Andy Timmons (born July 26, 1963) is an American guitarist, songwriter and recording artist with strong ties to Evansville, Indiana. Best known for his work with the rock band Danger Danger, his solo career and the Andy Timmons Band, Timmons has built an international reputation as a highly accomplished rock and session guitarist.
Over the course of his career, Timmons has toured internationally, recorded numerous solo albums, worked as a session musician and performed with or alongside artists including Olivia Newton-John, Paula Abdul, Paul Stanley, Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, Eric Johnson, the Beach Boys and numerous others.
Timmons is also a graduate of William Henry Harrison High School in Evansville.
Early Life in Evansville
Timmons grew up in Evansville and developed his interest in music at an early age.
His professional musical journey can be traced directly to the city. By the age of 13, he was already performing with his first band, Taylor Bay.
As a young musician, Timmons became fascinated not only with rock guitarists but also with professional studio musicians who could work across many different musical styles.
That interest eventually helped shape his career.
One important location in his early musical development was Goldman’s Pawn Shop in downtown Evansville.
Timmons has recalled buying inexpensive guitars there as a teenager and gradually trading his way into better instruments. His first guitar purchased from Goldman’s reportedly cost only $12.95.
Timmons worked after school and on Saturdays sweeping hair at a barber shop, using some of his earnings to purchase records and musical equipment.
He also studied guitar with Evansville instructor Ron Pritchett, who helped expose the young guitarist to jazz musicians including Barney Kessel, Joe Pass and Howard Roberts.
Those influences broadened Timmons’ musical interests beyond conventional rock music.
Harrison High School
Timmons attended William Henry Harrison High School in Evansville and graduated in 1981.
Music was already an important part of his life during his Harrison years. He participated in music while simultaneously developing his abilities as a working guitarist outside of school.
By his teenage years, Timmons was already playing professionally.
His connection to Harrison places him among an unusually accomplished collection of musicians, athletes, broadcasters, coaches and public figures who attended the east side Evansville school.
Musical Education
Timmons decided that becoming a successful musician would require more than simply trying to make it with a rock band.
He became particularly interested in the careers of session guitarists such as Steve Lukather and Larry Carlton, musicians capable of working professionally across numerous genres.
Timmons studied classical guitar for approximately two years before pursuing jazz guitar at the University of Miami.
The university’s musical history was particularly attractive to him because musicians including Pat Metheny and Jaco Pastorius had studied there.
He attended the University of Miami from 1983 to 1985.
His studies helped develop the combination of rock technique, jazz knowledge, improvisation and studio versatility that would eventually characterize his professional career.
Move to Texas
Timmons eventually relocated to Texas and became involved in the Dallas-area music scene.
In 1988, he formed the Andy Timmons Band.
The original project developed out of jam sessions and eventually became a trio performing original material alongside music associated with guitarists including Eric Johnson, Joe Satriani, Steve Vai and Steve Morse.
Timmons quickly developed a reputation within the Texas music community.
That reputation soon led to the opportunity that dramatically expanded his career.
Danger Danger
Around 1988, Timmons was recruited by Danger Danger, a rock band signed to Epic Records.
He helped complete the band’s debut album and appeared in music videos before joining the group on tour.
Danger Danger’s self-titled debut album was released in 1989 and became a major commercial success during the final years of the 1980s glam-metal era.
Songs including “Naughty Naughty” and “Bang Bang” received significant radio and MTV exposure.
Timmons suddenly went from an Evansville-born guitarist building a career in Texas to performing on major stages around the world.
During his time with Danger Danger, the band toured with major acts including KISS and Alice Cooper.
Danger Danger ultimately sold more than one million records worldwide and produced two videos that reached No. 1 on MTV.
Timmons spent approximately four years associated with the group before returning to Texas in 1993 and concentrating again on studio work and his own music.
Andy Timmons Band and Solo Career
After leaving Danger Danger, Timmons continued developing the Andy Timmons Band while building his career as a solo artist.
His first major solo release, ear X-tacy, appeared in 1994 and helped establish him within the international guitar community.
It was followed by projects including:
- ear X-tacy 2
- Pawn Kings
- Orange Swirl
- The Spoken and the Unspoken
- And-thology
- That Was Then, This Is Now
- Resolution
- Theme from a Perfect World
- Electric Truth
His recordings have explored instrumental rock, hard rock, blues, jazz fusion and melodic pop influences.
Rather than being identified exclusively with the glam-metal era in which he first became widely known, Timmons developed a second career as a respected instrumental guitarist.
Session Musician
Timmons also achieved the goal he had envisioned as a teenager in Evansville: becoming a professional session guitarist.
His studio and touring work has connected him with an extensive collection of major recording artists.
Timmons has performed or recorded with musicians and entertainers including Paula Abdul, Paul Stanley, Kip Winger, Simon Phillips and Olivia Newton-John.
His relationship with Newton-John became particularly significant.
Timmons served as both a guitarist and musical director for multiple United States tours by the Grammy Award-winning singer and actress.
His versatility also allowed him to work on radio and television jingles and other commercial recording projects.
Performing with Guitar Legends
As Timmons’ reputation grew, he increasingly performed alongside many of the guitarists he had once admired.
His career has included performances with Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, Eric Johnson, Steve Morse, Mike Stern, Ace Frehley and Ted Nugent.
He became a regular guest at Dallas appearances of the G3 guitar tour associated with Vai and Satriani.
For a musician who began buying inexpensive guitars from an Evansville pawn shop, Timmons eventually became part of the same international guitar community as many of the players who had originally inspired him.
Ibanez Guitars
Timmons has also maintained a long relationship with Ibanez, one of the world’s best-known guitar manufacturers.
The company has produced Andy Timmons signature guitar models, further establishing his reputation within the professional guitar community.
He has represented Ibanez internationally as a performer and clinician, traveling to demonstrate instruments and teach guitar techniques.
His association with the company dates back decades and has made his name familiar to guitarists who may not have originally encountered him through Danger Danger.
Recognition
Timmons has developed a particularly strong reputation among other musicians and serious guitar enthusiasts.
He has appeared in favorite-guitarist polls in international music publications and received repeated recognition in the Dallas music community.
His official biography notes that Japanese rock magazine readers repeatedly placed him among their favorite guitarists.
He was also named Musician of the Year four consecutive times in the Dallas Observer Music Awards.
His career has consequently followed an unusual path.
Timmons achieved mainstream exposure during the MTV rock era with Danger Danger, but his long-term reputation became increasingly centered on musicianship, instrumental recordings, session work and guitar education.
Evansville Legacy
Despite building much of his professional career outside Indiana, Timmons’ musical story began in Evansville.
He started performing in the city as a teenager, studied with an Evansville guitar teacher, attended Harrison High School and bought some of his earliest instruments from Goldman’s Pawn Shop.
His career eventually took him from Evansville to Miami, Dallas, New York and stages around the world.
Timmons represents one of the more successful professional music careers to emerge from Evansville.
While he may be less immediately recognizable to the general public than some mainstream recording stars, within the international guitar community he has developed a reputation as an exceptionally skilled and versatile player.
His career encompasses major-label rock music, MTV-era success, international touring, session recording, musical direction, instrumental albums and decades of professional guitar performance.