Matt "Atlanta Bliss" Blistan

With over 20 years of professional trumpet playing, Matt Blistan aka “Atlanta Bliss,” developed from a local band artist to a performer, composer, arranger, and producer with worldwide recognition. Matt began his professional music career in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he received a B.S. in Music from Duquesne University. His group “The Parker Brothers” was an extremely successful nightclub band with a repertoire of Earth, Wind, & Fire to Chuck Mangione. He grew up musically in Pittsburgh involved in many styles of music including Pop, Big Band, R&B, Funk, Classical, and Jazz.

In 1983, Matt relocated to Atlanta and started his own music studio and production house. There he composed and arranged music for corporate and business clients including jingle advertisements.

But in 1985, Matt’s career skyrocketed!

After auditioning with Prince, Matt joined the legendary band, The Revolution. Prince stage-named him “Atlanta Bliss” and welcomed his progressive jazz sound into the “New Revolution.” Matt worked in over 150 recording sessions that produced six albums: Parade, Sign O’ The Times, Lovesexy, The Black Album, The Batman Soundtrack, and Graffiti Bridge, still leaving extensive unreleased material in Prince’s vault.

Matt also recorded, arranged, and performed with other artists including Aretha Franklin, Bonnie Raitt, George Clinton, Patti LaBelle, Sheila E., Parliament-Funkadelic, Chaka Khan, James Brown, and Miles Davis. These sessions were more than great musical experiences. They earned Matt four Platinum Albums, four Gold Albums, and a Grammy.

Matt has extensive tour experience not only in the U.S., but also in venues all over the world including England, France, Austria, Germany, The Netherlands, Italy, Belgium, Switzerland, and Japan.

In addition to music, film has also been a major part of Matt’s career. He’s performed in 12 music videos, three major movies, and recorded four soundtracks. Prince’s live concert movie Sign O’ The Times features Matt’s musical fortes in Pop, R&B, Funk, and Jazz. Beyond performing and recording, Atlanta Bliss is a composer, arranger, and producer.