquico-string-theory/
http://coachellavalleyweekly.com/jefferson-starships-craig-chaquico/
http://rockshowcritique.com/2016/03/interview-craig-chaquico/–
http://www.classicrockrevisited.com/show_interview.php?id=1151
Craig Chaquico Management:
Dara Crockett for Pilot Rock Management –dara@pilotrockmgmt.com
Photo Credit for both photos: Roger Ressmeyer / Corbis
Top photo: Craig with 1959 Les Paul Sunburst
Bottom photo: Craig with 1959 Les Paul Sunburst in recording studio with Jefferson Starship
WANTED! Craig’s ’57 Les Paul Goldtop (small “BB hole” in top) Serial # 7 8793 Last seen at concert in Lorelei, Germany, in 1978. This particular guitar was used to write, record, and perform songs from the first two Jefferson Starship hit albums, Dragonfly and Red Octopus. It’s greatly missed by Craig. Please Share.
RADIO INTERVIEW ALERT!: Thank you to Bo and Jim at Lone Star 92.5 KZPS-FM for a terrific Texas interview!
http://www.lonestar925.com/…/jefferson-starship-guitarist-…/
Riffing and Waxing Pauletically…by Craig Chaquico
Paul was either a really fun, if not slightly outlaw-ish older brother, or a really young cool stepdad.
There’s another Jefferson star in Heaven and another member of one hell of a band up there.
I’m thinking much about Paul’s lyrics and songwriting that I played on tour with him where he had titles like, “All Fly Away,” “I Want to See Another World,” “Have You Seen the Stars Tonight?” “St Charles,”… With such a celestial alignment of the planets at dawn now, it makes me want to go out and play my guitar under the Milky Way with Paul tonight.
He picked a cosmic time to “All Fly Away.” He definitely will “See Another World,” “…and don’t be late,” like Jimi said. He “will see the stars tonight,” and he can ask “Saint Charles” himself since we never heard anything back from Alice that I’m aware of? I can’t remember? 
Memories of Paul? The first record I ever played on, the first time I ever had sushi, the first time I ever saw a Bruce Lee movie, the first time I ever took martial arts, the first time I went on tour, the first time I went overseas, the first time I took a legal drink on my 21st birthday when the band threw a party across from Golden Gate Park, and a girl jumped out of a cake, the first time I rode in a Porsche, the first time I played at Winterland and Radio City Music Hall, the first time I played in front of 100,000 people, the first time I played with the Grateful Dead, The first time I saw Bladerunner on the road. All the first time memories with Paul, and the original Jefferson Starship, that never all played together again since the riot in 1978. They say you always remember the first time? Well all the memories “glitter and sparkle like attack ships on fire off the shoulders of Orion.”
Paul let me borrow an exquisite, pristine, white Stratocaster with a maple neck when I was still in high school in Sacramento, and I was the only kid with a guitar case in his bedroom that had Jefferson Airplane stenciled on it, and it was authentic. The first time I was in a Star Wars Holiday Christmas Special, the first time I survived a full-on riot in Germany, the first time I was ever on a private jet, the first time I met Cheech and Chong, the first time I met Robin Williams, the first time I met Grace freaking Slick! That reminds me, it was also the first time I… Wait, let me check the statute of limitations.
The first gold album, the first platinum album, the first number one singles and albums, the first time I met Bill Graham, The first time I was on MTV, the first time I met Paul McCartney, the first time I met Jerry Garcia, Mickey Hart, Jorma and Jack, The Pointer Sisters, David Crosby, Graham Nash, Marlon Brando, Tower of Power, The Doobie Brothers, Sammy Hagar, Jane Fonda, Abby Hoffman, Ted Kennedy, Father Guido Sarduchi, Geraldo Rivera…Paul was there, and the list goes on.
I learned how to be Paul-etically incorrect, which is to say I got to see the hippie ethic done with some style and class and a consciousness and with some integrity and caring. It was like being welcomed into a family, and now one of us has passed to join the ones that came before us, on the other side of the campfire, on the other side of the Milky Way.
Paul was with me after Red Octopus went to #1 4x one summer when I bought a brand-new Porsche off the showroom floor on Van Ness in San Francisco, and I wrote a check for the full amount. Kind of a Grace Slick thing. That was the only thing I owned, a Porsche and a bunch of guitars and amps.
Paul was there for everything Number One. I thought I had died and gone to heaven when Paul and Grace first invited me to form the original Jefferson Starship with them along with Pete Sears in 1973 as a teenager.
Plus everybody’s name was so Biblical in that band. Think about it. Paul. Marty. David. Peter. John. And of course the Grace of… Didn’t she name her kid God?
Paul is dead. Who IS the walrus? coo coo ca choo. I guess we’ll have to go ask Alice now? I think she’ll know?
(((•))) CAFE CARNIVAL
Craig headlined the 75th Anniversary Casselberry Latin Jazz Festival with his own Billboard #1, Grammy-nominated, million-selling hit smooth jazz songs like Cafe Carnival, Luminosa, Gathering of the Tribes, Lights Out San Francisco, Native Tongue, Return of the Eagle, Acoustic Highway, Sacred Ground, etc., as well as his own “iconic hits and anthems” from the original Jefferson Starship and Starship
multi-platinum albums that Craig recorded during both the ’70s and ’80s like Jane, Miracles, Fast Buck Freddie, Find Your Way Back, Rock Music, Stranger, Sara, We Built This City, Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now, etc., along with some favorite songs from Craig’s 1st blues CD, Fire Red Moon, like Crossroads and always a new version of Voodoo Child.
With a spectacular international superstar band on stage comprised of Jim Reitzel on Bass, Ron Reinhardt on Keys, Dave Reinhardt on Drums, Mike “The General” MacArthur on Sax, and the legendary Teri Cote on both Lead Vocals and Latin Percussion, Craig and his “Florida Band” performed Live beneath a full supermoon floating above the lake behind the stage in front of thousands of Florida Latin Jazz, Blues, Pop, and Classic Rock music fans. Plus it was Craig’s 61st birthday with a cake and a Harley birthday ride thrown in to boot!
The Mayor of Casselberry, Charlene Glancy, introduced Craig on stage to thousands of Latin Jazz and Classic Rock fans as well as during the city’s own media press conference. Latin-inspired arts, music and culture were all enjoyed and tasted in the most perfect Florida outdoor setting for this Portuguese guitarist and his own Latin inspired award-winning passionate musica!
“We only play the places that we LOVE to play and that are fun experiences for people to attend.” – Craig
http://www.casselberry.org/CurrentEvents.aspx?EID=17302
Chaquico celebrará su cumpleaños en concierto en Casselberry
Para el guitarrista californiano Craig Chaquico, los años 60 reviven al cumplir los 61 años, fecha que justamente celebrará sobre la tarima del concierto con que El Sentinel festeja su aniversario número 14 el 26 de septiembre en Casselberry.
El músico de origen portugués, conocido como una estrella del rock de los años 70 y 80 cuando era parte de los grupos Jefferson Starship y Starship, y luego como solista de jazz y “new age music”, dice que la celebración lo llevará de vuelta a sus orígenes musicales.
“Mi cumpleaños 61 será un saludo a mi herencia musical que comenzó en los sesenta y ahora regresa en mis sesenta”, dijo Chaquico a El Sentinel en conversación telefónica desde Oregon, en la costa oeste del país.
Entre esas influencias cita la música latinoamericana, y los fados que escuchaban sus padres, un género de canciones de amor típico de Portugal, que se caracteriza por su melancolía, la destreza vocal de sus intérpretes y sus conmovedoras líneas melodiosas.
“Mis influencias musicales comenzaron cuando yo era niño”, recuerda el músico, quien creció en Sacramento. “Entre la música latina y la americana. Mi madre y mi padre son portugueses y mi familia escuchaba fados, que entiendo los escribían las mujeres portuguesas que quedaban esperando cuando sus esposos se hacían a la mar en largas travesías. Entonces son canciones de emoción de estas mujeres y la aventura de sus hombres. Son sentimientos que todos tenemos en común independientemente del idioma que hablemos, todos escuchamos música porque es el lenguaje universal”, dijo.
Pero en su hogar la música también incluía las influencias con las que habían crecido sus padres: las composiciones de George Gershwin, canciones de los años 30 y 40 y luego el blues, que “fue creado en Estados Unidos pero viajó a Europa desde donde regresó y fue reinterpretado por Carlos Santana, los Rolling Stones o Jimmy Hendrix”, explicó Chaquico.
Es quizás por ello que el guitarrista se adapta a la diversidad: su música, de la que ha vendido millones de discos, recorre festivales de jazz en todo el país, transita por las carreteras de Estados Unidos como parte de Road Songs, una compilación hecha por la compañía de motocicletas Harley-Davidson y ha llegado nada menos que hasta el espacio, como parte del Ark Project de la NASA, de modo que hoy los acordes de su canción Just One World se encuentran orbitando el planeta Tierra.
Desde los 16 años comenzó a tocar profesionalmente con figuras como Carlos Santana , hasta que fue llamado para integrar un grupo de rock que hizo historia Jefferson Starship y luego Starship, una reedición del primero, con los que cosechó más de 20 discos de oro y platino.
Luego de recorrer dos décadas con la energía desbocada del rock, Chaquico decidió, ante la llegada de su primer hijo en 1990 y la disolución de la banda donde tocaba, cambiar la guitarra eléctrica por la acústica, un cambio que lo llevaría a ser nominado al Grammy con su disco Acoustic Planet (1994).
Desde entonces ha vendido más de un millón de discos, de los que suma una decena, con su música de solista.
Y es que el guitarrista ha sabido adaptarse a los cambios durante su vida sin renunciar a su instrumento, que recibió a los 10 años como regalo de su madre, quien al igual que su padre tocaba diferentes instrumentos musicales muchas veces después de cenar, como complemento de la rutina hogareña, según ha contado en publicaciones.
De esa época nace su afición por las causas benéficas que lo han llevado a recaudar fondos en sus conciertos para la American Music Therapy Association y a formar parte de organizaciones caritativas como Bikers for Charity, un esfuerzo liderado por Harley Davidson’s en apoyo a la Muscular Dystrophy Association.
No es la primera vez que Chaquico viene a tocar a nuestra área, pues además de haberse presentado en el parque Epcot, House of Blues y otros lugares en sus tiempos
con las bandas de rock, fue en Florida donde algunas de sus composiciones fueron lanzadas al éxito. “Toqué para la emisora de jazz WLOQ, y esa fue una de las primeras estaciones que
tocó mi música para guitarra”, recordó el intérprete. “Siempre he pensado que Florida y la WLOQ tuvieron mucho que ver con darme a conocer como solista, por eso me encanta venir a Florida”.
Entre las canciones que interpretará en su concierto en Casselberry, el artista cita, además de varios números de su época con Jefferson Starship y Starship, canciones de gran influencia latina de su repertorio.“Mi canción Café carnaval,
(((•))) GATHERING OF THE TRIBES
que estuvo en el primer lugar en la radio, un poco que desafía la lógica, pues lleva guitarra eléctrica, y se piensa que el jazz no puede tocarse con guitarra eléctrica, pero yo le puse una”, explica como si se tratara de una travesura. “Esa canción tiene una instrumentación muy latina”.
También su pieza Luminosa, de la que afirma inventó la palabra para referirse “a la luz que brilla en todos nosotros. Algunos tienen esa luz más fuerte, nosotros iluminamos a los demás y los demás nos iluminan a nosotros, a veces sin siquiera darse cuenta”.
(((•))) FORBIDDEN LOVE
Otra de sus piezas con sonoridad latina es Forbiden Love, inspirada en una anécdota personal.
“Yo estaba tocando en un país donde no se hablaba inglés y me encontraba lejos en el Día de San Valentín”, relata el guitarrista. “No estaba tan triste como aquellos que compusieron los fados”, aclara riendo. “Pero echaba de menos a mi esposa. Entonces le compré una tarjeta muy bonita que tenía un corazón, pero estaba escrita en español. Pensé que a veces mi esposa y yo no entendíamos lo que decíamos, aunque los dos habláramos inglés, pero siempre entendíamos el idioma del amor”, recuerda el músico. Por cierto, que luego se enteró de que el mensaje de la tarjeta que envió a su esposa decía “Para el hombre que amo”.
También está inspirada por la experiencia de sus padres, quienes procedentes de dos regiones diferentes y antagónicas de Portugal: las islas en el caso de su madre, y tierra adentro en el de su padre, habían sido advertidos de que no debían unirse.
“Pero ellos escucharon a sus corazones y no las reglas de la cultura”, dijo Chaquico. “Y por eso estoy aquí”, concluyó
09.20.2015 – Craig Plays The National Anthem for Raiders and Ravens fans at O.Co Coliseum, The Black Hole, Oakland, California.
09.20.15 Craig beamed down to the Raider Nation mothership in Oakland, California, and played the National Anthem for 55,000 Raiders and Ravens fans at O.Co Coliseum Live and on the huge Jumbotron! Fantastic game between two tremendous teams! 37-33 RAIDERS. This was Craig’s first Live performance with the very first Kiesel/Carvin Aries A6 Model ever shipped. This one was made especially in time for the game to Craig’s own specifications and it came direct from the hands, heart and soul of the Kiesel family’s exquisite trademark guitar-building craftsmanship, tradition, herritage, modern inovation, intelligent design, and commitment to excellence. “MY NEW KIESEL ARIES A6 SURE SOUNDS GREAT PLUGGED STRAIGHT INTO A COLISEUM AND WHENEVER I PLAY IT LIVE AT AN NFL GAME FOR 55,000 FOOTBALL FANS THE RAIDERS ALWAYS WIN!” – Craig
(((•))) Click Here! For CRAIG’S LIVE ANTHEM VIDEO PERFORMANCE – Sept, 20, 2015!
Craig and Mark with Craig holding his Jimi Dunlop (Benicia, California/Raider Nation) special good luck Raiders guitar pick he used for the Anthem. Raiders won! Great contest between two incredible teams!
(((•))) Click Here for Raiderettes 2015
Some photos courtesy of the Oakland Raiders and the NFL
08.16.15 Celebrating the 40th Anniversary of Red Octopus the September 2015 issue of Guitar Player magazine features an exclusive interview with Craig about recording this iconic, multi-platinum, best-selling Jefferson Starship album ever. Craig is the only original founding member and songwriter on all of the Jefferson Starship and Starship classic hits and anthems of both the ’70s and ’80s.
(((•))) MIRACLES from the #1 Red Octopus by Jefferson Starship
(((•))) FAST BUCK FREDDIE from the #1 Red Octopus by Jefferson Starship
07.31.15
Craig and his national touring band celebrated smooth jazz and Craig’s 40th anniversary of Jefferson Starship’s best-selling album, Red Octopus, at the legendary Hyatt Regency Newport Beach Summer Concert Series in California. Performing to a packed house on a starry night, complete with a blue moon floating on a summer breeze, Craig played his favorite hits from his Jefferson Starship and Starship days along with his instrumental hits and a touch of blues.
ALSO AT THE CONCERT
“…GITC conducted a Live auction, including a Craig Chaquico signed guitar, that brought in $6000 to GITC programs!”
Artists Join GITC as Advocates and Supporters!
The last few months have seen some magnificent artist advocacy happening through concerts, live events and social media from our superstars. Cody Lovaas finished up five school concerts just before schol ended for the summer including one at our Title I for the Arts pilot school, Normal Heights Elementary and one at our Turnaround Arts school, Luther Burbank Elementary. And Brent Paschke, guitarist for Pharrell along with GRAMMY award 
winning fingerstyle master Laurence Juber (formerly of Wings) helped GITC founder Jess Baron co-teach an all-day workshop for K-5 music educators in Los Angeles Unified School District. Then in July, original Jefferson Starship, Starship lead guitarist and acoustic jazz wizard Craig Chaquico got busy educating fans about GITC on radio, television and stage… and just did a great concert, during which GITC conducted a Live auction, including a Craig Chaquico signed guitar, that brought in $6000 to GITC programs!”
We\ are excited to partner up with these passionate GITC artists to expand kids’ musical horizons. Thank you, Cody, Brent, Laurence and Craig and your managers for teaming up with us and our volunteers to make it all come together!
Laurie and Dan Decker (left: Lemon Grove Teacher of the Year and GITC faculty trainer) staffed our outreach booth at the Hyatt Newport Beach Concert Series with guitar hero Craig Chaquico headlining (who played an outrageously inspired show!) Below are Craig with Carey and Luciano Cameron whose donations will help GITC start four new programs in California, Oregon and North Carolina this fall!
Red Octopus, which included “Miracles” and “Fast Buck Freddy,” that Craig now plays in his set, was released on June 13, 1975, exactly 40 years ago this summer! Besides his more recent Billboard #1 Smooth Jazz hits, Craig is the only original founding member to actually appear on all the Jefferson Starship and Starship iconic hits and anthems during the glory years of the ’70s and ’80 so dont be surprised if Craig has a few more of his musical hit-song flashbacks on tour this year.
In keeping with the spirit of Craig’s Follow the Sun shows in exotic locations, and “...we only play the places we LOVE to play and that are fun for people to go to” this one always makes the list
06.13.15 The legendary Sweetwater Music Hall celebrates 40 years to the day Craig’s Jefferson Starship Red Octopus release, on June, 13, 1975, “…the greatest week of guitar players ever booked at Sweetwater” Thurs -SANTANA, Fri -MIKE CAMPBELLl (Tom Petty Heartbreaker) Sat -CRAIG CHAQUICO performs hits from all 5 decades of his chart topping guitar playing. (Click the Shows link above for more shows)
https://craigchaquico.com/events/sweetwater-40th-red-octopus-anniversary/
(((•))) Click here for promo video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJSNfXzdEEM
Touring as a Grammy-nominated solo artist earning his own Billboard #1s and awards, Craig is also the only original founding member, original lead guitarist and songwriter for Jefferson Starship and Starship – two of the most iconic bands from the ’70s and ’80s – who recorded on all of their original hits and biggest anthems including “Miracles,” “We Built This City,” “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now,” “Sara,” “Jane,” “Find Your Way Back,” “Runaway,” “Count On Me,” “Fast Buck Freddie,” “Ride The Tiger,” “Stranger,” “With Your Love,” and more…
06.20.15 BOOK SIGNING AND MINI-PERFORMANCE AT D.G. WILLS BOOKS, LA JOLLA
Craig will be joining editor, Dara Crockett, at D.G. Wills Books on June, 20 in La Jolla, California, to read from and sign Guitar Player: The Inside Story. Craig was one of the guitar players and national artists who graced the cover of Guitar Player in the ’70s and ’80s and is also proud to be featured along with stellar artists such as George Benson, Joe Perry, Steve Vai, Johnny Winter, Lee Retinour, Pat Metheny, B.B. King and many others as part of this historic and insightfully entertaining new book about the first two decades of the most successful guitar magazine ever.
Craig will happily play a song or two Live for the guests at D.G. Wills Books on his Carvin Craig Chaquico Signature Model guitar that he designed. “So consider yourself warned…” – Craig
Craig with father and daughter editing team, Dara and Jim Crockett. Photo: John Sievert
06.06.15 Craig has joined the Guitars in the Classroom Artist Team! Check out his blog page on the GITC website:http://www.guitarsintheclassroom.org/2015/05/craig-chaquico-joins-gitc-artist-team/
05.29.15 BOOK SIGNING EVENT AT BANANAS AT LARGE IN SAN RAFAEL, CALIFORNIA!
05.11.15 BOOK SIGNING AT BLOOMSBURY BOOKS IN ASHLAND, OREGON!
We really had a ter-RIFF-ic time at the very first booksigning at Bloomsbury Books in Ashland, Oregon! We were welcomed and made to feel at home by Susan and Greg and the gang. Thanks so much to them for hosting us at our own local, independent bookstore! And especially HUGE thank yous to everybody who came out to support the event on a rainy Oregon Monday evening.
We were told it was one of the best turnouts ever for a book signing there — if not THE best.
Craig played Live in-between readings and demonstrating how to manufacture a guitar pick from a recycled driver’s license (one of the things he was inspired to do as a youth from reading Guitar Player magazine!). On display during the evening, were some of Craig’s own rare, vintage issues of Guitar Player magazine dating from the ’60s to the ’80s.
5.11.15 Craig made an appearance at Bloomsbury Books, in Ashland, Oregon, as part of a tour for the new book, Guitar Player: The Inside Story of the First Two Decades of the Most Successful Guitar Magazine Ever! Joined by Dara Crockett, who co-edited the book, Craig read from his own story, displayed his own personal collection of vintage issues of the magazine going back to the 60s, answered questions, signed books and played a little guitar for the guests. It was outrageous fun for all! His next appearance on this tour will be 05-29-13 at 6:30pm at Bananas At Large in San Rafael, California. See you there!
03.16.15 My new touring vocalist, Shaeny Celine Johnson, and I compare notes on my Jefferson Starship hit, JANE, in front of a packed house at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Lake Tahoe, Stateline, NV., on March 7. Read More for photos and review by Tim Parsons http://www.tahoeonstage.com/chaquico-concert-review/
03.03.15 Jim Crockett, publisher of Guitar Player Magazine in the ’70s and ’80s, along with Craig Chaquico, are interviewed by Robert Kinsler at the 2015 NAMM Show about the new book, GUITAR PLAYER: THE INSIDE STORY OF THE FIRST TWO DECADES OF THE MOST SUCCESSFUL GUITAR MAGAZINE EVER.
03.03.15 Supplemental: The Ginormous Hal Leonard Display and Booth at the Grand Anaheim Convention Center / NAMM mothership.
02.03.15 Craig is interviewed during NAMM Show 2015 at Hal Leonard booth by Robert Kinsler about NAMM, the original legendary ’70s Jefferson Starship’s last show in 1978, original Rubbers strap lock system, CARVIN, Guitar Player Magazine, inventing and previewing state-of-the-art gear at NAMM since the ’70s
02.03.15 NAMM Supplemental .01: Craig’s original 1970s RUBBERS strap lock system (from back in the 70s), and FENDER’s current 2015 STRAP BLOCKS system that FENDER recently just claimed is now, “The most reliable and hassle free instrument strap lock system ever devised.” is so COOL too finally see! Who woulda thunkit? From the 1970s, to the cover of the January 1982 issue of Guitar Player, to right here and right now. Back to the future today. (AREA-51 space/time travel butterfly-effect and harmonic ripple effect experiment)
02.03.15 NAMM Supplemental .02: Craig signs and answers questions at CARVIN booth
01.12.15 Check out the Carvin CC275 Craig Chaquico Signature Model Guitar Pages 70-71 in VINTAGE GUITAR MAGAZINE, FEB 2015 “14 Stellar Signature Guitars”
01.09.15 Craig’s Carvin CC275 Signature Model Guitar was featured in GUITAR PLAYER, JAN 2015 “Quick Guide to Signature Acoustics”
(Click Here) to see and hear – “The Changing Face of Videos: Trends That Can Build Buzz for Your Band
For the longer version of the whole interview as told to Del Hamilton for Musician’s Friend (Click Here) Jefferson State Vibes Jan 2015 issue Craig Chaquico
12.23.14 MUSICIAN’S FRIEND features a Live iPhone video of Craig playing VOODOO CHILD in concert with a his new lead singer along with Craig’s thoughts on the evolution of music video “The Changing Face of Videos“
JANE https://youtu.be/61QKAw2gbnU and VOODOO CHILD https://youtu.be/qA8g-KfL6-c
Craig’s new touring band and their first show Live together on stage was the first of 2 nights in concert at the Sundance Film Festival’s Historic Egyptian Theater, Park City Utah, Jan, 2014, and was captured here Live with no studio tricks, backing tracks, samples, or overdubs whatsoever by using an Apple iPhone in the balcony at the back of the house. (…you can actually hear the excellent soundman adjusting the D.I. and mic balance on Craig’s Carvin Bolt guitar and dialing it all in just right on-the-fly!) “…This is the most fun I’ve ever had playing music in this century and I can’t wait to do more!” -Craig
Shae Celine’s wn CD is available from iTunes and was produced by Narada Michael Waldon, (Multi-platinum producer for Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, Santana, etc., and producer of Starship’s #1 smash hit “Nothin’s Gonna Stop Us Now” with Craig, Grace Slick and Mickey Thomas)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJi9Wr9Ab3E Click link for Jefferson Stateship Laboratory Experiment #237, Reverse Engineered Alien Technology (code name: BEAMZ) State of Jefferson Area -51: Pilot Rock, Mt Shasta, Table Rocks sector.
