John Beland is probably one of the top session players in the country. But before he took off for the coast, John jumped into the music scene here in the Midwest Born and raised in Hometown, Illinois guitarist John Beland spent his early days at endless dances and clubs soaking in all the music the south side of Chicago had to offer. He formed a small jazz trio in hometown and regularly played small gigs. They would take pop songs and, as Beland described it, “jazz them up”. Performing these musical blends further influenced Beland’s youth. He played behind Dick Biondi at the various local sock hops and backed up the Chicago R&B band The C.O.Ds. In 1967 he left for Los Angeles where his career as a session guitarist, songwriter and performer took off. He eventually worked with virtually every “name” in the music business from Merle Haggard to Garth Brooks and everyone else in between. John’s book The Best Seat In The House chronicles his amazing career as one of the pioneer “country rockers” and is a must read. John is seen here playing at Second City with One Man’s Family, a group which eventually changed it’s name to Spanky and Our Gang.The other photo is of John with Dolly Parton.