Article reprinted from Bay City Times, Michigan | Written by Pati LaLonde

Bay City native making a name
for himself in international circles

Patrick Yandall broke his hip while in the sixth grade at St. Mary's Elementary School. The injury left him laid up for three months, an eternity for a boy of that age. To keep from getting bored, the young Bay Cityan honed his music skills and taught himself to play the guitar. "My dad was a musician, and he bought me a guitar to pass the time with," Yandall said. "It was pretty much how it started." Thirty-four years later, he's still messing around with the guitar, now in a recording studio putting out his own CDs. The 46-year-old musician lives in San Diego and is making a name for himself on the international jazz scene. He records, engineers and produces his own CDs-six to date, with a seventh set for release later this year. "I pretty much did this all by myself," Yandall said. "I have a really good ear. I played a bunch of different instruments. I could pick it (a song) up by hearing it a couple of times." While Yandall's name might not be familiar, it's a sure bet his music is. His brand of jazz is featured around the world on smooth jazz radio stations, such as DMX, Sirius Radio, Jazz Lynx Radio in Canada, and Echo Smooth Jazz and Fusion Flavours in the United Kingdom. His CD "Eyes of Mars," dedicated to sister-in-law Sheri Yandall of Bay City, was ranked sixth on the playlist on Jazz Lynx Radio. His songs can be heard on Music Choice over cable TV as well. He has hooked up with Muzak, the country.

Those tuning into the Weather Channel also have heard Yandall's smooth guitar sounds. "It happened for me a few months ago," Yandall said about the Weather Channel gig. "The music programmer contacted me. He heard me on DMX and contacted me about possibly having some music on the channel. He told me `all your stuff will be great for the channel."' Yandall submitted songs and told them to take what they wanted. They took the first tune he sent in and will be adding more. Before making a name for himself in California, Yandall got his start in Bay City and the surrounding area while he was a freshman at T.L. Handy High School. He played area clubs like Bay City's former Holiday Inn and the Holiday Inn in Gaylord, as well as the Wayside and the Alibi, both in Mount Pleasant. Since he was performing with a group of older guys, it wasn't hard for the teenager to get into bars. "They kind of dressed me up," he said. "I could actually grow a mustache back then. There were never any questions asked about it. I wasn't drinking because I had to go to school the next day." After graduating from Handy in 1977, Yandall studied music theory and classical music at Central Michigan University for a couple of years before moving back to San Diego, the city where he was born, and transferring to San Diego State University. Since older brother Edward had stayed in San Diego, Yandall had family there. His parents, Edward and Patricia, moved back as well. He hooked up with a funk band called Devocean and gained valuable music connections, eventually landing a spot with a new band named The Chill.

The Chill went on to sign a recording contract with Capitol Records. Yandall started co-writing songs and made connections in the Los Angeles recording industry but, wanting to get back to his musical roots, began playing jazz around San Diego as Patrick Yandall and Matrix. The group released its first album, "That Feels Nice," in 1992. One night a record label owner came to the YandallMatrix show and offered him a recording contract. In 1994, "That Feels Nice" was re-released on EPD records under Yandall's name as a solo album. Yandall continued to play the area jazz clubs, and lightning struck again. While performing at the Hilton Hotel at San Diego's Mission Bay, the owner of BrainChild Records stopped by. The company wanted to work with Yandall on various projects, including Muzak. With BrainChild, Yandall released "A Lasting Embrace," in 1997. It went international. While his future in the music business looks rosy now, there was a time when his parents weren't sure of the career path their son had chosen. "They're proud now," he said. "My dad mentioned the military at one point. I wasn't doing as well as I am now. It was a little bit of a motivation to get going." He and his wife, Marla, and 7-yearold son, Marcus, live in the Scripps Ranch area of San Diego as Yandall continues to expand his musical career. "So far, so good," he said. "It's been a blessing. A lot of friends who are musicians, they're struggling. It's a tough career. But it's the only thing I know how to do."

[Note from Webmaster: Great Story about Patrick! You should realize there are other brothers in the Family worth noting. Charles Yandall e.g., youngest brother, graduated from Handy High(West Side) and is now a minister in the Phillipines with over 20 orphans at his home with wife and 6 biological children. I could imagine his heart warming story might be great during your cold arctic winters :D
There are other brothers too but those two are the ones to watch!
Cheers, - Chris Yandall]

Patrick Yandall Website
Yandall Family Site
Tuesday, April 11, 2006 1:22:58 AM