Stephanie Teel is a native San Franciscan, and still lives in the City, across from Ocean Beach. Her grandfather, who in the 1930's was an NBC radio singer, first introduced her to the guitar. It was an old Dobro guitar. He taught her how to play [+]Stephanie Teel is a native San Franciscan, and still lives in the City, across from Ocean Beach. Her grandfather, who in the 1930's was an NBC radio singer, first introduced her to the guitar. It was an old Dobro guitar. He taught her how to play Tom Dooley, and she became hooked on guitar from then on. She started guitar lessons with San Francisco guitarist, Paul Miller, at the age of 14. Her early musical influences were all the "folkies" at the time i.e., Peter Paul and Mary, Joan Baez, and Joni Mitchell. Through her parents, she attended concerts by Ella Fitzgerald, guitarists; Kenny Burrell, Andre Segovia, and Joe Pass. But when she heard Jimi Hendricks play and Janis Joplin sing, she bought an electric guitar. As a teenager, Stephanie would play guitar in the Golden Gate Park, for change to spend at Playland at the Beach. Her father, a renowned San Francisco musician (sax and clarinet), saw that Stephanie was becoming a no good hippie! He persuaded her to join the Musician's Union. (local #6). She recalls auditioning for the union, being surrounded by older men dressed in suits and smoking cigars, as she sang and played "House of the Rising Sun". With her father's help, she put together her first rock band, and played a USO dance, for the wounded young Vietnam Vets. She continued playing in the City for debutant parties, proms, fashion shows at the Fairmont, Mark Hopkins, St. Francis and other major hotels in the city. Other shows have included playing for the Italian Festival in North Beach and two art festivals in civic center.
In the early 1970's Stephanie got a call from an agent in Las Vegas, to join an all female band, to front the Al Bello Revue. So Stephanie drove her father's convertible through the desert to Vegas. The band's leader and drummer was Jennie Jones, who is now a TV talk show host and personality. " The stage attire was difficult for me to get used to coming from living in the Haight Ashbury district in the 1960.s to glitzy artificial Las Vegas!" says Stephanie. In Jennie Jones' book she writes, " Being in the band was rough on Stephanie, who was really a hippie, a naturalist. She had to wear glitzy costumes - some of which I made myself- style her hair every night, and put on makeup. Lots of makeup" The band was book
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