12569 Influenced by some of the legendary names of pop and soul, such as the Beatles, Elton John, Otis Redding, Stevie Wonder, and -- oddly -- the Go-Go's, Californian Ernie Halter first began to make waves for himself with the release of his 2005 collection, Ernie Halter. This singer and songwriter got his start playing a small -- mostly covers -- coffee shop gig in 1992, and was able to maintain the difficult position of being a working musician (and closet songwriter) by simply paying his dues, working on songs in his spare time, and playing in coffee shops and smaller gigs to keep active on the scene and to sharpen his skills. Eventually, word of mouth and the internet community on pages such as MySpace worked in Halter's favor, and by 2007 -- and his next release, Congress Hotel (on Rock Ridge Music) -- he had built up quite a buzz, and the staunchly indie Halter could be seen touring throughout much of the United States. ~ Chris True, All Music Guide 10425 Inglewood, CA 2000's