[ K E V I N  T R A I N O R ]


 Kevin Trainor was born in 1958 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He started playing guitar at age 12. At 15 he was invited to play with Sonny Terry and Brownie McGee, the great bluesman, at the Cellar Door in Washington, D.C., which marked the start of his professional career. Throughout his teens he played in various blues bands in the seaside towns of New Jersey. At 18, Kevin moved to New York to attend Columbia University, where he soon formed two bands: Needle Dik and Elmo and the Doobers. Needle Dik, primarily a blues band, performed at many New York clubs 

(CBGB's, Mudd Club. etc.) and had the distinction of appearing with famous New York performers, notably Lou Reed. At the same time Elmo and the Doobers found a home at Rober's Restaurant in the Hell Kitchen neighborhood, where the then undiscovered Bruce Willis was the bartender and a frequent guest harmonica. Aroun this time Kevin met the great lef-handed drummer and pianist Howie Wyeth, who is best known for his works with Bob Dylan's Rolling Thunder Revue. Howie would prove to be one of Kevin's greatest mentors, both for his exquisite sense of time and musical humor. They performed for 5 years together with Barbeque Bob and the Spareribs, appearing with Roy Buchanan, Danny Gatton and many others, including a memorable stint backing up blues legend Paul Butterfield shortly before his death. Shortly thereafter, Kevin started his own band, Surreal McCoys, whose brand of psychedelic country made them 'the house band of New York' in the 80's. In 1986, they won the Marlboro Country Music Award, appearing with country stars Merle Haggard, Alabama and Ricky Skaggs. Years of musical accomplishment followed: appearances with Dicky Betts, Jerry Lee Lewis, The New Riders and others were mixed with gigs backing up stars such Otis Blackwell (who wrote many of Elvis Presley's hits) and Carole King. At the same time Surreal McCoys, along with bands such as the Worms, paved the way for their proteges Blues Traveller and The Spin Doctors. In fact, John Popper, Joan Osborne and others performed frequently with Kevin and vice versa. (Kevin appears on Blues Traveller's first album and Joan Osborne's 2nd album; while John Popper appears on Kevin's CD). This musically fertile period of the New York music scene also found Kevin playing in the Dogs, comprised of members of Mumbo Gumbo, Surreal McCoys, The Worms and others. In the early 90's Kevin began playing, singing and writing with The 5 Chinese Brothers, about whom the Washington Post said, 'They're city slickers with a country heart, and they outshine most of what comes out of Nashville without even trying'. He appeared on thei CD's Singer, Songwiter, Beggarman, Thief and Stone Soup. Also during this time Kevin performed with the Nice Boys From New York appearing on their CD's: Nice Boys from New York and Countrytime and touring Zurich, Paris, Amsterdam and Copenhagen and performing at the country music festival in Mirande, France. In 1994, Kevin moved to Durango, Colorado to pursue his love of the outdoors. He continued playing music with the bluegrass band The Blue Moon Ramblers featuring 7-string Dobro player J.J. Monroe, formerly of Glen Cambell's band. He also began performing more often as a solo artist, opening shows for George Jones and Jono Manson. He currently resides in Denver, Colorado, performing as a solo artist and appearing as a session player on many local band's CD. He is currently at work on a soundtrack for a BBC Documentary, Quest of the Carib Canoe

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