Long version Jeff Berkley is a native San Diegan who has made music his life. Even with all of his experience behind him, he’s not done yet. He’s making room for another project; one with just his name on it. His musical foundation was built by songwriting and playing drums in alternative rock bands. He discovered the West African djembe and by adding cymbals, Berkley created a bare-handed style of percussion that has become uniquely his own and highly regarded. He helped define the sound of the Joel Rafael Band, of which he's a founding member, and has played with Jackson Browne, Ben Harper, and David Crosby among others. His skills on the guitar developed as well, and he is well-known for his stylish riffs. Playing with some of the best singer-songwriters has not been lost on Berkley, who's own ability to put pen to paper earned him a New Folk Songwriter Award in 1999 from the prestigious Kerrville Folk Festival, an honor shared by Lyle Lovett, Shawn Colvin, and Lucinda Williams. The year before his win at Kerrville, Berkley had teamed with Calman Hart to form the duo Berkley Hart. Together, they have toured the country to great critical acclaim and have taken home a number of San Diego Music Awards. The duo has released six albums, with their seventh title “Fleur de Lis” set for release in April 2015. Additionally, Berkley has been the catalyst for staging large-scale theme shows including “The Last Waltz” and several iterations of “O Berkley, Where Hart Thou.” To feed his inner rock ‘n’ roll monster, Berkley has formed or co-founded bands including Garbo and Citizen Band whose 2009 CD “Breaker Breaker My Heart” gained critical acclaim. And proving that music truly is his life, Berkley is a producer who works out of his own studio and has completed projects with acts such as Steve Poltz, Tom Prasada-Rao, Berkley Hart, Love Birds, Stevie & the Hi-Stax, Barbara Nesbitt, Lisa Sanders, Tim Flannery, among many others. Jeff Berkley is not giving up anything. But he is currently playing solo gigs and writing new songs. Short version Jeff Berkley has been called a San Diego legend whose musical contributions include not only his work in Berkley Hart and Citizen Band, but the many musicians he has produced in his own studio, Berkley Sound. An accomplished songwriter - he won the Kerrville New Folk Songwriter award in 1999 - Berkley puts you at ease with his good humor then engages you with his heartfelt songs and amazing guitar work. Jeff Berkley is a native San Diegan who has made music his life.