Who is Howard Wales?
Howard Wales (February 8, 1943 – December 7, 2020) was an American keyboardist who worked in a wide variety of styles. He was a collaborator with Jerry Garcia in the early 1970s. Wales was a session player for many musical acts, including Ronnie Hawkins, Freddie King, James Brown, and the Four Tops. Though he was adept at accompanying rock and R&B artists, he also played free-form jazz. Later in his career he released several solo albums in this style. For several months in 1970, Wales led Monday night jazz-rock jam sessions at the Matrix, a club in San Francisco. Jerry Garcia usually played guitar at these free-form performances. The two were often joined by John Kahn on bass and Bill Vitt on drums. A studio album called Hooteroll?, with these musicians and others, and featuring music composed mostly by Wales, was released in 1971. A live album recorded at the Matrix jam sessions, Side Trips, Volume One, was released in 1998. Wales contributed to the 1970 Grateful Dead album ...
