Gary Loizzo

Gary Alexander Loizzo (August 16, 1945 – January 16, 2016) was an American guitarist, singer, recording engineer, and record producer. He is best known for being the lead singer with the American Breed.

Gary Loizzo formed a band called Gary & The Knight Lites while he was still in high school in 1961. The band recorded a number of songs before the name was changed to The American Breed in 1967. Loizzo was the lead singer of The American Breed, which had several hit records in 1967–1968, including the #1 million-selling single "Bend Me, Shape Me", and two other top 40 Billboard singles "Green Light" and "Step out of your Mind" and other top 100 hits.

Loizzo went on to start his own studio business, initially producing demos in his own garage, before creating a recording studio called 'Pumpkin Studios' in 1976. He became a two-time Grammy-nominated recording engineer. He worked with REO Speedwagon, Styx, Bad Company, Slash, Survivor, Liza Minnelli, Tenacious D, Nelson, and many others. Loizzo has been the lead recording engineer for albums that have sold over 50 million copies worldwide.

Gary was inducted into the Illinois Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2022 for his Recording Engineering accomplishments and his impact on the Chicago music industry. Kevin Cronin from REO Speedwagon gave the induction speech.

In celebration of the 2005 baseball championship of the Chicago White Sox, the American Breed issued a CD single entitled "Rock with the Sox". The single was produced by Gary Loizzo.

Biography summary from English Wikipedia, photograph via Wikimedia Commons.