Des Pres, Josquin 1954–

(Josquin des Prés)

PERSONAL:

Born July 29, 1954, in St. Tropez, France; son of François (an author and painter) and Marguerite (a painter) Turenne des Prés; married, 1979; wife's name Chantal; children: Chloé, Julien. Ethnicity: "French-American-Haitian." Education: Attended Beau-Arts School, Bordeaux, France.

ADDRESSES:

Home—La Mesa, CA. Office—7242 University Ave., La Mesa, CA 91941; fax: 619-697-7836.

CAREER:

Track Star Entertainment, La Mesa, CA, owner and music producer. Warner Chappell Publishers, Santa Monica, CA, former writer; songwriter, bass player, music producer, and engineer; projects include musical releases by Lisa Sanders, the Young Dubliners, Mary Dolan, Carly Hennessy, and Bastard Sons of Johnny Cash.

WRITINGS:

Guitar Fitness: An Exercising Handbook, Hal Leonard Publishing (Milwaukee, WI), 1992.

Muted Grooves: For Bass, with audio cassette, Hal Leonard Publishing (Milwaukee, WI), 1992.

(With Mark Landsman) Creative Careers in Music, Allworth Press (New York, NY), 2000, 2nd edition, 2004.

(With Todd Byrne) Mel Bay Presents the Encyclopedia of Bass Riggs: Examples of over 40 Styles, with compact discs, Mel Bay (Pacific, MO), 2003.

First Bass: The Ultimate Guide to Bass Guitar Fundamentals, Backbeat (San Francisco, CA), 2005.

Also author or coauthor of shorter music instruction books.

SIDELIGHTS:

Josquin des Pres once told CA that "helping others" is his primary motivation for writing; that "everyday situations" particularly influence his work; and that "the lack of books on the subject of music and musicians" inspired him to write on his chosen subjects. He described his writing process as "brainstorming with cowriter."