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For Michael Bearden, Ray Chew, and Eric Daniels, the Inauguration of the 44th U.S. President was also the ultimate keyboard gig. Here's what it took to get there and bring the music.
Whatever your politics, there's no denying that the inauguration of the 44th President of the United States was a truly historic musical event, as well as a political one. Imagine getting the call to be one of the key musicians. What does it take to prepare for and do a gig of this magnitude? What's it like to look out over one keyboard stack at an endless crowd, and over another at the President? How do you accompany one major star after another, when keeping just one happy is no small feat? How do you reach a level where this could happen to you? Keyboard talked with three master players who know firsthand: Michael Bearden (page 24), Ray Chew (page 25), and Eric Daniels (page 26).
MICHAEL BEARDEN
As a glance at his credits proves, Michael Bearden was the guy every keyboardist wants to be, even before he got the call to play in the house band for the pre-inaugural We Are One concert that aired on HBO.
Tell us about your training and discovery of music.
Michael Bearden: I started playing piano around age five and drums not long after. I attended conservatories and had extensive classical instruction coming up, but most of my training is on-the-job. Some of my earliest mentors include Ramsey Lewis, Herbie Hancock, and Stevie Wonder, all of whom I met or worked with while still a teenager.
Growing up on the south side of Chicago was great. We listened to and played everything from the Jackson Five to Curtis Mayfield to Led Zeppelin to Elton John to the Doobie Brothers - it was all just music to us. I had no idea I was being trained for the eclectic mix of gigs I would do later in life.
How did you get the inaugural gig?
For the last seven years or so, I've performed at the Kennedy Center Honors. I also play the annual "Christmas In Washington" telecast in DC. Those two shows are produced by George and Michael Stevens. In the green room at "Christmas...
