Jerry Goodman

Jerry Goodman was born in Chicago, Illinois, United States. His parents were both members of the string section of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and his uncle was the noted composer and jazz pianist Marty Rubenstein. Jerry was trained in a conservatory before he began his musical career as The Flock's roadie and subsequently as a violinist. After his 1971 appearance on John McLaughlin's album My Goal's Beyond, he became a member of McLaughlin's original Mahavishnu Orchestra lineup until the band broke up in 1973, and was viewed as a soloist of equal virtuosity to McLaughlin, keyboardist Jan Hammer and drummer Billy Cobham. In 1974, after Mahavishnu, Goodman and Mahavishnu alum Hammer released the jazz fusion album Like Children. Starting in 1985 he recorded three solo albums for Private Music—On the Future of Aviation, Ariel, and the live album It's Alive with collaborators including Fred Simon and Jim Hines—and went on tour with his own band, as well as with Shadowfax and The Dixie Dregs. He scored Lily Tomlin's The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe and is the featured violinist on numerous film soundtracks, including Billy Crystal's Mr. Saturday Night and Steve Martin's Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. His violin can be heard on more than fifty albums from artists ranging from Toots Thielemans to Hall & Oates to Styx to Jordan Rudess to Choking Ghost to Derek Sherinian. Goodman has appeared on four of Sherinian's solo records—Inertia (2001), Black Utopia (2003), Mythology (2004), and Blood of the Snake (2006) In 1993, Goodman joined the American instrumental band, The Dixie Dregs, fronted by guitarist Steve Morse. Goodman appeared on one studio recording Full Circle (1994), and the live album "California Screamin'" (2000). In 1996, session violist and producer Ray Tischer featured Goodman on the award-winning CD Canciones del Sol/Britt Bossa Orchestra on Tischer's original instrumental "Toca del Angel". After an absence from the public eye in live concert, he toured in 2004 and 2005 with Gary Husband in his group Gary Husband’s Force Majeure, and appeared on the DVD Gary Husband's Force Majeure - Live at the Queen Elizabeth Hall. Even more recently, he played with the San Diego–based fusion group Hectic Watermelon and with Dream Theater in their album Black Clouds & Silver Linings. Goodman has also been a part of Billy Cobham's Spectrum 40 tour.

* * • Jerry Goodman with the Dixie Dregs * *

Jerry Goodman is recorded with the occupation jazz musician. Recorded as a citizen of United States. Classed in the genre jazz fusion.

• Mahavishnu Orchestra The Inner Mounting Flame CD booklet • Mahavishnu Orchestra The Lost Trident Sessions CD booklet • [All Music Guide to Jerry Goodman] • 2010 interview with Jerry Goodman on Prog Sphere