Louis Magnifico was three years old and living in Memphis, TN when Elvis Presley passed away.  He was rocking on his “Wonder Horse” (remember those?) and listening to records on a Fischer Price plastic portable record player when the announcement came. His bedroom at that young age was not decorated with children’s cartoon characters… instead, his room was plastered with posters of Elvis.  That day, he knew he’d have to be a musician and carry on what Elvis started.  Rock music has been his passion ever since.

While rock is his first musical love, Louis draws inspiration from many genres:  from delta blues to the innovative electronic sounds of Tangerine Dream.  His playlists include everything from Sinatra to Slayer, from John Coltrane to Motorhead, from Goblin to Porcupine Tree.

At 12 years old, after listening to The Police’s “Message in a Bottle,” he picked up his brother’s Peavy T-40 electric bass and decided that the bass guitar would be his primary instrument of choice.  After high school he formed his first band, the pop-punk trio Kiss Me Quick, and began a life of live performances.

He has played and recorded with Grammy Award winning artists, spent time as a session studio bassist, and shared stages / performed with a number of stars (Loverboy, Survivor, Toto, and Prince to name a few).

Louis is an avid reader of music biographies.  At any given time, he’s reading a biography or autobiography of a rock legend.  Talk to him for any length of time and you’re sure to hear some choice tidbits of music trivia.  He is known for his energetic stage performances and keeping audiences engaged and entertained!

In addition to Vintage Radio, Louis composes songs.  He also produces hilarious short films, commercial parodies, fake PSAs, and even custom videos for fans along with his wife, Char Magnifico.  This creative video platform is known as The Traveling Twosome.

Read more on Louis on his own website, www.LouisMagnifico.com, where you can also read his various writings.

Fun Facts:

– In the early 1990s, Louis directed a motion picture that enjoyed national video release (VHS only in those days).

– Louis might have been the last person to have communicated with legendary bassist Donald “Duck” Dunn (Booker T and the MGs, The Blues Brothers) before his untimely passing while on tour in Japan.