Ralph Towner 's biography |  United States

Biography

Guitarist and composer Ralph Towner was born in Chehalis, Washington, in 1940, to musician parents. He majored in composition at the University of Oregon. In 1960, he moved to Vienna to study classical guitar with Karl Scheit. In 1968, he moved to New York, where he played with the Paul Winter Consort. Together with Paul McCandless, Glen Moore and Collin Walcott, he founded his acclaimed band Oregon. In 1972, Towner met ECM’s producer Manfred Eicher, who enabled him to further develop Oregon and collaborate with 1970s jazz icons. Released in 1980, the album Solo Concert reflects this spirit. Later, Towner recorded two solo albums, Ana and Anthem, and others such as Oracle and A Closer View, with a vibrating sound augmented by Gary Peacock’s bass.

Sadly, in 1984, percussionist Collin Walcott died in a traffic accident while on tour in Germany. Although Towner and McCandless walked away unscathed from the tragedy, they found it impossible for the band to continue without their colleague and friend. However, some years later, percussionist Trilok Gurtu and then Mark Walker proved them that Oregon’s energy was still alive and that they could expand the band’s vision. In 2000, the new ensemble released Oregon in Moscow, a double CD recorded by the Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra, which earned them four Grammy nominations.