This was May 1st, 1989, and I had just started playing with Johnny Winter. I had had a studio background in New York, and had just come out of the Broadway pit orchestra for Starlight Express, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s play (where they put the band on the 4th floor, behind the men’s room). That whole show was highly technical and there were a lot of sequences, click tracks, and not as improvisational as playing with Johnny Winter.

I hooked up with Johnny Winter because I was playing with Roy Buchanan, who was opening up Winter’s shows. I played an 8-string bass which Johnny found interesting, and when [bassist] Jon Paris left the band, Johnny Winter said, “Get that guy who played with Roy Buchanan.” There was no audition.

So when I got with Johnny Winter in ’89, it was kind of push and pull, and it sounded great, but I couldn’t quite find my way. We’re sitting on the bus, going between one show and another, and I said to Johnny, “You know what’s happening in this tune here, it feels like it’s speeding up here, then it feels like it’s slowing down.” This is from my studio background where it’s a lot of click tracks. Johnny turns to me and says [Ganz drawls], “Jeff, Ah rush. Ef you’d be happier somewhere else…” I just smiled and realized, “This is just one more thing I need to learn how to do.” I was with Johnny for six years.

Ganz talked a bit about his current gig, with an all-star band of backing musicians, The Hit Men. “The thing about the Hit Men that I love is you got the very, very best people, with the studio backgrounds and all the hit recordings they played on. I love Lee Shapiro talking to me about how he arranged “Oh What a Night,” because I love to deconstruct music, and I love taking the songs with the original intent of the composer, putting my own spin on it, and making sure that the audience knows that it’s okay.”

The Hit Men connect with audiences on a level rarely seen by today’s musical artists, playing interactive sets of music from rock and roll history that are also their personal histories because these men recorded the music. The short list of acts the band’s members have performed and recorded with: Blood Sweat & Tears, Johnny Winter, Cheap Trick, Lou Reed, Dr. John, Vanilla Fudge, Carly Simon, Cat Stevens, Jim Croce, Rod Stewart, Paul McCartney, Elton John, Sting, the Ramones, LL Cool J, Luther Vandross, Korn, Jack Bruce, Eric Burdon and the Animals, Dave Mason, Todd Rundgren, Christopher Cross, the Turtles, Gary Puckett, Mitch Ryder, Barry Manilow, Tony Orlando, Tommy James, the Four Seasons, and (drumroll) Sesame Street.