Ken Margolis
Biography Ken Margolis
Ken Margolis
Born near the shores of Lake Erie in the industrial town of Cleveland, Ohio, Ken Margolis is an accomplished songwriter, keyboardist and vocalist. He learned to play the piano by ear and was drawn to playing with other budding musicians during the revolution of popular music that occurred during the 60’s and 70’s. Playing at local teen clubs and later at the varied venues that dotted the landscape he honed an interest and style influenced by acoustic folk and traditional Irish music, blues, country, R & B, rock and progressive rock music that was exploding during his youth.
Throughout the early years in Cleveland, he played keyboards and was a contemporary with many of the up-and-coming musicians in the early stages of their careers including Wally Bryson, Joe Walsh, Joe Vitale, Eric Carmen – like them he thrived in the creativity of that musical renaissance. In the process, he shared the stage with many luminaries such as the Who, Herman’s Hermits, Bo Diddley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Bobby Womack and others. He appeared at the “Topping the Rock” Ceremony at the Rock ’n Roll Hall of Fame, the Tri-C Rock Festival and the Undercurrents Showcases.
He first began recording as a member of the popular 60’s band, The Choir. He sang lead on their single “Gonna Have a Good Time Tonight” and later recorded the songs which were released as “Artifact” and “Last Call” by Omnivore Recordings. Perpetually driven by the desire to create new and heartfelt music he focused on his songwriting, which was most notably developed with bands from Cleveland and California ( “The Choir”, “Sittin’ Ducks”, and “Sanctuary”.)
Now living in Santa Cruz, California, he continues to play with many of the area’s top musicians and has been nurturing his growing interest in songs that explore the intersection of human struggle and the natural world - resulting in a long anticipated album collaboration with his son Ethan Margolis (Emaginario) as producer, arranger, and guitarist. The album, entitled “Hope and Courage” is a powerful tribute to authenticity in songwriting. Ken is accompanied on the album by many of the USA’s top session musicians including Gary Novak, Jimmy Haslip, Reggie Hamilton, Bob Shepherd, Munyungo Jackson, Diego Álvarez, Ariel Posen amongst others. It was mixed by Dave O’Donnell, producer/engineer for James Taylor and Keith Richards.
