27 Facts About Reeves Gabrels

Reeves Gabrels was born on June 4,1956 and is an American guitarist, songwriter and producer.

Currently a member of The Cure since 2012, Gabrels is known for his work with David Bowie and Tin Machine from 1988 to 1999.

Reeves Gabrels was born in Staten Island, New York on June 4,1956.

Reeves Gabrels's mother Claire was a typist, and his father Carl was a part-time jazz musician and worked as a deckhand on tugboats in New York Harbor.

Reeves Gabrels started playing guitar at age 13, and the following year his father arranged for lessons with his friend Turk Van Lake.

Reeves Gabrels then moved to Boston to attend the Berklee School of Music, though he did not graduate.

Reeves Gabrels first met David Bowie in 1987 during a Bowie tour for which Reeves Gabrels' then-wife worked as a publicist.

Reeves Gabrels's first project with Bowie was a re-imagining and rearrangement of the song "Look Back in Anger" for live performances combining dance, music, and video as part of a benefit for London's Institute of Contemporary Arts in 1988.

Reeves Gabrels continued to work with Bowie until 1999, co-writing and co-producing material on the albums Outside, Earthling, and Hours.

From 1989 through his departure ten years later, Reeves Gabrels was the guitarist on four concert tours with Bowie: the Tin Machine Tour of 1989, the It's My Life Tour, the Outside Tour and the Earthling Tour.

Reeves Gabrels first met Robert Smith of The Cure during rehearsals for Bowie's 50th Birthday Concert on January 9,1997 at Madison Square Garden.

Bowie had invited Smith to sing at this event, for which Reeves Gabrels served as musical director.

Reeves Gabrels then made a guest appearance on the 1997 Cure single "Wrong Number" and appeared with the band several times during their 1997 tour.

Smith and Reeves Gabrels stayed in touch; in 2012, Reeves Gabrels was invited to play as a guest during several Cure concerts.

Reeves Gabrels then became an official member of the Cure and has performed with them ever since, though his first official recording with the band wouldn't happen until years later when they started recording Songs of a Lost World.

Reeves Gabrels was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in March 2019 as a member of the Cure, having initially been left off the list of nine current and former members.

Reeves Gabrels has released six solo albums on which he served as singer, guitarist, and principal songwriter, starting with The Sacred Squall of Now in 1995.

Reeves Gabrels continues to tour with this ensemble during breaks in his work with the Cure.

Reeves Gabrels is an in-demand session and touring musician, starting in 1993 with Paul Rodgers, and later with artists such as Jeffrey Gaines and Los Duran.

Reeves Gabrels frequently serves as a guest musician for artists in a variety of genres, such as gODHEAD, The Mission, Deaf School, Sandie Shaw, The Rolling Stones, and Ozzy Osbourne.

Reeves Gabrels released the experimental guitar duo album Fantastic Guitars with Bill Nelson in 2014.

Reeves Gabrels has used many different guitars throughout his career, selecting instruments to suit the music.

Reeves Gabrels has favored Steinberger guitars, the Parker Fly, and Fernandes Guitars; but plays Gibson and Fender guitars.

Reeves Gabrels has often chosen lesser-known makers, explaining in interviews that he prefers a guitar without a set history and with which he is free to create sounds from his own imagination.

In 2008, Reeves Gabrels began playing guitars designed by Reverend Musical Instruments.

Reeves Gabrels's first wife Sara Terry was a press agent for the Glass Spider Tour in 1987, and Reeves Gabrels first collaborated with David Bowie via this connection.

Reeves Gabrels married Susan Van Wie Kastan in 2018, and they currently reside in Troy, New York.