BIOGRAPHY

 

        Louis Marino has been singing and playing guitar and bass throughout the San Joaquin Valley and Southern California area for over forty years.  He has been teaching guitar and electric bass since the late 1990’s.  He has played at numerous night clubs, dance halls, and events.  He has performed in small groups for weddings and in larger bands opening for concerts.

        Lou began singing at an early age.  His mother, Bessie, made sure that he could entertain the family by singing from his high chair, in Italian!  Later, he sang to the radio that played in his head.  When Elvis Presley appeared on TV singing and playing guitar, Lou suddenly realized that he could make music while he sang!  He asked for and received guitar lessons, and began learning to play chords so he could accompany himself.

        Top forty radio in the early ‘60s featured many instrumental guitar recordings such as The Ventures, Duane Eddy, and others.  Watching local bands perform these songs live at the high school dances inspired Lou to learn to pick lead guitar.  Learning the songs off vinyl records helped him develop his musical ears, which became a great asset when he began to play in bands with other musicians.  Progressing from surf music through the English Invasion, a lot of Rhythm & Blues, to Jimi Hendrix and later, to country music, Louis developed his skills as a lead guitarist and bass player.

        Lou continued to play in bands while in college.  He majored in Music at Santa Ana Junior College, and later at Chapman College in Orange, California.  While at Chapman College, he enrolled in a program currently referred to as Semester at Sea.  He was the leader of the band that entertained the fellow students at weekend dances during their three month cruise around the world; he took classes on board during the week.  Music was his focus while traveling through Europe, Asia, and Japan.  He even learned how to play sitar while in Bombay, India.

        Louis has lived in Bakersfield, California, for much of the past thirty years.  In 2003, he began teaching at The Musician’s Choice (now named Rosedale Music) in Bakersfield.  In 2005, he moved to his newly-built studio located behind his home in the Rosedale area of Bakersfield.  Presently, Lou teaches guitar and bass lessons at his home studio, and on weekends he plays with several local groups.