Lauren Passarelli

Passarelli's guitar studies began when she was nine years old. She studied for five years with Lou Sabini while growing up in Paramus, New Jersey, where she attended Paramus High School.[1] Sabini told her about Berklee, informing her that even though she was eleven she was using college textbooks: A Modern Method for Guitar by William G. Leavitt.[2]

Passarelli was the first woman to graduate from Berklee College of Music as a guitar performance major in 1982, and she became Berklee's first female guitar instructor in 1984 and the first woman to attain the rank of full professor. Her students have included: David Rawlings, Kyle Patrick, Panos Panay, Derek Sivers and St. Vincent.[3][4]

She attended Berklee with Melissa Etheridge, appearing in Etheridge's VH1 Behind The Music episode.[5] Passarelli's fellow students included Makoto Ozone, Phil Person, Bob Zung, and Aimee Mann.

Passarelli was a featured Beatles expert on CBS Sunday Morning, celebrating fiftieth anniversary of The Beatles' appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show.[6][7]

January 18, 2017: Music and electronics technology company Soundwave Research[8] awarded its “Good Song” prize to Passarelli for her song Harry, originally released on the album Honeywine on Feather Records.

Passarelli played the role of George Harrison in The Beatles tribute band All Together Now (formerly known as Get Back).[2] She has played with Leni Stern.[9]

Some of Passarelli's students believe that her song "My Norwegian Friend", with its collage layered ending, from her CD Shadow Language, inspired The Beatles' album Love because Passarelli handed Giles Martin a cassette demo of "My Norwegian Friend" in the late 1990s.[10][11]

Passarelli is a guitarist for the band Afterfab (2014–2018, a tribute band to the solo years of all four Beatles.[12]

Passarelli co-founded the progressive pop group Two Tru, with keyboardist, arranger, Cindy Brown. They also co-founded Feather Records where Lauren is responsible for engineering and production. Passarelli releases her music on Feather Records.[2]

Passarelli has written books, including two about guitar, one on technique, and one on the myths that keep players stuck: Guitar Insights: Minor Tweaks, Major Results; Guitar Insights: Myths and what Matters; and a picture book about Dachshunds: Adorable Dachshunds.[13]

Passarelli was a consultant for the film Beatle Stories by Seth Swirsky.

• Official website