Steve Houghton
At the age of nine, Steve Houghton first held a pair of drumsticks given him by his father, a high school band director in Kenosha, Wis. Nine years later in 1972, he attended a performance at his high school presented by Woody Herman's big band, The Young Thundering Herd. Houghton quickly was hooked on The Herd's sound and vowed someday he would play with the popular, pioneering band leader. Little did he know he also would be performing with symphony orchestras, heard by millions on television and film music backgrounds and wooed by name jazz and pop artists for concert tours and recording dates.
After attending the University of Wisconsin for one year, Houghton transferred to the University of North Texas, a school Herman frequently tapped for musicians to fill The Herd. His first semester at UNT, Houghton was selected to play in the internationally acclaimed One O'clock Lab Band; he may be heard on Lab '75, the band's first album to receive a Grammy Award nomination.
Houghton's first professional career break came in 1975 when he performed with One O'clock in competition at the Wichita Jazz Festival; jazz great pianist Bill Evans was an adjudicator and The Herd was featured guest band. Herman was seeking a new rhythm section and asked Houghton's percussion teacher to recommend a pianist, bassist and drummer. His teacher recommended the rhythm section of the One O'clock, and Herman hired all three players on the spot.
Houghton not only fulfilled his childhood dream but enjoyed an additional, highly unusual honor: Herman presented him, pianist Lyle Mays and bassist Marc Johnson as a featured trio during each performance of The Herd. Houghton toured with the band more than 50 weeks per year playing dances, universities and jazz venues in the U.S., Europe and Poland.
In 1977, Yamaha signed Houghton as one of their sponsored artists, and in doing so, became the first of four instrument companies to seek his endorsement. Houghton left Herman, returned to Texas and, for the next three years, sought professional versatility and maturity through performance in multiple venues: as leader of his own jazz group, as an orchestral percussionist, as a studio percussionist recording jingles and as a featured artist/clinician at jazz festivals.
Houghton's quiet, gentle demeanor belies the power of his performance, but it didn't fool Boston-based jazz vibraphonist Gary Burton, who contracted his services in the summer of 1979, thus providing the drummer's second major career break. Seeking a change, Houghton had moved from Texas to California earlier that year, and so commuted from Los Angeles to Boston.
Houghton's next job was in Los Angeles with female band leader Toshiko Akiyoshi, with whom he toured for two years. Between trips, his calendar began to fill quickly with recording dates in Los Angeles studios, and his fourth big break came in 1980 when he substituted for trumpeter Freddie Hubbard's drummer at the Keystone Corner in San Francisco on a one-night performance that extended into a two-year commitment.
By 1982, Houghton's plate was full. He had left Hubbard and was playing drums with Paul Anka, balancing jazz performance and studio work while teaching at the Percussion Institute of Technology (PIT), a division of the Musicians Institute in Los Angeles. In the mid-'80s, Houghton left Anka, curbed his traveling, accepted responsibilities as department chair at PIT and re-focused his career on studio work and guest artist appearances in educational venues.
Houghton also began exploring performance opportunities as a soloist with symphony orchestras. He found a vast dearth of orchestral literature for the percussion soloist and began commissioning pieces to internationally respected composers. Today, his symphonic performance credits include the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, Topeka Symphony Orchestra, San Antonio Symphony, Kenosha Symphony, Beverly Hills Pops Orchestra, American Wind Symphony and Eastman Wind Ensemble.
A prolific author/composer, Houghton has written more than 20 composite educational publications/compositions and produced five educational videos. He represents Pearl/Adams (drum sets, timpani and mallet instruments), Zildjian (cymbals, sticks and mallets) and Remo (drumheads and world percussion).
His recording credits as leader include Remembrances (Warner Bros.), Steve Houghton (Signature Series, Mesa/Bluemoon) and Windsong (SHPERC Records). He also may be heard on recordings with jazz legends including those described above as well as Carl Fontana, Joe Henderson, Scott Henderson, Rosemary Clooney and Billy Childs, and with pop artists including Maureen McGovern, with whom he tours today; Doc Severinsen, Barry Manilow, Melissa Manchester, and Johnny Mathis.
Millions have heard his performances on backgrounds of televised shows, including Northern Exposure, Love and War, Coach, War and Remembrance, Matlock, and The American Country Music Awards. His work also may be heard on numerous film scores, including Return of Jafar, the sequel to Aladdin, and on national ad campaigns for ESPN, Apple Computers, Panasonic, Budweiser, GM, Ford, Mazda, Toyota and Reebok.
Today, in addition to recording and performing concerts, Houghton performs at an average of 30 U.S. universities each year, not including international appearances in both educational and concert venues. A member of the Percussive Arts Society board of directors, Houghton also serves as percussion division chairman for International Association of Jazz Educators.