Karl “Eric” Messerschmidt was born and raised in the San Fernando Valley. While studying music performance at California State University, Northridge, Eric was hired to play at Disneyland with “The Jazz Minors” in New Orleans Square. This job led to many others at the park, including The Disneyland Band, The Kids of the Kingdom Band, and a 6 month stint in 1984 at Tokyo Disneyland.
In 1991, Eric was hired to be the road bassist for Johnny Mathis. He worked with the legendary singer for 10 years, performing throughout the US, two English tours, and an A&E “Live By Request” television special. Guest artists that Eric performed with during this time include Dione Warwick, Henry Mancini, and Patti Austin. Eric was the commercial bass instructor at Citrus College during his “road” years.
Eric has recorded with artists such as Tom Kubis, Dean Grech, and Swing Savant; as well as several Film and TV credits, such as “How Stella Got Her Groove Back” and a Flintstones animated movie.
In 2002, Eric began his High School teaching career as the Band Director at Wilson High School in Long Beach. He never stopped playing, performing with The Tom Kubis Big Band, The Southern California Brass Consortium, and Swingtown. He currently plays with the Long Beach Ballet, Santa Monica Symphony, and the Ed Code Jazz Quintet.
