Journeyman guitarist Frank Carillo has been playing his trade for decades, and along the way jammed with/for numerous legendary bands. Born in Brooklyn, New York, and raised in Queens, Carillo moved to Long Island in his teens and, soon after learning to play guitar, developed a love for Gretsch instruments.
One of Carillo’s first claims to fame was working in England on two of Peter Frampton’s early solo albums. The other guitarist was Bob Mayo, who spent many years in Frampton’s band. Carillo then formed a band called Doc Holliday, which was influenced by the English blues and rock and roll movement. They recorded at Olympic Studios, where producer Chris Kimsey had worked on the Rolling Stones’ Sticky Fingers and got permission for Doc Holliday to use the Stones’ gear on their own record. At Olympic, the band also jammed with Led Zeppelin.
In the late ’70s, Carillo pursued a solo career and opened for a number of bands, including Van Halen, Cheap Trick, Bad Company, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, and the J. Geils Band. Over the years, Carillo has also collaborated with several female singers, co-writing songs for Carly Simon and Joan Jett. More recently, he has co-written with Golden Earring and played in John Hammond’s band live and in the studio on Ready For Love.
