Eric Sampson is a uniquely talented singer/songwriter/guitarist based in the greater Los Angeles area. Born and raised in Humboldt County California, Eric had an irresistible pull towards music at an early age. By the time he was in high school he was playing guitar and performing with various groups in the local clubs of Northern California.
Eric’s unique early style was largely self taught and was enhanced by several fortunate opportunities. In 2001 Eric received a California Governor's Metal for the Arts, getting accepted into the prestigious California State Summer School for the Arts program for guitar performance where he studied Jazz, African drumming, and Balinese music. Later Eric was accepted at the Musicians Institute in Hollywood, which is one of the worlds leading contemporary music schools, where he studied with such greats as Scott Henderson, Allen Hinds, and Carl Verheyen.
Growing up inspired by guitarists such as Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, and Stevie Ray Vaughn, set the bar high for Eric’s guitar performances but after being inspired by Shawn Mullins 1998 album, "Souls Core" he became aware of and developed his talent for the art of songwriting as well. Being largely influenced by the songwriting styles of Paul Simon, James Taylor, Billy Joel, and Carol King, among others, Eric’s writing is insightful both lyrically and musically.
Eric Sampson currently works in LA as a full time musician, and has played with some of today’s’ most talented contemporary musicians in some of the finest venues including the Smithsonian and the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, the Henry Fonda Theatre, House Of Blues, Whiskey a Go Go, Key Club, The Viper Room, and The Rainbow in Hollywood, to name a few.
Eric is highly respected by his peers, performing and writing his own material and co-writing and performing many songs with his contemporaries such as Jamie Coon, Craig Lyons, and others. In 2008, Eric was nominated for the STAR music awards in the "Best Songwriter" category for his song "Falling Apart".
Aside from performing live, some of Eric’s current projects are writing songs for the soundtrack of an as yet unnamed feature film produced by Turtle Head Productions scheduled to start filming early in 2010 and co-writing songs for Jamie Coon’s next album scheduled to be released early next year under CSW Entertainment. You can also hear Eric's guitar playing on this season of So You Think You Can Dance featured on Craig Lyon's song, "Moonburn"
