Ryo Okumoto

Since the mid-'90s, keyboardist Ryo Okumoto has been best known for his lasting tenure in the American progressive rock group Spock's Beard, but he has done a lot of different things before he joined. His track record includes recording sessions and live performances with pop and R&B artists like Peabo Bryson, Phil Collins and Aretha Franklin on the one hand, newage king Kitaro and a handful of easy listening albums on the other, plus of course the various pet projects of Spock's Beard's members. Okumoto was born in Osaka, Japan, in a family where music was an obligatory part of a child's education. He took piano lessons from ages 3 to 13. At 15 he dropped out of school to take his first professional job at the Live House in Osaka. A year later he moved to the big city -- Tokyo. From 1975 to 1980 he played night clubs and recording sessions both as a house band keyboardist and as a "real" member in a number of Japanese rock groups. The most popular was Creation, with whom he recorded his first album as group member in 1978. While Creation's profile was rising, Okumoto also appeared on Kitaro's In Person LP and its accompanying tour. Kitaro's record label Canyon offered the young keyboardist a contract for three albums that were all delivered and released in 1980: Solid Gold, Makin' Rock and Synthesizer. Recorded in London, Hollywood and Tokyo respectively, they featured an impressive cast of musicians, including David Foster and Toto guitarist Steve Lukather. The LPs did not garner the interest (critical or popular) Okumoto was hoping for and, disenchanted he decided to move to Los Angeles where he spent the next four years studying at the Dick Grove School of Music. His discography and live schedule pick up after his graduation in 1984. During the next 13 years, he...