Trevor Rabin facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Trevor Rabin
|
|
|---|---|
.jpg)
Rabin performing with Yes featuring ARW in 2018
|
|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Trevor Charles Rabin |
| Born | 13 January 1954 Johannesburg, South Africa |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) |
|
| Instruments |
|
| Years active | 1972–present |
| Labels | |
Trevor Charles Rabin (born January 13, 1954) is a talented musician, songwriter, and film composer from South Africa. He grew up in Johannesburg in a family full of musicians. Trevor started playing the piano and guitar when he was very young. He became a session musician, which means he played music for many different artists and helped produce their songs.
In 1972, Trevor joined a rock band called Rabbitt. They became very popular in South Africa. He also released his first solo album, Beginnings, around this time. In 1978, Trevor moved to London to grow his music career. He worked as a solo artist and produced music for other artists, including Manfred Mann's Earth Band.
After moving to Los Angeles in 1981, Trevor became famous as the guitarist for the progressive rock band Yes. He was with the band from 1983 to 1995. His first album with Yes, 90125 (released in 1983), is their best-selling album ever. It included the hit song "Owner of a Lonely Heart", which reached number one in the US. After working on albums like Big Generator (1987) and Union (1991), Trevor produced Talk (1994) before leaving the band. During his time with Yes, Trevor also became an American citizen.
Trevor Rabin then became a very successful film composer. He has written music for over forty movies, often working with producer Jerry Bruckheimer. He has won many awards for his film scores. In 2012, he took a short break from movies to record his fifth solo album, Jacaranda. In 2016, he toured and recorded with a new version of Yes, called Yes Featuring Jon Anderson, Trevor Rabin, Rick Wakeman. In 2017, Trevor was honored by being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Yes. He also created the famous theme songs for NBA on TNT and MLB on TBS.
Contents
Trevor Rabin's Early Life
Trevor Rabin was born on January 13, 1954, in Johannesburg, South Africa. His family was very musical. His mother, Joy, was a painter, dancer, actress, and classical pianist. His father, Godfrey, was a lawyer, musician, conductor, and the main violinist in the Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestra. They met while serving in the South African army's entertainment group. Trevor's paternal great-grandfather was a Lithuanian Jew who was a cantor (a singer in a synagogue). His grandfather was a kosher butcher. Trevor's uncle Morrie Rabin was a piano teacher. Trevor has an older brother named Derek. His family was strongly against apartheid, which was a system of racial segregation in South Africa. Trevor's mother converted to Judaism, and his family celebrated Jewish holidays.
Trevor went to Parktown Boys' High School in Johannesburg. He started playing the piano at age six. He remembers practicing an hour a day for twelve years, whether he liked it or not. When he was twelve, he began teaching himself the guitar. He never had a formal guitar lesson. A year later, he played in a band called The Other. He then formed Conglomeration and later joined Freedom's Children. He wrote their song "State of Fear" and toured the country with them. For several months, Trevor studied music arrangement, orchestration, and conducting. He wanted to be a conductor, but he decided to pursue a career in rock music instead.
At sixteen, a local record producer discovered Trevor. He became a session musician, playing many different music styles. These included jazz, country, classical, and more. He was influenced by artists like Hank Marvin, The Beatles, and Jimi Hendrix. At nineteen, Trevor had to serve a mandatory year in the South African Army. He worked in their entertainment division, arranging music for a big band and performing in a rock group. He also did outside session work at Gallo Record Company. In 1972, Trevor bought his first Fender Stratocaster guitar.
Trevor Rabin's Music Career
Early Bands and Solo Work (1972–1978)
In 1972, Trevor reunited with his old bandmates from Conglomeration. They formed a rock band called Rabbitt. The band included drummer Neil Cloud, bassist Ronnie Robot, and singer/keyboardist/guitarist Duncan Faure. Their first song was a cover of "Locomotive Breath" by Jethro Tull. A new version of this song appeared on their first album, Boys Will Be Boys, released in 1975. Trevor won an award for his orchestral arrangements on this album in 1975. Rabbitt also won a SARI (South African Recording Industry) Award for Best Contemporary Music Artist in 1976.
Rabbitt's second album, A Croak and a Grunt in the Night, came out in 1977. Later that year, Trevor won another SARI Award for producing the album. Rabbitt also won their second award for Best Contemporary Music Artist. Trevor also produced and arranged Margaret Singana's album Where is the Love (1976). As a session musician, he released two albums under the name Trevor Terblanche. He also produced several disco projects.
In 1977, Trevor recorded and released his first solo album, Beginnings. He recorded it in about six and a half weeks in Johannesburg. He played all the instruments himself, except for the drums. Rabbitt signed a deal with a US record label, Capricorn Records, in 1977. However, they could not tour outside South Africa because of the international disapproval of apartheid. This situation made Trevor decide to leave the country. He had also scored his first movie by this time, a 1978 film called Death of a Snowman.
Moving to London and Los Angeles (1978–1982)
In January 1978, Trevor Rabin moved to London to continue his solo career. He signed a record deal with Chrysalis Records. In September 1978, they re-released his first solo album under the name Trevor Rabin. The album was remixed and included some new songs. Billboard magazine gave it a good review. Later in 1978, Trevor produced and played on Noel McCalla's first album.
In 1979, Trevor released his second solo album, Face to Face. He toured the UK to promote it, opening for guitarist Steve Hillage. Rolling Stone magazine praised the technical quality of his first two albums. That same year, he co-produced the first album by Wild Horses. In 1980, Trevor played guitar and co-produced Chance by Manfred Mann's Earth Band.
Wolf, Trevor's third solo album for Chrysalis, came out in 1980. He co-produced it with Ray Davies. Trevor sang lead vocals and played guitars and keyboards. Other musicians, like drummer Simon Phillips, also helped. After this album, Trevor left Chrysalis because he felt they didn't promote his music enough. During this time, Trevor also played guitar on two songs for Manfred Mann's Earth Band's album Somewhere in Afrika (1983).
In 1981, Trevor moved to Los Angeles. He started working on songs for a fourth solo album. He even met with musicians who would form the supergroup Asia, but his songs didn't fit their style. He also considered forming a supergroup with singer John Wetton, drummer Carl Palmer, and keyboardist Rick Wakeman, but it didn't happen. Trevor sent his new songs to various record labels. He eventually decided to work with bassist Chris Squire and drummer Alan White, who were both from the band Yes.
Joining Yes and Solo Success (1982–1995)
In late 1982, Trevor, Chris Squire, and Alan White formed a band called Cinema. They also included original Yes keyboardist Tony Kaye. They recorded the album 90125 with former Yes singer Trevor Horn as producer. Most of the album was based on Trevor Rabin's song ideas. The music had a more commercial sound, different from Yes's earlier progressive rock style. While mixing the album in 1983, former Yes singer Jon Anderson joined to sing on the album. This led to the group becoming a reformed version of Yes. Trevor was unsure about this, as he felt the new music was different from what Yes was known for.
90125 was released in 1983 and became the band's best-selling album. It sold three million copies in the US. The main song, "Owner of a Lonely Heart", written by Trevor, reached number one on the Billboard charts. Yes toured for the album in 1984 and 1985, playing over 100 concerts worldwide. The tour was delayed because Trevor had an accident in a swimming pool that injured his spleen. Trevor is featured in the concert film 9012Live and the live album 9012Live: The Solos.
The next album, Big Generator, was difficult to make. It was released in September 1987. It included songs like "Love Will Find a Way" and "Rhythm of Love". The album sold well and was certified Platinum. Trevor and Jon Anderson shared lead vocals on the song "Shoot High Aim Low". The 1987–88 Big Generator tour featured the band's hits. Some songs were dropped from the live show because they didn't work well on stage. Trevor also played guitar on two songs for Bob Dylan during this time.
In 1988, Jon Anderson left Yes to form another band. This led to a quiet period for Yes. Trevor used this time to make his fourth solo album, Can't Look Away. Released in July 1989, the album reached No. 111 on the Billboard 200 chart. Its main song, "Something to Hold on To", reached No. 3 on the Mainstream Rock chart. It also received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Music Video. In 1989 and 1990, Trevor toured the US as a solo artist. Recordings from this tour were released as the live album Live in LA in 2003.
From 1990 to 1992, Trevor was part of an eight-member version of Yes. Jon Anderson asked him to submit a song for his new band. Trevor sent three songs, and Anderson wanted to use all of them. This led to the idea of Yes and Anderson's band working on one album, Union. Trevor thought this merge was a good idea to get the band back on tour quickly. He completed songs like "Lift Me Up" for the album. The tour featured all eight members playing together.
Trevor's last album with Yes was Talk, released in 1994. Trevor and Jon Anderson wrote the album together. Trevor also oversaw its production. The album was recorded digitally, which was new at the time. Songs like "The Calling" and "Walls" were released as singles. After touring in 1995, Trevor left the band to focus on film scoring.
Becoming a Film Composer (1995–2012)
In 1995, Trevor Rabin started scoring music for films. He wrote additional music for Fair Game. Then, he composed the full score for The Glimmer Man (1996). Trevor got this job after actor Steven Seagal asked him for guitar lessons. Trevor told Seagal he wanted to get into film scoring, and Seagal offered him the job. Trevor then began a long partnership with producer Jerry Bruckheimer. He has scored 13 films for Bruckheimer. Trevor also practiced his composition skills by scoring silent films.
In 1997, Trevor performed "I Can't Look Away" at a concert for Nelson Mandela in Johannesburg. Trevor said meeting Mandela and his family was a very proud moment for him. In 1999, he performed with the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra at a charity concert. In the early 2000s, Trevor turned down an offer to join the band Foreigner because of his film scoring work. In 2003, Trevor released some of his demo songs, including ones Yes recorded on 90125, on an album called 90124. Later that year, he released Live in LA, a live album from his 1989 solo tour. In 2004, Trevor joined former and current Yes members to perform at a tribute concert for producer Trevor Horn. On July 9, 2010, Trevor performed "Owner of a Lonely Heart" with Yes at a show in Los Angeles.
Trevor's music for the film Glory Road features vocals from Alicia Keys. His song "Titans Spirit" from Remember the Titans (2000) has been used for NBC's coverage of the Olympic Games. It was also used for Barack Obama's speech when he won the 2008 US presidential election. Trevor composed the theme music for Turner Broadcasting System's NBA on TNT (2002), MLB on TBS (2007), and March Madness (2011). He also created music for Disney's Mission: Space ride at Epcot. In 1995, Trevor produced system sounds for the Apple Power Macintosh computer.
Returning to Solo and Band Work (2012–Present)
.jpg)
Trevor Rabin's fifth solo album, Jacaranda, was released on May 8, 2012. It was his first solo album in 23 years. He started writing the music in 2007, wanting to create challenging music he enjoyed. He chose to make an instrumental album. Recording the album took time because he worked on it during breaks from film scoring. In 2011, Trevor turned down other film projects to finish the album. Trevor played all the instruments himself, except for the drums. His son Ryan and other drummers played the drums.
In 2016, Trevor took a break from film scoring. He helped form a new version of Yes with Jon Anderson and Rick Wakeman. He toured worldwide with this group from October 2016 to 2018. They planned a studio album, but it was difficult to work on because the members lived in different places.
In 2020, a 10-CD box set of Trevor's music was released called Changes. It included his solo songs, Yes outtakes, and soundtracks. Trevor performed at a tribute concert for Alan White on October 2, 2022.
In December 2022, Trevor announced that his sixth studio album, Rio, was finished. The album took several years to make. It is Trevor's first album with his lead vocals since Can't Look Away. Songs like "Big Mistakes", "Push", and "Oklahoma" were released as digital singles. The album was released on October 6, 2023.
Trevor Rabin's Personal Life
Trevor Rabin has been married to his wife Shelley May since 1978. They met when they were in school. They have lived in Hollywood, Los Angeles, since 1984. They have one son, Ryan. Ryan is a drummer and record producer. He was a member of the alternative rock band Grouplove from 2009 to 2017.
In 1987, Trevor said he couldn't remember what it felt like to live in South Africa anymore. He said it was like another life, but he still carried South Africa with him. He mentioned that Yes was offered to perform in Sun City, but Trevor refused. He felt it would indirectly support the country's apartheid system. In 1991, Trevor became a US citizen. He is also a godfather to former Yes drummer Alan White's son, Jesse.
Awards and Recognition
Trevor Rabin has received eleven Broadcast Music Incorporated film score awards. He also received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Temecula Valley International Film Festival.
In June 2011, Trevor received an award at the 26th ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards. This was for his work on The Sorcerer's Apprentice (2010). On June 28, 2012, Trevor received a Henry Mancini Award at the 27th ASCAP Film & Television Music Awards. Trevor also performed "Owner of a Lonely Heart" with his son's band Grouplove at this event.
In 2017, Trevor Rabin was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Yes. He performed "Owner of a Lonely Heart" and "Roundabout" at the ceremony. Geddy Lee from the band Rush played bass guitar on "Roundabout".
Musical Influences
Trevor Rabin considers Bernard Herrmann his favorite film score composer. He has named Arnold Schoenberg as one of his favorite classical composers. He also lists other classical composers like Beethoven, Ravel, Elgar, and Tchaikovsky as influences.
Trevor Rabin's Discography
As a Solo Artist
- Beginnings (1977) (reissued in 1978 as Trevor Rabin)
- Face to Face (1979)
- Wolf (1981)
- Can't Look Away (1989)
- Live in LA (2003, live album)
- 90124 (2003, collection of old recordings)
- Jacaranda (2012)
- Rio (2023)
As a Band Member
Rabbitt
- Boys Will Be Boys! (1975)
- A Croak and a Grunt in the Night (1977)
Yes
- 90125 (1983)
- Big Generator (1987)
- Union (1991)
- Talk (1994)
- 9012Live: The Solos (1985, live album)
Yes Featuring Jon Anderson, Trevor Rabin, Rick Wakeman
- Live at the Apollo (2018, live album)
Film Scores
- Death of a Snowman (1976)
- Fair Game (1995, additional music)
- The Glimmer Man (1996)
- Con Air (1997, with Mark Mancina)
- Homegrown (1998)
- Armageddon (1998)
- Enemy of the State (1998, with Harry Gregson-Williams)
- Jack Frost (1998)
- Deep Blue Sea (1999)
- Whispers: An Elephant's Tale (2000)
- Gone in 60 Seconds (2000)
- Remember the Titans (2000)
- The 6th Day (2000)
- American Outlaws (2001)
- Rock Star (2001)
- The One (2001)
- Texas Rangers (2001)
- Bad Company (2002)
- The Banger Sisters (2003)
- Kangaroo Jack (2003)
- Bad Boys II (2003)
- Torque (2004)
- Exorcist: The Beginning (2004)
- National Treasure (2004)
- Coach Carter (2005)
- Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist (2005)
- The Great Raid (2005)
- Glory Road (2006)
- Snakes on a Plane (2006)
- Gridiron Gang (2006)
- Flyboys (2006)
- The Guardian (2006)
- Hot Rod (2007)
- National Treasure: Book of Secrets (2007)
- Get Smart (2008)
- 12 Rounds (2009)
- Race to Witch Mountain (2009)
- G-Force (2009)
- The Sorcerer's Apprentice (2010)
- I Am Number Four (2011)
- 5 Days of War (2011)
- The Movement: One Man Joins an Uprising (2011)
- Grudge Match (2013)
- Max (2015)
- The Misfits (2021, with Lasse Enersen)
Television Scores
- Zero Hour (2013, with Paul Linford)
- 12 Monkeys (2015–2016, with Paul Linford)
- Agent X (2015, with Paul Linford)
- Cine Chalom (2020, with Paul Linford)
- Digman! (2023)
- National Treasure: Edge of History (2022–2023, with Paul Linford)
Guest Appearances and Collaborations
- Margaret Singana – Where Is the Love (1976) – Producer, arranger
- Manfred Mann's Earth Band – Chance (1980) – Producer
- Wild Horses – Wild Horses (1980) – Co-Producer
- Manfred Mann's Earth Band – Somewhere in Afrika (1982) – Lead guitar on "Redemption Song", guitar solo on "Runner"
- Frankie Goes To Hollywood – Welcome to the Pleasuredome (1984) – backing vocals and bass guitar
- Jon Anderson – 3 Ships (1985) – Guitar
- Frankie Goes To Hollywood – Liverpool (1986) – Guitar
- Lisa Hartman – 'Til My Heart Stops (1987) – Guitar
- Marc Jordan – Talking Through Pictures (1987) – Guitar
- Bonham – The Disregard of Timekeeping (1989) – bass on "Bringing Me Down", "Holding on Forever" and "Don't Walk Away", backing vocals
- Seal – Seal (1991) – Guitar
- Paul Rodgers – Muddy Water Blues: A Tribute to Muddy Waters (1993) – Guitar
- Michael Jackson – HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I (1995) – Guitar
- Various Artists – Crossfire: A Salute To Stevie Ray Vaughan (1996) – Guitar
- Tina Turner – Wildest Dreams (1996) – Guitar, Background Vocals
- Mark Mancina – Twister (1996) – Guitar on "The Hunt: Going Green"
- Various Artists – Merry Axemas Vol. 2 (1998) – Guitar, Keyboards
- Rick Wakeman – Return to the Centre of the Earth (1999) – Vocals, Guitar on "Never Is A Long, Long Time"
- Roger Hodgson – Open The Door (2000) – Guitar, Keyboards & Backing Vocals on "The More I Look"
- Don Harper's Oceana Orchestra – Dream and Variations (2009) – Guitar on "Where Do We Go From Here"
- Mr. Mister – Pull (2010) – Guitar, Bass
- Jason Becker – Triumphant Hearts (2018) – "River of Longing"
- Carly Rae Jepsen - The Loneliest Time (2022) – Guitar on "Talking to Yourself"
- Joe Bonamassa - Live at the Hollywood Bowl with Orchestra (2024) - Arranger on "Prisoner" and "The Ballad Of John Henry"
Images for kids
-
Rabin performing with Yes featuring ARW in 2018
-
Rabin in 1994
-
Rabin performing in 2017
See also
In Spanish: Trevor Rabin para niños
