Michael Landau


Michael Landau is an American musician, audio engineer, and record producer. He is a session musician and guitarist who has played on many albums since the early 1980s with Boz Scaggs, Minoru Niihara, Joni Mitchell, Rod Stewart, Seal, Michael Jackson, James Taylor, Helen Watson, Luis Miguel, Richard Marx, Steve Perry, Pink Floyd, Phil Collins on Two Hearts and Loco in Acapulco, Roger Daltrey, Stevie Nicks, Glenn Frey, and Miles Davis. Landau, along with fellow session guitarists Dean Parks, Steve Lukather, Michael Thompson and Dann Huff, played on many of the major label releases recorded in Los Angeles from the 1980s–1990s. He has released music with several record labels, including Ulftone Music and Tone Center Records, a member of Shrapnel Label Group.
In addition to his session work, Landau has led several bands, including Raging Honkies and Burning Water. In the early 1980s, he was also in the band Maxus with Robbie Buchanan, Mark Leonard, Jay Gruska, and Doane Perry.

Early life

At age 19, he joined Boz Scaggs for a world tour and by the age of 20, he started to do session work on the recommendation of long time friend, Steve Lukather.

Influences

Landau cites influences including The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Cream, The Band, Weather Report, Pat Martino, and Jaco Pastorius.

Equipment

Landau has a signature Single coil guitar pickup with Suhr Guitars called the 'ML.' In 2013, Fender announced that they would be collaborating with Landau on a signature Stratocaster. In 2015, Fender released the 'Michael Landau Signature' amplifier, a modified version of Hot Rod DeVille III
Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Landau used a rack switching system made by Bob Bradshaw of Custom Audio Electronics. Other notable users of such systems were Steve Lukather and Eddie Van Halen among others.

Discography

Solo releases
With Renegade Creation
With Hazey Jane
With Stolen Fish
With The Raging Honkies
With Burning Water
With Rita Lee
With Luis Miguel
With Mari Hamada
With others