The Pat Metheny Group was founded in 1977 by Pat Metheny, Lyle Mays, Mark Egan and Danny Gottlieb. Since that year, The Pat Metheny Group was one of the rare examples of jazz fusion ensemble, able to reach a wide audience without yielding to temptations purely commercial. The band released its first album, titled "Pat Metheny Group", in 1978, and has developed over the years a very recognizable style, formed with orchestrations often combined with classical counterpoint, and world music elements, especially South Americans. In 1981 the bassist Steve Rodby joined the band, and he, with the drummer Paul Wertico, were a formidable rhythm section, one of the best of the band's history. Other musicians joined Pat Metheny Group over the years, whose cooperation has been however limited to a few albums. Notable is the participation of Richard Bona, versatile bass player of African origin, to the recording of the albums "Speaking of Now" (2002) and the subsequent "Live" (2003).