Tim Becker

 Tim’s interest in music came early. At the age of 3 he was repeating by ear on piano what his sister 6 years his senior was practicing after she stepped away from her lessons. His parents convinced a reluctant piano teacher (because of his age) to look at him, and the adventure began.

Classical training in the Royal Conservatory of Music paved the path for a future playing professionally. Playing in adult bands starting at age 15 gave Tim experience with seasoned musicians early. 1977 was officially Tim’s professional music career beginnings. Being a keyboard player proved to be a good thing, as more music was demanding these. Playing country hall dances, and local watering holes while underaged honed his skill set, with all manner of song styles being required. Very few keyboard players owned synthesizers at the time, and he had some of the first. Being the youngest in the bands by at least 15 years, he was fortunate to learn from seasoned pros how to work a crowd skillfully. 

In 1980 while finishing high school, Tim joined a local Edmonton band of 24-30 year olds called Catcher that played more originals than covers. They made it to the finals in Edmonton's K97’s Battle of the Bands, knocking out the very best bands in Edmonton including the band "Berlin". Several different projects had him touring full time for the next 5 years, including a remarkable show band called XLR8 which featured among the best musicians and singers in Canada. When places hiring bands were becoming scarce, Tim and keyboardist phenom Ken Jarvin (Millions, formerly Roxslyde) formed a trio unlike any other…. 2 multi-keyboard setups including 2 grand pianos, brand new drum machine technology, and a female lead vocalist. No guitars or drummer. After limited success, Tim started a duo called Fringe Benefits, which toured western Canada and jetted to the far north. Tim was also busy recording tracks for various other projects. 

When the Edmonton Oilers were moving from organ players to modern cutting edge keyboard performances, Tim teamed up with local success story George Blondheim (movie score composer etc.) to showcase what hockey games could enjoy. Tim’s experience with band competitions was called upon when he was asked to join legendary Tommy Banks as a judge for Edmonton’s Boom and Blast Battle of the Bands. Tim also played for a short time with Bobby Curtola.

When work was drying up again for even duos, Tim auditioned for the Sherlock Holmes Group of Pubs, and discovered an outlet for his quirky skillset playing English, Irish, Scottish, East Coast, and classic rock music. He performed almost exclusively for them 6 nights a week for the next 18 years. His Robby Burns Day performances attracted ITV News staff to feature him on keys in the studio in 1988. He has had numerous TV appearances in Edmonton and Calgary. Tim was featured on an episode of Rough Cuts, a CBC series that began in 1994. Most recently, he opened for Chilliwack in an Edmonton band, and he recently performed solo on Edmonton Global News for a 3 hr Christmas weekend broadcast.

Tim now enjoys a career in sales, and is keeping active musically both as a single entertainer, and currently is thrilled to be in The Stevie Project. Additionally, he performs with a band called Ruby and the Hitmen, which focuses on 60s and 70s cover music. He is married 38 years with 6 adult children.