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this is an article about Nathan that was published when he was 11......
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Young Australian guitar prodigy Nathan Cavaleri has already had a lifetime's worth of
experience in his first eleven years. This extraordinary talent has played with a veritable
who's-who of guitar legends, including his childhood idol Mark Knopfler, the late blues
great Albert Collins, West Coast session whiz Jeff "Skunk" Baxter and Rock & Roll Hall
of Fame Who bassist John Entwistle, among others.

"Although I know a lot of kids with technique, I've never seen anyone play with that much
heart," says Baxter of the young prodigy with whom he first played at the Guitar Player
25th Anniversary concert in San Francisco back in 1992--this country's first exposure to
Cavaleri's uncanny ability. "Unbelievable" was Dire Straits leader Knopfler's reaction to
Nathan before presenting him with his own blue Fender Stratocaster in admiration. And
Guitar Player editor Jas Obrecht says: "Nathan plays with the passion and finesse of a
young Otis Rush."

Cavaleri's impassioned blues-rock fretwork has made him a sensation in his native Australia
, and he's built up a sizable Stateside following after acclaimed appearances on "Arsenio
Hall," HBO, CNN, E! Entertainment, "Inside Edition" and many more.  His U.S. debut
album, Nathan (MJJ/Epic), captures this youthful phenom fronting his own band featuring
singers Sweet Pea Atkinson, formerly of Was (Not Was), and the Commitments' own
young belter, Andrew Strong. The lineup also includes keyboardist Teddy "Zig Zag"
Andreadis (Guns N' Roses), guitarist Randy Jacobs (Bonnie Raitt, Bob Dylan, Snoop
Doggy Dog), bassist Jeff Berlin (Yes, Rush, John McLaughlin) and drummer Curt
Bisquera (Mick Jagger, Tina Turner, John Fogerty). Nathan was produced by Michael Vail
Blum, whose career credits include working with Madonna.

Two of the songs--the rockin' "Workin' On It" and a cover of  Eddie Cochran's immortal
"Summertime Blues," both featuring Andrew Strong vocals--will be featured on the
soundtrack album to this summer's Hollywood Pictures film Camp Nowhere, in which
Cavaleri has a small acting role as well as creating much of the movie's original score.
Nathan also either wrote or co-wrote with his father Frank six of the songs on Nathan, and
a video for "Workin' On It" was recently completed by director Jeb Brien. "When we
realized how great a musician Nathan was, the director wanted to use his guitar throughout
the entire score," says Camp Nowhere producer Michael Peyser.

"It was great to play with such good musicians," says young Cavaleri who is, in all respects,
a normal 11-year-old kid who likes to play with Nintendo and ride his bike when he isn't
sounding like a 60-year-old Chicago bluesman on his guitar. "They gave the album a real
feel."

Nathan is a genuine phenomenon. His father Frank, a part-time guitarist himself, gave him
a ukelele when he was just three. After young Cavaleri mastered that, Dad presented him
with an acoustic guitar, then an electric at the age of four-and-a-half, which Nathan would
play while busking outside his mother's coffee shop on Queen Street in Campbelltown
outside of Sydney. Every Saturday, the boy would borrow his father's amplifier and
perform for passers- by. Nathan recalls making $270 in 90 minutes one weekend, with
audiences growing so large, they would stop traffic.

"He mastered the two-note power chord around the 12-bar blues, played along with songs
on the radio, discovered chords and jammed all the time with me," says Frank Cavaleri.

By the age of  nine, Nathan had overcome a bout with leukemia to sign his first record deal
in Australia; subsequent TV exposure made him a sensation in his native country. He met
Mark Knopfler and toured with Oz legends like Jimmy Barnes, Tommy Emmanuel and
Diesel, wowing audiences wherever he played. He also released an album, Jammin' With
The Cats, which hit the Top 30 in Australia.

Nathan's manager Russell Hayward was producing Guitar Player magazine's gala 25th
anni- versary and put his young guitar prodigy on the bill of performers. That led to the
aforemen- tioned media appearances and a Hollywood film offer to play the role of a
young guitarist in a major movie project. Nathan played with Booker T. and the MGs at
last year's NAMM Convention and was backed by John Entwistle for a concert at the Los
Angeles Guitar Institute concert.

All this activity led Nathan Cavaleri to Michael Jackson's MJJ label, where he was signed
by label President Jerry Greenberg after a nod from Michael himself. "He's a natural blues
musician," says industry veteran Greenberg, who worked with more than his share during
his years with Atlantic Records.
Cavaleri continues to grow on his instrument. He has recently discovered jazz guitarists like
Robben Ford and Charlie Christian, a direction hinted at on the new album's percolating
instrumental "Noodling." "I'd like to explore that a little more," says Nathan. "Once you get
into jazz and the blues, it all mixes together and sounds really good." And while he remains
on the cusp of U.S. and world stardom, Cavaleri is still very much an 11-year-old
adolescent.
"He's taking it all in stride," says his dad. "He still has to do his homework." "I'm still a
normal kid," adds Nathan. "But a bit extra with the guitar."
You can say that again.

I did not know of Nathan Cavaleri until I saw "Camp Nowhere".  Looked him up on the internet after that...he is a great talent, both as a singer and actor.