Steve Spiegl was born and raised in Southern California, where he attended Cerritos College and California State College at Long Beach. As a student, Steve wrote for and recorded with the Collegiate Neophonic Orchestra of Southern California, under the direction of Jack Wheaton, past president of the International Association of Jazz Educators, and studied trumpet privately under Carlton MacBeth, in Hollywood. In 1970 he became the chief arranger for the Stan Kenton Orchestra, arranging one Stan’s biggest hits, "Hey Jude" (from the Beatles), recorded on the "Live at Redlands University" album. In 1973, he won the Hollywood Radio and Television Society's International Broadcasting Award for writing the music for the "World's Best Broadcast Ad of the Year".

Steve was Director of Jazz Studies and Brass at Pepperdine University, Malibu, and published over 50 original compositions for school jazz bands with Maggio Music Press. In 1985 the Concord Blue Devils Drum and Bugle Corp used Steve's composition "Bacchanalia" as their opener for their winning performance at the Drum Corp International. Over 12,000 schools throughout the U.S. and Canada currently use Steve's compositions in their music programs.
Photo by Buddy Childers
Click on photos for a video of this performance
Since 1970, Steve has rehearsed weekly with his own band, the Steve Spiegl Big Band, which features some of the biggest names in the Hollywood studio industry. They have just released their fourth album of Steve’s newest jazz band charts called "Enigma", on the Sorcerer Records label. Prior albums have been "Hot!" (1979), "Perspectives" (1981), and "Then and Now" (1993).

Steve is sole owner and founder of Spiegl Music Publications, and founder and President of Sorcerer Records. As a member of ASCAP, he has authored a textbook "Basic Theory and Arranging for Stage Band", and remains busy writing and publishing big band jazz for his own band and schools across the country.