We’re delighted to work with legendary guitarist-vocalist Chad Quist as a valuable part of our writing-producing team at Mainstream Source. Chad’s performances are all over the catalog, in Classic Rock, Media, Easy Popular Moods, Western, Blues, Modern Classic Soul, and as a featured artist in our Artist Series Rock Collection with Liz Aday, featuring members of Heart, Journey and Smash Mouth. Chad has also assisted us in writing, producing and performing music on many National Advertising Campaigns.
Chad grew up in the Bay Area where he began playing piano at age five. He took up guitar at ten and began studying with Jimmy Lyons (Eddie Money), Terry Maderas (Starship) and Jack Eskridge, along with other local Bay Area instructors. From age seventeen to nineteen Chad attended Berklee College of Music in Boston. There he studied music theory, composition and all styles of guitar performance.
After his college years, Chad relocated to Seattle. His talents for being adept at many styles on stage or in the studio were soon sought after by the top local acts, from the top-40 scene, to casuals and record work, doing everything from rock, pop and country to fusion and jazz. Some highlights were playing with local favorites where he had the chance to perform on stage with Kenny G, The Platters and Martha and the Vandellas. These experiences led to gigs opening shows for artists such as Ray Charles, Tower Of Power, George Benson, Rick Derringer, Head East, Diane Schuur, Dave Grusin, Lou Rawls, Larry Carlton, Basia, Huey Lewis and Jamie Foxx.
In 1995 Chad began a ten year recording career with Muzak. In addition to appearing on close to one thousand Muzak cover tunes on their Environmental channel, he has over 20 of his original songs on worldwide rotation.
In ’96 he released his first CD with his band Paradigm Shift and in ’99 he teamed up with partner Liz Aday to form Quistaday. Their release “These Are The Days” was co-produced by veteran Bay Area engineer Wally Buck, and featured Steve Smith (Journey) on drums with Paul DeLisle (Smash Mouth) and Geoff Stanfield (Black Lab) on bass. The CD was released on Groovehouse Records and the band scored an opening slot for Pat Benatar on her ’00 and ’01 summer tours. In 1997, Chad landed a touring gig with Big Brother And The Holding Company, of Janis Joplin fame. His travels with Big Brother have brought him to Europenumerous times as well as Thailand, Hawaii and throughout the continental U.S.
The band has toured on bills with Vanilla Fudge, Canned Heat, Jefferson Starship and Booker T. and the MG’s and recently released the live CD and DVD “Hold Me” which features Chad’s fluid technical skills. More recently, Chad has been out with Glenn Yarborough, backing Glenn on his classic folk songs.
Working on his own records led Chad to his interest in producing and engineering. Recent projects include Shyamali Malakar, Nick Deonigi, Light Euphoric and Devorah. In the future, Chad would like to continue to sit in the producer’s chair as well as tour, see the world and play music. Chad is a voting member of NARAS and a writer and publisher member of ASCAP.
Chad is currently residing in Los Angeles working on a variety of projects, following a recent writing stint for “American Idol” alums Sanjaya and Shyamali Malakar’s upcoming releases, dozens of high-profile orchestral and rock gigs, and lending his producing, composing and performing talents to Mainstream Source. He continues a steady diet of gigging, including regular dates at Disneyland and the House Of Blues in Hollywood.
