Al Staehely

1 Who is Al Staehely

Al Staehely has been writing and playing music for a long time. Born and raised in one of the world’s most influential music towns, Staehely often found great inspiration in the nooks and crannies of Austin’s musical landscape. His foray into instrumentation and songwriting began at an early age thanks in part to his mother’s love of good music. An injury in his early teens resulting from the intense heat of a typical Texas summer kept Staehely from further pursuing athletic endeavors. He soon found himself armed with a guitar, on loan from a cousin who most likely saw Staehely’s true potential, and learning the chords for Ricky Nelson’s “Poor Little Fool.”

What started out as a hobby, something to help pass the time, quickly turned into Staehely’s greatest pursuit. Throughout high school and college, Staehely played in a number of bands serving as frontman, bassist, guitar player, and songwriter. During his college years, one of Staehely’s bands had the supreme honor of playing backup for rock ‘n’ roll and blues legends such as Chuck Berry and Freddie King. And that was just the beginning.

Staehely is an unconventional guy and his career in music has a few fun twists. In the early ‘70s, Staehely earned his JD from the University of Texas at Austin. Rather than jump straight into practicing law, Staehely opted instead to tuck away his law degree and hop on the first plane to Los Angeles where he joined the well-established ‘60s rock band Spirit. Staehely took on the role of the band’s frontman, bassist, and principle songwriter. The Staehely-fronted incarnation of Spirit toured the world promoting their highly-acclaimed album Feedback. Once the band parted ways, Staehely and his also- musical brother wrote and released an album on Epic Records in 1973. From there Staehely continued to write songs and perform with a number of notable artists including John Cipollina and Nick Gravenites. He toured Europe, wrote songs, performed his work in front of thousands of people and still found time to cultivate his solo career.

2 Press

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3 Discography

Monkey Medicine - The Nick Gravenites Feedback - Spirit, 1972, Sta.Hay.Lee - The Staehely Bros., John Cipollina Band, Epic Records 1974, Epic Records 1982, Big Beat Records

Stahaley's Comet - Al Staehely, Rockpalast: West Coast Legends, Vol. 1 - Cadillac Cowboys - 1982, Polydor (previously only released in Europe; John Cipollina/Nick Gravenites Band, Al Staehely & The Explosives, re-released in 2011 in the U.S. by SteadyBoy Records 2009, Fresh Fruit 2013, SteadyBoy Records under the name "Al Staehely & 10K Hrs."

4 alstaehely.com twitter.com/alstaehelymusic Instagram.com/alstaehelymusic Al Staehely Facebook Page

Contact Monica Watkins Email: [email protected]

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