HISTORY:
Chris Garges was born in Charlotte, NC, where he learned saxophone and piano at an early age. While in junior-high and high school, he studied classical percussion for six years with timpanist Carol Stumpf, became a Merit Scholar and Principal Percussionist with the Charlotte Symphony Youth Orchestra, played the first notes ever at the premiere performance of the Charlotte Philharmonic Orchestra (the opening snare drum roll of "The Star-Spangled Banner"), and traveled with Grammy-nominated country artists The Moody Brothers.
In 1991, Chris was awarded a scholarship to the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida to study in the school's famed Studio Music and Jazz program. He specialized in drumset and ethnic percussion (primarily West African and Haitian) and studied under Fred Wickstrom, Steve Rucker, Harry Hawthorne, Doug Floyd, Steve Bagby, Ney Rosaro, Lou Abbot, Vince Maggio, Matt Bonelli, Randall Dollahan, Ron Miller, and Ken Pohlmann. He played percussion in the well-known improvisational band Day By The River and in 1994 he traveled to Trinidad during Carnival to study Soca and Calypso music, which led to subsequent gigs with steel pan greats Othello Molineaux and Len "Boogsie" Sharp. In 1995, Chris received a Bachelor of Music from UM and traveled to Seoul, South Korea with the Top 40/R&B band, SOBE Blue.
In 1996, he returned to Charlotte and began working as a staff engineer at The Playroom, a commercial recording and rehearsal studio, where he had the opportunity to work with acts such as Aaliyah, Buckcherry, Jolene, Joe Firstman, and Gabe Dixon. In 1999, Chris went to work at the famous former Arthur Smith Studios (now called Studio East) where he worked with talent that includes Hollywood Records artist Calvin Richardson, bluegrass artist David Via, and the late, great, Grammy Award-winning R&B singer/songwriter General Johnson. In 2002, he left Studio East to pursue a career as a freelance engineer and musician.
In addition, Chris has worked with well-known artists such as songwriter/record producer Don Dixon, jazz piano giant Frank Kimbrough, bass legend Oteil Burbridge, keyboard legend Kofi Burbridge, bluegrass composer, producer, and music legend Arthur Smith, former Grateful Dead keyboardist Tom Constanten, guitar great Seymour Duncan, folk-pop artist Marti Jones, country music great George Hamilton, IV, producer/engineer Brian Paulson, acoustic artist Scott Ainslie, guitarist and producer Eric "Roscoe" Ambel, producer Don Zientara, R&B composer and producer Rodney Shelton, producer/engineer Mark Berry, activist and folk artist Si Kahn, bestselling author Omar Tyree, pop/rock icon Jamie Hoover, and rock legend Mitch Easter.
Chris is currently living in Charlotte, North Carolina continuing both live performances and studio work with a variety of artists, including frequent touring with Mitch Easter, rock band The Public Good, instrumental rock band Bunky Moon, and jazz trio Big Octave. He is a writer for Tape Op magazine and a moderator on their on-line recording forum. He can be contacted through this website or by phone.
