Steve Barker/TELE RANCH: Bio

Hello!
After nearly 30 years of playing guitar professionally (part time) I decided to drop out of the band thing and came up with Tele Ranch, recordings involving myself and a computer. No musicians were harmed in the making of "Surf,Turf and Twang" or "Kind of Twang". A marvelous program called "Band in a Box" from PG Music provided all the accompaniment. I affectionately refer to the "band" as the Ditherie Dudes and they play their posteriors off. A friend heard one of my early recordings and recommended that I fire the piano player!
I've played Fender Telecasters almost exclusively since 1974, hence the name "Tele Ranch".
Thanks for visiting!
Steve Barker

Musical career highlights

Most bizarre gig: A dance for a wife swapping club. I thought I saw it all in college!
Worst gig: Air Force "Non Com" club. A large number of cadets chanted "Take a break!" after our first number. We had to play there the next night as well.
Scariest gig: The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado where many scenes from the movie "The Shining" were filmed. We had to lug our equipment through a dirt walled hallway which ran under the kitchen and deep into the bowels of the hotel. It was poorly illuminated by a few bare light bulbs hanging down from a cob webbed ceiling. I thought I saw a little kid on a tricycle.
Most fun on a road trip: Grand Junction, Colorado. When the 7 of us checked in at the motel one of the young ladies at the front desk asked if we were a rock band. Our sax player replied "Yea, we're gonna trash the place". After the clerks stopped giggling, I asked them if they had any sheep.
Oddest compliment: Team Christmas party for the Colorado Avalanche. One of the young hockey players from Russia approached our keyboard player during a break and stated "I don't understand your music. But I think my mother would appreciate it".