The California Guitar Trio consists of three musicians who are not necessarily California-bred; Bert Lams is from Belgium, Hideyo Moriya hails from Japan, and Paul Richards is the only native of the U.S. The three first crossed paths at a guitar seminar held at Robert Fripp's home in England in the late '80s. Lams, Moriya, and Richards toured the U.S. and England as part of Fripp's League of Crafty Guitarists until deciding to branch out on their own in the fall of 1990.

The band officially became the California Guitar Trio in February of 1991, after relocating due to the fact that Lamswas getting married and was moving there anyway. By starting out playing small clubs and coffeehouses on the West Coast, the group soon became well-known in guitar playing circles, thanks also to their Fripp/King Crimson connection. They were eventually signed to the Fripp/Crimson label Discipline Global Mobile, releasing 1994's Yamanashi Blues and 1995's Invitation. The group has toured intensely ever since their debut, opening for King Crimson, David Sylvian, Robert Fripp (solo and with his Robert Fripp String Quintet), and John McLaughlin, as well as headlining shows themselves; Pathways followed in 1998, and two years later the group resurfaced with Rocks the West.