Guitarist Nathan East on Touring With Clapton, Living in Tarzana and Working With His Son

You may not know the name Nathan East, but chances are you’ve enjoyed his brilliant bass playing. Nathan is one of the most sought-after session musicians in the industry. Over the past four decades he’s performed on more than 2,000 songs and hundreds of albums by some of the biggest names in pop, jazz, rock, R&B, country, and blues including Eric Clapton, George Harrison, Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Beyoncé, Stevie Wonder and Barbra Streisand. Nathan is also a founding member of the highly acclaimed smooth-jazz quartet Fourplay along with Bob James, Lee Ritenour and Harvey Mason.

Born and raised in San Diego, Nathan now lives in Tarzana. He says that the San Fernando Valley is a great location for bopping in and out of LA’s recording studios, but also a perfect place to live and raise a family. Nathan and his wife, Anita, raised their twins, Noah and Sarah, here. 

“It’s coming up on 30 years since we moved into our beautiful two-story home in Tarzana,” he says. “It’s a wonderful community with friendly people, good schools and great restaurants. But above all, the Valley is a lot less hectic and trafficky than LA and has a really chill vibe going on. Maybe this is why so many musicians I know have chosen to make the Valley their home. It suits our temperament and has space for setting up our own recording studios.”  

Nathan first discovered the electric bass at the age of 14. “As soon as I held it in my hands I could feel its magical power,” he recalls. He was soon playing in a band that caught the attention of R&B singer-songwriter Barry White. Although Nathan was just 16, White hired him to go on tour and perform at Carnegie Hall. Calls then came in from such artists as Quincy Jones, Eric Clapton and Stevie Wonder, and Nathan’s career took off.  

In addition to his recording schedule, Nathan tours regularly as a member of Eric Clapton’s band, which recently completed its 2024 world tour. 

Another endeavor: producing his upcoming album, “Father/Son,” with his son, Noah, a gifted piano and organ player. “Making music with Noah has been one of the most gratifying experiences of my life,” he said. “There was a synergy and unspoken communication between us that I’d never experienced before in any recording session. Maybe it’s because we have the same blood running through our veins, and that DNA is reflected in our music.” 

“Father/Son” is scheduled for release in January, and the duo will perform live in Newport Beach at Campus JAX on January 26. Then they’ll head to Baden-Baden, Germany, for an engagement in March. Also on tap in 2025: Nathan will perform in New York with Eagles guitarist Joe Walsh for VetsAid in November. 

After countless sessions, tours, and gigs, today Nathan can still vividly recall his initial feeling as a teenager about playing guitar. “It gave me a sense of purpose and the idea that I could make a real contribution to music via this piece of wood with strings on it.” Indeed, more than a half century later, it is clear he has done exactly that.