Eyges was born in San Francisco on November 6, 1950. His family settled in
Belmont, Massachusetts, in 1953. He began playing the piano aged five and had cello lessons from age 11. In 1968–69 he studied at
Boston University, and he was awarded a BA for cello studies by the
Manhattan School of Music in 1972. Encounters with blues musicians in
Cambridge, Massachusetts, were an important influence, as Eyges sought to transfer elements of their music to the cello. ==Later life and career==