Craig Chaquico /tʃəˈkiːsoʊ/ chə-kee-soh (born September 26, 1954) is an American guitarist of Portuguese and Native American descent. He has had over thirty years of success in a variety of genres: in the 1970s with the post-Summer of Love Jefferson Starship,[1] in that band's 1980s incarnation, Starship, and in the 1990s and 2000s as a contemporary jazz and New Age solo artist.
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Chaquico was raised in Sacramento, California, and attended La Sierra High School. He began playing the guitar as a young boy and by the age of 14 was playing professionally in nightclubs. For much of his career he has lived in nearby San Francisco and has been closely associated with the music of that city. Paul Kantner of Jefferson Airplane saw him play as a 16-year-old, and invited Chaquico to join him for a series of recording sessions and concerts. During this period members of the Airplane, the Grateful Dead, Quicksilver Messenger Service and Crosby, Stills and Nash often appeared together in concerts and recordings, and Chaquico played alongside a number of musicians including Jerry Garcia, David Crosby, David Freiberg and Carlos Santana. His first recording was with Kantner and Grace Slick in 1971 on their Sunfighter duo album.
After informally joining the newly-renamed Jefferson Starship he expected to go back to school after one tour. Instead, Slick and Kantner approached him in 1974, inviting him to join the band permanently. He jumped at the chance.
Chaquico remained when Kantner left and the band morphed into Starship. Many people remember his guitar riffs from We Built This City, as well as his flowing long brown hair in the accompanying video. He co-wrote one of Starship's most memorable songs, "Find Your Way Back" from 1981's "Modern Times" LP, with Tom Borsdorf. A smooth jazz version of this same tune also appears on Chaquico's 1994 solo CD "Acoustic Planet".
When Starship broke up, Chaquico formed Big Bad Wolf, a hard rock band continuing in the same vein as Starship, recording one eponymously titled album before disbanding. He then forged a new career as a contemporary jazz/New Age guitarist.[1] He has collaborated with Ozzie Ahlers for his ten solo albums since 1993, the most famous of which is the second, 1994's Acoustic Planet, which garnered Chaquico a Grammy Nomination for Best New Age album. Since then Chaquico has cemented his standing as one of the top-selling contemporary jazz/New Age artists.
In early 1995, he contributed guitar tracks for the animated children's film Gumby: The Movie. most notably in the scenes where Gumby plays his guitar solos in his concerts.
In addition to his work with the various incarnations of Jefferson Starship, Chaquico also has worked regularly for the last 25 years as a studio musician with a wide range of artists, including Commander Cody, Mickey Thomas and Tom Scott.