VINCE ASHBY

Vince Ashby is an American jazz-rock guitarist whose virtuosity and innovative style have earned him a prominent place in the contempary music scene. With a career spanning over 5 decades, Vince has consistently pushed the boundaries of guitar performance captivating audiences with his unique approach, rock energy, and compositional prowess.

Born: February 20, 1957 - Charleston, Illinois Education: Eastern Illinois University, graduating from Elmhurst College in 1989 with BS in Computer Science

Vince's musical journey began at age 5 with piano as his first instrument and picking up the guitar at age 12. Inspired by legends like Jimi Hendrix, John McLaughlin, Carlos Santana, and George Benson, he quickly developed a passion for the instrument. Vince's diverse musical tastes led him to explore the rich world of Jazz-Rock and Fusion culminating his unique style.

Vince migrated to Chicago,IL in 1977 to pursue working with his group, Ashby Ostermann Alliance, aka "AOA". The group released their self-titled album in 1981 on Divide records and performed extensively in the ChicagoLand area until 1984. In 1989, Vince began his career as a software engineer, but still pursued his music performing in Chicago clubs and weddings with his wife, Cheryl.

In 2011, Vince moved from Chicago, IL to Nashville, TN, but still maintained a presence in the Chicago area. In 2015, he got AOA back in the studio for one more round. Many songs performed by the group had gone unperformed and unrecorded. The result was the LP/CD release in 2018 of "Unfinished Business" on And Conquer Records. In 2023, Vince released "Still Kickin'" - a one man tour de forc production containing 7 instrumentals and 3 vocal tunes. A truly signature production by Vince.