Eric Klemme originally hails from the southwest side of Chicago, where the neighborhood culture of rock and blues influenced him at an early age. After taking organ lessons as a child for two years, Eric’s parents gave up forcing him to practice and allowed him to pick his own instrument. Eric chose the electric guitar.Beginning with hard rock and metal in his early years, Eric gradually began working on classical and finger-style in the late 1980s. Eric studied with Jeff Kust, classical guitarist for the chamber music group of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra for several years while learning the basics of musical theory. He found the discipline of classical and finger-style music only made his rock and blues licks better.Eric’s love of blues rock has been influenced by greats such as Stevie Ray Vaughn, Billy Gibbon, Muddy Waters, B.B. King, Albert King, Buddy Guy, Mississippi John Hurt, just to name a few. In each performance, you can hear their inspiration in his playing.In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Eric went through a fervent period of songwriting, which led to the self-recorded album Guitar Classics in 1992. This “burst†of songwriting happened again in 2002 when Eric released his blues influenced Cars & Guitars and folk inspired For An Audience of One. A holiday album, Cosmopolitan Christmas was produced in late 2002 and Lowertown Electric was completed in 2003.From the beginning Eric has played in bands with friends and respected local musicians. His performances have ranged from intimate coffeehouse settings to outdoor concerts. In each case – one factor remained the same – Eric loves the energy that comes from playing live.In reality, Eric is actually a reverened, too. He served as an ordained lutheran pastor for over ten years. Due to gross polotics, he became burned out and left formal ministry. He is now a diversified individual serving as a professor of religious studies and philosophy, a facilitator for the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill, as well as a musician.
Theme created by: Mrs Behavin'
