Timeline, Andy Rau Band

1973 - Andy begins playing 5-string banjo.

1975 - 1985 - Becomes Knott's Berry Farm's full time in-house banjo player, performing throughout the park in country rock, bluegrass and variety show formats. This influenced his career greatly as he learned to adapt banjo to many musical styles.

1975 - Present - He begins frequent performances at well known venues such as Disneyland, Six Flags, Sea World, Paramount Studios, Disney Studios, Burbank Studios, corporate events and private parties. He also attains work in the studio where he records commercials for television, radio and film.

1976 - Present - Begins teaching banjo privately.

1980 - Meets and performs with Larry McNeely, his greatest influence on banjo. Besides playing a more progressive style of banjo, Larry is also an accomplished songwriter and studio musician and is the first to encourage Andy to begin writing his own material.

1985 - Leaves Knott's Berry Farm to form The Andy Rau Band.

1986 - Forms The Andy Rau Band along with mandolin player Evan Anderson and guitarist Les Johnson as an avenue to showcase his songwriting and banjo style.

1991 - The band records their album My Angel with fourteen original songs which leads to their first record deal. Their originality caught the ear of Turquoise Records of Whitesburg, Kentucky.

1992 - 2000 - Hired at Wild Bills Western Extravaganza and Dinner Theater to perform on banjo and guitar. He takes the steady gig in order to hone his performance skills which he will utilize in years to come both as a solo act and front man for his band.

1993 - The band releases On The Horizon on Turquoise Records containing thirteen songs composed by Andy and introduces their new sounds to the bluegrass world. The first of many CD's to receive great reviews and much airplay in the US and internationally.

1993 - The band begins touring extensively in the United States and Canada performing at music festivals, fairs and concert venues.

1994 - The band, with its higher profile come endorsements from the Deering Banjo Company, GHS Strings and ProPik and feature articles in Acoustic Musician, Bluegrass Unlimited, Bass Player and Banjo Gazette in Great Britain.

1996 - The band releases Different Man on Turquoise Records containing twelve new songs by Andy which further solidifies them as an innovative force in the genre.

1998 - Andy creates his own Endovalley Records and Purple Raven Publishing in order to have more control over the band's growing popularity and to establish a one on one relationship with fans and promotion.

1999 - The band releases Penny Moon on the new label. The album added thirteen more original songs to their growing list of recorded material.

2000 - Andy leaves Wild Bills Western Extravaganza and Dinner Theater to devote his time to songwriting, touring and private teaching.

2001 - 2004 - The Orange County Philharmonic Society employs Andy to write and perform his own show to introduce folk instruments to their audiences.

2005 - Andy establishes a second record label, Anchovy Artists, to delineate what he feels is a new beginning. After years of evolution this place can be marked as the cornerstone of a definitive new sound.

2006 - After a long hiatus in the recording studio, the Andy Rau Band has re-emerged with the release of fifteen original compositions on their CD, Higher Ground. This recording introduces inventive new material to the world of acoustic music.

2007 - Band releases "An Instrumental Compliation" featuring ten of their favorite tunes on one CD.