Joe Bellamy, electric bass and recording engineer comes from an erudite musical family. His mother, a conservatory trained pianist and organist going back to the silent movie era and his father was a singer and cellist.
After earning a B.A. in music from the U. of Iowa, Joe toured the Midwest with various dance bands and worked 2 winter seasons in the house band at the Red Onion in Aspen, CO opening for artists such as Cal Tjader, Chuck Berry and more. After a stint entertaining our troops with the U.S.O. in Viet Nam, Joe found work in Los Angeles where he played with the Johnny Mathis Orchestra, in a backup band for B.B. King, in the Dave Pike Trio, played in dozens of other clubs and venues, also as studio musician in countless movie orchestras and jazz and pop recordings. This led to sound engineering work and eventually he founded his own studio, “Peace in the Valley” where he was fortunate enough to engineer, play on, or co-produce hundreds of records.
Joe has earned several gold record for his engineering work (but refused them as the production companies wouldn’t pay for them). Over the years he worked on recording projects with Steely Dan, Andy Williams, Thelma Houston, Joan Baez, John Michael Talbot, Chuck Girard, The Desert Rose Band -and dozens more and is a member in good standing of the TFPPA, the Ten-fingered Piano Players of America.
Locally, Joe manages rental property, continues his recording studio work, has played with and/or recorded Mimosa, Darcel Hunter, Barry Duncan and the ‘Tritone Subs’ Brenda Grimaldi, Over the Edge, the Mother Lode Youth Symphony, The Mother Lode Friends of Music, Adam Gottstein, various school plays and soloists, and plays weekly at Calvary Chapel, Amador.
In his spare time, Joe enjoys the western facing view from his new deck and chuteless skydiving.
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We keep tellin' Joe he cleans up pretty good. Here is the 'dude' standing in front of City Hall in San Francisco...looking studly. Look out ladies... |
Dave’s original composition
“Hot Rod Special”, with his signature 'shredding' style of play, always has audiences roaring with approval at the end. It’s the kind of song you might expect when you see guitar and fiddle.
“We had a blast performing at The Sutter Creek Theater back in April of 2005,” Gottstein said. The result was their first CD -- “Live at The Sutter Creek Theater”.
The new CD, To The Edge & Back was recorded at Joe Bellamy’s Peace in the Valley recording in 2009. You can order it online on our Music page or by contacting us. Bulk discounts are available. The Edge boys are also available for all types of gigs. Please don’t hesitate to contact us.
So there you have it. Probably more than you’d ever want to know about the band. Now, just get yourself to a show or buy a CD (or both) and let OTE become a part of your life. Music is a good thing, eh? Glad that you agree!