Fall 2025

62 C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • F A L L 2 0 2 5 A ge-old advice for musicians:“Don’t quit your day job.” But if your day job is as rewarding as this accomplished and expert bassist’s is, quitting isn’t even a consideration. Born inTexas, raised in New Orleans, John Prock arrived in San Ramon, California, hoping to make it big in the 1980s. Later, he lived in Santa Rosa, home to boutique bass maker Alembic. “I had an Alembic, and took it there for repair,” he says. That visit led to his position in artist relations, where he worked with and developed friendships with world-famous bassists, including Stanley Clarke, John Paul Jones and Rudy Sarzo. All the while, he was gigging.“I got affiliated with Eddie Money, and that opened a lot of doors. I’m blessed to have played with guys I grew up to listening to on the radio.” In 1997, he took a position managing the music store that morphed into the business he now owns, Monterey Music on Alvarado Street. Prock played bass at services at Compass Church for 14 years, proudly noting that he missed only 11 performances in that span. He also works with Meyer Sound, assembling bass rigs for artists such as Darryl Jones of the Rolling Stones. He keeps his chops up playing locally with the 831 All Stars. For more information, visit www.facebook.com/john.prock.7 — Michael Chatfield MUS I C I AN PROF I L E John Prock Photo: Kelli Uldall