biography
“… It’s hard not to believe in Hogarth …“ – Billboard Magazine
“… Take a healthy dose of Sly and The Family Stone, add a liberal pinch of Stevie Wonder, put on your dancing shoes and boogie to the music of Thaddeus Hogarth …“– –Bruce Gelerman, NPR.
“… Guitar Virtuoso …”– Boston Globe
*********
Thaddeus Hogarth continues his musical evolution as an award-winning singer/songwriter, balancing it with his career as guitar faculty at Boston’s famed Berklee College of Music. He brings a diverse set of musical influences to his current Boston-based project. As an original music recording artist, he leads his powerhouse unit, The Thaddeus Hogarth Collective (THC), delivering a collection of serious R&B/Funk tunes that make you stop, listen and groove. The line-up currently includes Winston Maccow on bass, Matt Jenson on Keyboards and Rich Evangelista on Drums.
Thaddeus has previously shared the bill or stage with the likes of such legends as Tower of Power, Ernie Isley, Average White Band, Fred Wesley (James Brown), Bernie Worrell (Parliament Funkadelic), Matt Schofield, Steve Kimock, The Neville Brothers, Eric Gales, Johnny Winter, Donald Harrison and James Montgomery.
The Thaddeus Hogarth Band was one of only 24 music acts that was hand picked to represent Bose nationwide in a program to launch their award winning Personalized Amplification System family of products. This unique cutting-edge sound system has changed the way live music is amplified and recorded, and was used to record Thaddeus’ 4th solo CD, Live at Bose (Higher Ground Records) which earned him his second Independent Music Award for R&B/Blues.
The tunes and production of Thaddeus’ releases pay an obvious tribute to his childhood influences. These range from the 70’s soulful styles of Bill Withers and Sly Stone to the hypnotic grooves and sociopolitical commentary of the early reggae movement in the West Indies. The feel is raw and organic with many of the defining sounds of the 70’s: B3 organ, Fender Rhodes, Hohner Clavinet and Thaddeus’ ever-present wah-wah rhythm guitar. Adding to this mix is his chromatic harmonica playing, reminiscent of early era Stevie Wonder.
As an educator, Thaddeus has authored a highly acclaimed guitar instructional book, Funk/R&B Guitar: Creative Solos, Grooves and Sounds on Hal Leonard/Berklee Press Book-Funk/R&B Guitar This book outlines his unique approach to guitar instruction. This is explored in depth in his Berklee Music Online Course: Funk/Rock and R&B Guitar.
His “Intro to Guitar” course on (Coursera) has been featured on the Today Show and NBC and enrollment has surpassed 750,000 to date.
When the Sun Goes Down, was voted 3rd Best Independent CD for 1999 on cdbaby.com, one of the primary Internet sites for Independent Music. Some songs are featured in the soundtrack of full-length and independent short feature films. Trying to Believe (March 16th, 2001 Spinning Records) was released to rave reviews, earning Thaddeus and his Band the Best R&B/Blues category of the Independent Music Awards. These awards are sponsored by and featured in the national publication, The Musician’s Atlas, on sale at bookstores nationwide. Judges for this award included the likes of Aimee Mann, Jimmy Cliff, Lisa Loeb, Jose Feliciano, and Joshua Redman, to name a few.
It Might As Well Be Now (September 12th, 2003, Higher Ground Records) is an enhanced CD, which contains three music videos in addition to the 10 audio tracks. One song features collaboration with, and a guest appearance by Grammy Nominee, Reggae Legend, Sister Carol.
Various songs from Thaddeus’ CDs have been featured in episodes of MTV’s Undressed and The Osbournes.
Live at Bose II: The DVD is a spectacular live performance film of a concert at the Bose World Headquarters Theatre in Framingham, MA. Highlights on the DVD include a duet performance with famed Paris, France-based singer, Robin McKelle.
Thaddeus’ former notable contribution to the Boston music scene was as the principal Singer/Songwriter/Guitarist for the legendary Heavy Metal Horns. The Heavy Metal Horns gained recognition in the 90’s through their original heavy hitting funk rock grooves, outstanding personal presence, and full brass sound. Numerous awards include Best New Band 1990 (Boston Magazine), Outstanding Club Act (Boston Music Awards 1992). Through multiple national tours of the U.S. (including Boston, Montreal and Newport Jazz Festivals) and international distribution of his music, Thaddeus’ songwriting, vocals, guitar and harmonica playing have been heard worldwide.
“It’s not hard to believe in Hogarth”………Billboard Magazine
“Guitar Virtuoso”………………………………. Boston Globe
“What’s hot”………………………………………Ebony Magazine
In My Dreams
More Life
Sunshine Tomorrow
One Too Much
Perfect Love