Our guest on 06.12.2009 Klaus Voormann, Graphic Designer and Musician

At home in Germany Klaus Voormann keeps a low profile, but his name is well-known on the international rock circuit. Many big stars have made use of his talents as a bassist and graphic designer. Those stars include first and foremost The Beatles, whom he got to know in 1960 at the launch of their career in Hamburg. He designed the cover of the Fab Four’s seminal album “Revolver”. Later, he accompanied George Harrison, Ringo Starr and John Lennon as they embarked on solo careers.

But Klaus Voormann has also played with the likes of Manfred Mann, Dr. John, Randy Newman and Carly Simon. In Germany, he made a name for himself as a producer with the band Trio, which landed a global hit in the 1980s with the song “Da Da Da”. Now, at the age of 71, Klaus Voormann has released his first very own album. “A Sideman’s Journey” features many of his colleagues from the old days, such as Paul McCartney and Yusuf Islam alias Cat Stevens. Only this time, they are in a supporting role, and he is in the limelight.

Klaus Voormann was born in Berlin in 1938. He began a study program in graphic design in Hamburg in the early 1960s, where he met five young musicians from Liverpool: The Beatles. They all became close friends. Another member of the clique was the photographer Astrid Kirchherr, whose work influenced the early Beatles style.

Klaus Voormann lived the life of a rock star in the 60s and 70s. He traveled the world, eventually settling in Los Angeles. He returned to Germany in 1979, and his life became somewhat calmer. As well as the band “Trio”, he also worked for Marius Müller-Westernhagen and Heinz Rudolf Kunze.

Today, Klaus Voormann lives with his wife and two children on Lake Starnberg in Bavaria. He and his wife Christina are donating some of the proceeds of his latest album “A Sideman’s Journey”, to funding a fresh drinking water project in an Indian reserve in South Dakota.