Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/784242
Alan Anthony Silvestri was born in Manhattan and grew up in Teaneck, New Jersey. His first instrument was the drums, which he played in local bands, even landing some New York ses- sion work at age 15. He also played saxophone and bassoon in high school, but "I wasn't very good at it," he recalls. "But somehow it all made sense to me." One Christmas, he found a $15 guitar and a Mel Bay instruction book under the tree. "I loved it and sold the drum kit," he says. From Jazz to Soul Silvestri's ambition was to be a bebop guitar player and to that end he attended a summer program at Boston's Berklee School of Music. "It was a unique place run by living, working jazz artists and I fell in love with it," he says. "I went back after high school and stayed for almost two years." Then came a call from Las Vegas. The guitarist for Wayne Cochran ("The White Knight of Soul") and the CC Riders was leaving…would Silvestri be interested in the gig? "I flew to Vegas and went to work with the band at the Flamingo Lounge," Silvestri says. "It was a very cool time. Woody Herman and Ike and Tina [ Turner] were playing there. I lived in an apartment building with Jerry Lee Lewis on the floor below me and the Ikettes above." After the Vegas stand, the band hit the road, but the guitarist decided it was a zero-sum game. He left, eventually finding his way to Los Angeles, and found himself immersed in the world of composing music for films, beginning with 1972s' "The Doberman Gang." "That led to TV work, and more films," he says. "I can't name the last live gig I played." Hello to Hollywood Perhaps the most fortuitous day of Silvestri's career was the one he met director Robert Zemeckis. Their fruitful collaboration began with 1984s' "Romancing the Stone," and continues to this day. The composer has produced some of (top) Silvestri's first career aspiration was to be a bebop guitarist. (bottom) First band: Alan on drums, sister Betty on accordion and dad Lou on guitar. Photos: Courtesy of Silvestri Family Collection 158 C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • W I N T E R 2 0 1 7