Amos Garrett

Garrett, Amos

Amos Garrett. Guitarist, singer, trombonist, b Detroit 26 Nov 1941. He was taken at five to Toronto, where he studied trombone at the RCMT, and then at 12 to Montreal, where he began playing guitar. Returning to Toronto in 1962 after schooling in the USA, he was a member 1964-7 of a popular folk-rock group, the Dirty Shames, and played lead guitar 1968-70 for Ian and Sylvia (appearing on their groundbreaking country-rock LP, Great Speckled Bird). Moving to Woodstock, NY, in 1970, Garrett toured and/or recorded with Maria Muldaur, Paul Butterfield's Better Days, Todd Rundgren, Jessie Winchester, and others. His slippery, insinuatingly melodic solo on Muldaur's 1974 hit 'Midnight at the Oasis' (included on Maria Muldaur, Warner MS-2148) is considered a classic of its kind and is typical of the style that has been highly influential on other pop, rock and blues guitarists.

After two years in Boston, Garrett lived 1976-89 in the San Francisco area. He continued with Maria Muldaur until 1978, worked as a studio guitarist, and toured on the US and Canadian R&B club circuit, eventually forming an Alberta-based band, the Eh! Team. Garrett had five albums issued 1978-88 in Canada under the Edmonton label Stony Plain: Amos Garrett & Geoff Muldaur (SPFF-1012), Go Cat Go (SPL-1034), Amosbehavin' (SPL-1053), The Return of the Formerly Brothers (SPL-1104), and I Make My Home in My Shoes (SPL-1132). The second-last, a collaboration with the singer, guitarist and organist Doug Sahm and the pianist Gene Taylor, received the inaugural Juno Award for best roots/traditional album in 1989. That same year Garrett took up residence in Turner Valley, near Calgary. The Garrett/Sahm/Taylor band recorded a second album, Live in Japan (SPCD-1164), in 1990. Garrett's discography also includes recordings as an accompanist to Rodney Crowell, Emmylou Harris, Anne Murray, and Bonnie Raitt.