Chris Poland is a jazz - fusion guitarist born on December 1, 1957.
Chris Poland is currently playing for his band ‘OHM’.
Chris Poland started playing in the rock/jazz band ‘Welkin’ when he was in ‘Dunkirk’ high school in New York. Chris moved to Los Angeles in 1977 and worked in the band ‘New Yorkers’ (jazz/fusion band) as a co-lead guitarist from 1977 to 1982 with the band mates Stu Samuelson on guitar, Robert Pagliari on fretless bass, Don Roper on saxophone, Gar Samuelson on drums.
The ‘New Yorkers’ music was extremely sophisticated and very big on Los Angeles Jazz/Fusion prospect compared to other bands like ‘Mahavishnu Orchestra’, ‘Brand X’ and ‘Weather Report’. The band members of ‘New Yorkers’ were considered as expert musicians at their age of early twenties at that time
Chris Poland joined ‘Megadeth’, an American heavy metal band in December 1984. Chris played for a debut album ‘Killing Is My Business… And Business Is Good!’ in 1985 and for a studio album ‘Peace Sells… But Who’s Buying?’ in 1986 with ‘Megadeth’. Under suspicion of stealing and selling band gear to support his heroin addiction, Chris and Gar Samuelson were dismissed from the band ‘Megadeth’ after a show in Hawaii. He later played briefly in a punk rock band ‘The Circle Jerks’ as a bass player.
In 1990, Chris Poland released his solo album ‘Return to Metalopolis’, a fusion/metal record for Engima Records with his brother Mark on drums. Three years later, Chris founded a short-lived progressive metal band ‘Damn the Machine’ with his brother Mark on drums, David Randi on bass and Dave Clemmons on vocals/guitar.
Chris Poland formed the band ‘Ohm’ with Robertino Pagliari on 2002. Even after Poland was removed from Megadeth in 1987, Dave Mustaine, rythm/lead guitarist still continued dedicating the song "Liar" to Poland in all their live concerts. In 2004, Chris Poland was again requested to perform a solo on Megadeth album "The System Has Failed". Poland accepted the offer and signed the contract. Mustaine was contacted by Poland’s lawyers soon after the album’s release, who claimed that he was on due payments beyond that of his session fees. Mustaine and Poland were not speaking to each other for some time regarding the payment, however they have made compensation and Poland is now seen on the message boards of ‘Megadeth’.
Chris Poland played solo for the album ‘As The Palaces Burn’ in 2003 and ‘Ashes of the Wake’ in 2004 for the band ‘Lamb of God’
Chris Poland’s Guitar Collection
- Yamaha SBG 2000 x 3 (2 Hollow Body)
- Yamaha AES 800
- Yamaha SG2200
- B.C Rich Warlock
- Jackson Randy Rhoads
DISCOGRAPHY
- Killing Is My Business... And Business Is Good! (1985)
- Peace Sells... But Who's Buying? (1986)
- Rust in Peace (1990)
- The System Has Failed (2004)
- Return to Metalopolis (1990)
- Chasing The Sun (2000)
- Rare Trax (compilation) (2000)
- Return to Metalopolis - Live (2007)
- Damn the Machine (album, 1993)
- Silence (promo single, 1993)
- Lonesome God (promo single, 1993)
- The Mission (promo single, 1993)
- Excerpts From The Book Of Mumbo (1995)
- Ohm (2003)
- Amino Acid Flashback (2005)