Syracuse Musician Wells Christie
Question: What do Hall & Oates, The Twilight Zone and Synclavier all have in common?
Answer: Syracuse Musician Wells Christie
Everybody I meet in the music life has a different story somehow, some way. For me, it’s part of the fun to learn about how people “get here” as well as learning about where they go. I know Wells through the popular Tuesday night open jam that typically takes place at the Maplewood. Over the years, in between jams I’ve had the opportunity to know him as a pal and to listen to his story – his music path.
Which is incredible and unique.
These days, you can find him working as the keyboardist in Lefty Jones based in Syracuse featuring Dave Porter, Richie Melito, Edgar Pagan and Dave Chitambar; and also for the Tony Masterpol’s band FATE
How it Began
Wells began his professional music career at the age of 11, when he was asked to be the church organist for the local Lutheran Church his family regularly attended, a position he would hold for seven years until leaving for college. He never missed a single Sunday morning service – even after he began (at age 15) playing late night rock & roll gigs on the weekends. He also played first trumpet and later percussion in local Concert bands. He graduated from G. Ray Bodley High School (Fulton, New York) in 1977.
Smart Guy
Following High School, he attended Duke University for a year, studying classical piano with Ruth Phelps. His second year, he took a leave of absence to attend the Boston School Electronic of Music, studying classical synthesis with John Duesenberry and Jim Michmerhuizen. Returning to Duke University for his 3rd and 4th years, he continued his classical piano studies with Boaz Sharon, and served as Tympanist and Percussion Section Leader with the Duke University Wind Symphony. He graduated in 1981 from Duke University with a Bachelor of Arts (cum laude) in Music and English Literature.
Digital
His career as an adult professional musician would begin the following year when he landed a job with David Nichtern, then National Sales Director at New England Digital’s Flagship New York office for the Synclavier II Digital Music Production System, quickly establishing himself as one of the company’s very first “Product Specialists.” At such an early stage of the Synclavier’s existence, Wells’ direct feedback to the software engineers at New England Digital, gathered from working in the field, would go on to make small but not insignificant contributions to the Synclavier’s eventual development and evolution. Ultimately becoming the first ever fully tapeless recording system, the Synclavier was destined to take its place in history as the pioneering harbinger of the modern methods of music production. Some of the notable clientele Wells worked with at this time included Laurie Anderson, Charles Morrow Associates, Suzanne Ciani, Elias Associates, Foreigner, Hall & Oates, Bob James, Kashif Saleem, Nile Rodgers, Paul Simon, Billy Squier, Stevie Wonder and Neil Young, among others.
Where Adventure Goes
Wells would depart the New York Synclavier office toward the end of 1984 to join Hall & Oates on their 1984-85 “Big Bam Boom” Tour, which included the “Live at the Apollo (w/ Eddie Kendricks and David Ruffin) Album, Liberty Park July 4th Concert & Live-Aid Benefit Concert. Following this tour, he would relocate to Los Angeles, where he would go on to amass a list of music credits, working in film, television, video, commercials, and records. Notable amongst those credits, he composed and created the underscore for “The Cartoon Adventures of Teen Wolf” series, and his arrangement of the song “Under the Milky Way” for the Australian band The Church, which would go on to appear on over 40 “Greatest Hits of the Eighties” compilation records. He would also make seminal contributions to three other live music tours: George Michael’s “Faith” Tour in 1988, Paula Abdul’s “Forever Your Girl” Tour in 1989, and Milli Vanilli’s “Girl You Know It’s True” Tour in 1990. For the latter two tours, he was tapped as the Musical Director and Arranger.
Something to Show For It
Wells Christie’s credits extend to music including celebrated works with: Paul Simon, George Benson, Steve Walsh Streets, Roger Glover, Foreigner, Hall & Oates, Linda Ronstadt, 10,000 Maniacs, In My Tribe, Toto, The Church, George Michael, Paula Abdul, 1989 MTV Music Awards Show, The Arsenio Hall Show
And to film and television: Running Scared, Police Academy IV, Million Dollar Mystery, Wild Thing, Jumping Jack Flash, The Twilight Zone.
