Russ Gauthier, a musician, grandfather and world-class act

From Japan to New York, this Petaluma muscian’s interesting career led him to play with the best.|

In a musical career spanning more than 40 years, Russ Gauthier has performed with some of the top names in the music business, toured the United States and abroad, and rubbed elbows with some of America’s most powerful political leaders.

The Petaluma resident and multi-instrumentalist was a member of the New Riders of the Purple Sage, a country-rock band, from 1982 to 1999. The band played in all 50 states during that period.

“Being on tour with the New Riders opened up a lot of doors and I met a lot of great musicians,” said Gauthier.

In 1987, the New Riders toured Japan on the same bill as Rick Danko, who had been a member of The Band. Petaluma guitarist Gary Vogensen was also a New Rider member at that time.

“(Danko) enlisted some of us to back him up to play some great songs by The Band,” Gauthier said. “It was a real treat to play with him.”

Gauthier was inspired to learn to play the violin after hearing Cajun fiddler Doug Kershaw. Years later, when the New Riders were playing in Bakersfield, Gauthier received word that Kershaw was in town and wanted to play with the band.

“I got to play twin fiddles with him,” recalled Gauthier, who also plays acoustic and electric guitar, banjo, lap steel, mandolin, banjo and several other instruments.

Another time, Jorma Kaukonen, an original member of the Jefferson Airplane, invited Gauthier to accompany him to play in Jamaica. When they returned to the states, Kaukonen asked him to join him for a show in Cambridge, Mass.

Gauthier sat in with blues singer and harmonica player Delbert McClinton at the Lone Star Café in New York City. When the New Riders played at a festival in Wisconsin, violin virtuosos John McEuen, of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, and Mark O’Connor joined Gauthier on fiddle for a rendition of “Glendale Train.”

While working with Light Rain, an East-West fusion group, Gauthier wrote music for their album, “Dream Dancer.” The Joffrey Ballet asked to use three compositions from the album for a ballet - one of which, “Rabekin,” was written by Gauthier. The ballet, titled “Light Rain,” has been the company’s signature piece since its premiere in 1981.

Gauthier’s composition was used in Robert Altman’s 2003 film, “The Company,” about the lives of members of a ballet company and is on the soundtrack album.

“I still get royalties,” he said. “It’s music that is really dear to my soul,” he said. “I’ve always been interested in lots of different styles of music, including world music.”

Gauthier says he’s always been drawn to collecting instruments. He is self-taught and plays by ear. He plays 16 different instruments on his latest solo CD, including mandolin, banjo, viola, cello, Dobro, bass, cajon and glockenspiel.

He has recorded five solo CDs in his home studio, but they aren’t commercially available. He gives them to friends as gifts and sells them at gigs.

After 15 years with the New Riders – 10 of them doubling as road manager – he got tired of being on the road and retired from touring with the band. He then taught elementary school in El Cerrito for 13 years before fully retiring five years ago.

“Russ Gauthier is the most level-headed, authentically self-styled musician I’ve known,” said Vogensen, his former New Riders bandmate. “Every moment I’ve spent with him - whether in rehearsal, in the studio, in a nightclub or on the concert stage – has been pure pleasure. He plays anything with strings beautifully and he has a world-class singing voice.”

In recent years, Gauthier has been a member of D’Bunchovus and the Rhythm Rangers. He has played with California Zephyr for over 12 years and has been playing regularly with Vogensen in the GV Ramble Band and the Rivertown Trio. He also plays with Bravo, a trio that includes Adamz and bassist Bill Amatneek.

Gauthier and Adamz have been playing together since the 1970s and occasionally were hired to play at former Secretary of State George Schultz’ house in Palo Alto. One time, Gauthier met Condoleezza Rice. At another party, President George W. Bush was a guest.

After listening to the group for a while, Bush walked over to the musicians, without any Secret Service agents - and there were plenty at the event, according to Gauthier. “He extended a hand to me, we stopped playing and chatted with him for a while,” Gauthier recalled. Then Bush asked, “Mind if I have my picture taken with you boys?”

Looking back, Gauthier said, “I feel blessed that I was able to make a living as a musician for over 20 years, and then have another career as a teacher.”

But recent health issues have forced him to slow down and drop out of several of the bands with whom he has been playing, including D’Bunchovus, the Rhythm Rangers and GV and the Ramble Band. He will play with D’Bunchovus for the last time at the Big Easy in Petaluma on Feb. 19.

“It’s tough because they’re all people I dearly love,” he said. “But it’s getting more physically difficult for me to schlep everything around. I have a new granddaughter, and my priorities right now are changing.”

(Chris Samson is the former editor of the Argus-Courier. Contact him at chrissamson@yahoo.com.)

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