[7] Tepper met Beefheart (alias Don Van Vliet) by chance while studying as an art student in Northern California in the mid-1970s.
This was done later in Los Angeles after Van Vliet and Frank Zappa had reunited briefly for the Bongo Fury tour.
[2] The result of the new band led to arguably some of Captain Beefheart's most creative music efforts including albums Shiny Beast (1978), Doc at the Radar Station (1980) and Ice Cream for Crow (1982).
He is one of the longest serving (without a break) Magic Band members and the only one to receive production credit for Ice Cream for Crow (1982)[9] Tepper's first released solo work beginning with Big Enough to Disappear (1996) and then Moth to Mouth (2000) came after having been a sideman for many years.
His music has been reviewed as "accessibly avant-garde"[10] and although it may be difficult to shed his sideman cult status he remains inspired.