Katz, originally from Los Angeles, began his career as a backing musician for Rabbi
Shlomo Carlebach, performing on several of his albums in the late 1980s and early 1990s. He and his wife immigrated to Israel in 1993.
Reva L'Sheva Shortly after Carlebach's death in 1994, Katz formed the band
Reva L'Sheva with several fellow Carlebach-inspired musicians, including guitarist
Lazer Lloyd and bassist
Adam Wexler. Combining Carlebach's music with a
jam band style similar to the
Grateful Dead, the group was credited with inspiring a new wave of
Jewish rock bands like
Soulfarm and
Moshav Band. They released six albums before disbanding in 2006, although they gave a reunion show in 2014.
Artists and Musicians for Israel (AMI) In 2005, Katz founded the non-profit Artists and Musicians for Israel (AMI). Based in Jerusalem, the organization uses workshops to teach Jewish young people around the world about Israeli culture and Jewish identity through music and art. They have held workshops in many Israeli high schools and
pre-army mechinot. AMI also uses a series of concerts in their efforts. The first of these took place in Detroit, Michigan, where Reva L'Sheva and other Jewish musicians played for
Orthodox,
Reform, and
Conservative congregations, as well as a show at the New Life Baptist Church where they were accompanied by a
gospel choir.
Solo career Katz released his first solo album,
Come Close, shortly after moving to Israel in 1993. Following his time with Reva L'Sheva, Katz largely focused on his work with AMI, though he occasionally performed acoustic shows. In 2010, Katz was approached by real estate developer and poet
Robert L. Stark to record an album of the latter's compositions. The album,
Biladecha Lo Avo ("I'm Not Going Without You"), was recorded with producer Gilad Vital and co-writer Roi Levi, both of
Shotei Hanevuah, and was promoted with the single "Hodu". Upon release, it received positive reviews and radio airplay in Israel and was played on
El Al flights. Katz toured in support of the album with a band that included Lior Shulman of
Hatikva 6 on percussion, sharing the stage with artists like
Hadag Nahash's Shaa'nan Streett and
Teapacks'
Kobi Oz. His third album,
Full Circle, was released in 2014. ==Personal life==