Background
Coleman was a fifth-generation musician. His father, Ervan “Bud” Coleman, a renowned studio guitarist, was a founding member of the Baja Marimba Band and a regular session player and songwriter with The Tijuana Brass.
Coleman was a fifth-generation musician. His father, Ervan “Bud” Coleman, a renowned studio guitarist, was a founding member of the Baja Marimba Band and a regular session player and songwriter with The Tijuana Brass.
Coleman attended Saddleback College where he received an Associate of Arts in Music degree in 1995. He then attended the University of California, Irvine where he received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Music in 2001, and a Master of Fine Arts in Music (posthumously) in 2006.
Coleman taught classical guitar for over 42 years at Saddleback College, Orange Coast College, Irvine Valley College, University of Redlands, and Cal State San Bernardino and privately. Coleman studied with some of the world’s best guitar players including Laurindo Almeida, Howard Heitmeyer, Christopher Parkening, Joe Pass, Howard Roberts and Pepe Romero. Coleman had a lifelong love of the outdoors and a passion for mountain climbing.
He climbed both Yosemite’s El Capitan and the Matterhorn.