Marshall Crenshaw w. Sarah Borges

Born in 1953 in Detroit, Michigan, Marshall Crenshaw learned to tune a guitar correctly at age ten and has been trying ever since. His first big break came in 1978 playing John Lennon in “Beatlemania”, first as an understudy in New York, then in the West Coast company, followed by a national touring company. Removing himself from that situation in Feb. 1980, Marshall settled in New York City. Enthralled by the hyper-diverse musical culture of the City, and the local Rock scene in particular, Marshall formed a Rock and Roll band with brother Robert on drums and Chris Donato on bass.

After crossing paths with the great and legendary Alan Betrock, Marshall recorded his debut single “Something’s Gonna Happen” for Betrock’s Shake Records label; at nearly the same time, legendary Rockabilly singer Robert Gordon’s recording of Marshall’s “Someday Someway” was released as a single on the RCA label. These two records simultaneously broke big on New York’s WNEW-FM, causing Marshall and his trio’s local popularity to explode.

And so began a career that’s spanned four decades, 13 albums, film and TV appearances (Buddy Holly in “La Bamba”) and thousands of live performances.

Marshall formed his current touring band in 2022, featuring the great multi-instrumentalist and record producer Fernando Perdomo, bassist and singer-songwriter Derrick Anderson, and drummer Mark Ortmann, founding member of the late and great Bottle Rockets.

Of his City Winery New York show last fall Infocus Visions Music & Arts Magazine hailed, “Marshall Crenshaw live is an experience in itself. Forget the solo artist; this is a full band explosion that showcases the magic of musical synergy. Watching them on stage is like peeking into a creative engine room. You see the interplay, the energy flowing between them, how each member feeds off the others to create that signature Marshall Crenshaw sound.”