National Treasure

Biography

Trevor Charles Rabin (born 13 January 1954) is a South African musician, singer-songwriter, producer, and film composer. Born into a musical family and raised in Johannesburg, Rabin took up the piano and guitar at an early age and became a session musician, playing and producing with a variety of artists. In 1972, he joined the rock band Rabbitt who enjoyed considerable success in South Africa, and released his first solo album, Beginnings. In 1978, Rabin moved to London to further his career, w...

Trevor Charles Rabin (born 13 January 1954) is a South African musician, singer-songwriter, producer, and film composer. Born into a musical family and raised in Johannesburg, Rabin took up the piano and guitar at an early age and became a session musician, playing and producing with a variety of artists. In 1972, he joined the rock band Rabbitt who enjoyed considerable success in South Africa, and released his first solo album, Beginnings. In 1978, Rabin moved to London to further his career, working as a solo artist and a producer for various artists including Manfred Mann's Earth Band.

After moving to Los Angeles in 1981, Rabin gained prominence as the guitarist in the progressive rock band Yes from 1983 to 1995. 90125 (1983), his first album with the group and developed mostly from Rabin's demos, remains their biggest selling album helped by the US number one single "Owner of a Lonely Heart". After Big Generator (1987) and Union (1991), Rabin produced Talk (1994) and left the group after its tour. During his time in Yes, Rabin acquired American citizenship.

Rabin became a prolific film composer and has since scored over 40 feature films, most notably his frequent collaborations with producer Jerry Bruckheimer. He has won numerous awards, including 11 BMI Awards. He took a short break from scoring to record his fourth solo album, Jacaranda (2012), and in 2016 to tour and record with Yes Featuring Jon Anderson, Trevor Rabin, Rick Wakeman. In 2017, Rabin was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Yes.

Rabin has received eleven Broadcast Music Incorporated film score awards and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Temecula Valley International Film Festival.

In June 2011, Rabin received an award at the 26th ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards in the Top Box Office Films category for The Sorcerer's Apprentice (2010). On 28 June 2012 Rabin received a Henry Mancini Award at the 27th ASCAP Film & Television Music Awards. Rabin also performed "Owner of a Lonely Heart" with his son's band Grouplove.

Rabin names Bernard Herrmann as his favourite score composer. He has named Arnold Schoenberg as one of his favourite classical composers, and him and other classical composers – Beethoven, Sibelius, Elgar and Tchaikovsky – as influences. He names Jimi Hendrix, Steve Morse, Jeff Beck, and John McLaughlin as his favourite guitarists.

In 1978, Rabin married Shelley May who he first met at school. They have resided in Hollywood, Los Angeles since 1984 and have one son, Ryan. Ryan has been the drummer for The Anthem, The Outline, and currently for Grouplove. In 1991, Rabin became a naturalised US citizen.

Rabin is the godfather to Yes drummer Alan White's son. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.