Damon Edge biography by his sister Sharon Wisse Magruder            posted to Walter M. Senko, August 1996   ------------------------------------------------------ Damon Edge was born in Los Angeles, California on November 12, 1949. Damon's parents remember his drumming on his crib and bouncing up down to the Big Band sound when he was a baby. He received a bongo drum for Christmas in the mid 1950s (pictured on the Dossier CD "Chrome: The Visitation & Live In Germany). His flare for composition and his artistic talent was first brought to life by his 5th grade teacher Mrs. Riggs. She felt he was very talented from his time because of a story he wrote in the 1960s while in high school entitled "Save Nacy Nature". This story and his poem "No Peace Beach" were published in his high school's literary magazine. He graduated from Inglewood High School in 1967. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in environmental arts in 1970. Damon started Chrome when he was around 18 years of age. He was inspired by his teachers at Cal Arts including Alan Capra, who was a student of John Cage. Damon felt the concept of Chrome began during his first trip to Europe in 1968. He flew into Madrid where he met a friend, purshased a Bultaco Dirt Scrambler bike and cruised down to Morocco. Hearing the Arabic music in his head with a 4/4 beat behind it gave him the atmospheric quality that he needed as well as inspiration. Damon described his music as having "a lot of atmosphere in the sound and production of Chrome, and a lot of 3 and 8 note melodies and this atonal drone, driven by some real hot rhythm sections." Shortly after his European trip Damon started making soundtracks. He worked for MGM doing soundtracks by bringing a group of musicians together in a huge room with a gigantic screen and jamming to what was showing. Damon was always able to get excellent bass and rhythm players. He was an excellent promoter. Damon owned Siren International, Siren Records, Chrome Music, Chrome, Chrome Disc, Alien Soundtracks and Clairaudient. Damon lived in the Laurel and Topanga Canyon areas in Southern California until he moved to the bay area (San Francisco/Oakland) in the mid 1970s. The first Chrome release was "The Visitation" in 1976. Damon moved to France in the 1980's after marrying a French citizen (Fabienne Shine). Damon and his wife returned to America in 1988. He lived in the Hollywood Hills. Damon was an animal lover. He had both dogs and cats throughout his life. He was sensitive to their needs and loved to watch their antics. Damon was agoraphobic and this progressed with time. Anyone who attended one of his concerts was truly blessed. They were few but each a piece of artwork in themselves. He and his wife separated in early 1990. The following is how Damon explained the origin of some of his lyrics: The Wind Is Talking- Damon was in the desert with some friends. They had an electric 12 string. The wind was hitting the strings of the guitar and when you put your ear up to the body of the guitar it was playing a whole symphony. Ever since this experience, he's listened for sounds in the wind. The Red Sun- Is a comedy take off on 50's Science Fiction movies. We Are Not Dying- Is a prayer for the planet. It's pretty scary (what's been done to the planet) with the holes in the ozone. The Lyon Concert- This is nothing like the original. He took a cassette from the concert then dubbed it onto 24 tracks and E-Qed it. He focused on the hi-hat and brought the instruments out. This produced an excellent CD. Damon's apartment was set up with several tape decks. Whenever a song came to him, he would sing the melodies into the recorders and put music behind them later. Lyrics could be found written on anything convenient within his reach. His music consumed him. It was his very breath. Damon wanted people to feel something from his music. He created visual pictures from sound instead of sight (soundscapes). "I want to take them on a trip, take them somewhere else." Damon passed away August 11, 1995, of liver failure. His life has not ended. He has just gone on the next level of his journey. His CD "Days of Beauty" is soon to be released on Dossier. Parts taken from interview between Damon and Nez 12/20/94