Timo Gross
Timo Gross (born July 19, 1964 in Hanover ) is a German guitarist , singer, composer and producer. After three decades with different projects and bands, he released his first album ("Down to the Delta") in 2005 and established himself in the German blues scene. Since then he has published several other CDs, tours Europe and is involved in various teaching activities with young musicians.
The way to the blues
Between 1979 and 1988 he learned to play the guitar as an autodidact during and after his school days in Bad Bergzabern at the grammar school in the Alfred Grosser School Center . This was followed by around four gigs a month with school and amateur bands; he was also a member of the Bad Bergzabern school orchestra.
In 1988 he began studying guitar at the Amsterdam University of the Arts with Christian Hassenstein , Henk Sprenger and Victor Kaihatou (ensemble), but left the Conservatory in Hilversum after two years due to regular engagements in various bands, mainly in the Rhine-Neckar and Palatinate area. At the same time he took up his first private teaching activities.
Country and hit phase
Between 1991 and 1994 Gross was on tour through Germany and neighboring countries. He played in the country band Hobo . This was followed by a record deal with Sony / Columbia Records with the band Speakeasy as well as two releases and various TV and live appearances.
From 1996 to 1998 he joined America's Most Wanted and played with Rolf Stahlhofen ( Söhne Mannheims ) all over Germany. During this time he worked as a studio guitarist in Ralf Zang Studios and Edo Zanki Studios in Mannheim and composed advertising music for AOK, Mercedes-Benz, Vebacom, BMG / Ariola and Bi. He played in El Topo and Dierks Studios in Cologne and in Winnie Ley in Sandhausen. This was followed by publications with Valentin Engel and Detlev Stiegert.
In 1998 he took over two musical directors: one for the pop singer André Stade , for whom he played in numerous television appearances, and for the R&B , soul and hip-hop association Cozmic Soul . By 2002 he made over 350 appearances with the latter formation and established a weekly event in the Karlsruhe night café; from 2003 he could be heard at a weekly Soulnight in the Kulturwerk Walldorf session with Cozmic Soul . In 1999 he received the South Palatinate Music Prize for his involvement in the regional music scene. In the same year he produced a CD with the boy band Bed and Breakfast (Polydor).
In the 2000s, Gross started as a guitarist in the Renee Walker Band , with whom he toured at home and abroad. He also produced an album with the trip-hop band Nonex , with whom he was also on tour. In 2001 he took over the musical direction for Kathy Kelly . In 2002 he was seen on TV with Gunter Gabriel , followed by appearances with Larry Garner (Blues) and the release of the maxi CD Be Yourself with the Renee Walker Band. A tour with the Boogaloo Kings through Austria, Switzerland and Germany as well as the release of the album Leaving Las Vegas followed. Gross established the monthly blues lounge in the Mannheim Capitol.
Own projects and increased teaching activities
After around 25 years in the music business, Timo Gross began producing his debut album Down to the Delta in 2004 (released in 2005). Bluesnews magazine voted the CD album of the month in March 2005. This was followed by positive reviews all over Europe and concerts in Germany , Switzerland and France . Among other things, Timo Gross played with his band (Frowin Ickler on bass and Michael Siegwart on drums) at Europe's largest blues festival in Gaildorf. Stumble Records released The Bluesnews Collection Vol. IV with titles by Timo Gross. The 100 or so performances until the end of the year included duo concerts with Chicago blues legend Jim Kahr.
At the same time he produced for the pop singer Tim Capri and was a lecturer at the youth music school Bad Schönborn (until 2007). His monthly blues lounge in Mannheim, meanwhile, featured star guests such as Laith al-Deen , Grönemeyer guitarist Stephan Zobeley, Markus Tiedemann (Six was Nine), Jim Kahr , Kosho ( Söhne Mannheims ) and Andreas Schmid-Martelle ( Jule Neigel ) - Timo Gross played with them all.
In 2006 he performed at the Musikmesse in Frankfurt. This year Timo Gross toured Europe with his album and played several duo concerts with Kosho ( Söhne Mannheims ), among others . In the same year he organized the "Blues & Roots" festival in Pleisweiler for the first time, which has taken place every year since then.
Timo Gross' song Trouble was released on the sampler Showbiz Blues (Dude Records) , the Blues Lounge moved to Ludwigshafen am Rhein and has since taken place in “dasHaus”. Among other things, he made advertisements for Blade Guitars in the specialist and blues press. The Bluesnews did a big interview with him.
His second album Travellin ' (2007) also did well in the international press. This was followed by radio missions and radio interviews with, among others, Deutschlandfunk and SWR . The Timo Gross Band was the first German blues band to tour Scotland and England for 14 days. He played again at the Blues Festival in Gaildorf.
With his third album Desire , Timo Gross switched to the ZYX / Pepper Cake label in 2009, which included and published its first two albums in its catalog that same year. With Desire he played a tour of Germany with over 30 dates, and then toured Scotland for the third time, playing in Glasgow and Edinburgh. He was also a guest at the “Blues au chateau” festival in Brittany. He also played at the Maryport Blues Festival in England and returned to Scotland for a short tour in the late year .
The song Travellin ' appeared on the Blues highway companion Vol. 1 on 272 records in the USA. Timo Gross played various duo concerts with Richie Arndt and Gregor Hilden and recorded his next album The Vineyard Sessions with both of them in 2009 . A tour of Germany followed. His song Sweet Love appeared on the sampler Blues Ballads by ZYX / Pepper Cake. In the late year he was chosen as a finalist in the German Blues Challenge in Eutin .
In 2010 his first live album Road Worn was released , recorded in the Blues Club Baden-Baden - it was nominated for the German Record Critics' Prize. His piece 500 Miles appeared on the accompanying sampler of Akustik Guitar magazine , which also presented the tour to The Vineyard Sessions and published a tour diary by Timo Gross. In 2010 The Vineyard Sessions Vol. II was released - this time with Richie Arndt and Alex Conti (Lake, Hamburg Blues Band, Atlantis). It was nominated as the second Timo Gross album in one year for the German Record Critics' Prize.
In summer 2011 Timo Gross played with his band and well-known guests at the Blues Festival in Lahnstein , the most famous of its kind in Germany.
Teaching activities and youth work
In 1996 Timo Gross came to the Blue Music School in Landau in the Palatinate and the Palatinate Music School in Neustadt / Weinstrasse. There he gave individual and group lessons and took on the first band coaching, including for epark in Munich (until 2001).
In 2004 he received an engagement at the State Museum for Work and Technology in Mannheim . There the exhibition “Electric Guitars” took place, for which he completed around 30 appointments with workshops and concerts that he had designed himself. In 2006 , Professor Udo Dahmen from the Popakademie Mannheim certified Timo Gross artistic maturity - he then founded his own guitar institute in Landau and Bad Bergzabern ; He also became a lecturer in band coaching at the Alfred Grosser School Center in Bad Bergzabern. In 2007 he began working as musical director for the Nibelungenhorde association in Worms .
In parallel to his own projects, Timo Gross took on working with up-and-coming blues musicians during this time. As producer, arranger and guitarist he worked on the debut album Come closer by Johnny Rieger.
With the Nibelungenhorde , Timo Gross immersed himself in theater music and once again arranged various pieces for the current production in a summer workshop with young musicians - including in 2010 for the piece Die Winterreise , for which he also set film works for the first time. In addition, Timo Gross was a lecturer at the EU project “Eurockulture” in Saverne, France.
Discography
- 2005 Down to the Delta
- 2007 travellin '
- 2008 Desire (ZYX / Pepper Cake)
- 2009 The Vineyard Sessions (Fuego; with Richie Arndt and Gregor Hilden)
- 2010 Road Worn (ZYX / Pepper Cake; live)
- 2010 The Vineyard Sessions Vol. II (Fuego, with Richie Arndt and Alex Conti )
- 2011 Fallen From Grace (ZYX / Pepper Cake) - PdSK -Bestlist 2/2012
- 2013 Landmarks (Fuego)
- 2014 It's All About Love (in-akustik)
- 2016 Heavy Soul (Grand Cru Records)
Festivals and special concerts
- Blues au chateau (Brittany)
- Gaildorf Blues Festival
- Maryport Blues Festival (England)
- Lahnsteiner Blues Festival
- Saarbrücken am Schloss (four times in a row)
- Mannheim Central Station
- Jazz in the square (Mannheim)
- Idstein Jazz Festival
Prizes and awards
- 1991 Winner of the composition competition of the musician magazine "Solo" ( Heinz Rebellius )
- 1999 South Palatinate Musician Prize
- 2005 Down to the Delta is album of the month for March in the magazine "Bluesnews"
- 2009 finalist at the German Blues Challenge in Eutin
- 2010 Winner of the month January of the Line6 Live Awards
- 2010 albums Road Worn and The Vineyard Sessions Vol. II nominated for the German Record Critics' Prize
Endorsements and sponsorships
- 2005 Blade Guitars, ProArte Fine Acoustics
- 2006 Amistar Resonator Guitars, Peavey Sound Systems, Levys Fine Leather
- 2007 fashion from energy
- 2008 Rotosound Strings, Fashion by Riot Creations, Blueridge Guitars
- 2009 Vox amplifier
Individual evidence
- ↑ http://www.fuego.de/album/?ean=4006180235009
- ↑ http://www.schallplattenkritik.de/component/content/article/79-bestenlisten-2012/524-bestenliste-2-2012
Web links
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Gross, Timo |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | German guitarist, singer, composer and producer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | July 19, 1964 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Hanover |