If you judge a man by the company he keeps, Nicholas Tremulis is a very interesting man indeed. Over the years of making music since he started in his teens in his hometown Chicago, Tremulis has worked, played and recorded with Keith Richards, Billy Corgan, Bonnie Raitt, Maceo Parker, Rick Danko, Marianne Faithfull and beat poet Gregory Corso, to name but a few. As the founder of the Windy City's annual star-studded charity concert, The Waltz, he has been dubbed "the musical mayor of Chicago" by Norm Winer, program director of Chicago's taste-making modern rock radio station, WXRT. And a listen to his music makes it obvious why such luminaries keep company with him.

As Tremulis reached his teen years, Chicago offered a postgraduate level education in musical cool from the thriving Southside blues clubs to the envelope-pushing jazz of the legendary AACM collective. He cut his teeth playing in bands from the age of 13 and jamming with legends like Mighty Joe Young before stepping to the forefront with the Nicholas Tremulis Band, a 13-piece rock, R&B and pop powerhouse that became the Windy City's favorite party band for the smart set. "From the beginning, I always saw music as this broad canvas, so it's only natural that I like to mix things together," says Tremulis.

A tape of the band's music caught the ear of Chris Blackwell, who signed Tremulis to Island Records. Two albums of critically-acclaimed powerhouse R&B followed, 1987's Nicholas Tremulis and More Than The Truth two years later, featuring such stellar guests as Raitt, Parker, Ivan Neville and blues harmonica legend Sugar Blue. Tremulis's leap into the big leagues also afforded him the opportunity to write songs with Faithfull, begin composing and performing music for films and TV shows, and open shows with bang for a diverse range of acts like Tina Turner, Joe Cocker, Joe Strummer, John Hiatt, Nona Hendryx, UB40 and Sheila E, to name a few.

After Island was ingested by a major corporation, Tremulis decided to leave the label and pared down to a small combo for an indie EP, King Of The Hill, that featured poet Corso. That led to his historical album collaboration with Corso, Bloody Show, that mixed literary poetics with artful music to stunning effect. On 1999's In Search of Woodfoot, Tremulis forged a union of visionary rock and his deep roots that featured the final recordings of one of his heroes, The Band's Rick Danko.

During the late 1990s, Tremulis launched The Waltz, his yearly benefit to help homeless teens establish adult security and autonomy. The parade of stars who have performed at the shows with the NTO include Faithfull, Corgan, Steve Earle, Ian Hunter, Cheap Trick's Rick Nielsen and Bun E. Carlos, Ronnie Spector, Graham Parker, Mavis Staples, Jeff Tweedy, David Johansen, Gary Louris of the Jayhawks, Robbie Fulks, Jon Langford, famed composer David Amran and others. A video of the debut gala, The First Waltz, was nationally released by Palm Pictures. The concerts also prompted the Chicago Tribune to crown Tremulis "The Waltz King" for the ways the NTO performs "blues, funk, jazz, film scores, gospel and rock with finesse and a sure feel for the groove."

Recent years have also seen the NTO join Los Lobos at Buddy Guy's Legends for a night of acoustic blues, The Neville Brothers, Mavis Staples as well as staging a blues benefit that featured Johansen and Howlin' Wolf guitarist Hubert Sumlin with the band. As well, Tremulis has worked on recordings with Richards and Corgan and continues to create music for the big and small screens.

Despite the accomplishments of his youth, Tremulis feels he's a late bloomer who with each successive project has become more adept at naturally fusing his considerable musical loves and knowledge into a wondrously cohesive pop music package.

NTO recently completed their year sojourn, 52 Reasons, a year-long odyssey with one new song released each week via the country’s first internet label, ReeltoReel.com. "With all the talk of rock dying out due to its own lack of inventiveness," observes All Music Guide, "maybe the powers that be oughta give the Nicholas Tremulis Orchestra a listen." And so should you.