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Shelton "Shelly" Berg was born August 18, 1955 in Cleveland, Ohio USA
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Father Jay Berg, a jazz trumpeter and entrepreneur, was Shelly's first mentor
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Mother Lorraine Joseph Berg is a writer who instilled wit and insight into her son
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Four children in family: Gordon, Mitchell, Shelly and Ivy
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At age four Shelly was already playing the piano. He can't remember a time when he wasn't a musician
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At age six, Shelly began private instruction at the Cleveland Institute of Music with Maxine Priest
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By age eight he was performing standard classical piano repertoire such as Beethoven Sonatas
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Shelly's other childhood passion was baseball
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By age 12, Shelly's father was teaching him jazz standards and taking him to local jam sessions in Cleveland
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By age 13, Shelly was regularly accompanying musical theatre productions and composing for local events
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Shelly learned to play gospel music from Ricky Watkins, a pianist who was the son of a Pentacostal minister, Charles Watkins.
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In 1970, the Berg family relocated to Houston, Texas
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Shelly continued his classical piano training with Lucien LeMieux
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By age 16 he was participating in weekly jazz jam sessions with Arnette Cobb, Jimmy Ford, and a who's-who of musicians that traveled through the Houston area to perform
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Shelly subbed on a gig with the Woody Herman band at age 18 and was offered a position to go on the road, but declined in order to go to college
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Shelly attended the University of Houston School of Music on a music scholarship, where he earned Bachelor of Music (1977) and Masters of Music (1979) degrees, summa cum laude, in piano performance
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He studied with Albert Hirsh (his greatest mentor) and Abbey Simon, and was mentored by many wondeful teachers including Tom Benjamin, Michael Horvit, and Igor Buketoff
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While attending college Shelly was also a graduate teaching fellow in music theory and conducting
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Shelly got married while in college to Jo Ellen Meador. They had three children during their 17-year marriage, Lindsay, Kyle and Ashlyn. (He now has two grandchildren, Jackson and Noelle!)
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In 2000 he married Julia Fraser, and also gained a step-son, Dylan.
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To support his family while enrolled in college, Shelly played six nights a week with a variety band, Larry and Marilyn and the Brass Connection. He learned nearly everything he knows about bandleading and entertaining from that group's leader, the brilliant trumpeter, Larry Martinez
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After college, he had his own band which performed over 100 weddings and parties each year for a period of twelve years
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Shelly's first teaching position (1979-81) was at San Jacinto College North, outside of Houston
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From 1981 to 1991 Shelly was the Director of Instrumental Music at San Jacinto College in Pasadena, Texas, where he directed the concert band, pep band, jazz band, taught private piano lessons, as well as theory, music business and improvisation classes. His Jazz Ensemble became one of the most acclaimed in the country, and he founded Music Business and Recording Arts Programs that thrive to this day
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Shelly began composing and arranging and had an active career writing commercial jingles
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He composed, arranged, and produced "Turn it On", the theme song to the 1986 US Olympic Festival, which was played extensively on PBS
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In 1986, Shelly began a lengthy collaboration with trombone great, Bill Watrous. They recorded three albums together and toured throughout the world
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In 1988, Shelly was a finalist in the Great American Jazz Piano Competition, which aired as a PBS Special
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In 1989, Shelly published his first textbook, Jazz Improvisation: The Goal-Note Method (Lou Fischer Music). The book was sold to Kendor Music, and the second edition was released in 1992
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From 1988-90, Shelly served as the President of the Texas Unit of the IAJE (International Association for Jazz Education)
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In 1991, Shelly was offered a professorship in Jazz Studies at the Thornton School of Music at the University of Southern California. He was the chair of the Jazz Studies Department for eight years, during which time it began to be considered among the top 5 in the nation. In 2006, he was named the McCoy/Sample Professor of Jazz Studies.
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From 1992-2000 he served on the Executive Board of IAJE, and was the IAJE President from 1996-98
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In 1993, Shelly began working with Dick Marx, the most prolific of all the jingle composers. They worked together for several years until Mr. Marx's passing. Shelly and fellow Marx composer/producer, Tom Halm, renamed the company Ars Nova Music, and continued to write and produce music for media in their Hollywood office
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In 1994 he recorded his first jazz trio album, The Joy (DMP Records). The title composition was inspired by his children
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In 1998, Shelly authored the Chop-Monster improvisation series that is still a best-seller today
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In 1999 Shelly released his second trio album, The Will: A Tribute to Oscar Peterson (CARS), which reached #6 on US Jazz Radio charts
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Also, in 1999 Shelly co-composed (with Japanese star, Yoshiki) and orchestated "Anniversary", a piano concerto for the ceremony marking the tenth Anniversary of the coronation of the Emperor of Japan. In 2005 they collaborated again on a symphonic piece for the opening of the World Expo in Nagoya
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In 2000, Shelly was named one of three "Educators for the Millenium" by the Los Angeles Times
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In the early 2000s, Shelly was composing, arranging at an astonishing pace and performing at festivals worldwide. His work included network television shows, major motion pictures, and recordings from an array of genres. At the urging of his former dean and mentor Larry Livingston, he began composing works for jazz trio with orchestra.
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The Shelly Berg Trio released the acclaimed CD "Blackbird" in 2005 which reached #1 on jazz radio and stayed there for eight weeks (JazzWeek). The recording was a finalist for JazzWeek's Record of the Year, and Shelly was also a finalist for Artist of the Year
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2004 marked the first release with lyricist/vocalist, Lorraine Feather (Such Sweet Thunder - Sanctuary Records). They have now recorded four CDs together, on which are many co-composed songs
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Shelly's former piano students include Donald Vega, Taylor Eigsti, Gerald Clayton, Danny Grissett, Eldar Djangerov and Alan Chang to name a few, and several have earned Grammy nominations and awards
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In June 2007, Shelly became the Dean of the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami
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In 2008 Shelly attracted the Henry Mancini Institute, which relocated from Los Angeles to the Frost School
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He and his faculty are revolutionizing the way music is taught with a new undergraduate curriculum called The Experiential Music Curriculum
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In 2010, Shelly's newest CD will be released, entitled "Follow the Sun" (Concord). It is a tribute to his father, Jay Berg.