Multi-instrumentalist Gordon Titcomb, best known for his work on pedal steel guitar and mandolin, became interested in string instruments at an early age, asking for a guitar as a Christmas present as early as the age of four. His first influence was the folk music of the early '60s, though by the seventh grade he was in a band that covered British Invasion rock. At age 17, Titcomb took an approved 6 month sabbatical from boarding school to move to Denver to play with Mike Williams. There he developed an interest in country music and began playing pedal steel. After finishing high school and briefly attending the New School for Social Research in New York City, he returned to Denver where he played in bluegrass bands. In 1976, he moved to California as a member of the John Herald Band, relocating to Woodstock, NY, with Herald the following year and joining the Woodstock Mountain Revue, with which he recorded two albums. In 1980, he moved back to New York City and performed frequently as a sideman in clubs while also writing and performing commercial jingles and occasionally playing in the pit orchestras of Broadway shows. He has served as a backup or studio musician for Roy Acuff, Eric Andersen, Rory Block, Blood, Sweat & Tears, Shawn Colvin, Erasure, Kinky Friedman, Bill Keith, Jim Lauderdale, Peter Rowan, Paul Simon, Patrick Sky, Happy and Artie Traum, Tony Trischka, Travis Tritt, Eric Weissberg, Dottie West, and many others. In the early years of the 21st century, he toured in Arlo Guthrie's band, and his debut solo album, The Last Train, was released on Guthrie's Rising Son Records label in 2005. ~ William Ruhlmann, Rovi