Daryl Stuermer

Daryl Mark Stuermer (born November 27, 1952) is an American musician, songwriter, singer, and record producer best known for playing the guitar and bass for Genesis during live shows, and lead guitar for Phil Collins during most solo tours and albums. He has also released nine solo albums, and tours with his Daryl Stuermer Band.

Stuermer was born on November 27, 1952, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He cites Duane, his elder brother of two years, also a musician, who introduced him to music by Elvis Presley and Ray Charles. As a youngster he became a fan of the instrumental rock band The Ventures, which "really got me going". He began to play the guitar at age eleven, and moved into jazz guitar four years later. In 1970, Stuermer graduated from St. Francis High School in St. Francis, Wisconsin.

In the early 1970s, Stuermer formed his Milwaukee-based jazz rock band Sweetbottom, playing local gigs five nights a week. It was during one of these gigs in 1975 that keyboardist George Duke, then of The Mothers of Invention with Frank Zappa, noticed him and suggested his name to jazz violinist Jean-Luc Ponty, who was looking for a guitarist to join his own band. After a successful audition, Stuermer became a full time member and is featured on three of their albums released between 1975 and 1977: Aurora, Imaginary Voyage, and Enigmatic Ocean.

In addition to Ponty, he played on Duke's solo albums I Love the Blues, She Heard My Cry and Liberated Fantasies.

In late 1977, Stuermer, at the insistence of his friend Alphonso Johnson, was recommended as a replacement for Steve Hackett to support Genesis for live performances. Johnson's audition was unsuccessful, and he put Stuermer's name forward. Stuermer's only exposure to the band was when Ponty played him A Trick of the Tail, and a television clip showing Peter Gabriel singing in costume. A chance meeting with drummer Chester Thompson, who had replaced Bill Bruford as their touring drummer in 1976, convinced Stuermer to go for the audition. His audition with Mike Rutherford took place in early 1978 in New York City, and he landed the spot on the same day. He typically plays lead guitar on the Gabriel/Hackett era songs, while playing rhythm guitar/bass on the Banks/Collins/Rutherford era songs. He retained the role of lead guitarist and bass player with the band from 1978 to 1992: he also rejoined them for the 2007 Turn It On Again Tour, and returned for the 2021–22 The Last Domino? Tour.^{[citation needed]}

During Genesis's break in activity for much of 1979, Stuermer secured work by touring North America with singer Gino Vannelli in support of his album Brother to Brother.

In 1981, Stuermer followed Genesis frontman Phil Collins as lead guitarist for Collins' solo career, with a speaking part in the clip for "One More Night" and being mentioned by name in the music video for "Don't Lose My Number". In doing so, he transitioned from what Collins called a "permanent-temporary-part-time member" of Genesis to a "permanent-touring-recording member" of Collins' new group. Stuermer is credited as a writer on several songs that Collins recorded, including Something Happened on the Way to Heaven on ...But Seriously, and "I Don't Wanna Know" on No Jacket Required, which evolved from one of Stuermer's demos.

In 1988, Stuermer released his debut solo album Steppin' Out. He considered making it a more vocal-oriented album having performed with Collins throughout the decade, but he opted to produce a rock instrumental album.