We recently connected with Jimmy Khoury and have shared our conversation below.
Jimmy, appreciate you joining us today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?
One day in 1973, when I was six years old, it hit me. It was clear that my life is music and will be dedicated to music forever. My whole family is very musical and I knew that the guitar was my instrument, because everyone else in the family played piano and are singers. In the 70’s, the guitar was pretty much the Hammer in rock music. We had guitar, bass, drums, keyboards and vocals. That was the quintessential line up. So many great bands and so many places to play.
The sounds and equipment from the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s are still today extremely relevant. In my opinion, there is nothing in the world like a Les Paul or Stratocaster screaming through a Marshall amplifier. Studio preamps, equalizers and compressors from yesteryear are still very sought after today and have become collectable.
The sounds of guitar still ring in my ears today, 51 years after I decided to live my dream which quickly became reality.
I started making decent money in 1978 when I was eleven years old. I played in a band named “Century” and we played the proverbial weddings, parties, ETC…..LOL!!! Sometimes when I’m in New England now and come upon these places, I get chills.
It is surreal in a way because I swear that I am the very same guitarist as I was back then, just way more refined. The sounds I heard in my head back then are many of the sounds that I often realize here today, depending on which style that I am playing in the moment. I suppose that these sounds will never leave us and that they truly are a part of our DNA.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
When I came to LA in 1987, it was clear that the center of the guitar universe was here. The latest technology was being applied here, the best technical minds were here in LA and I knew that I had come to the right place. It would’ve been much easier to travel down route 95 for about 195 miles from Fall River, MA to New York City but Los Angeles was calling.
Musicians Institute was the place I landed first. The Guitar Institute of Technology was a hot bed for players who sought to grow their skills. In one year I studied with Keith Wyatt, Steve Travato, Allen Hinds and Scott Henderson,
I got to pick the brains of Howard Roberts and Tommy Tedesco, two of the most recorded guitarists in history, among many other great players. I learned so much about how our industry works and intertwines with life. Creatives move differently and we become even more sensitive as we grow. I am happy to say that I am still learning about life, music and the music industry. How do we continue to thrive in a changing creative and entertainment mecca. Because as soon as you think that you’ve got the answer, nature changes the question.
Whenever I work with a great singer or a group of talented people, I always bring 45 years of professional experience of playing guitar, writing, rehearsing, performing and ultimately recording to the table. Let alone working through sound issues or scheduling conflicts that always seem to pop up.project I’m working with. The show must go on!
What I really excel in is developing a song from an idea to a song, complete with dynamics and vibe. It has an arch and an appropriate ending. It’s emotional, whether it makes you cry or dance. I know that a song is good when we can play it with an acoustic guitar or piano and a vocal and get the same reaction as we would with a produced piece. Putting those emotional puzzles together really wake me up. Along with some coffee of course. LOL!!!
Just in 2021 alone, I played 130 shows with the 27 Show in Las Vegas and simultaneously produced and recorded an album with Joan Jones and David Reitzas. Which meant that I had to get myself back and forth to Las Vegas from LA 32 times! Yes, 64 legs of travel for 2 commitments but, I did not miss one show, rehearsal, writing session or recording session! Very Grateful!
I am eternally grateful for the opportunity to prove myself on every level and at every turn. Whether it be a simple club gig or a huge session or a show with an artist like Beth Hart or Wilson Phillips or it be a writing/recording session with the Transcenders to score “JOEY” or Making records and videos with Ashenmoon and Dave Reitzas. I am grateful for all of the lessons that I have learned with all of these talented people that I’ve worked with.
I remember in 1982, Jimmy Page from Led Zeppelin scored Death Wish Two, a famous trilogy of movies starring Charles Bronson. I thought to myself then that it would be so interesting to score to picture. In 2002,I found that I had a knack for it and was lucky enough to get many jobs in scoring. Honda TV commercials, a Tabasco Superbowl Advertisement with the Transcenders, We TV’s The Locator and One Day In Africa and A Map For Saturday, two documentaries by Brooke Silva-Braga, among many others.
I composed and recorded 3400 classic rock and modern rock music beds for IHEART MEDIA for 13 years.
The 10,000 hour rule at this stage of my life has taken effect in four different areas; writing, rehearsing, recording and performing. So grateful!!!
To this day, I am most proud of being able to live my life and be successful without it being at all costs. My priorities now are my faith, my wife and family and then comes the guitar and the industry.
Have you ever had to pivot?
As artists, we must change with life because nature is always posing different challenges. In the year 2000, I got off of the road after a long decade of touring and climbing up the ladder. I remember one day on the tour bus, the band was spent and extremely tired. We had traveled across America several times and then through Europe and South Africa. I found myself pacing, very pensive and thinking very about my life. I knew that day on the bus at the end of that run that things had to change.I wanted to write more and seek new opportunities to grow.
I thought to myself that after a decade of touring and being in a pretty successful band that I’d be able to “just get another gig” at anytime that I wanted too. Nope! I for some reason didn’t get another real gig for two years! I couldn’t believe it! Not that I deserve anything but, what the heck, we had just accomplished a lot.
So, my best friend, Dave Reitzas- 7 time Grammy winning engineer/mixer/producer- begged me to get a computer with home recording gear. NO!!!!! I’m not doing it, I’ll never leave the house again! One day in 2002, I heard a knock on the door, I opened it up to find Joe Barresi, one of the greatest Rock engineer/producers of all time standing there with his old MAC in his hands. “Here you go JIm, set it up”. I didn’t know what to do, cry in laughter or cry about having to set it up! Well, I was right! I didn’t leave the house from 2002 to 2013!!! Eleven years. It took Joan Jones to get me of the house and out to the desert to play where she was booked a lot.
Once I put my studio together, it was the most magical pivot that I could’ve made at that time. I learned to be computer literate, I became a much better musician working here and listening to my tracks over and over and when you listen back and perfect what you are working on, It’s like an athlete who watches themselves on video to perfect their technique. You get profoundly better! I became a darn good bassist, writer/composer and very capable with ProTools and recording. I love my studio and the peace I get here. It’s great to open the windows and dive in.
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
At 56 years old, my goal and mission with music and guitar is to make the best music that I’ve ever made and it is happening!!! I am playing better than I’ve ever played and writing songs with people that I really respect like Bernie Barlow and Joan Jones. Recently, I’ve done a few sessions with Toss Panos, an LA session drummer whom I’ve always admired. I love playing with the best, they bring out the best in me. I have no plans on ever retiring because with music, we don’t have too. I seem to be writing a lot of blues these days, I have this dream of being an old blues rock guitarist who has seen and heard enough to know what the blues really means. I still dream about rock shows and the making of records. I know that with art, it thrives as long as we feed it. Much like plants. Many elements must be right…a good balance of love, healthy food and practicing the ancient art of yoga and music, keeps my guitar in tune.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/jimmykguitars?utm_source=qr
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimmy-khoury-66480636?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app
Image Credits
Images provided by Gina Chick and Stratosphere Music