Les Fradkin has been on the cutting edge of Guitar Synthesis since the dawn of MIDI back in 1983. But his experience with synthesis and sampling stretches even further back to 1970 when he began a long and distinguished career as an Artist, Composer, Producer and session Mellotron and Guitar player in New York City and London.
He's a Guitar Synthesizer Virtuoso and 21st Century music innovator on the Starr Labs Ztar. He was an original member of The Broadway Show-"Beatlemania" when he portrayed George Harrison and played 6 String and 12 String lead guitar in the hit Broadway musical from 1977 through 1979. He found success as a recording artist,composer and producer with MGM Sunflower, ESP-Disk', Bell, Arista, RCA, and Laurie Records. Les was discovered by John Hammond Sr. and Tony Orlando and originally signed to Columbia Records and April-Blackwood Music back in 1969. Les has written the well known French hit "La Chansons Des Souvenirs" ("Song Of A Thousand Voices") for the famous Mireille Mathieu.
In the early 70's, his 12-String Guitar, Bass Guitar and Mellotron playing was a big contributor to The Godz on ESP-Disk. He recorded three albums with the group including the Thornton, Fradkin & Unger collector's classic "Pass On This Side" which continues to be highly sought after to this day.
In 1976, Les was selected over thousands of other auditioning guitarists to appear in the original cast of the smash hit Broadway musical "Beatlemania" playing lead guitar and the part of "George Harrison" in New York City, Los Angeles and Chicago. Running for two and a half years from May 1977 thru October 1979, every show (including over 1200 in New York alone) was sold out and the musicians quickly became celebrities with magazine cover stories ("Newsweek","Time", "People", "Rolling Stone") and many major television show appearances. With his guitar-playing in the international spotlight from the show, Fradkin developed a cult following that has avidly followed his career and made him a celebrity among guitar fans.
In the early 80's, he pioneered the introduction of tapeless MIDI recording with the SynthAxe, Roland Guitar Synthesizer and Yamaha DX7 and TX816 synthesizers recorded with the Yamaha QX1 sequencer and Synclavier 3200 in soap opera music. He also composed and programmed numerous successful jingles and movie soundtracks as well as many game show themes. He worked for Score Productions and ABC TV in New York City, wrote many national jingles (for such products as Cheerios, Campbel's Soup, Nestle's, Crisco,, American Express), 4 movie soundtracks and co wrote, programmed and played on all the music for the soap Opera "One Life To Live" for ABC-TV from 1984 thru 1988. He was the first composer to record entirely "Direct-To-Disk" in New York City. His sonic innovations at that time with the SynthAxe, Synclavier, Yamaha DX7, TX816 Digital Synthesizers and the Yamaha QX1 Sequencer earned him great accolades in the TV industry and established him as "Dr. MIDI." His dramatic ability with Scoring Cues as well as full blown themes blazed a trail that he continues today.
He has enjoyed chart success on the net as well with his songs reaching mp3.com's 1 position 16 times! New Gandy Dancer Rock Magazine named Les' CD "A Day At The Beach" it's 2004 Album Of The Year. In addition, Les has performed with The Ventures as 2nd Lead Guitarist. Nokie Edwards of The Ventures has performed with Les on several occasions and is a featured guest on his "While My Guitar Only Plays" CD. In fact, Les has been acknowledged as a guitar virtuoso for over 30 years and he has been featured in issues of 20th Century Guitar Magazine, Pipeline and New Gandy Dancer Magazines.
After recording and releasing several successful Guitar Synthesizer Instrumental CD's since 2005, featuring Guitar Pitch to MIDI Technology, Les felt the need to break through existing barriers he had experienced since the dawn of MIDI. Although he once owned and used a SynthAxe MIDI Controller, the company had long ceased doing business and there seemed to be very little to choose from in the way of advanced MIDI control that a virtuso guitarist could play in real time with reliable and predictable results with modern music technology. Always on the lookout for a MIDI Guitar that could track as fast as he could play, he discovered the Starr Labs Ztar in the Summer of 2007 which, unexpectedly, opened up a whole new Universe of performance and expressive possibilities for him as a composer, musician and guitar synthesist.
As a result of acquiring this new instrument, Les has chosen to gravitate away from traditional guitar based pop music and his current work involves the music and dynamic of Electronic sound as realized from the performance control of the Ztar. Searching for a means that could transport the listener to new realms of experience, he found himself now able to single-handedly orchestrate entire new worlds of sonic tapestry in real time with perfect tracking which were never before possible from previous MIDI Guitar technology. An entirely new merging of mind, heart, and computer technology resulting in new music was now posssible. Using a blend of Space Rock, Progressive Electronic and Neo Classical signposts, Les' new CD "One Link Between Them" opens up a new door to a sound which has thrilled music fans the world over.
Today, Les has released 20 solo CD's on his RRO Entertainment Indie label and has had over 340,000 downloads bringing him several substantial hits on Apple iTunes and other download sites across the Internet.
His current music is a mixture of various influences and signposts including Progressive, Rock, Electronic and Classical.
Les Fradkin - Discography-Albums
FEARLESS FRADKIN - MGM/Sunflower SNF-5003 (unreleased LP) Prologue, God Bless California, Black Gypsy, I Challenge You, Christopher's Sorrow, Sometimes A Girl Must Carry On, You Can Cry If You Want To, Song Of A Thousand Voices, Days Of Sunshine, That's When The Good Feeling Starts
THORNTON, FRADKIN & UNGER PASS ON THIS SIDE (1974) ESP-3019 (re-issued as by The Godz) God bless California, M'Lady, Jimi, Christopher's sorrow, Walkin' guitar blues, Oh woman, To err is human, Sometimes Outtake : Eight miles high Les Fradkin-12-String Guitar, Mellotron, Bass, Vocals, Mandolin, Drums
SPLASH (2004) RRO-1002 - re-issue of Trackbytrack 7000 Bombara, Surfin' the classics Part 1 & 2, Apache, Body surfin', White sands, Walk don't run 2000, The cruel sea, Sandblaster, Walk the nose, Reverbia 2004 bonus tracks : Phil Dirt introduction, Body surfin', White sands, Surfin the classics Part 1 & 2 (all live)
A DAY AT THE BEACH (2004) RRO-1003 re-issue of Trackbytrack 7001 (2000) 2004 bonus tracks : Bombora, Reverbia (both live) A day at the beach, Kick sand, Pintor, Key West sunset, Nature calls, Good vibrations, The dirt surfers get wet, Wave rider, Beck's bolero, Hurricane warning, Joy of man's desiring, The bridge across forever
GODZOLOGY (2000) Renaissance RMED00132 (as by PAUL THORNTON & LES FRADKIN) I know you rider, Just like yesterday, The ballad of Belle Star, I'll be around, Down on my luck, I will, Give a damn, Lonely together, God bless California, Black gypsy, Good ol' rock 'n roll, Broadway is blue, Follow the leader,Universal soldier, A hard rain's a-gonna fall, Lay down your arms, The Thornton report, I can never say goodbye, Safe in space Outtake : Hungry for love (With Silver Apples)
REALITY - THE ROCK OPERA (2003) Reality Rock Org. RRO-1001 Reality 1 : Overture, Reality, Magic attic, You can't change me, 25 woman so little time, Reality idol, It's plastic, Here today gone tomorrow, Reality 2 : Everything is wrong, Obsolete, Rehearsals for retirement, Reality check, System crash, The rebirth of hope, Together, Alternate reality : Rehearsals for retirement, Here today gone tomorrow
PERFECT WORLD (2004) RRO-1004 Beach baby, God bless California, Funny how love can be, I can never say goodbye, Smile a little smile for me, I will, You belong to me, My baby loves lovin', Love grows (where my Rosemary goes), Perfect world
WHILE MY GUITAR ONLY PLAYS (2005) RRO-1005 Here comes the sun, And your bird can sing, If I needed someone, I feel fine, I saw her standing there, I need you, Taxman, Paperback writer, I want to tell you, Strawberry fields forever, While my guitar gently weeps, Golden slumbers, Carry that weight, The end
SOMETHING FOR GEORGE (2005) RRO-1007 My sweet lord, Awaiting on you all, This is love, You, Here comes the sun (version 2), While my guitar gently weeps (version 2), Something, Isn't it a pity
LOVE YOU 2 (2006) RRO-1008 Taxman, If I needed someone, You know what to do, You like me too much, I'm happy just to dance with you, I need you, Don't bother me, Do you want to know a secret, Think for yourself, I want to tell you, Love you to
GOIN' BACK (2006) RRO-1009 Goin' back, So you want to be a rock and roll star, Have I the right, I can't let go, When you walk into the room, Only to you, Walk away Renee, I could make it last forever, Spare change, I'm gonna love you, I don't want to do it, Fellow travelers
JANGLEHOLIC (2006) RRO-1010 Jangleholic, I want you, You were on my mind, I'll never find another you, Arrow through your heart, Hazy shade of winter, The dangling conversation, Why is this man smiling ?, Sometimes a girl must carry on, Still on my way, Everything is gonna be all right
UNDER THE COVERS (2006) RRO-1011 Under the covers, Through the looking glass, Take a chance, Song of a thousand voices, You can cry if you want to, I cry, Reflections of my life, Here comes that rainy day feeling again, Montego Bay, I'd love you to want me, La chanson des souvenirs (Song of a thousand voices)
SPIRIT OF CHRISTMAS (2006) RRO-1012 I wish it could be Christmas everyday, Say you love me for Christmas, My baby loves Christmas, Ding dong ding dong, Christmas vacation, Jangle bells, Happy Xmas (war is over), Christmas sleeps tonight, Hello Christmas (goodbye year), There won't be Christmas this year (cause I won't be with you), A Christmas gone too soon, The spirit of Christmas
IF YOUR MEMORY SERVES YOU WELL (2006) RRO-1013 This wheel's on fire, Knockin' on heaven's door, The times they are a-changin', Like a rolling stone, Just like a woman, Love minus zero / No limit, The mighty quinn, Can you please crawl out your window ?, Absolutely sweet Marie, One of us must know (sooner or later)
PEPPER FRONT TO BACK (2007) RRO-1018 Sgt Pepper's lonely hearts club band, With a little help from my friends, Lucy in the sky with diamonds, Getting better, Fixing a hole, She's leaving home, Being for the benefit of Mr Kite, Within you without you, When I'm 64, Lovely Rita, Good morning good morning, Sgt Pepper's lonely hearts club band (reprise), A day on the life, All you need is love
12 (2007) RRO I know you rider, The ballad of Belle star, Eight miles high, Alone again or, Down on my luck, Four strong winds, Mr tambourine man, A hard rain's a gonna fall, Lay down your arms
GUITAR REVOLUTION (2007) RRO-1024 Revolution, Jet, Live And Let Die, Within You Without You (Version 2), I'll Be Back, Free As A Bird, Ever Present Past, Dance Tonight, I Am The Walrus, Imagine, Rockestra Theme
ONE LINK BETWEEN THEM (2008) RRO-1027 Lift Off, Orbiter, From Venus With Love, Liberty, Caravan, Warp Drive, Sailing All Alone, Longing To Return, A Dim Twilight, Telstar
STRAT HEAVEN (2008) RRO-1029 Strat Heaven, Move Along, Crazy, This Ain't A Scene, It's An Arms Race, Livin' On A Prayer, Nothing's Gonna Stop Us, Rock & Roll, Part 2, Stairway To Heaven, Good Night (With The Vienna Symphony)
THE WHITE SINGLE (2009) RRO-1030 Back In The USSR, The Continuing Story Of Bungalow Bill, Birthday, Savoy Truffle, Good Night
BAROQUE ROCKS! (2009) RRO-1031 The Myth Of El Cid, Handel Rocks!, All The King's Men, Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter (from Vivaldi's "The Four Seasons"), Classical Gas, Canon In D, Air On A G String, Baroque & Roll, Anthem For All Nations
THE GATES OF TRANCE (2009) RRO-1032 The Gates of Trance (Radio Edit), Go (Radio Edit), The Gates Of Trance (Extended Mix), Go (Extended Mix)
HYPER MIDI GUITAR (2010) RRO-1033 Sabre Dance, All Along The Watchtower, 21st Century Schzoid Man, Immigrant Song, Situation, Layla, Roundabout, Highway Star, More Than A Feeling, Pinball Wizard / See Me Feel Me Medley
TOGETHER FOR THE WORLD (2010) RRO-1034 Together (Single Version featuring Amber Gomez), The Rebirth of Hope (Single Version), Anthem For All Nations (Single Version)
TICKET TO A REMIX UNIVERSE (2012) RRO-1035 Ticket To A Remix Universe, Ticket To Ride, Across The Universe, The Inner Light, Rain, Strawberry Fields Forever, I Want You (She's So Heavy), Things We Said Today, Eleanor Rigby, Any Time At All, I'll Be Back
SUITE FOR ZTAR AND ORCHESTRA IN G MINOR OP.1 NO.1 (2013) RRO-1040 Presto, Presto Variationi, Adagio, Allegro Vivace, Moderatemente, Allegro, Allegro Moderatememte, Vivacemente, Lentamente, Allegro, Finale Allegro
