A sideman is a professional musician who is hired to perform or record with a group of which he is not formally a member. Sidemen are generally required to be adaptable to many different styles of music, and so able to fit smoothly into the group in which they are currently playing. Many sidemen are famous in their own right, however, and may be highly sought-after by bands. Often sidemen go on to form their own groups and/or solo careers; for instance, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Pete Best acted as sidemen to Tony Sheridan before becoming famous as The Beatles. Other musicians may take time from their own bands to tour or record as a sideman for another artist, such as Mike Watt with J Mascis and the Fog or Iggy and the Stooges. “Instrumentalist” redirects here. ... In music, a band is a group of musicians, or musical ensemble, usually popular or folk, playing parts of a musical arrangement. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... John Winston Ono Lennon, MBE (October 9, 1940 – December 8, 1980), (born John Winston Lennon, known as John Ono Lennon) was an iconic English 20th century rock and roll songwriter and singer, best known as the founding member of The Beatles. ... Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE (born 18 June 1942) is an iconic Academy Award– and Grammy Award–winning English singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who first gained worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles. ... George Harrison, MBE (25 February 1943[1][2] – 29 November 2001[3]) was an Academy Award and Grammy Award-winning English rock guitarist, singer, songwriter, author and sitarist best known as the lead guitarist of The Beatles. ... The Beatles, early 1962: (L-R) Pete, George, Paul and John. ... Tony Sheridan (born Andrew Esmond Sheridan McGinnity on May 21, 1940), is an English rock and roll singer-songwriter and guitarist. ... The Beatles were an English rock band from Liverpool whose members were John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr. ... Michael David Watt (born December 20, 1957 in Portsmouth, Virginia) is a bass guitarist, singer and songwriter, best-known for co-founding the punk rock bands The Minutemen and fIREHOSE; as of 2003, he is also the bassist for the reunited Iggy Pop & The Stooges. ... J Mascis And The Fog is the post-Dinosaur Jr. ... The Stooges 1969 debut Not to be confused with The Three Stooges. ...

Famous sidemen include

• Eric Clapton, blues/rock guitarist, for Delaney & Bonnie and Friends
• Sonny Clark, hard bop pianist
• Bill Evans, jazz pianist
• Johnny Dodds, jazz clarinetist
• Robin Finck, guitar player for Guns & Roses and formerly, Nine Inch Nails.
• Bradley Joseph, keyboardist
• Chuck Leavell, keyboardist
• Fred Wesley, jazz and funk trombonist and author of the book Hit Me, Fred: Recollections of a Sideman ISBN 0-8223-2909-3
• Phil Woods, jazz alto saxophonist and clarinetist
• Wojciech Pilichowski bass guitar
• Jason White, sideman of Green Day

Side Man also is the name of a Tony Award-winning play by Warren Leight, about the life and career of Gene, a fictional trumpet-playing sideman. Eric Patrick Clapton CBE (born 30 March 1945), nicknamed Slowhand, is a Grammy Award winning English guitarist, singer and composer, who is one of the most successful musicians of the 20th century,[1] garnering an unprecedented three inductions into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. ... Blues is a vocal and instrumental form of music based on the use of the blue notes and a repetitive pattern that most often follows a twelve-bar structure. ... Rock and roll (also spelled Rock n Roll, especially in its first decade), also called rock, is a form of popular music, usually featuring vocals (often with vocal harmony), electric guitars and a strong back beat; other instruments, such as the saxophone, are common in some styles. ... Delaney, Bonnie & Friends was a group started by Delaney and Bonnie Bramlett, which featured artists such as Eric Clapton, Carl Radle, Bobby Whitlock, Jim Gordon, Leon Russell, Dave Mason, Duane Allman and even some appearances with George Harrison. ... Born in Herminie, Pennsylvania, Conrad Yeatis (Sonny) Clark (July 21, 1931- January 13, 1963) was an American hard bop pianist. ... Hard bop is an extension of bebop (bop) music which incorporates influences from rhythm and blues, gospel music, and blues, especially in the saxophone and piano playing. ... Pianist Claudio Arrau, Carnegie Hall, 1954. ... William John Evans, (better known as Bill Evans) (August 16, 1929 – September 15, 1980) was one of the most famous jazz pianists of the 20th century; he remains one of the major influences on post-1950s jazz piano. ... Jazz is a musical art form that originated in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States around the start of the 20th century. ... Pianist Claudio Arrau, Carnegie Hall, 1954. ... Johnny Dodds (April 12, 1892 - August 8, 1940) was a jazz clarinetist, and older brother of drummer Baby Dodds. ... Jazz is a musical art form that originated in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States around the start of the 20th century. ... A clarinetist (also spelled clarinettist) is a musician who plays the clarinet. ... Robin Finck (born November 7, 1971) is the current lead guitarist of the American hard rock band Guns N Roses. ... Bradley Joseph (born in 1965) is an American composer, pianist, keyboardist, arranger, and recording artist, performing on the international stage for many years with artists such as Yanni and Grammy-winner Sheena Easton, as well as having vast experience with artists from RCA, Epic Records, Warner Bros. ... A keyboardist is a musician who plays keyboard instruments. ... Chuck Leavell (born April 28, 1952) is an American pianist and keyboardist, who was a member of The Allman Brothers Band during the height of their popularity, a founding member of the jazz-rock combo Sea Level, a frequently-employed session musician, and later, the keyboardist for The Rolling Stones. ... A keyboardist is a musician who plays keyboard instruments. ... Fred Wesley (born 1943) is an American jazz and funk trombonist. ... Jazz is a musical art form that originated in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States around the start of the 20th century. ... Funk is an African American musical style. ... A trombonist is a musician who plays the trombone. ... Philip Wells Woods (born in 1931) is an American jazz alto saxophonist, clarinetist, and composer. ... Jazz is a musical art form that originated in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States around the start of the 20th century. ... A saxophonist is a musician who plays the saxophone. ... Two soprano clarinets: a B♭ clarinet (left, with capped mouthpiece) and an A clarinet (right, with no mouthpiece). ... Wojtek Pilichowski (b. ... The electric bass guitar (or electric bass) is a string instrument played with the fingers by plucking, slapping, or using a pick. ... Jason White (born June 19, 1980) was a quarterback for the University of Oklahoma football team (1999-2004). ... Green Day is an American rock band band comprising three core members: Billie Joe Armstrong (guitar, lead vocals), Mike Dirnt (bass, backing vocals) and Tré Cool (drums). ... Side Man is a play by Warren Leight. ... What is popularly called the Tony Award (formally, the Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre) is an annual award celebrating achievements in live American theater, including musical theater, primarily honoring productions on Broadway in New York. ... Romeo and Juliet by Ford Madox Brown A play, written by a playwright, or dramatist, is a form of literature, almost always consisting of dialog between characters, and intended for performance rather than reading. ... Warren Leight (born circa 1957) is a Tony Award-winning American playwright, screenwriter, film director, and television producer. ... The trumpet is the highest brass instrument in register, above the French horn, trombone, baritone, euphonium, and tuba. ...

See also

• Session musician