As in so many enduring relationships built on passion, 58-year-old Stu Nankin has been on a long roller coaster ride. But the heart-stopping twists and turns aren’t part of a soap opera romance. Instead, the drama stems from the special beat the producer/musician has walked to most of his life.
Since he picked up a guitar at the age of 14, Nankin has followed his own special rhythm, from his hometown of Milwaukee to the Twin Cities to Los Angeles and back. The tune has changed over the years, however, spanning genres from surf to the British invasion, to R&B, jazz and spiritual music.
“I love the beauty of classical music, I love the raw soulfulness of R&B, I love the grit and power of hard-driven rock,” said Nankin, who lives in Maple Grove with his wife, Maria-Elena, and 16-year-old daughter, Gabby. “For me, when I listen to or play music, it’s about musical value and feel, not so much about genre. I like a wide variety of musical styles, but for me it is about substance.”
Nankin’s ear for music, combined with carefully honed skills, has landed him gigs with prominent musical talents over the course of his career. In 1975, he became the original bass player for the popular regional rock band Chameleon, which later featured keyboardist Yanni. A few years later, he joined a new band, Romeo, with guitarist Dez Dickerson, who went on to play with Prince.
Detour
When Nankin moved to the music-industry hub of Los Angeles in the 1980s, he quickly came face to face with the ups and downs most working musicians face. Gigs with stable bands started getting scarce, and for the first time in his life he found his passion to play music was beginning to fade.
“There was a time where you never could have suggested, let alone convinced me, that I would ever stop playing my bass or cease being involved in that part of music,” Nankin said, “but it happened. I was completely redirected, largely because at one point I just got fed up with the unstable business aspect and unreliability of the music scene.”
So it was onto a new venture, as Nankin became mobile DJ Stu D. Baker, spinning records for large corporate events and alumni reunions all over Southern California.
After 10 years in the business, he and his family moved back to Minnesota in 1995, where he started his Worldwide Music Network. He restores and archives old audio recordings, and also records and masters live band, orchestra and choir concerts.
Back at it again
In 1998, the family started attending St. Joseph the Worker Church in Maple Grove, and it was then that the rhythm began its beat again.
“Something was starting to stir inside me spiritually,” he recalled. “Over time I began listening more and more closely to the choir and pianist, until bass lines to the music were running through my head.”
Five years later, Nankin picked up his bass again, initially just to play with the church choir.
“I loved playing at church and had no further thoughts about bands, but as soon as I got back into it, all this music that had been laying silently like a dormant volcano just started erupting inside me,” Nankin says. “It was so overwhelming and inspiring that it was almost uncontrollable.”
Nankin formed a 12-piece horn group in 2004, but found it difficult to keep so many people together. The group folded, but Stu continued to play and arrange music. In January he recorded a few surf instrumentals with Tony Andreason, the lead guitarist for the legendary Minneapolis rock band The Trashmen, who had a huge hit in the ‘60s with “Surfin’ Bird.”
Now, Nankin plays with the music ministry at the Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis, as well as with Brooklyn Park-based hard rock band Lexomatic Inc.
Schools of rock
In the future, Nankin wants to gear his musical talents towards area schools. Through Worldwide Music Network, he has already recorded several local schools’ band, orchestra and choir performances. Steve Lyons, Champlin Park High School’s band director, has benefited from Nankin’s work: One concert Stu recorded for their symphonic band was submitted to the International Baccalaureate, and received the top score. Lyons attributed Nankin’s recording quality as one reason the band’s talents could shine through.
“Stu has an uncanny ability to take great care with small details,” Lyons said. “He has been in the recording industry long enough to know how to prioritize and not overlook important things. Also, he is really centered on the quality of the product, regardless of the time commitment.”
Nankin hopes to form future partnerships with District 279, and is organizing a collaboration involving some of his professional musician contacts, educators and students in the school district.
“If I can put that together and make it happen the way I envision it, I have no doubt that it will be really well received,” Nankin said. “On a larger scale, I think it will also draw attention to the music and arts program in our school district and to its importance.”
With his inspiration back, there’s no telling where Stu Nankin’s roller coaster ride will take him next. But the rhythm in his head is here to stay.
“I just turned 58 and am happy to still be rockin’ after all these years,” Nankin said. “And I’m not about to stop!”
