BORN in Colorado USA, the son of a singer and an army officer, the family was posted to Germany in 1970. It was then that the dreams started. "I was on stage, playing. When I woke up, I wanted to feel what I felt in the dream," says Craig Calhoun. It was this that inspired Craig to teach himself guitar. It wasn't till the family returned to California that he discovered his true calling. "I saw someone slap and then said... yeah that's what I wanna do." Craig commenced a five
to six hours a day bass habit.
>> AIN'T IT FUNKY - there's no doubting the musical talents inherent in the Calhoun family. Vicki Calhoun can be heard
on Chilli Peppers & Fishbone CD's, Will Calhoun, the driving beat for Living Colour. Another Calhoun has called Australia home and this legend's known for his funky bass slap and monstrous groove <<
THE kid's bedroom soon became the stage, and the pages of destiny began to unfold. "It wasn't like your ordinary
De ja vu that lasts a few seconds, this lasted for minutes. I'd look around, all the faces where the same as those in my dream, years earlier:' The hands of fate took hold of Craig's career late one night in Southern California. We'd just finished a gig. These two guys walked in and said I'll give you $100 if you play another song another. The 18 year old slapper signed a 35 page contract, received a $9000 advance and whatever equipment his heart should desire.
"WE were flown to San Francisco, given two cars, a 16 track studio, two engineers, a five bedroom house and a weekly salary of $300 per week each. Just to show up at the studio from 11 am till 5pm five days a week writing songs.
We were just a local funk band. We were a unit that got signed and they felt the real talent was myself and the singer so for the album they started replacing the other members with top session players and adding horn & string arrangements. It became the case of, Mama look what there doing to my songs."AFTER fourteen months the Producer was caught embezzling money and it all came to a standstill, the album sounded nothing like us, so we went back to Southern California, It really crushed a couple of guys in the band, but I didn't expect the break to happen in the first place, so my motto was "C'est la vie".
ARMED with a wealth of knowledge in recording and producing he bought a one way ticket to Germany. Upon his arrival Craig went into
a music shop, played the bass, told them he was new in the country and looking for work. A few weeks later the funk meister got to do a European tour with the Supremes which ended in Holland.
THE Dutch government is supportive to the arts providing a circuit of youth centres. "I approached the centre and asked about a gig for the door if I got a band together. The first gig attracted thirteen people. Eventually it built up and became the nucleus of a new wave of Bands forming. I labelled my music Eurofunk.
IN 1982 Craig was offered the Classic recording deal. "It was classic because they assigned me a producer that knew a little about producing. Whistles, bells and warning signs had gone off for me. I rang the record company & told them it wasn't on.
The budget was almost gone and we hadn't even recorded the B side. Needless to say they didn't listen and once again
I was the victim of someone else's F#*k up."
A EUROPEAN tour with Dutch flautist Chris Hinze, pioneering World Music fusing funk bass, classical, flute, guitar, African and Indian percussion eventually brought Craig to Australia and an with an invite from Don Burrows to perform the major festivals.
CRAIG arrived in Perth early '85. "I didn't even know where Australia was."
The plane touched down at night and the doors opened. A warm breeze and eucalyptus smell drifted in. "I stepped off the plane and I felt in my heart I was home. At the hotel, I stayed up all night, waiting for the sunrise so I could see what it looked like." By the end of '86 Sydney became his home.
CRAIG was scooped up by Kevin Borich and in 1988 commenced corporate production and Jingle writing. Prompted by family and friends, Craig recorded his first solo CD, AIN'T IT FUNKY, which includes three live tracks with his band
The Brothers of OZ and cousin Will Calhoun on drums. The CD stirred a desire to produce new Australian acts.
Both recordings are now available in a complete makeover as part of a new series called CRAIG CALHOUN - SESSIONS.
Sydney's new live bands are currently enjoying the production talents and experience of the boy dreamer who's destiny continues to unravel in the town he now calls home.