George Simon Stanford made his way to the front of the band through the brass section, where he played trombone in every type of band he could as a kid. Trombone proved to be a dangerous 'gateway' instrument, leading him to the bass, guitar, keyboards, and anything else that would make noise. He studied music theory at University of the Arts in his native Philadelphia for a year, where he formed the rock group Townhall. Realizing the academic lifestyle wasn't for him, he left school to set out on the road with his band. After touring, recording, and starving for over five years, the group decided to go their separate ways in early 2006. With the demons of rock and roll calling his name louder than ever, and a new understanding of his own musical voice, George left his home, family, and job at the laundromat for the bright lights of Los Angeles, to record a batch of new tunes. Within weeks of getting to the big city, he found himself in the right place at the right time, and signed a recording contract with Epic Records. After a little shake up in early 2007, George moved to Smash/Mercury Records and became the first artist on the revived classic label. Mercury will release his major label early next year. He now lives on the road, and is back in Philadelphia on his very few days off.