by John BushOver a career of jazz, R&B, and crossover recordings, husband-and-wife duo Tuck & Patti have produced a remarkable amount of music, especially considering that they rely on the textures of only guitar and voice. Tuck Andress was born in Oklahoma and studied classical guitar at Stanford University before traveling to Las Vegas to audition for a show band in 1980; also there was Patti Cathcart, a San Francisco native who was classically trained in the Bay Area. The two hit it off immediately, and began to perform as a duo around California beginning in 1981. They were married in 1983, but resisted recording contracts so they could cement their unique sound. Finally, in 1987, Tuck & Patti signed to Windham Hill Jazz, recording albums for the label in 1988 (Tears of Joy), 1989 (Love Warriors), and 1991 (Dream). Tuck Andress also released several solo albums for Windham Hill, and the duo signed to Epic in 1995. Tuck & Pattis first album for Epic, Learning How to Fly, alternated Cathcart originals with several covers of contemporary standards. Paradise Found followed in 1998. Taking the Long Way Home appeared two years later. In 2002 Chocolate Moment, only their second album of original songs, and the first on their own label, was released, followed the next year with A Gift of Love, a collection of romantic covers originally intended solely for the Asian market, though the success it found there prompted Tuck & Patti to also issue it in Europe and the U.S. In 2006, the third Windham Hill compilation, Pure Tuck & Patti, was released.