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Eric Slaughter was born into a musical family in his native city of St Louis. He began playing the piano at age 3 switching to the guitar at 14. After attending the University of Michigan for a year to pursue a double major in Music Performance and Electrical Engineering he transferred to the prestigious Berklee College of Music. There, in classes and in performances in the Boston area, he was exposed to music and musicians from around the globe. At this time he also began to study privately with local guitar guru Mick Goodrick, known most for a long-standing affiliation with Pat Metheny. An opportunity to tour the country with blues vocalist and producer Willie Clayton took him away from Boston and in between tours he began working as a studio session musician for Ace records in Jackson, Miss.
Later, his desire to get closer to the roots of jazz and a chance meeting with vocalist/trumpeter Jeremy Davenport took him to New Orleans, where he immersed himself in the music and history of this vibrant and diverse musical culture playing with many of the Crescent City’s jazz, blues, zydeco, reggae, and hip-hop artists. During this period he was able to supplement his income by playing solo piano gigs, teaching private lessons and doing hip-hop and R&B studio sessions with Cash Money Records producer Darius "Deezle" Harrison. These musical associations led to tours of the United States and Europe as a performer, teacher and clinician.
Always seeking to grow and improve, he decided to move to New York City’s fast-paced and competitive environment. There he had the opportunity to play a variety of jazz, Afro-Cuban, Brazilian, and R&B gigs with numerous local and internationally renowned performers. Slaughter’s prolific and eclectic musical career has afforded him the opportunity to record and share the stage with artists from all over the musical map such as R&B/bluesmen Bobby Womack, Little Milton, the O’Jays and Ike Turner to contemporary saxophonist Kirk Whalum and from traditionalists such as Donald Harrison, Shannon Powell and Nicholas Payton to avant-garde musicians like Craig Taiborn, Lester Bowie and Sirone. He has recently returned to the St Louis area where he continues to grow and hone his craft in a variety of challenging and creative musical settings.
