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John Guerin

1939 – 2004

American drummer

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About John Guerin

Lived 1939 – 2004 (aged 64). John Guerin was an American jazz musician and musician.

John Payne Guerin (October 31, 1939 – January 5, 2004) was an American percussionist. He was a proponent of the jazz-rock style.

Biography Guerin was born in Hawaii and raised in San Diego. As a young drummer, he began performing with Buddy DeFranco in 1960. In the late 1960s, he moved to Los Angeles where his drum work was utilized by artists including Frank Sinatra, The Beach Boys, George Harrison, Frank Zappa, The Animals, Joni Mitchell, Them, Thelonious Monk, Lou Rawls, Ray Conniff, George Shearing, Peggy Lee, Ella Fitzgerald, Linda Ronstadt, Nelson Riddle and many others.

From July 1972 to January 1973, he was the drummer for The Byrds and joined the L.A. Express later that year. The band served as Joni Mitchell's back-up band on tour during the mid- to late-1970s; Guerin had a brief relationship with Mitchell during that time. She later wrote the song Hejira about leaving him.

Guerin was an exponent of the jazz-rock style and played in many different genres, including for film and television.

Selected discography

As sideman With David Axelrod The Auction (Decca, 1972) Seriously Deep (Polydor, 1975)

With The Beach Boys 20/20 (Capitol, 1969) Sunflower (Reprise, 1970)

With Pat Boone Just the Way I Am (Lamb & Lion, 1979)

With Michael Franks The Art of Tea (Reprise Records, 1976) Sleeping Gypsy (Warner Bros. Records, 1977) Blue Pacific (Reprise Records, 1990)

With Terry Garthwaite Terry (Arista, 1975) Hand in Glove (Fantasy, 1978)

With David Gates First (Elektra, 1973) Goodbye Girl (Elektra, 1978)

With Jack Jones Harbour (RCA Victor, 1974) What I Did For Love (RCA Victor, 1975)

With Peggy Lee Pass Me By (Capitol Records, 1965) Then Was Then – Now Is Now! (Capitol Records, 1965) Guitars a là Lee (Capitol Records, 1966) Somethin' Groovy! (Capitol Records, 1967) Make It With You (Capitol Records, 1970) Mirrors (A&M Records, 1975) Close Enough for Love (DRG, 1979)

With Melanie Photograph (Atlantic, 1976) Seventh Wave (Neighbourhood Records, 1983)

With Joni Mitchell Court and Spark (Asylum Records, 1974) The Hissing of Summer Lawns (Asylum Records, 1975) Hejira (Asylum Records, 1976) Don Juan's Reckless Daughter (Asylum Records, 1977) Wild Things Run Fast (Geffen, 1982)

With Oliver Nelson Black, Brown and Beautiful (Flying Dutchman, 1969) Zig Zag (Original Motion Picture Score) (MGM, 1970)

With Aaron Neville The Grand Tour (A&M Records, 1993) Aaron Neville's Soulful Christmas (A&M Records, 1993)

With Tom Pacheco The Outsider (RCA, 1976) Swallowed Up in the Great American Heartland (RCA Victor, 1976)

With Lou Rawls Love All Your Blues Away (Epic, 1986) Rawls Sings Sinatra (Savoy, 2003)

With Howard Roberts Spinning Wheel (Capitol Records, 1969) Antelope Freeway (Impulse!, 1971)

With Emitt Rhodes The American Dreams (A&M Records, 1970)

With Linda Ronstadt What's New (Asylum Records, 1983) Lush Life (Asylum Records, 1984) For Sentimental Reasons (Asylum Records, 1986) A Merry Little Christmas (Elektra Records, 2000)

With Diane Schuur Love Walked In (GRP, 1996) Music Is My Life (Atlantic, 1999)

With Seals and Crofts Summer Breeze (Warner Bros., 1972) Diamond Girl (Warner Bros., 1973)

With Bud Shank Magical Mystery (World Pacific, 1967) Let It Be (Pacific Jazz, 1970)

With Frank Sinatra My Way (Reprise, 1968) Ol' Blue Eyes Is Back (Reprise, 1973)

With O. C. Smith Together (Caribou, 1977)

With Libby Titus Libby Titus (Columbia, 1977)

With Patrick Williams Wind, Sky and Diamonds (Impulse!, 1967) Threshold (Capitol Records, 1973)

With Frank Zappa Lumpy Gravy (Capitol, 1967) Hot Rats (Reprise, 1969) Chunga's Revenge (Reprise, 1970) Apostrophe (') (DiscReet, 1974) The Lost Episodes (Rykodisc, 1996)

With others Alessi Brothers, Alessi (A&M, 1976) Gene Ammons, Brasswind (Prestige, 1974) Eric Andersen, Be True To You (Arista, 1975) Hoyt Axton, Southbound (A&M Records, 1975) Joan Baez, Diamonds & Rust (A&M Records, 1975) Stephen Bishop, Careless (ABC, 1976) David Blue, Com'n Back for More (Asylum, 1975) Blue Mitchell, Blues' Blues (Mainstream, 1972) Elkie Brooks, Rich Man's Woman (A&M, 1975) Toni Brown, Toni Brown (Fantasy, 1979) The Byrds, Banjoman - The Original Soundtrack (recorded 1972, released Sire, 1977) (Various Artists, 2 live tracks by The Byrds) Keith Carradine, I'm Easy (Asylum, 1976) David Cassidy, Dreams Are Nuthin' More Than Wishes (Bell, 1973) Natalie Cole, Stardust (Elektra Records, 1996) Priscilla Coolidge and Booker T. Jones, Chronicles (A&M Records, 1973) England Dan & John Ford Coley, Fables (A&M, 1972) Ned Doheny, Hard Candy (Columbia, 1976) Sheena Easton, No Strings (MCA Records, 1993) Cass Elliot, Cass Elliot (RCA, 1972) Don Ellis, Haiku (MPS, 1974) Phil Everly, Star Spangled Springer (RCA Victor, 1973) José Feliciano, Como Tú Quieres (RCA Victor, 1984) Art Garfunkel, Breakaway (Columbia Records, 1975) Cyndi Grecco, Making Our Dreams Come True (Private Stock Records, 1976) Hager Twins, Music on the Country Side (Barnaby, 1972) Hager Twins, The Hagers (Elektra, 1974) George Harrison, Dark Horse (Apple Records, 1974) Monk Higgins, Extra Soul Perception (Solid State, 1968) Elton John, Duets (Rocket, 1993) John Klemmer, Touch (ABC, 1975) Leah Kunkel, I Run With Trouble (Columbia, 1980) Patti LaBelle, This Christmas (MCA, 1990) Dave Loggins, Apprentice (In a Musical Workshop) (Epic, 1974) Claudine Longet, Let's Spend the Night Together (Barnaby, 1972) Barry Mann, Barry Mann (Casablanca Records, 1980) Letta Mbulu, Free Soul (Capitol Records, 1968) Bobby McFerrin, Bobby McFerrin (Elektra, 1982) Roger McGuinn, Roger McGuinn (Columbia, 1973) Liza Minnelli, Gently (Angel Records, 1996) The Monkees, The Monkees Present (Colgems, 1969) Walter Murphy, Rhapsody in Blue (Private Stock, 1977) Anne Murray, Together (Capitol, 1975) Harry Nilsson, Harry (RCA Victor, 1969) The Oak Ridge Boys, Room Service (ABC, 1978) Danny O'Keefe, So Long Harry Truman (Atlantic, 1975) Michael Parks, Closing the Gap (MGM, 1970) Gram Parsons, GP (Reprise Records, 1973) John Pizzarelli, Dear Mr. Cole (Novus, 1994) Bonnie Raitt, The Glow (Warner Bros. Records, 1979) Helen Reddy, Helen Reddy (Capitol Records, 1971) Helen Reddy, Play Me Out (MCA Records, 1981) Della Reese, Let Me in Your Life (LMI, 1973) Kenny Rogers, Timepiece (Atlantic Records, 1994) Buffy Sainte-Marie, Sweet America (ABC, 1976) Tom Scott, Rural Still Life (Impulse!, 1968) The Singers Unlimited, Feeling Free (Pausa, 1975) The Singers Unlimited, A Special Blend (MPS, 1976) JD Souther, Black Rose (Asylum Records, 1976) American Spring, Spring (United Artists, 1972) Barbra Streisand, Butterfly (Columbia Records, 1974) The Sylvers, Forever Yours (Casablanca, 1978) Gábor Szabó, Light My Fire with Bob Thiele (Impulse!, 1967) Valdy, Landscapes (Haida, 1975) Sarah Vaughan, Sarah Vaughan with Michel Legrand (Mainstream Records, 1973) The Wilsons, Hey Santa! (SBK, 1993)

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Important facts

Birth century
Nationality
Also known as
John Payne Guerin

People in John Guerin's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped John Guerin's

Frequently asked questions

Who was John Guerin?

American drummer

When was John Guerin born?

John Guerin was born on 31 October 1939 in Hawaii.

When did John Guerin die?

John Guerin died on 5 January 2004 in West Hills.

What was John Guerin's occupation?

John Guerin was a jazz musician and musician.

What nationality was John Guerin?

John Guerin was American.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: John Guerin

· Wikidata: Q288057

· DBpedia: John Guerin

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). John Guerin. https://biography.guide/john-guerin/

MLA: "John Guerin." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/john-guerin/.

Chicago: "John Guerin." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/john-guerin/.

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