Frank began playing guitar at age 7 in Canberra, Australia where he was born and raised. He was influenced by the blues playing of Jimi Hendrix and John Mayall / Eric Clapton. In his mid-teens he discovered Steely Dan, The Brecker Brothers and Chick Corea, which pointed him in a jazzy direction.
In 1982 at 23 he decided to leave his home to study at the Guitar Institute of Technology (GIT) in Hollywood. He graduated with the highest honor, Student of the Year and was offered a teaching position which he kept for 4 years. During this time he was playing the local jazz club circuit with his own band and already had his first book "Speed Picking" published. In 1986 he signed a 3 album contract with a small label called Legato and began his recording career.
The same year he was recruited by Jean-Luc Ponty to tour. Shortly after that tour, he auditioned for Chick Corea and began a 6 year, 5 record and Grammy award winning period with him. Chick helped expose Frank to the world, for which he is grateful, "playing with Chick was like dream come true" says Frank.

The same year Ibanez guitars approached him to endorse their guitar which culminated in a long relationship and spawned the Frank Gambale model guitar which was first on sale worldwide in 1987. There has been 4 versions of this guitar to date the FGM100, FGM200, FGM300 and FGM400.
In 1987 Frank signed a 4-video deal with DCI for instructional videos. In 1988, Frank signed his major label deal with JVC. In 1990 he released Thunder From Down Under which sold well all over the world and at one point it was #1 on the Japanese Jazz charts along with all his three Legato releases in the top 10 at the same time.
In 1992, Frank decided it was time to go out there on his own and has been touring with his group ever since. He has toured in many countries with his own band including Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Australia, Germany, Swiss, Japan and the U.S. He has done countless seminars and master classes worldwide to countries as far away as South Africa and Uruguay.
In 1996 Frank was offered a position of Head of the Guitar Department of a new musical school in the Los Angeles area called the L.A. Music Academy. He wrote the core curriculum/study program for this one year vocational school. So far the school has been a great success and is an inspirational place for guitarists the world over. He teaches one full day a week at the school when he is in town and maintains the guitar department which he hand chose.
He keeps a busy schedule for sure either writing for an album, book or video, or helping design a new guitar model with Ibanez, or giving a seminar tour in Germany, or doing a session for an Italian pop record.
Franks latest project is a trio album with Steve Smith and Stu Hamm for Mike Varneys Tone Center label. The group will record in the first two weeks of April. The album is slated for release around summertime.

AWARDS

• Grammy Award 1988 with Chick Corea Elektric Band
• Grammy Nomination 1990 with Corea
• Guitar Player Magazine Readers Poll Winner 1989
• Guitar Player Magazine Readers Poll Winner 1990

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY

as a leader:

Thinking Out Loud (JVC 2045-2)

Passages (JVC 2026) Sept. 1994

The Great Explorers (JVC 2020)

Noteworker (JVC VICJ 75)

Thunder From Down Under (JVC 3321)

Frank Gambale "Live" (Legato/Important 1003)

A Present for the Future (Legato/Important 1002)

Brave New Guitar (Legato/Important 1001)

with Chick Corea:

Beneath the Mask

Inside Out

Eye of the Beholder

GRP Super Live

Lightyears

with Vital Information:

Where We Come From (Intuition)

Ray of Hope (Intuition/Vera Bra Label)

Easier Done than Said (Columbia)

Vital-Live

Fiafiaga (Columbia)

INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL

Books:

The Best of Frank Gambale (Hal Leonard)

The Great Explorers Transcription (Hal Leonard)

Frank Gambale - Artist Transcriptions (Hal Leonard)

Improvising Made Easier (Reh Pub/Warner)

The Technique Book/Cassette Part 1 (Manhattan/Warner)

The Technique Book/Cassette Part 2 (Manhattan/Warner)

Speed Picking (Reh/Warner)

Videos:

Chop Builder/The Ultimate Guitar Workout (Reh/Warner)

Monster Licks and Speed Picking (DCI/Warner)

Modes: No More Mystery (DCI/Warner)

Sample CD:

Songstarters Guitar Sample CD's (Voice Crystal/Wye & I Prod.)

1998