Trevor Rabin was born in South Africa in 1954. He began playing guitar at the age of 12 after having had piano lessons since he was a toddler. In 1972 he formed the band Rabbit becoming the most successful rock act ever to emerge from South Africa. Rabin left Rabbit to pursue a solo career in London and released three solo albums. Rabin moved to Los Angeles in 1982. Here he became a member of the newly reformed progressive art/rock group Yes for the groundbreaking 90125 album as a guitarist, keyboardist, singer, songwriter, producer and recording engineer. He penned the majority of the songs on 90125 as well as Big Generator and Talk, before leaving Yes in 1994 to pursue a career as a film composer. Rabin has scored three dozen films which include Con Air, Homegrown, Armageddon, Enemy of the State, Jack Frost, Deep Blue Sea, Gone in 60 Seconds, Remember the Titans, The 6th Day, The Banger Sisters, Kangaroo Jack, Bad Boys 2, The Great Raid, Exorcist: The Beginning, National Treasure, Coach Carter, Snakes On A Plane, The Guardian, and Flyboys. Along with many Grammy nominations and one win, Mr. Rabin also has received nine BMI film score awards, and has received a lifetime achievement award from the Temecula Film Festival.
Wrote the number one hit Owner of a Lonely Heart.
Cousin of the late Donald Woods who wrote the book, Biko, about the anti-apartheid activist Stephen Biko, and who was the subject of the movie, Cry Freedom
Another cousin, Sir Sidney Kentridge was the chief lawyer who represented the family of Stephen Biko in their wrongful death suit against the South African government
Was drafted to the South African army where he served in the entertainment unit for one year.
Moved to England from South Africa in 1978. Extremely anti-apartheid.
Left Yes to become a film composer.
Formed his first band in 1968, at only 14 years old.
His son, Ryan, is a drummer and backing vocalist.
I grew up in such a musical family, and my dad was the first chair in the Johannesburg Symphony Orchestra, and my mom was a piano teacher and a painter, so it was kind of a creative environment, and it was kind of in my DNA.
