Chris Van Cleave

AS A SINGER SONGWRITER, Chris has independently produced seven albums and the score for two musicals. His initial major label release "The Friend Ship" was on Paramount Records with Walker Daniels (original lead in Hair) and Laura Branigan in the folk-rock group "Meadow". See feature article next month.

As a songwriter, Chris is one of the most prolific and eclectic composers within the industry today. His catalog of over six hundred songs (with many hundred more yet to enter) includes styles of folk, rock, country, R & B, jazz, reggae, and musical theater. He has "a keen ear" for rich harmonies and musical arrangements, and many are surprized that, although he has written the score to three musicals, he does not read or write notation!

His strong, expressive voice, ranging from bass into tenor, has been praised by many as rich, soulful, and melodic throughout his career. He has performed in venues throughout the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, and Europe.

In addition to performing his music in concerts throughout his travels, he has opened for Kansas, Poco, Eric Burdon, Leon Russell, and Buckwheat Zydeco. As a recording artist and songwriter, he has collaborated with many, including Suzi Quatro, Jim McCarty (Yardbirds), Peter Mason (Bee Gees, Dave Dee) and Barry Mason (writer of hits for Tom Jones and Englebert Humperdink).

Chris has also collaborated with international organizations (such as Friends of the Earth and The First Earth Run) to write songs for specific occasions.

He has been blessed with the ability to draw on his 'muse' whenever the need has arisen and enjoys being commissioned to write songs for other musicals and events -- or for personal occasions such as weddings, births, etc.

As with many others in the world today, Chris has had his share of soul-carving experiences. From a father who was killed in Vietnam; a brother who committed suicide; a divorce and subsequent separation from raising his first two daughters, to being his mother's caregiver following her strokes and developing Alzheimer's, Chris has much personal experience to draw from which deepens the quality and insight within his lyrics.

"I look for imagery in lyric-writing to create pictures for the listener that can change in meaning for wherever anyone may be in life. Each of us discovers our own truths in our own special way. For me, songwriting serves as a mirror to convey the truths shown to me as I journey through Life's peaks and valleys."

With his unique ability of capturing in song the various joys, trials and challenges of our human journey, his catalog contains an endless supply of material suitable for documentaries, seminars, feature films, places of worship, and personal gifts. Along with his exhilerating and ever evolving creative career, Chris has also been married for 36 years and fathered two additional children.

For more info: https://vancleavemusic.com/biography-new/bio-web/home.html