Fred Sokolow is a versatile "musician's musician." A multi-instrumentalist, he is an accomplished jazz guitarist, bluegrass banjo player, and electric blues/rock/slide guitarist. He has been part of the West Coast acoustic music scene for decades, leading his own bands or accompanying such established touring artists as Tom Paxton, Jody Stecher, the Limeliters, Bobby Gentry, and Jim Stafford, playing Dobro, mandolin, and lap steel as well as guitar and banjo.
Fred's diverse talents have led him to win the Gong Show, play lap steel on the Tonight Show, play Dobro with Chubby Checker and mandolin with Rick James, and hold the title of official banjo player for the TV show Survivor. His music has graced many TV shows, commercials, and movies. Fred recorded two bluegrass banjo albums for Kicking Mule Records and two original rock albums, and his recent "Fred Sokolow Jazz Quartet" and "Fred Sings and Plays Fats Waller" CDs showcase his unique style of playing and singing jazz standards. A performance video of his jazz quartet was released recently, featuring guest stars Lawrence Juber, Ian Whitcomb and Junior Brown.
Fred is the author of over 100 instructional books and DVDs for guitar, banjo and other stringed instruments. His books are published by all the major music print publishers (Hal Leonard, Warner Bros., Mel Bay, etc.) and his "Fretboard Roadmaps" series is an international best-seller. He conducts music seminars and recently taught a week-long blues class for the National Guitar Workshop and a Dobro class for Steve Kaufman's Akoustic Music Kamp. He is known for his ability to communicate musical concepts simply and effectively.
