Rob Mounsey

• Name — Rob Mounsey • Born — 2 December 1952 • Birthplace — Berea, Ohio, U.S. • Genre — Pop, rock, R&B, jazz • Occupation — Musician, composer, arranger, producer • Instrument — Keyboards • Years Active — 1976present • Associated Acts — Steely Dan, James Taylor, Donald Fagen, Paul Simon, Idina Menzel, Joe Cool, Chromeo, Gregory Porter, Billy Porter • Website — robmounsey.com/

Mounsey was born in Berea, Ohio, and grew up in Seattle, Washington, spending a few years each in Findlay and Granville, Ohio. At the age of 17, he was awarded a 1970 BMI Student Composer Award for his orchestral work Ilium, New York, Is Divided into Three Parts. He attended Berklee College of Music in Boston from 1971 to 1975. In 1976, he moved to New York City to become a studio musician, arranger, and producer for a wide range of well-known artists, including Aaron Neville, Aztec Camera, Brian Wilson, Carly Simon, Chaka Khan, Chromeo, Brett Eldredge, Diana Krall, Diana Ross, Donald Fagen, Eric Clapton, James Taylor, Karen Carpenter, Madonna, Michael Franks, Natalie Cole, Paul Simon, Rihanna, Steely Dan, and others. He performed on keyboards in 1981 for Simon and Garfunkel's Concert in the Park. In 1985, he played keyboards in a New-York-based group called Joe Cool with Will Lee, Jeff Mironov and Christopher Parker. They released one album, Party Animals, on the Pony Canyon label in Japan, followed by a Japanese tour. Mounsey released three solo albums as a recording artist: Dig (Sona Gaia, 1990), and two self-released albums on his own Monkeyville label, Back in the Pool and Mango Theory. He toured as musical director and pianist for Idina Menzel in her Pops Symphony tours (2010-2015) for which he created nearly all of the arrangements. He has composed for film and television, including the 1988 Mike Nichols film Working Girl (with Carly Simon), the film Bright Lights, Big City (with Donald Fagen) and the HBO hit series Sex and the City. Mounsey wrote two long-running Emmy-winning themes for the television show Guiding Light. He is a six-time Grammy Award nominee, and a winner of two Emmy Awards. He is a Zen Buddhist who resides in Brooklyn, New York.

• Year — Album — Artist/Group — Label — Refs • 1985 — Party Animals — with Joe Cool — Canyon • 1987 — Local Color — with Steve Khan — Denon • 1989 — Dig — with the Flying Monkey Orchestra — Sona Gaia • 1993 — Back in the Pool — Monkeyville • 1995 — Mango Theory • 1998 — You Are Here — with Steve Khan — Siam

• Year — Album — Artist — Label — Refs • 1983 — Passionfruit — Michael Franks — Warner Bros. • 1985 — Skin Dive • 1987 — The Camera Never Lies • Love — Aztec Camera — WEA • 1989 — There Were Signs — Bill Gable — Private Music • 2003 — Nature Boy — Aaron Neville — Verve • 2007 — Destination Moon — Deborah Cox — Universal • 2011 — Barefoot at the Symphony — Idina Menzel — Concord • 2014 — Billy's Back on Broadway — Billy Porter • 2016 — Glow — Brett Eldredge

• Year — Album — Artist — Label — Refs • 1977 — Cissy Houston — Cissy Houston — Private Stock • Blue Lights in the Basement — Roberta Flack — Atlantic • Say It in Private — Steve Goodman — Asylum • The Player Not the Game — Jess Roden — Island • 1978 — Think It Over — Cissy Houston — Private Stock • Roberta Flack — Roberta Flack — Atlantic • Spinozza — David Spinozza — A&M • One-Eyed Jack — Garland Jeffreys • Burnin — Carol Douglas — Midsong • Desire Wire — Cindy Bullens — United Artists • All Things Beautiful — Jimmy Ponder — Lester Radio • Let's All Chant — Michael Zager — Private Stock • 1979 — Step Aside for a Lady — Cissy Houston — Columbia • Fate for Breakfast — Art Garfunkel — CBS • Arrows — Steve Khan — Columbia • Stay Free — Ashford & Simpson — Warner Bros. • Browne Sugar — Tom Browne — Arista/GRP • Two Sides to Every Woman — Carlene Carter — Warner Bros. • If the Shoe Fits — Ronnie Dyson — Columbia • Euclid Beach Band — Euclid Beach Band — Epic/Cleveland • Bottom Line — John Mayall — DJM • Dancin' and Lovin — The Spinners — Atlantic • Life's a Party — Michael Zager — Private Stock • 1980 — Gaucho — Steely Dan — MCA • Carnaval — Spyro Gyra • A Musical Affair — Ashford & Simpson — Warner Bros. • About Love — Gladys Knight — Columbia • The Best Side of Goodbye — Jane Olivor • TP — Teddy Pendergrass — Philadelphia International • Impressions of Virus — Teo Macero Presents — Denon • Beats Workin — Jimmy Maelen — Pavilion • 1981 — Scissors Cut — Art Garfunkel — Columbia • Freetime — Spyro Gyra — MCA • Why Do Fools Fall in Love — Diana Ross — Capitol/EMI • Touch — Gladys Knight — Columbia • Pirates — Rickie Lee Jones — Warner Bros. • Labor of Love — The Spinners — Atlantic • 1982 — The Nightfly — Donald Fagen — Warner Bros. • Objects of Desire — Michael Franks • Incognito — Spyro Gyra — MCA • Silk Electric — Diana Ross — Capitol • The Nylon Curtain — Billy Joel — Columbia • The Concert in Central Park — Simon & Garfunkel — Warner Bros. • 1983 — Hearts and Bones — Paul Simon — Warner Bros. • Passionfruit — Michael Franks • Hello Big Man — Carly Simon • Ross — Diana Ross — RCA • Rhythm Hymn — Jaki Whitren — Elektra • 1984 — I Feel for You — Chaka Khan — Warner Bros. • Civilized Man — Joe Cocker — Capitol • Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now) — Phil Collins — Atlantic • In the Evening — Sheryl Lee Ralph — New York Music • 1985 — Skin Dive — Michael Franks — Warner Bros. • 20/20 — George Benson • Wanna Play Your Game! — Joyce Kennedy — A&M • Surprize — Ralph MacDonald — Polydor • 1986 — Graceland — Paul Simon — Warner Bros. • The Animals' Christmas by Jimmy Webb — Art Garfunkel — CBS • Good Time for Love — Sadao Watanabe — Elektra • Back in the High Life — Steve Winwood — Island • The Bridge — Billy Joel — Columbia • 1987 — The Camera Never Lies — Michael Franks — Warner Bros. • One from the Heart — Jocelyn Brown • Jude Cole — Jude Cole • Love — Aztec Camera — WEA • The Hunger — Michael Bolton — Columbia • Jill Jones — Jill Jones — Paisley Park • Voices — Karen Kamon — Atco • Coming Around Again — Carly Simon — Arista • 1988 — CK — Chaka Khan — Warner Bros. • Brian Wilson — Brian Wilson — Sire/Reprise • 1989 — Journeyman — Eric Clapton — Reprise • Blackwood — Eddie Daniels — GRP • Lovelines — The Carpenters — A&M • Something Real — Phoebe Snow — Elektra • 1990 — Sings Cole Porter — Dionne Warwick — Arista • 1991 — Days Like These — Jay Hoggard — GRP • 1993 — Earth Step — Sadao Watanabe — Verve Forecast • 1994 — Oh! — Will Lee — Go Jazz • 1995 — The Finer Things — Steve Winwood — Island • 1996 — Karen Carpenter — Karen Carpenter — A&M • Stardust — Natalie Cole — Elektra • 1997 — Hourglass — James Taylor — Columbia • Still Waters — Bee Gees — Polydor • Dans Ma Chair — Patricia Kaas — Columbia • Nascimento — Milton Nascimento — Warner Bros. • 1998 — Painted from Memory — Elvis Costello — Mercury • Port Pleasure — Ralph MacDonald — Videoarts • 1999 — Aida — Elton John — Rocket/Island • Lifetime Guarantee — Michael Johnson — Magic • Songs from the Last Century — George Michael — Virgin/Aegean • 2001 — This Is the Moment — Donny Osmond — Decca • 2002 — October Road — James Taylor — Columbia • Ask a Woman Who Knows — Natalie Cole — Verve • Live in Paris — Diana Krall • This Is Who I Am — Heather Headley — RCA/BMG • Smile Songs from the Movies — Lyle Lovett — Curb/MCA • It Had to Be You: The Great American Songbook — Rod Stewart — J/BMG • The Season for Romance — Lee Ann Womack — MCA Nashville • 2003 — Nature Boy: The Standards Album — Aaron Neville — Verve • As Time Goes By: The Great American Songbook Vol. II — Rod Stewart — J/BMG • Soulful — Ruben Studdard — J/19 Recordings • 2004 — Taking a Chance on Love — Jane Monheit — Sony Classical • 2005 — It's Time — Michael Bublé — 143/Reprise • Last Quarter Moon — Chiara Civello — Verve Forecast • 2006 — James Taylor at Christmas — James Taylor — Columbia • Real Street — Mark Sholtez — Universal/Verve • 2007 — Borrowed Time — Steve Khan — Tone Center • Destination Moon — Deborah Cox — Decca • At the Movies — Dave Koz — Capitol • 2011 — Parting Shot — Steve Khan — Tone Center • 2012 — Live Barefoot at the Symphony — Idina Menzel — Concord • Dinosaurs Are Coming Back Again — Valerie Simpson — Hopsack & Silk • 2014 — Subtext — Steve Khan — ESC • Christmas in New York — Renee Fleming — Decca • 2015 — Before This World — James Taylor — Concord • 2016 — Backlog — Steve Khan — ESC • 2017 — La Même Tribu — Eddy Mitchell — Polydor • 2018 — La Même Tribu Volume 2