Pat Metheny Group

Description

The Pat Metheny Group is a jazz fusion band founded in 1977. The core members of the group are guitarist and bandleader Pat Metheny, composer, keyboardist and pianist Lyle Mays (who was part of the group's inception in 1977), and bassist and producer Steve Rodby (joined in 1980). Other long-standing members include Paul Wertico who was the drummer for 18 years. <p>Founder Pat Metheny first appeared on the jazz fusion scene in the mid-1970s with a pair of solo albums; the latter of these, 1977's Watercolors, featured keyboard player Lyle Mays. With the joining of bass player Mark Egan in 1977, the Pat Metheny Group had been formed. Metheny's follow-up album formalized the relationship, and featured several songs co-written with Mays; the album was released in 1978 as the self-titled Pat Metheny Group on the ECM label. The second group album, American Garage (1980), was a breakout hit, reaching #1 on the Billboard Jazz chart and crossing over onto the pop charts as well, largely on the...