Marimba and wind ensemble by david gillingham, xl

CHAPTER 5 - Oceanus
Biographical Information on the Composers
Steve Houghton
Stephen Ross “Steve” Houghton was born on March 29, 1954 in Racine, Wisconsin. He
began his music studies as a well-rounded percussionist, performing keyboard and concert
percussion instruments in the high school symphonic band, orchestra, and jazz band. Houghton’s
father, a high school band director, provided him with a firm background in music education. 44
In the tenth grade he decided to become a professional musician, which lead him to pursue music
studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1973, where he was a student of Ron Fink.
While in Madison, Houghton had the opportunity to hear the University of North Texas One
O’Clock Jazz Band. This experience convinced him to transfer to North Texas the following
year, where he immediately gained entrance into the band. 45 His experience at North Texas
lasted only a year and a half, after which time he became the drummer for the Woody Herman
Band.
Following a year and a half with the Woody Herman Band, Houghton pursued a career as
a total percussionist. He has performed on countless studio recording sessions, appears on more
than 100 albums, has been a featured performer with more than twenty symphony orchestras, and
has released nearly a dozen albums of his own. As a jazz sideman he has performed with (among
many others) Gary Burton, Christian McBride, Freddie Hubbard, Arturo Sandoval, and Joe
Henderson. It is Houghton’s rich performance experience and educational background that has
enabled him to become an influential educator. He has authored more than thirty educational
books and videos, and has been elected President of the Percussive Arts Society, the world’s
44 Steve Houghton, “Steve Houghton: Man with a Mission” Interview by Robyn Flans Modern Drummer
11 (Dec. 1987): 29.
45 Ibid.
38