A sideman is a professional musician who is hired to perform live with a solo artist, or with a group in which they are not a regular band member.[1] The term is usually used to describe musicians that play with jazz or rock artists, whether solo or a group.[2]
Sidemen and sidewomen are often well-versed in multiple styles of music, and can be hired at any level of the music industry, from playing in a cover band to backing up established artists on major tours.[3]
While many artists can work as sidemen or session musicians, others will only fill one role. The generally accepted difference is that a sideman performs live while a session musician is hired to perform in a recording studio.[4]
^Hinton, Kerry. Cool Careers Without College for Music Lovers. The Rosen Publishing Group, 2002. p. 57
^"Sideman | Definition of Sideman by Oxford Dictionary on Lexico.com also meaning of Sideman". Lexico Dictionaries | English. Retrieved September 30, 2020.[dead link]
^Melvin, Gary. "A Guide to Being a Successful Sideman". Los Angeles, California: Musician Wages.com. Archived from the original on May 8, 2012. Retrieved December 16, 2009.
^"Earl Slick on Being David Bowie's Sideman and His New Documentary". reverb.com. July 5, 2017. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
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