For more than two decades, Steve Stevens has climbed the charts as a guitar rock legend, performing and touring with some of the industry’s most illustrious artists. However, recently the cast and crew of Brooks Institute’s new television ad campaign: Stories Behind the Lens (BTL) had the distinguished opportunity to watch and hear an intimate performance at the school’s Ventura Campus sound stage.

Hristo Shindov, a recent Brooks graduate and an emerging celebrity photographer was shooting Steve’s cover art for his new solo CD, while the BTL crew filmed Steve rocking out. And, sound clips from this performance are what comprise much of the commercial’s soundtrack.

Long before Steve stepped onto the Brooks Institute stage, he’s was busy performing on stages the world over. His career began around age seven, when be began playing with his father’s guitar. Having demonstrated an immediate aptitude, Steve began practicing up to five hours a day.

Steve’s ambition was nearly thwarted however at age 13, when his hand was sucked into a conveyor belt, while working at a local factory back in his home state of New York.   His mishap resulted in severed employment, but fortunately not a severed hand. He fully recovered and went on to create memorable music.

During the late 70s, he played with several bands while honing his technical skills; he also showed talent in using his equipment, such as sound boards and effects units to create unique sounds from his guitar pickups.

In 1981, Steve met Billy Idol. The pair’s backgrounds and artistic approaches were vastly different yet complementary, forming a fruitful partnership quite quickly.  Billy’s lyrics and Steve’s guitar licks magically created some of rock’s most memorable hits, including Rebel Yell, an album Steve is still most proud of. Whiplash Smile went on to become double platinum.

After playing and touring with Idol and many others, Steve decided to branch out. And, in 1986 he won a Grammy Award for the Best Instrumental Performance for his work on the soundtrack for the blockbuster film Top Gun.  He then went on to work with other such notable artists as: Michael Jackson, Sting, Pink, Joni Mitchell, Robert Palmer, Vince Neil, The Thompson Twins, Ric Ocasek, Juno Reactor and many others. His work with Juno Reactor was used in the films Matrix Reloaded and Once Upon a Time in Mexico and together they recently released a DVD of their live performance in Japan.

Eventually Steve needed to get back to his early love of flamenco guitar. In 1999, he released The Flamenco a Go Go. Steve once described this release as his other proudest achievement.

From ’99 – ’02, Steve reunited with ole’ time friend and collaborator Billy Idol and toured Australia and the U.S., including a Storytellers and Behind the Music performance for VH 1, resulting in their release of the CD Devil’s Playground.

Today, Steve is launching a new solo CD entitled: Memory Crash. It’s slated for an October release and from which the BTL television spot soundtrack includes some licks.

The Brooks Institute BTL cast and crew were grateful to Shindov for introducing them and the chance to work with such a legend.

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For more information about this talented artist, check out his web site at www.stevestevens.net.