b. Steven Eugene Grove, 27 November 1962, Hagerstown, Maryland, USA. Grove studied piano before taking saxophone studies while at high school. At the University of Miami, he gradually developed an interest in jazz. Gigging locally, he played in the All American College Band at Disney World, Orlando. Graduating in 1984, he played in local bands while on a masters degree course in music performance, then dropped out to play music full time. Adept on alto and tenor saxophones and clarinet, he played in Latin and pop bands, including Exposé. In Los Angeles in 1987, together with James Slater he wrote ‘Hearts On Fire’, recorded by Richard Elliot on Power Of Suggestion. Elliot was with Tower Of Power and when he went solo, Grove took his place in the band, appearing on 1991’s Monster On A Leash. He also played in the band accompanying Huey Lewis And the News on their Small World tour. In 1990, he toured with Richard Marx and later with others, including Joe Cocker, and Eros Ramazzotti. He toured again with Marx in 1997. Among other artists with whom Grove has recorded are Aaron Neville, Bonnie Raitt, Paula Abdul and Elton John.
At the end of the decade, Grove halted his busy touring schedule to begin work on a solo project that would result in his first album. At this time he adopted the name Euge Groove. A track from the proposed album, ‘Romeo And Juliet’, which he had written in Verona while touring with Ramazzotti, was put onto the Internet for downloading and became very successful, auguring well for the CD, which eventually appeared on Warner Brothers Records in 2000. A further Cocker tour took place at the start of the new decade and Grove also worked with Tina Turner, recording her 60th birthday special video in London and touring with her in 2000. His first single, ‘Vinyl’, spent 27 weeks on the R&R NAC/Smooth Jazz chart and he was voted Best Breakout Artist for the year. Bringing technical expertise and inventiveness to his playing, Grove comfortably straddles the worlds of both jazz and pop.
