Original Members 

• Micky Dolenz
• Michael Nesmith
• Peter Tork
• Davy Jones

The Monkees were an American pop rock band formed in Los Angeles in the mid-1960s. The band consisted of Micky Dolenz, Davy Jones, Michael Nesmith, and Peter Tork. Spurred by the success of TV series The Monkees, the Monkees were one of the most successful bands of the late 1960s. With international hits, four chart-topping albums and three chart-topping songs ("Last Train to Clarksville", "I'm a Believer", and "Daydream Believer"), they sold more than 75 million records worldwide.

The Monkees were originally a fictional band created for the NBC television sitcom The Monkees. Dolenz, Jones, Nesmith and Tork were cast to portray members of a band in the sitcom. Music credited to the Monkees appeared in the sitcom and was released on LPs and singles beginning in 1966, and the sitcom aired from 1966 to 1968. At first, the band members' musical contributions were primarily limited to lead vocals and the occasional composition, with the remaining music provided by professional songwriters and studio musicians. Though this arrangement yielded multiple hit albums and singles, the band members revolted and, after a brief power struggle, gained full control over the recording process in 1967. For two albums, the Monkees mostly performed as a group; however, within a year, each member was pursuing his own interests under the Monkees' name, rendering the Monkees once again a group in name only. With widespread allegations that the band members did not play their own instruments—followed by the cancellation of The Monkees TV series, diminishing success on the charts, and waning popularity overall—band members began to leave the group. The Monkees held a final recording session in 1970 before breaking up.

Renewed interest in the Monkees emerged in 1986, leading to a 20th anniversary reunion. Over the subsequent 35 years, the Monkees intermittently reunited for reunion tours, a major-network television special, and the production of new studio albums. After the deaths of Jones in 2012 and Tork in 2019, Dolenz and Nesmith undertook a farewell tour in 2021. This tour concluded shortly before Nesmith's death later that year, leaving Dolenz as the sole surviving member.

Micky Dolenz https://mickydolenz.com is an actor, singer, director, producer, writer, radio DJ, inventor, and all-around performer extraordinaire, and stands tall as a paragon of taste and accomplishment in the rough-and-tumble world of show business and entertainment.

Micky is best known as a vocalist and drummer of the 1960’s pop legends The Monkees. The Monkees not only achieved great success as a TV show, but also as recording artists; selling in excess of 65 million units, and achieving worldwide success. Their first four albums – THE MONKEES (1966); MORE OF THE MONKEES (1967); HEADQUARTERS (1967); and PISCES, AQUARIUS, CAPRICORN AND JONES, LTD. (1967) all reached the number-one position on the charts and launched three number-one singles: “Last Train to Clarksville,” “I'm a Believer” (both with lead vocals by Micky), and “Daydream Believer.” The group's first five albums also went platinum. Micky has also released several critically acclaimed solo albums: KING FOR A DAY; REMEMBER; and A LITTLE BIT BROADWAY; A LITTLE BIT ROCK AND ROLL.The Monkees also re-grouped for a 50th anniversary album in 2016 entitled GOOD TIMES on Rhino.

Micky toured in 2019 as part of the It Was Fifty Years Ago Today; a celebration of The Beatles WHITE ALBUM with Christopher Cross; Todd Rundgren; and Joey Molland of Badfinger. In March of 2019, he released the award-winning DOLENZ SINGS NESMITH on England’s 7a Records.

 Micky has also toured extensively on his own and earlier this year fronted Micky Dolenz Celebrates The Monkess which was a sell-out at every stop.

He also recently performed at the annual James Burton event, this time in England, which also featured Ron Wood; Brian May and Van Morrison. On November 3, Micky releases the EP Dolenz Sings R.E.M. (7a Records) featuring 4 songs from R.E.M.

 Later this year, he releases the book I’m Told I Had A Good Times: The Micky Dolenz Archives-VOLUME 1.

In November of 2024, Micky released his first live-album in seven years, MICKY DOLENZ: LIVE AT THE TROUBADOUR.

New England tie 

Peter Tork has a Connecticut tie.  He attended Windham High School in Willimantic, Connecticut, and was a member of the first graduating class at E. O. Smith High School in Storrs, Connecticut. He attended Carleton Collegebefore he moved to New York City, where he became part of the folk music scene in Greenwich Village during the first half of the 1960s. While there, he befriended other up-and-coming musicians, such as Stephen Stills.
Sadly he passed away February 21, 2019 at the age of 77 in Mansfield, Connecticut, U.S.

 The Bristols have been likened to Boston's Bangles, and while the former were certainly fans of the early work of S. Huff and her band of lipsticked popsters from the Left Coast, they were bigger fans of the Real Kids and Boston's other indigenous rock outfits. With garagier roots and a sincere desire to kick ass onstage there was nothing "feminine" about the Bristols -- as a rock band -- despite the undeniable physical beauty of the individual members.

Engineering for the Bristols 24-track sessions was a project Joe was very excited about, and he worked with producer Mark on both pre-production and tracking for the sessions at Fort Apache North.

"There were bands I would have loved to help get to the next level, but my industry acumen was nowhere near where Gary or Paul were at. I just had no idea how to help sometimes, other than to make sure the band got recorded in the first place, and in the second that it would represent the band in a realistic and favorable light. I loved the Bristols as people, still do, and it's one of my regrets that I wasn't able to help the rest of the world understand why they should love the Bristols also. I still sort of can't believe I never even French kissed a Bristol. In a certain sort of perfect world I think I would've married one. Well -- in a perfect one I'd have gotten to marry all four." 

 Michele Haber - guitar
Kim Ernst - bass, vocals
Kelly Knapp - vocals, guitar
Lynn Ervin-drums 

The Nervous Eaters, one of Boston's first punk rock / rock and roll bands with Steve Cataldo on vocals and guitar, Robb Skeen on bass, and Jeff Wilkinson on drums.[1] Forming in 1973 they had used the name some years earlier, but had not performed live under it. As the Rhythm Assholes, they had backed local rock legend Willie Alexander on his single "Kerouac" and in concert.[2] After a name change, they made their debut at the hub of the city's alternative music scene, the Rathskeller—known as the Rat—in March 1976.[3] Their first single, "Loretta", appeared later that year on the club's Rat label.[2][4]

Early on, the band experienced problems holding on to a second guitarist, but Alan Hebditch, a childhood friend of Cataldo's, became a regular fixture in early 1978.[2] Along with the Real Kids and DMZ, they were considered among the scene's "punkier" bands.[5] Centered on Cataldo's "great rock & roll voice" and "jangly guitar", in the description of AllMusic's Joe Viglione, they were the "Rolling Stones of Boston...hard-rocking, riff-blasting, tongue-in-cheek".[6] By 1978, they were one of the most popular acts in the city. Their second Rat single, the punk rock styled, "Just Head", appeared in 1979.[7]

After the release of "Just Head", the band brought on a new second guitarist, Jonathan Paley. Ric Ocasek of scenemates the Cars produced a ten-song demo for the band that attracted major-label attention.[4][6] Their self-titled debut album, produced by Harry Maslin, was released by Elektra Records in 1980.[8] Trouser Press's Ira Robbins retrospectively panned it: "This Boston quartet had long been a local critics' choice; after this major-label record brought them a national hearing, it's hard to understand why. Nervous Eaters is an awfully tame set of J. Geils–like R&B and Hall and Oates–style soul."[9] Belying the "R-rated and lovingly sexist" lyrics of "Loretta" and other album tracks such as "Get Stuffed" and "Girl Next Door", Viglione writes that the album's sound falls "somewhere between the Ronettes and the Four Seasons". Nonetheless, in his view, "The disc works despite being a slight misrepresentation of the artist."[6] It met with little commercial success, and the Nervous Eaters disbanded in 1981.[7]

The band briefly reunited in 1986, with Cataldo, Wilkinson, Hebditch, and Paley. They recorded a six-song EP, Hot Steel and Acid, for the French-based New Rose label; it was subsequently issued as well by Boston's Ace of Hearts Records.[4]

In early June 2013, the band went on the road again, supporting the Stranglers at Brighton Music Hall, though at least one member has moved to California. In 2018, the Nervous Eaters and their old manager James Harold put out Live at the Rat 2 on DVD, and Rick Hearte, owner of Ace of Hearts, issued a CD re-release of Hot Steel and Acid with more songs added. 2021 The Nervous Eaters signed with WICKED COOL RECORDS. A new LP/CD is expected to follow in 2022. They will be on the road doing gigs in support of those LPs/ CDs through 2021–2022. Steve Berkowitz is executive producer of the project. The band now consists of drummer David Mclean, Adam Sherman on guitar and vocals, Carissa Johnson on bass and vocals, and songwriter Steve Cataldo on lead guitar and lead vocals.

 SSD (Society System Decontrol) was a straight edge hardcore band from Boston. They released two records as SS Decontrol and then formally changed their name to SSD. As SSD they released two more records with a heavy metal influenced sound. However, the group is often simply referred to, including all its periods, as SSD. 

 Members
Al Barile
Jaime Sciarappa
Chris Foley
Francois Levesque 

Formed by songwriter/guitarist Al Barile (then a machinist at the General Electric plant in Lynn, Massachusetts and a student at Northeastern University), SSD started performing at smaller venues throughout the Greater Boston metropolitan area, like Gallery East, in the summer of 1981. The band quickly gained notoriety within the local music scene for intense, charged performances and the provocative antics of their core group of followers, the Boston Crew.[2]

The original lineup was Al Barile on guitar, Springa (David Spring) on vocals, Jaime Sciarappa on bass and Chris Foley on drums.[3] They released their debut LP The Kids Will Have Their Say on their own X-Claim label in 1982.[3] Ian MacKaye of Minor Threat was a friend and supporter and his Dischord label's logo appeared on the back cover.

In 1983 they added second guitarist Francois Levesque and released the EP Get It Away, widely regarded as their best record, and one that helped define Boston's straight-edge scene.[3][1] The X-Claim pressings of it and The Kids Will Have Their Say are both highly collectable.

Like many hardcore bands in the mid-1980s, particularly in the Boston area, SSD began heading in a heavy metal direction.[1] In 1984 they signed to the Boston label Modern Method and released the How We Rock EP, which was rooted in the hardcore sound but exhibited overt heavy metal characteristics, such as a relatively high number of lengthy guitar solos. After signing to Homestead they released the Break It Up LP in 1985 which saw the band expand further into the metal genre, leaving behind all trappings of punk and hardcore. SSD broke up in November that year.[3]

Barile went on to form Gage, Sciarappa joined Slapshot, and Springa went on to join Razorcaine and Die Blitzkinder. [3]

Scott Schinder, in his book Alt-Rock-a-Rama, described SSD as "The most important hardcore band to emerge from New England."[4]

[edit]

• The Kids Will Have Their Say (LP, X-Claim, 1982)
• Get It Away (EP, X-Claim, 1983)
• Jolly Old Saint Nicholas (7", Taang Records)
• A Boston Rock Christmas (various artists compilation, Boston Rock, 1983) – "Jolly Old St. Nick"
• How We Rock (LP, Modern Method, 1984)
• Break It Up (LP, Homestead, 1985)
• Power (compilation, Taang!, 1993)

Members

• Kate Pierson
• Fred Schneider
• Keith Strickland
• Cindy Wilson
• Ricky Wilson

The B-52s, originally presented as the B-52's (with an errant apostrophe; used until 2008), are an American new wave band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1976.[8] The original lineup consisted of Fred Schneider (vocals, percussion), Kate Pierson (vocals, keyboards, synth bass), Cindy Wilson (vocals, percussion), Ricky Wilson (guitar, vocals), and Keith Strickland (drums, guitar, keyboards, vocals). Ricky Wilson died of AIDS-related illness in 1985,[9] and Strickland permanently switched from drums to lead guitar. The band has also added various members for albums and live performances.

The B-52s have had many hits, including "Rock Lobster", "Planet Claire", "Party Out of Bounds", "Private Idaho", "Whammy Kiss", "Summer of Love", "Wig", "Love Shack", "Roam", "Funplex" and "(Meet) The Flintstones". They have been nominated for three Grammy Awards: twice for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group in 1990 and 1991, and for Best Alternative Music Album in 1992. In April 2022, the group announced they were retiring from touring.[10] A 2023 Las Vegas residency was announced in November 2022.[11]

The group evoked a "thrift shop aesthetic", in Bernard Gendron's words,[7] by drawing from 1950s and 1960s pop sources, trash culture, and rock and roll. Schneider, Pierson, and Wilson sometimes use call-and-response-style vocals (Schneider's often humorous Sprechgesang contrasting with Wilson's and Pierson's melodic harmonies), and their guitar- and keyboard-driven instrumentation is their trademark sound, which was also set apart from their contemporaries by the unusual guitar tunings Ricky Wilson used on their earlier albums.

Roomful of Blues was born in Westerly, Rhode Island, United States, in 1967 when guitarist Duke Robillard and pianist Al Copley started a band that played tough, no-holds-barred Chicago blues.[4] They soon began exploring the swinging, jumping blues, R&B and jazz of the 1940s and 1950s, and added a horn section (including Rich Lataille) in 1970. They established a devoted fan base in New England. In 1974, they performed with Count Basie, and a few years later songwriter Doc Pomus helped them land their first record deal, and produced their debut with co-producer Joel Dorn. In 1977, Roomful of Blues’ self-titled debut album on Island Records (reissued on Hyena Records as The First Album) brought them to national attention.

Founding member Duke Robillard left the band in 1980, and guitarist Ronnie Earl replaced him. Singer Lou Ann Barton joined the band at this time, sharing vocals with sax man Greg Piccolo.[5] By now the band was touring nationally, attracting bigger and bigger crowds. Roomful recorded the Hot Little Mama for their own Blue Flame label and two successful albums for the Varrick label during the 1980s. In 1994, they released Dance All Night, their first featuring guitarist Chris Vachon (who joined the band in 1990) and harpist/vocalist Sugar Ray Norcia. Their 1995 album, the Grammy-nominated Turn It On! Turn It Up!, a mix of big band swing and rock and roll, brought the band its greatest radio and sales success to date.[6] 1997 saw a sizable turnover in personnel, with five members departing; vocalist/harpist Sugar Ray Norcia, keyboardist Matt McCabe, bassist "Doc" Grace, baritone saxophonist Doug "Mr. Low" James, and trombonist Carl Querfurth left and were replaced by, respectively, vocalist McKinley "Mac" Odom, keyboardist Al Weisman, bassist Marty Ballou, baritone saxist Kevin May, and trombonist/bass trombonist John Wolf. This edition of Roomful released There Goes the Neighborhood on Rounder subsidiary Bullseye Blues in 1998. Roomful of Blues joined Chicago-based Alligator Records with the Grammy-nominated That’s Right! in 2003, followed by Standing Room Only in 2005, Raisin’ A Ruckus in 2008, Hook, Line and Sinker in 2011 and 45 Live! in 2013.[5] Down Beat described Standing Room Only as “bold, brassy and highly danceable jump blues with contemporary energy and sophistication...swings with a vengeance.”[7]

In addition to their band recordings, Roomful of Blues often backed musicians like Jimmy Witherspoon, Jimmy McCracklin, Roy Brown, Joe Turner, Eddie “Cleanhead” Vinson and Earl King — stars of the 1940s and 1950s jump blues scene.[6] Roomful recorded albums with Turner, Vinson and King during the 1980s, and all three recordings received Grammy nominations. They played with rocker Pat Benatar on her 1991 blues album True Love. The Roomful Horns backed many other artists as well, including Canadian star Colin James on his double platinum album (in Canada), Colin James and the Little Big Band, and Stevie Ray Vaughan on his 1984 Live At Carnegie Hall album on Epic.[5]

Over the years Roomful of Blues has played countless gigs and many major festivals, including The San Francisco Blues Festival, The King Biscuit Blues Festival, The Beale Street Music Festival, Blues On The Fox, Illinois Blues Festival, Kansas City Blues Festival, Monterey Blues Festival, Santa Cruz Blues Festival, and overseas at The North Sea Jazz Festival, The Stockholm Jazz Festival, The Montreux Jazz Festival, Notodden Festival and the Belgian Rhythm & Blues Festival. They have gigged with blues stars ranging from B.B. King, Otis Rush and Stevie Ray Vaughan to rockers Eric Clapton and Carlos Santana. The band has toured virtually non-stop, hitting cities from coast to coast, and traveling abroad to Spain, Italy, France, Portugal, Switzerland, Turkey and Russia.

He began touring in 1976 with the late Vickie Sue Robinson, famous for her hit single, “Turn the Beat Around”. He produced two of his own albums, “The Joe Melotti Quartet: Live at the Foundry Café” and “Take Another Look”.

Joey’s musical director credits include Barry Manilow, Eartha Kitt, Michael Bolton, Liza Minnelli and Julio Iglesias, accompanying them on their world tours. He has also been conductor and musical director for David Gest on numerous productions, and has collaborated with outstanding artists like Michael McDonald, Luther Vandross, and Usher, to name but a few.

Additional highlights include serving as arranger, conductor, and co-musical director with Greg Phillinganes for the CBS TV Special, “Michael Jackson: The Solo Years 30th Anniversary Celebration”, arranger and keyboardist on Liza Minnelli’s CD, “Liza’s Back”, and keyboards on Barry Manilow’s #1 release “The Greatest Songs of the Fifties”.

Aside from being a part of the vibrant music scene in Las Vegas, Joey serves as keyboard/vocalist in Barry Manilow’s band, enjoying their continuing residency at the Westgate Hotel and Casino. Joey’s solo endeavors include his last three CDs “Moving At The Speed Of Love”, “Cleansing” and “Celebrate Your Life”, and single releases “My Chi-To-Be” and “Old Fashioned Christmas”. Visit www.joeymelotti.com to audition his music and find links for purchase.

Having successfully produced the soundtrack for best-selling author Stacey Hall for the audio supplement to her book “Chi-To-Be!” Achieving Your Ultimate B-All, Joey has just finished the theme song for Stacey’s new endeavor “Go For YES!”

Joey also lends his efforts and talent to numerous charitable organizations like the Michael Bolton Charities, This Close for Cancer Research, and others. He endorses MOTU DP 10, Quick-Lok Keyboard Stands, and Studio Projects microphones.

 Marion Meadows https://www.marionmeadows.com 

He started playing tenor sax in high

school, and then migrated to soprano

sax. His passion for various types of

music led him down an eclectic

musical path. He was intrigued by the styles

of jazz musicians, like Stanley Turrentine,

Sidney Bichet, Johnny Hodges, John

Coltrane, Sonny Stitt, Rahsaan Roland

Kirk, Dexter Gordon, Cannonball Adderley,

Coleman Hawkins, Sonny Fortune,

Joe Henderson, Grover Washington

and many others. After studying jazz

at Rippowam High School in Stamford, CT

with Anthony Truglia, Meadows attended

Berklee College of Music. There he

majored in arranging and composition.

He later went to the SUNY Purchase School

for the Arts. During his college years he played

in a number of bands including disco, R&B and

various jazz ensmbles. I got a lot of sideman

jobs in college, and I have always said I

got my real graduate degree playing clubs,

says Meadows, who perfected his craft studying

with Sonny Fortune, Joe Henderson, Dave Liebman

and Eddie Daniels. “Not long after I finished school, (drummer) Norman Connors recorded one of my

songs, “Invitation” and then asked me to join his

band. I later produced his Passion album with my

colleague Jacques Burvick (Aquarium Dream).

Things just fell into place. Meadows first hit the

airwaves in 1991 with “For Lovers Only”, but his

career really began one day in the late ‘80s at

New York’s Grand Central Station. He had been

a sideman with Connors for three years, with only

vague notions of eventually going solo. One day,

while waiting for a train, he pulled out his horn and

began playing under the huge dome. His sweet

sound caught the attention of fellow traveler, producer

and TV composer Jay Chattaway, who happened to be passing by on his way to the train. Chattaway was so impressed with Meadows’ sound that he hooked

Meadows up with legendary keyboardist Bob James. Meadows and James collaborated on a recording

that unfortunately went unreleased. The experience

put him on the road to his eventual success. Meadows hooked up with numerous artists and musicians and

became a well-known sideman in his own right, recording

or performing over the years with Brook Benton, Eartha Kitt, Phyllis Hyman, Jean Carne, The Temptations, Michael Bolton, Angela Bofill, Will Downing, Bob Baldwin, Chuck Loeb,

John Lee, among many others. In the late ‘80s, Meadows stretched his boundaries by becoming a member of a New York avant-garde band called the Aboriginal Music Society. In 1990 Meadows submitted a solo project to

Steve Backer at Novus/RCA and was signed to

a recording contract, thus marking the beginning

of his solo career. Meadows’ first RCA release

“For Lover’s Only” was a huge success and was

followed by his groundbreaking “Keep it Right

There” album. He became a staple of the

contemporary jazz format with his subsequent

recordings, which include Body Rhythm (1994)

and Forbidden Fruit (1996), Passion (1997),

Another Side Of Midnight (1999),

Next To You (2000), In Deep (2002),

Players Club (2004), Dressed To Chill (2006),

Secrets (2009) Whisper (2013)

and most recently Soul Traveler,

the first installment of his Soul

Trilogy which now showcases his

current release, Soul City" on the

New York-based Shanachie Label.

Meadows is a semi-pro cyclist,

graphic artist and designer.

Marion received a doctorate

from Wilberforce University in 2016.

His artwork and photography can be viewed at:

www.marionmeadowsatmospheres.com

www.marionmeadowsphotography.com

 Chris Brubeck https://chrisbrubeck.com 

Grammy-nominated composer Chris Brubeck continues to distinguish himself as an innovative performer and composer who is clearly tuned into the pulse of contemporary music. Respected music critic for The Chicago Tribune, John von Rhein called Chris: “a composer with a real flair for lyrical melody–a 21st Century Lenny Bernstein.”

In addition to creating an impressive body of work, including several band pieces, chamber pieces, 3 concertos for trombone, a trombone quartet, and several concertos for stringed instruments and other ensembles, Chris maintains a demanding touring and recording schedule playing bass and trombone with his two groups: the Brubeck Brothers Quartet, with brother Dan on drums, Chuck Lamb on piano and Mike DeMicco on guitar (www.brubeckbrothers.com); and Triple Play, an acoustic jazz-funk-blues-Americana trio with Joel Brown on guitar and Peter Madcat Ruth on harmonica and Chris on bass, trombone and piano (www.chrisbrubeckstripleplay.com.) Additionally, Chris performs as a soloist playing his trombone concertos with orchestras and has served as Artist in Residence with orchestras and colleges in America, coaching, lecturing, and performing with students and faculty. Once a year he tours England with the group Brubecks Play Brubeck along with brothers Darius (on piano) and Dan as well as British saxophonist Dave O’Higgins. Chris had been a long-standing member of the Dave Brubeck Quartet, writing arrangements and touring and recording with his father’s group for over 20 years. Dave and Chris co-wrote the orchestral piece “Ansel Adams: America” which has received dozens of performances and in 2013 was a Grammy finalist for Best Instrumental Composition.

  , Dan Brubeck https://danbrubeck.com 

Born in Oakland on May 4, 1955, Dan Brubeck was a highly energetic child who found his calling at the trap set. Mentored by two consummate polyrhythmic masters, Joe Morello and Alan Dawson (at the Berklee College of Music), he was working professionally before he finished his teens.

Over the years Dan was featured on nearly a dozen albums with his father, and toured widely with the Dave Brubeck Quartet, including many appearances with the world’s leading orchestras. He’s been an integral part of the various Brubeck bands, including the Darius Brubeck Ensemble, Two Generations of Brubeck, and the New Brubeck Quartet. He’s toured internationally and recorded three widely played albums with his electric jazz group, The Dolphins, and co-led the Brubeck LaVerne Trio with his brother Chris and pianist Andy LaVerne. A stylistically versatile musician, he’s toured with acts ranging from The Band and David Benoit to Gerry Mulligan and Paul Desmond. He’s recorded with jazz guitar legend Larry Coryell, singer~songwriter Livingston Taylor, jazz~pop singer Michael Franks, and pioneering blues guitarist Roy Buchanan. 

Dan’s drumming style is both mesmerizing and unparalleled, and his distinctive, and astonishingly textured drum solos have received standing ovations all over the world! His uncanny sense of timing and use of odd time signatures, combining melodic phrases with polyrhythms that often stretch far beyond the bar line, has earned the respect of many jazz critics worldwide. His mastery of complex rhythms has led to his reputation as one of the most talented and creative drummers in jazz!

Dan continues to perform and record with his siblings—Chris Brubeck, (bassist, trombonist, and noted composer), Darius Brubeck (pianist/composer) and Matt Brubeck (cellist).

Dan also tours with his own Vancouver-based groups, the Dan Brubeck Quartet and Dan Brubeck Trio. In 2015, the Dan Brubeck Quartet, featuring vocal powerhouse Adam Thomas, released the recording Celebrating the Music and Lyrics of Dave and Iola Brubeck, which showcases his father’s music and little-known lyrics of his mother.

Details about Dan’s performance groups can be found on the Ensembles page. Detailed information (including downloadable bios and photos) about Dan and his performing groups can be found on the Media page.

Arti was born in Catskill, New York. Always wanting to play the drums he played on oat meal boxes, his mother’s pans and the arms of chairs because they had a soft sound to them. When he was 11 years old, he finally got to take drum lessons in school under the direction of Harold Fredericks. Arti’s mother played snare drum in an all-girl drum and bugle corps before Arti was born. Arti got his very first opportunity to play in a band with Hank Yost and Jamie Dinklelocker. Hank and Jamie lit the fuse in Arti that continued to burn with a band called “The Spirits of Sound”. This band became very popular at Coxsackie-Athens Central High School. The band was formed with Arti, Steve Riley, Doug Wager, Marc Turnello and Ronnie Ray.

While studying at The University of Albany in New York, Arti was playing with piano player John Esposito in a band called “Skytrain”. Arti played in a trio with Clyde Criner and Santi DeBriano, a quintet with Dave Rostetter, Jodi Shane, Greg Speck and Bernie Molita and a pop band with Doug Wager, Paul Abess and Jim Herrick. Studying with Jack DeJohnette inspired Arti the most to pursue a musical career.

After graduation he played The Four Seasons Hotel circuit from Montreal to Vancouver, Canada and throughout the United States with a show band “Living Color”. During this time he was called to play with “Sweet Box,” a band in England. While in England he also studied voice at the London School for Singing under the private direction of Arnold Rose.

After leaving that band he then pursued his career in New York City playing jingles and projects with Dorothy Donegan, Arvel Shaw, and various bands and song writers. While recording for singer David Wolf, producer Ron Frangipani recommended Arti to Janis Ian with whom he toured the world and recorded for the next few years. When that tour ended, Arti remained in the New York and Connecticut region. He played with Larry Coryell, Randy Brecker, Bill Evans, Randy Klein, Jessie Austin, Marion Meadows, Joe Melotti, Kevin Jenkins, Paul Spinner, Bill Payne, Alex Foster, Pete Levin, Roger Ball, Brian Keane, Michael Torsone, Sal Giorgiani, Paul Branin, Vicki Sue Robinson, Eartha Kitt, Tom Elias, Kit Hane, Michael Bolton, Brian Torff, Ali Ryerson, Lou Marini, Joe Beck, Ron Murray, Rex Cadwallader, Mike Asetta, Jim Cammack, “Cookie” Thomas, and many more. In 1988 Arti married Joanne which slowed him down just enough to honeymoon in Hawaii.

In 1993 Dave Mills commissioned Arti to play in a jazz trio with a string quartet at Yale University. The pianist for that project was Ahmad Jamal. Arti once again toured the world and recorded with Ahmad for the next year. While in Scotland Arti played with Ahmad opening for Jack DeJohnette and once again Jack became part of Arti’s success by recommending that Sonor Drum Company take him on as an endorser. Afterwards came endorsements with Vic Firth drumsticks, E-Muproducts, Evans drumheads and Sabian cymbals. On September 19th, 1994, Arti and Joanne had their first child, and in October of that year Arti left Ahmad’s band to be closer to his family.

Arti began working at the Foxwoods Casino as one of the house drummers where he played with many of the groups that came there including Harry Connick, The Nelson Riddle Orchestra, Connie Francis and Ray Cousins. On his way home from a performance at Foxwoods, Arti was in a near fatal head-on collision. It took a while for him to recover from that traumatic experience.

Arti formed his own band to perform jazz education concerts and workshops throughout the school systems in Connecticut for young audiences. He is a member of the Music Teachers National Association. He has recorded with a host of singers and musicians. He has also done shows like Phantom Of The Opera, Jesus Christ Superstar, and “Ella Off The Record,” as well as TV shows like the HBO Joe Louis sports special and The Pool Hall staring James Earl Jones. Arti has recently worked on documentaries for PBS and ESPN, including “Driving While Black” and “Yankees-Dodgers: An Uncivil War”.

In 2017, Arti signed a license and distribution agreement with Daddario for his Bass Drum Lift. It is sold in over 22 countries as the Evans Dixson Bass Drum Lift. 

During the pandemic year of 2020 with the lack of performances, Arti was able to direct his focus on completing his rhythm instructional book, entitled “Rhythmasvir” — an antidote to treat rhythm and apply it to the drum set. Arti created Maroca Publishing and signed an agreement with Hudson Music to market and sell the eBook version of “Rhythmasvir”. 

In spite of Arti’s busy schedule, he still finds time to give back to his communities. For 33 years he has collected toys for children and distributed them to fourteen locations in twelve communities in Connecticut, and has distributed food to twelve Connecticut food pantries for the past ten years.

Arti is the inventor of the Bass Drum Lift and The Spur Extender both of which he has patented. 

Arti is a member of the Percussion Arts Society, the National Association of Music Merchants, and The Recording Academy.

Arti continues to perform and record throughout the region, is the percussion instructor at Greens Farms Academy and Adjunct Professor of Music at Gateway Community College, and accepts students for private drum set consultations.

Dave Brubeck, designated a “Living Legend” by the Library of Congress, was one of the most active and popular musicians in both the jazz and classical worlds. With a career that spanned over six decades, his experiments in odd time signatures, improvised counterpoint, polyrhythm and polytonality remain hallmarks of innovation.

Born into a musical family in Concord, California — his two older brothers were also professional musicians — he began piano lessons with his mother at age four. He was 12 when his father moved the family to a cattle ranch in the foothills of the Sierras. Dave’s life changed dramatically. Piano lessons ended and cowboy life began. He worked with his father on the 45,000 acre cattle ranch. When he was 14, he started playing in local dance bands on weekends. When he enrolled at the College of the Pacific, in Stockton, California, his intention was to study veterinary medicine and return to the ranch. While working his way through school as a pianist in local nightclubs, the lure of jazz became irresistible and he changed his major to music. Graduating in 1942, he enlisted in the Army, and shortly thereafter married Iola Whitlock, a fellow student at Pacific. While serving in Patton’s Army in Europe, he led a racially integrated band. After his discharge from military service in 1946, he enrolled at Mills College in Oakland, California to study composition with French composer, Darius Milhaud. Milhaud encouraged him to pursue a career in jazz and to incorporate jazz elements into his compositions. This cross-genre experimentation with like-minded Milhaud students led to the formation of the Dave Brubeck Octet in 1947. In 1949, Brubeck with Cal Tjader and Ron Crotty, fellow Octet members, cut their first award-winning Dave Brubeck Trio recordings. After suffering a near fatal diving accident in 1951, Dave formed the Dave Brubeck Quartet with alto saxophonist Paul Desmond, who was also a member of the Octet. The legendary Brubeck-Desmond collaboration lasted seventeen years and beyond.

The Dave Brubeck Quartet’s recordings and concert appearances on college campuses in the ‘50s and early ‘60s introduced jazz to thousands of young people. The Quartet’s audiences were not limited to students, however. The group played in jazz clubs in every major city and toured in package shows with such artists as Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, and Stan Getz. The Dave Brubeck Quartet repeatedly won top honors in trade magazines and critic’s and reader’s polls. In 1954 Dave Brubeck’s portrait appeared on the cover of Time Magazine with a story about the jazz renaissance and Brubeck’s phenomenal ascendancy.

In 1958 the Quartet made their first of many international tours. The U.S. State Department sponsored the Quartet’s performances in Poland, India, Turkey, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran and Iraq. Exposure to many different cultures was reflected in the group’s repertoire that sometimes incorporated exotic elements. The 1959 recording “Time Out” experimented in time signatures beyond the usual jazz 4/4. To everyone’s surprise “Time Out” became the first jazz album to sell over a million copies and “Blue Rondo a la Turk” and “Take Five” (now in the Grammy Hall of Fame) began to appear on jukeboxes throughout the world.

Early in his career Brubeck wrote primarily for this Quartet, and some of those pieces, such as “In Your Own Sweet Way” and “The Duke” became part of standard jazz repertoire. His first orchestral composition, “Elementals“, written for an improvising jazz combo and symphony orchestra was premiered and recorded in 1962. Choreographed by Lar Lubovitch, “Elemental Brubeck” is currently in the repertoire of the San Francisco Ballet and several other dance companies.

Throughout his career Brubeck experimented with integrating jazz into classical forms. In 1959 his Quartet premiered and recorded his brother Howard’s “Dialogues for Jazz Combo and Orchestra” with the New York Philharmonic, Leonard Bernstein conducting. In 1960 he composed “Points on Jazz” for the American Ballet Theatre, and in later decades composed for and toured with the Murray Louis Dance Company. His musical theater piece “The Real Ambassadors” starring Louis Armstrong and Carmen McRae was recorded and performed to great acclaim at the 1962 Monterey Jazz Festival.

The “classic” Dave Brubeck Quartet (Paul Desmond, alto sax from 1951; Eugene Wright, bass from 1958; Joe Morello, drums from 1956) was dissolved December 1967. Baritone saxophonist Gerry Mulligan joined a newly formed Dave Brubeck Trio (with Jack Six, bass and Alan Dawson, drums) the following year. This group recorded and toured the world together for seven years. In this period Brubeck also performed with three of his musical sons, Darius, Chris and Dan billed as “Two Generations of Brubeck” frequently with Gerry Mulligan or Paul Desmond as guest artists.

In the ‘80s Brubeck led a quartet that featured clarinetist Bill Smith, a former Octet member, with his son Chris on electric fretless bass and Randy Jones on drums. This group toured the Soviet Union in 1987 and along with former bassist, Eugene Wright, accompanied President Reagan to Moscow to perform at the Reagan-Gorbachev Summit in 1988. Since the Dave Brubeck Quartet’s first appearance at a State Dinner for King Hussein of Jordan during the Johnson administration, Brubeck performed at The White House on several occasions and for many different Presidents.

Shortly after the dissolution of the “classic” Quartet, the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, with Erich Kunzel conducting, premiered Brubeck’s oratorio,” The Light in the Wilderness” (February 1968). The following year Brubeck’s second major work “The Gates of Justice”, a cantata based on the words of Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Old Testament, was also premiered by Kunzel in Cincinnati. It has since been re-recorded by the Baltimore Choral Arts Society, Cantor Abraham Mizrahi, tenor and Kevin Deas, bass-baritone, for the Milken Archive of American Jewish Music, Russell Gloyd conducting.

Throughout his career Brubeck continued to experiment with interweaving jazz and classical music. He performed as composer-performer with most of the major orchestras in the United States and with prestigious choral groups and orchestras in Europe and America. When citing some of the highlights of his career, Dave would always include the premier of his composition “Upon This Rock” for Pope John Paul II’s visit to San Francisco and the performances of his mass “To Hope! A Celebration” in St. Stephan’s Cathedral in Vienna and in Moscow with the Russian National Orchestra and Orloff choir.

Dave Brubeck’s compositions include a popular Christmas choral pageant “La Fiesta de la Posada”, oratorios and cantatas, ballet suites, a string quartet, chamber ensembles, pieces for solo and duo-piano, violin solos and orchestral works. His mass “To Hope! A Celebration” has been performed throughout the English-speaking world, Germany, Russia and Austria and was recorded in the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. In 2002 the London Symphony Orchestra and London Voices recorded in “Classical Brubeck” his Easter oratorio “Beloved Son”, “Pange Lingua Variations”, “The Voice of the Holy Spirit” and a composition for string orchestra, “Regret“, all under the baton of Russell Gloyd, who was Brubeck’s conductor, producer and manager for 34 years. In 2006, the Monterey Jazz Festival  presented Dave’s mini-opera based on Steinbeck’s “Cannery Row“.

While increasingly active as a composer, Brubeck remained a leading figure in jazz, recording for Telarc, appearing in festivals and touring internationally in concert halls with the most recent version of the Dave Brubeck Quartet– Bobby Militello, sax and flute, Randy Jones, drums, and Michael Moore, bass. As in former Dave Brubeck Quartets, each was a master musician and their concert repertoire ranged from “hits” from the old Quartet “book” to cutting edge new material.

Throughout his long career Dave Brubeck received many national and international honors, including the National Medal of the Arts from President Clinton, a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, the Smithsonian Medal, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He was awarded numerous honorary doctorates from American, Canadian, English and German universities, including an honorary degree in Sacred Theology from Fribourg University, Switzerland. Brubeck received the Distinguished Arts Award from the Ford Honors program of the University of Michigan and in 2006 received from Notre Dame their highest honor, the Laetare Medal. He was a Duke Ellington Fellow at Yale University, and was presented with the Sanford Medal by the Yale School of Music

In the year 2000 the National Endowment for the Arts declared Dave Brubeck a Jazz Master. He was inducted into the American Classical Music Hall of Fame in 2003. In 2007 he received a Living Legacy Jazz Award from Kennedy Center and the Arison Award from the National Foundation for the Advancement of the Arts.

His international honors include Austria’s highest award for the Arts, a citation from the French government, and the Bocconi Medal from Italy. The London Symphony Orchestra, acknowledging their long association, presented him with their prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award in 2007.

In 2009, Dave was honored to receive the prestigious Kennedy Center Award, which President Barack Obama bestowed on him on his 89th birthday.

(Asbury Park, NJ)  There are few entertainers who have enjoyed a successful 40+ year

 Career  in the entertainment industry.  Felipe Rose is one of them.

 From performing ballet on stage at Lincoln Center ‘Alice Tally Hall in NYC to co-founding one of the most successful Disco Groups of all-time in 1977 (The Village People), with French producer

Jacques Morali, and lead singer and song writer, Victor Willis. 

 In January of 1977 Felipe’s Native American Image and sound of sleigh bells around his ankles inspired record producers; the late Jacques Morali and the late Henri Belolo to form a group consisting of American Male stereotypes; a Native American, a Cowboy, Construction Worker, Military Man, Biker (Leatherman) and a Police Officer.

 Felipe’s Native heritage is trace to his Father, who was relocated to NYC by trade as a wielder, during the Indian Relocation Act of 1950’s, it was his Puerto Rican/Italian mother who met and fell in love with the beautiful Native wielder and thus Felipe was born from this unlikely match. 

At an early age Felipe developed a love for the arts, inspired by his late Puerto Rican mother, a professional dancer at the famed Copa Cabana Nightclub in NYC.

In his teens and early 20’s Felipe began performing dance and ballet with the renowned ‘Ballet de Puerto Rico’ under the guidance of Pasqual Guzman. Having been raised in one of the poorest and toughest cities in Brownsville, NY (Brooklyn).  Felipe has never stopped championing for the rights of those in need.  His social justice work is a much a part of who he is as is his music.  Whether he’s devoting time & financial resources to Native American Causes, Gay Rights or speaking our for equality, Felipe won’t stand idle while others hurt.

The Village People, as they would be known, have sold over 100 million records world-wide with hits including; San Francisco/Hollywood, Macho Man, YMCA, In The Navy, Go West, Hot Cop and Key West and Can’t Stop The Music.  In March of 2020 YMCA, was added to the US Library of Congress/National Recording Registry. 

As an actor Felipe has appeared in 2 movies musical; Tu Me Tien Por La Barbachette a French comedy in in 1980’s Can’t Stop The Music produced by Allan Carr, now considered a cult classic!

Rose has appeared on numerous television shows including’ The Love Boat, Married with Children, Family Feud, Down Periscope, Dick Clark’s American Bandstand and Dick Clark’s Rocking New Years Eve, Tim Conway, Midnight Special, Good Morning America, Soul Train and countless television shows around the world and various world tours in Europe, South American, South East Asia and Australia, 39 times. In 2008 Felipe Rose (and the Village People) received a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, a month later Felipe was inducted into the Native American Music Hall of Fame for his musical contribution to Native Music with his own solo recordings, not only is he a Hall of Famer, he also is a 4 time Native American Music Award winner. 

Felipe is a singer/songwriter, actor, dancer culinary enthusiast and visual artist and an ordained minister, who continues to embrace his history as a openly gay man, a two spirited shadow walker and involved in Native affairs around the country while remaining contemporary.

In 2017, Felipe decided to leave Village People after 4 decades, after a long legal dispute over the Name, Brand and the hostile takeover of the group that was so dear to his life.

Taking all of his experience and professional experience Felipe took a deep breath and went solo! In 2018 Felipe released a cover of the popular Disco Song “Going Back To My Roots” with 3 other Nammy-winning artist thus taking home his fifth Native American Music Award (Nammy).

In 2019 Felipe participated in the 50th anniversary of World Pride in NYC as a guest of God’s Love WE Deliver an organization that cooks and home delivers nutritious, medically tailored meals for people too sick to shop or

During the Covid-19 Pandemic of 2020, Felipe devoted time while in lockdown his energy in participating in several ‘virtual fundraisers for several non-for-profit organizations as well as recording social media messages encouraging the wearing of masks.

In June of 2021, Felipe recorded released his latest single “Dance Again”, a song of hope!

Felipe continues to create content for social media platforms and launched his own podcast called “The Disco Chronicles”, interviewing radio dj’s, and Producers, and Disco artists and club influencers of the Disco Era getting their retrospect of what it was like to live and party in the many clubs of the Disco Era, such as Studio 54 in NYC, Studio One in Los Angeles and chronicling the memories of joy abandonment and dancing into the early hours of the morning.   

Felipe Rose is a Disco Icon who still strives to develop and explore new avenues for his art and passions, and more importantly, advises new artists who are making their mark in the music industry.   Now, in 2022, Felipe collaborated with Brazilian singer Robert Trevisan and Gospel Singer Tracy Shay in their new offering “PEACE FOR UKRAINE”.  While it is extremely difficult to comprehend the direct impact of this war in 2022, the one thing that artists such as Felipe and Roberto Trevisan, and Tracy Shay is to sing out to the world about the horrific war in Ukraine and the impact that it's having on the European countries who are also living on the edge of their seats.  “It’s the power of music that brings people together and heals the world”, while bringing attention to the war in Ukraine, with a powerful musical setting.

Website: https://www.feliperose.com

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0741377/

Charton Christopher Frantz (born May 8, 1951) is an American musician and record producer. He is the drummer for both Talking Heads and Tom Tom Club, both of which he co-founded with wife and Talking Heads bassist, Tina Weymouth.[1][2] In 2002, Frantz was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Talking Heads.[3]

Born in Fort Campbell, Kentucky, Frantz graduated from Shady Side Academy in Pittsburgh. He studied in the early 1970s at the Rhode Island School of Design, where he met both David Byrneand Tina Weymouth. Byrne and Frantz formed a band called the Artistics, which went on to become Talking Heads, in 1973. Weymouth, then Frantz's girlfriend, joined the band in 1975 after they had moved to New York City. Frantz and Weymouth were married in 1977 and have two sons.[2][4]

Frantz and Weymouth formed Tom Tom Club in 1980, when Talking Heads went on hiatus due to Byrne's solo efforts.[2]Weymouth, Frantz, and Jerry Harrison reunited as The Headsfor a one-off album called No Talking, Just Head in 1996, featuring a rotating cast of vocalists, including Debbie Harry.[5]He and Weymouth produced the Happy Mondays' 1992 album, Yes Please! and the Scottish group Angelfish's self-titled album, in addition to producing multiple albums for Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers.[6] Frantz and Weymouth also contributed backing vocals and percussion for Gorillaz self-titled debut album.[7][8]

He is ranked number 12 in Stylus Magazine's list of the 50 greatest rock drummers[9] and hosts a monthly radio program, "Chris Frantz the Talking Head", on 89.5 WPKN in Bridgeport, Connecticut.[10] Frantz and Weymouth are also closely associated with the Compass Point All Stars movement.[11] After Phish covered Talking Heads' Remain in Light, Frantz become known as an influence on the modern jamband scene.[12]Frantz's memoir, Remain in Love: Talking Heads, Tom Tom Club, Tina, was published in July 2020 (St. Martin's Press in the US and Faber and Faber in the UK).[13][1

Martina Michèle Weymouth (/ˈweɪməθ/ WAY-məth; born November 22, 1950) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and a founding member and bassist of the new wavegroup Talking Heads and its side project Tom Tom Club, which she co-founded with her husband, Talking Heads drummer Chris Frantz.[2] In 2002, Weymouth was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Talking Heads.[3][4]

Born in Coronado, California, Weymouth is the daughter of Laura Bouchage and U.S. Navy Vice Admiral Ralph Weymouth(1917–2020). The third of eight children, her siblings include Lani and Laura Weymouth, who are collaborators in Tina's band Tom Tom Club, and architect Yann Weymouth, the designer of the Salvador Dalí Museum in Florida. Weymouth is of Bretonheritage on her mother's side (she is the great-granddaughter of Anatole Le Braz, a Breton writer).[5][6]: 10  Her mother was an immigrant from Brittany and her father was American.[5]

When she was 12, Weymouth joined the Mrs. Tufts’ Potomac English Hand Bell Ringers, an amateur music group directed by Nancy Tufts, and toured with them.[7] At 14, she started to teach herself the guitar.[8][9]

Her early inspirations came from Bob Dylan and Peter, Paul & Mary.[7]

As a student at the Rhode Island School of Design, she met Chris Frantz and David Byrne, who formed a band called the Artistics.[10]: 30 [1] She began dating Frantz and served as the band's driver. After graduation, the three of them moved to New York City. Since Byrne and Frantz were unable to find a suitable bass guitar player she joined them at the latter's request and began learning and playing the instrument.

As a bass player she combined the minimalist art-punk bass lines of groups such as Wire and Pere Ubu with danceable, funk-inflected riffs to provide the bedrock of Talking Heads' signature sound.[11]

  Al Copley 

is a blues pianist and singer, plus arranger and co-founder of Roomful of Blues. After 16 years with Roomful, Copley relocated to Europe in 1984, and back home to the US in 2010.

Copley has been performing extensively in Europe and the northeast US since 2010, appears regularly in New England, Switzerland and Paris, and continues to develop in style and taste, always noted for energy, versatility and harmony. He has been included in Chapman Roberts' 2018 "Broadway Jazz Festival" in Manhattan with stars from Chapman's hit plays Blues in the Night, Smokey Joe's Cafe, Five Guys Named Moe and Bubbling Brown Sugar.

In 2016, Copley instigated a reunion recording of the 1970s version of Roomful of Blues. This is due to be released in 2021. The goal, according to co-founder Duke Robillard, was to "make a record equal to or better than our first record."[1]

In June 2002 and 2009, Copley performed four of his own full symphonic orchestrations before an audience of more than 25,000 with the Boston Festival Orchestra at Summer Pops.

Copley has twice been nominated for a Grammy Award (1983 and 1984) in the category Best Traditional Blues Album. In 1978 he performed with the original Blues Brothers, John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd, and in 1993 he opened for Eric Clapton at the Royal Albert Hall in London for 12 concerts, performing with Jimmie Vaughan. His performances on the main stage at the Montreux Jazz Festival in Montreux, Switzerland include opening for Bob Dylan in 1998, opening for Eric Clapton's Legends in 1997, doing a duo of "Jazz-Hot" with Jeff Healey in 1997, and opening the Blues Summit with Etta James and B. B. King in 1993. Copley also performed at the first Montreux Jazz Festival in Japan with George Duke and McCoy Tyner in 1998.

• A Summer Place (2012) One Mind Records OM1212
• Here's to Life (2017) One Mind Records OM1211
• Beach Ball Blast (2016) One Mind Records OM1210
• The Summer Wind (2015) One Mind Records 1209
• Stardust (2010) One Mind Records OM1208
• Albi's Boogies (2010) One Mind Records OM1207
• Radio Play (2005), One Mind Records OM1205
• Jump On It (2003), One Mind Records OM1204
• Rainy Summer (2000), One Mind Records OM1203
• Blue Paris Nights (1995), One Mind Records OM1202
• Live at Montreux (1994), One Mind Records OM1201
• Good Understanding (1995), Al Copley & the Fabulous Thunderbirds, Bullseye Blues Records BB9596, original edition same title (1993), Suffering Egos SE754
• Royal Blue (1991), Al Copley & Hal Singer, Black Top Records BT1054
• Rockabilly Pie (1990), Suffering Egos Records SE753
• Acoustic 88 (1988), Suffering Egos SE752
• Automatic Overdrive (1989), Black Top BT 1047, original edition entitled Ooh-Wow!! (1987) Suffering Egos SE751
• A Handful of Keys (1986), Off Beat Records WIK 52

• Shades of Blue (Philadelphia International Record 1980)

• Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson & Roomful of Blues (Muse, 1982)

Charisma, leadership and compassion best describe the singer/songwriter Steve Elci

His love for catchy hooks in his musings and soaring vocal style has won him acclaim from fans and critics alike. "Steve Elci is a songwriting machine with the chops and creativity to comfortably establish his own hooks” - Rick Koster, Arts Columnist/Reporter for The Day Paper. "Hey, Didn't the Beatles Sing About a Submarine" William Yardley - The New York Times. 

My vision or philosophy of my work can be summed up from the made-up word called "Edutainment". Edutainment is "learning through music". Kids and adults come to dance and have fun at my shows. They get so immersed in having a good time, they don't even realize they are leaving with a lesson. After my performances, children and adults feel inspired and compelled to learn and grow together and as individuals.

My willingness to perform knows no boundaries; the stage is the ultimate place for me to express myself. When I perform, it is a chance for me to connect with my audience and interact with them with original songs, educational messages and fun creative dance steps. I make myself available to perform at all times, no gig is too small or too big and they are all equally important. All fundraisers and events I have been a part of have become a positive influence in southeastern Connecticut and the fabric of our music and arts community.

History as an artist:

1989 and 2009 - Organized the fundraisers “Harmony for the Homeless" Rock and roll concerts for the St. James Homeless Shelter and New London Food Pantry at Waterford High School. Both concerts had radio and newspaper coverage and exceeded fundraising goals.

2004 - Recorded a song titled "Submarine Town," which played a part in the Save the Groton CT Submarine Base political campaign with Connecticut Governor M. Jodi Rell, U.S. Senators Andrea Stillman and Christopher Dodd, and then U.S. Congressman Rob Simmons. In May of 2005, New York Times reporter Bill Yardley wrote about Steve in an article called "Hey, Didn't the Beatles Sing about a Submarine?

2005 - Recorded a song called "Christmas Time" which was for "The Chimneys of New London" a Connecticut based Christmas CD featuring all local New London artists. The song "Christmas Time" was entered into the Unisong International Songwriting Contest where it became an Honorable Mention Winner internationally! (2005-2006).

2006 - Recorded a composition for the National PTA called "Every Child One Voice" as a fund-raiser for the association. The song was sold nationally for about three months before the end of the school year in 2007. Steve performed all over New England for PTA functions in support of the fundraiser, including at the National PTA New England Convention and Leadership Conference. March 16 - 17, 2007 in Manchester, NH.

2011 - Placed second in the 'John Lennon International Songwriting Contest' session I with the song “Bicycle"

2011 - Placed Second in the Earth Day Network contest 'Music for the Earth' with the song "Earth Day”

2011 - First released children's CD "Vowels" CD wins the 'Parents Choice Award’

2011- Placed second in the 'John Lennon International Songwriting Contest' session II with the song "Crayons in a Box" 

2011 - Whalie Award Winner for Best Solo Performance

2012 - Partnered with theday.com to create "Kidsploration" a web based creative kids series to be broadcast on kidsploration.org and theday.com.

2012 - Whalie Award Winner for Best Singer/Songwriter

2013 - Whalie Award Winner for Best Singer/Songwriter

2014 - EMMY Nominated for producing the web series Kidsploration!

2015 - Whalie Award Winner for Best Pop Performance 

2017 - Best Readers Choice Award (Best in the region) The Day Paper

2022/2023 - Produced two compilation albums (Arise Together, Arise Together Children of the World) benefitting children from war-torn Ukraine and children with special needs. The albums features artists from all over the world and 500 children from Ukraine, USA, Uganda and India. Both albums Julian Lennon performed. 

 Sunshine was a disco group and the backing vocalist for singer Donna Summer. The members included Carlena Williams and Summer's sisters Linda Gaines (now Lotman), Dara Bernard, and Mary Ellen Bernard.[1] Their 1978 number one Billboard Disco hit "Take It to the Zoo" charted as "Last Dance / After Dark / Thank God It's Friday / Take It to the Zoo" by Donna Summer.[2][3] The song was featured on the "Thank God It's Friday" film and soundtrack, was co-written by Summer (with Bruce Sudano and Joe "Bean" Esposito), who also sings background on the track. She was also the spokesperson for Black is Beautiful 

As a songwriting musician, Lauren Agnelli has explored the many facets of American popular music throughout her wide-ranging career, writing and co-writing hundreds of songs, recording over 60 releases in various formats.  In her home town of Chester, CT, Lauren was Music Director and performer with the Small Town Concert Series, an entity that she co-founded with her husband, Matthew Male, from 2007 to 2012--producing over 60 shows with local CT musical talent.  In Connecticut, she also performed shows with co-writer Dave Rave, the short-lived but rockin’ Ravens in the Woods, and with Amalgamated Muck, a roots/country/folk group. She began her musical and writing career in NYC in the 1970’s, working for the Village Voice and Creem Magazine as rock writer Trixie A. Balm.  Then, she wound up co-founding Nervus Rex, a fixture at New York’s CBGB’s whose debut album on Dreamland Records came out in 1980. Later she helped ignite an 80s folk revival with the Grammy-nominated Washington Squares. In the 1990s she played in the rocking Canadian-American Dave Rave Conspiracy, and then went on to form  the melodic duo Agnelli & Rave with Dave "Rave" DesRoches. Meanwhile, she also recorded with nuclear polka musical geniuses and two-time Grammy winners Brave Combo for an inspired 1996 torchy yet musically multistyled release, Kiss of Fire.  With her 2004 solo effort, Love Always Follows Me, Lauren Agnelli drew upon her many musical styles to present new and classic torch songs that revealed more of the many sides of love for the “hopeful, not hopeless” romantic.  From 2016 to 2020, Lauren Agnelli joined and co-fronted  Connecticut’s own long-running old time jug/roots/rock group, Washboard Slim and the Blue Lights. In the 2020s, she is seeking a new musical adventure in Connecticut while making music for and with residents of skilled nursing homes—those who crave and greatly benefit from music they know and love. 

 Paul Nelson - is recognized as one of today's top modern contemporary guitarists, songwriters and sought after record producers. He not only has the distinction of being the hand picked fellow guitarist to the legendary rock/blues icon Johnny Winter in the 2000's but he has toured the world over performing and or recorded along side an endless who's who of top artists from Eric Clapton and Buddy Guy to Slash, Billy Gibbons, Paul McCartney, Bootsy Collins, Ben Harper, Robben Ford, Jimmy Vivino, Vince Gill, Warren Haynes, Derek Trucks, James Cotton, Joe Perry, Susan Tedeschi, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, John Popper, Dr. John, Larry Carlton, Leslie West, Joe Bonamassa, Sonny Landreth, Dickey Betts to Joe Walsh and many more... 

WEBSITE  www.paulnelsonguitar.com

 BornElvis Aaron Presley[a]
January 8, 1935
Tupelo, Mississippi, U.S.DiedAugust 16, 1977 (aged 42)
Memphis, Tennessee, U.S.Resting placeGraceland, Memphis
35°2′46″N 90°1′23″WOccupations

• Singer
• actor

Works

• Albums
• singles
• songs recorded
• film and television

SpousePriscilla Beaulieu​​(m. 1967; div. 1973)​ChildrenLisa Marie PresleyRelativesRiley Keough (granddaughter)
Brandon Presley (second cousin)
Harold Ray Presley (first cousin once removed)Musical careerGenres

• Rock and roll
• pop
• rockabilly
• country
• gospel
• R&B
• blues

Instruments

• Vocals
• guitar
• piano

Years active1953–1977Labels

• Sun
• RCA Victor
• HMV
• Allied Artists Music Group
• Military service[1]
• Allegiance United StatesBranchUnited States ArmyYears of service1958–1960
• RankSergeantUnitHeadquarters Company, 1st Medium Tank Battalion, 32d Armor, 3d Armored Division
• AwardsGood Conduct Medal 

Elvis Aaron Presley[a] (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), also known mononymously as Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Known as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Presley's energized interpretations of songs and sexually provocative performance style, combined with a singularly potent mix of influences across color lines during a transformative era in race relations, brought both great success and initial controversy.

Presley was born in Tupelo, Mississippi; his family relocated to Memphis, Tennessee, when he was 13. His music career began there in 1954, at Sun Records with producer Sam Phillips, who wanted to bring the sound of African-American music to a wider audience. Presley, on guitar and accompanied by lead guitarist Scotty Moore and bassist Bill Black, was a pioneer of rockabilly, an uptempo, backbeat-driven fusion of country music and rhythm and blues. In 1955, drummer D. J. Fontana joined to complete the lineup of Presley's classic quartet and RCA Victor acquired his contract in a deal arranged by Colonel Tom Parker, who would manage him for more than two decades. Presley's first RCA Victor single, "Heartbreak Hotel", was released in January 1956 and became a number-one hit in the United States. Within a year, RCA Victor would sell ten million Presley singles. With a series of successful television appearances and chart-topping records, Presley became the leading figure of the newly popular rock and roll; though his performative style and promotion of the then-marginalized sound of African Americans[6] led to him being widely considered a threat to the moral well-being of white American youth.[7]

In November 1956, Presley made his film debut in Love Me Tender. Drafted into military service in 1958, he relaunched his recording career two years later with some of his most commercially successful work. Presley held few concerts, however, and guided by Parker, proceeded to devote much of the 1960s to making Hollywood films and soundtrack albums, most of them critically derided. Some of Presley's most famous films included Jailhouse Rock (1957), Blue Hawaii (1961), and Viva Las Vegas (1964). In 1968, following a seven-year break from live performances, he returned to the stage in the acclaimed NBC television comeback special Elvis, which led to an extended Las Vegas concert residency and a string of highly profitable tours. In 1973, Presley gave the first concert by a solo artist to be broadcast around the world, Aloha from Hawaii. However, years of prescription drug abuse and unhealthy eating habits severely compromised his health, and Presley died unexpectedly in August, 1977 at his Graceland estate at the age of 42.

Having sold roughly 400 million records worldwide, Presley is one of the best-selling music artists of all time. He was commercially successful in many genres, including pop, country, rhythm & blues, adult contemporary, and gospel. He won three Grammy Awards, received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award at age 36, and has been inducted into multiple music halls of fame. He also holds several records, including the most RIAA-certified gold and platinum albums, the most albums charted on the Billboard 200, the most number-one albums by a solo artist on the UK Albums Chart, and the most number-one singles by any act on the UK Singles Chart. In 2018, Presley was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Members

• Albert Fields
• Chase Hampton
• Deedee Magno Hall
• Damon Pampolina
• Tiffini Hale

In 1990, the Disney Channel formed a pop band composed of then-current cast members of the 1989-1994 Mickey Mouse Club (also known as MMC). As part of the promotion for the band, a name-the-band contest was held. The result was "The Party," which is a backronym for "Positive Attitude Reflects Today's Youth."[1] The group was also the first signing to the Walt Disney Company's pop-music-oriented label Hollywood Records, which, at the time, was distributed by Elektra Records.  

The self-titled debut album was released in August 1990 on Hollywood Records. The first single, "Summer Vacation," was moderately successful, peaking at #72 on the Billboard Hot 100. The following singles, "I Found Love" and "That's Why" (which brought the group into a much bigger audience, thanks in part to a remixed version and added rap vocals), peaked at #79 and #55, respectively. The album also charted at #116 on the Billboard 200 Album Chart. During this time, the Disney Channel produced a special titled "The Party: In Concert." The group's success landed it opening-act spots on major concert tours with the likes of Taylor Dayne and Vanilla Ice. The group also appeared on various shows, such as Live with Regis and Kathie Lee, Into the Night starring Rick Dees, and The Party Machine with Nia Peeples. In the summer of the following year, "Summer Vacation" was re-released in remixed form.

In 1991, the covers and remixes EP In the Meantime, in Between Time was released, which was supposed to have kept fans occupied until the group finished its next album, but the EP took on a life of its own. The cover of the Dokken song "In My Dreams" ended up being the band's biggest hit on the charts, peaking at #34 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #16 on R&R (Radio and Records Chart Top 100). The song would also score the group appearances on shows such as Club MTV, a return to MMC, a Disney Channel special titled "Go Party!" and another concert tour — this time with the R&B band Hi-Five.

In 1992, with the release of the group's second studio album, Free, the band had shown growth with its changing sound and more adult-oriented lyrics. Teddy Riley wrote three songs for this album including the new jack swing-tinged title song, "Free," which was also remixed by the likes of house-music artists E-Smoove Steve "Silk" Hurley, and Grammy Award-winning remixer Maurice Joshua. Dr. Dre produced the song "Let's Get Right Down to It," and the group itself also got involved in the writing and producing of the album, which would once again land it another concert tour—this time opening for Color Me Badd. Promotion included its last special for the Disney Channel, All About the Party, and an appearance on the Blossom episode "The Best Laid Plans of Mice & Men" in which the group performed its song "All About Love." However, the album was not as successful on the charts as previous ones, which prompted Damon Pampolina to leave the group.

In 1993, the group disbanded, and Hollywood/Elektra Records released The Party's Over...Thanks for Coming with little advance notice. This farewell album consisted of outtakes from the Free recording sessions coupled with other songs recorded prior to the group's disbanding.

In 1997, Hollywood/PolyGram Records released a greatest-hits album of The Party; it had little chart success and was not promoted by the band itself. The Party was a massive influence on various young artists at the time. 

WEBSITE :   The Party (thepartyreunion.com) 

Michael Anthony Orlando Cassavitis was born on April 3, 1944, the son of a Greek father and a Puerto Rican mother. He spent his earliest years in Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan, New York City.[2] In his teenage years, the family moved to Union City, New Jersey, and later Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey.[3]

Orlando's musical career started with The Five Gents, a doo-wop group he formed in 1959 at age 15, with whom he recorded demo tapes. He got the attention of music publisher and producer Don Kirshner, who hired him to write songs in an office across from New York's Brill Building, along with Carole King, Neil Sedaka, Toni Wine, Barry Mann, Bobby Darin, Connie Francis, and Tom and Jerry, who didn't make it in the office until they changed their name to Simon and Garfunkel.[4]

Kirshner also hired Orlando to record songwriter demos as a solo artist, and his first success came at the age of 16 when he charted in the US and UK with the hits "Bless You" and "Halfway To Paradise".[4] He also appeared at the Brooklyn Paramount Theater with DJ Murray the K.[5] Orlando also had four records that "Bubbled Under" the Hot 100: "Chills" in 1962, "Shirley" and "I'll Be There" in 1963, and "I Was A Boy (When You Needed A Man)" as by Billy Shields in April 1969.[6] Gerry Goffin and Jack Keller wrote a doo-wop version of Stephen Foster's song "Beautiful Dreamer" for Orlando. Released as a single in 1962,[7] the song was picked up by the Beatles who included it in their set lists on the Beatles Winter 1963 Helen Shapiro Tour;[8] a recorded version was released on their 2013 album On Air – Live at the BBC Volume 2. New Colony Six recorded an Orlando composition, "I'm Just Waitin' (Anticipatin' For Her To Show Up)", which charted locally in Chicago and "Bubbled Under" the Hot 100 in July 1967.[citation needed]

April-Blackwood period

Orlando continued as a solo artist and also became a producer himself, as well as a successful music executive in the late 1960s. In 1967, Clive Davis hired Orlando as general manager of Columbia Records publishing subsidiary April-Blackwood Music.[citation needed] Earlier general managers for the publishing entity include David Kapralik who stepped into the position in 1964,[9] and stayed until early 1965.[10] During Kapralik's period, Van McCoy was employed as a staff writer.[9]

By the late 1960s, Orlando had worked his way up to vice president of a larger publishing company, CBS Music, where he signed, co-wrote with, and produced Barry Manilow (under the name "Featherbed"). He also worked with other artists, such as The Yardbirds; James Taylor; Grateful Dead; Blood, Sweat & Tears; and Laura Nyro.[4][11][12][13] In the summer of 1969, he recorded with the studio group Wind and had a #28 hit that year with "Make Believe" on producer Bo Gentry's Life Records. Orlando was experiencing success, primarily as a music executive, and Davis pretended not to notice when Orlando accepted a $3,000 advance and sang lead vocals on a song called "Candida" as a favor for two producer friends. If the record failed, Orlando didn't want it to affect his reputation, so the producers, Hank Medress and Dave Appel used the pseudonym: Dawn. The name was based on the daughter of label Vice President Steve Wax, in hopes of getting more promotion for the single.[14][15]

Further activities

When the song "Candida" became an international number-one song, he began to use his name in the group becoming "Dawn featuring Tony Orlando" and then "Tony Orlando and Dawn". The group had 19 other top 40 tracks, including "Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree", the top-selling hit of 1973 and one of the biggest selling singles of all time. The group also had a hit variety program, The Tony Orlando and Dawn Show on CBS from 1974 to 1976.[16] They then broke-up in 1977, after which he has performed as Tony Orlando.

Orlando's first TV appearance was in 1976 on the series Chico and the Man as "Tomas Garcia".

Orlando starred in the 1981 TV movie 300 Miles For Stephanie, playing a police officer who promises to walk over 300 miles to a sanctuary in order to obtain God's help to cure Stephanie, his gravely ill daughter. Others in the cast included Edward James Olmos, Pepe Serna and Julie Carmen.[citation needed]

In May 1981, Orlando appeared on Broadway in the title role of Barnum, replacing Jim Dale, who was on a three-week vacation.

During the 1984–85 season of The Cosby Show (its first season), Orlando played Tony Castillo, who runs a community center. He also had a cameo, appearing as himself in the 2002 film Waking Up In Reno, in which he sang a version of "Knock Three Times".[citation needed]

In 2003, Orlando had a recurring role in the children's animated series Oswald, in which he did the voice of "Sammy Starfish".

Orlando appeared in an episode of MADtv doing a sketch involving a court case, where the defense sings to persuade the jury about their side. He sang for the prosecution, thereby persuading the judge to give the defense jail for life. In another television program, Orlando was featured in "Larry the Cable Guy's Star Studded Christmas Extravaganza".[25] He appeared in That's My Boy as Steve Spirou, a Happy Madison production starring Adam Sandler in 2012.

Orlando is a longtime advocate for U.S. military veterans and "Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" has become an anthem for service members.[26][27][28]

Orlando serves on the board of directors for the Eisenhower Foundation, as well as honorary chairman of Snowball Express, an organization that serves the children of fallen military heroes.[2]

He hosts the annual Congressional Medal of Honor dinner in Dallas. He has served as the master of ceremonies at the Secretary of Defense Freedom Awards at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C.[19][29]

Orlando was introduced by Jerry Lee Lewis to his future wife, Elaine, who had previously dated Buddy Holly. Tony and Elaine married in 1965, and had one child, Jon; they divorced in 1984. Five years later, Orlando was engaged to Francine Amormino, whom he married on April 29, 1990.[2][21] The couple remained married as of 2021; they have one child.[5][30]

On February 27, 2013, his mother, Ruth Schroeder of Hollister, Missouri, died in Branson, Missouri[31] of a diabetic stroke.[32]

In 2002, he wrote a memoir, Halfway to Paradise with Patsi Bale Cox.[33][34]

Orlando was interviewed on The 700 Club explaining that he was raised Catholic and was "brought up with the Lord as my Savior"; but after a self-destructive period following his professional success with Dawn, he became a born-again Christian in 1978.[35]

In 1990, Orlando received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6385 Hollywood Blvd.[36]

For Tony Orlando and Dawn recordings, see Tony Orlando and Dawn § Discography.

Albums

• Bless You and 11 Other Great Hits (1961)
• Make Believe (1969) (with 'Wind')
• Before Dawn (1973)
• Tony Orlando (1978)
• I Got Rhythm (1979)
• Livin' for the Music (1980)
• Halfway to Paradise: The Complete Epic Masters 1961–1964 (2006)
• Bless You (2014)

Solo singles

• "Halfway to Paradise" (1961) US #39, CB #17
• "Bless You" (1961) US #15, CB #17 UK #5[37]
• "Happy Times (Are Here To Stay)" (1961) US #82, CB #76
• "Chills" (1962) US #109, CB #111
• "At the Edge of Tears" (1962) CB #146
• "Shirley" (1963) US #133, CB #109
• "I'll Be There" (1963) US #124, CB #123
• "What Am I Gonna Do" (1963) CB #tag
• "Tell Me What Can I Do" (1964) CB #147
• "To Wait For Love" (1964) CB #119
• "I Was A Boy" (1969) US #109, CB #89 (as Billy Shields)
• "Make Believe" (1969) US #28, CB #18 (with 'Wind')
• "I'll Hold Out My Hand" (1969) CB #114 (with 'Wind')
• "Don't Let Go" (1978) Dance #27,[38] AC #48
• "Sweets for My Sweet" (1979) US #54, CB #55, AC #20

Official Website  Tony Orlando 

 The Rat Pack was an informal group of entertainers, the second iteration of which ultimately made films and appeared together in Las Vegas casino venues. They originated in the late 1940s and early 1950s as a group of A-list show business friends, such as Errol Flynn, Nat King Cole, Mickey Rooney, Frank Sinatra and others who met casually at the Holmby Hills home of Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall.[1] In the 1960s, the group featured Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Joey Bishop, and (before falling out with Sinatra in 1962) Peter Lawford, among others. They appeared together on stage and in films in the 1950s and 1960s, including the films Ocean's 11[2] and Sergeants 3; after Lawford's expulsion, they filmed Robin and the 7 Hoods with Bing Crosby in what was to have been Lawford's role. Sinatra, Martin, and Davis were regarded as the group's lead members after Bogart's death.[3] 

  By the tender age of 16, Grammy-nominated, multi-platinum drummer Thommy Price had

already hit the road playing in rock bands, and he hasn’t stopped since.

Schooled on “early blue-eyed soul” like The Dave Clarke 5 and The Young Rascals, he found

his chops playing along with his older brother’s 45’s of drum heavy songs like “Bits and Pieces”

and “Glad All Over”.

Thommy has spent his life on the road and in the studio, and along the way he has not only

become one of the most well-known and highly sought-after skin bashers in the business, he

has played of some of the most iconic songs of the 80’s.

Price has a sound and style completely his own, staying solid and in the pocket without the flash

and distractions of most professional drummers. Price’s talent is impossible to overlook, he

always has been able to put in the fireworks without losing his place as the most rock-solid

backbone around.

Thommy Price is best known for his work with Scandal, Joan Jett and Billy Idol, with a studio

discography that reads like the who’s who of Rock and Roll history book. Price has recorded

and or toured with Patty Smyth & Scandal, Debbie Harry, Ron Wood, Roger Daltrey, Ronnie

Spector, Wanda Jackson, The Psychedelic Furs, Blue Oyster Cult, Mink DeVille, Peter Wolf,

Michael Monroe, and many other top-tier artists. 

Today, he continues his work as a multi-instrumentalist, writing and producing from his studio in

San Antonio, Texas.

To find out more about Thommy, including his custom tracks visit ThommyPrice.com

Carol Kaye (née Smith,[1] born March 24, 1935)[2] is an American musician. She is one of the most prolific recorded bass guitarists in rock and pop music, playing on an estimated 10,000 recordings in a career spanning over 50 years.[3]

Kaye began playing guitar in her early teens and after some time as a guitar teacher, began to perform regularly on the Los Angeles jazz and big band circuit. She started session work in 1957, and through a connection at Gold Star Studios began working for producers Phil Spector and Brian Wilson. After a bassist failed to turn up to a session in 1963, she switched to that instrument, quickly making a name for herself as one of the most in-demand session players of the 1960s, playing on numerous hits. She moved into playing on film soundtracks in the late 1960s, particularly for Quincy Jones and Lalo Schifrin, and began to release a series of tutoring books such as How To Play The Electric Bass. Kaye became less active towards the end of the 1970s, but has continued her career and attracted praise from other musicians.

During the peak of her years of session work, she became part of a stable of Los Angeles-based musicians which went by a variety of informal names, but has since become known as "The Wrecking Crew". Her work with the collective led to her prominent role in the 2008 documentary film titled The Wrecking Crew. 

Carol Kaye was born in Everett, Washington to musician parents, Clyde and Dot Smith, both professionals. She has played and taught guitar professionally since 1949, played bebop jazz guitar in dozens of nightclubs around Los Angeles with top groups (also in Bob Neal's jazz group with Jack Sheldon backing Lenny Bruce, with Teddy Edwards, Billy Higgins etc.), accidentally got into studio work late 1957 with the Sam Cooke recordings and other big recordings on guitar for the 1st 5 years of studio work in Hollywood.

In 1963 when a Fender bassist didn't show up for a record date at Capitol Records, she picked up the Fender bass (as it was called then) and augmented her busy schedule playing bass and grew quickly to be the no. 1 call with record companies, movie & TV film people, commericals (ads), and industrial films. She enjoyed working under the direction of Michel LeGrand, Quincy Jones, Elmer Bernstein, Lalo Schifrin, David Rose, David Grusin, Ernie Freeman, Hugo Montenegro, Leonard Rosenman, John Williams, Alfred & Lionel Newman, etc. as well as the numerous hits she recorded for hundreds of recording artists.

Beginning in 1969, she wrote her first of many bass tutoring books, "How To Play The Electric Bass" effectively changing the name of Fender Bass to Electric Bass and began teaching 100s of Electric Bass students, many of them now famous themselves.

Her tutors are endorsed by such notables as Professor Joel Leach, 10-year winner of the Pacific Jazz Festival Awards with his famous Cal-State Northridge Jazz Bands, and Plas Johnson, jazz/blues studio sax legend ("Pink Panther"). She stepped out to perform live with the Hampton Hawes Jazz Trio in the mid 70s, has given many seminars all over the USA, and is a leader in Electric Bass education. Official Website http://www.carolkaye.com/

  Alex Peterson-Bass, Carole Duckworth-Drums, Janet Robin-Guitar, Susette Andres-Drummer, Mara Fox-Guitar, Leslie Knauer-Vocal's   Groundbreaking all female band Precious Metal made quite a name for themselves in the 80’s rock scene of LA’s Sunset Strip.Together the fearsome five combined glam/rock/pop into a perfect meld of top-tier melodic rock anthems, all while adding their own blend of attitude, hard rock style and of course a dose of glamour. Precious Metal’s well-crafted edgy melodic metal/pop rock proved a successful mix and live they delivered.Front-woman Leslie Knauer, drummer Susette Andres, lead and rhythm guitarist Janet Robin, rhythm and lead guitarist Mara Fox and bassist Alex Rylance complete the bands original line-up. Then a bit later came Carol Control on Drums.It wasn’t long before the girls were honing their trademark sound playing LA’s clubs. Word of mouth followed and garnering interest from LA DJ Eddie X, KROQ ho featured the bands demos on all his radio shows! That led to a chance hearing by then Polygram/Mercury Records Vice-President Russ Reagan of “Girls Night Out” in his car led him to signing the band in early 1985.Also signed to a production deal with producer Paul Sabu, Precious Metal’s first album “Right Here, Right Now,” (Mercury/Polygram) was recorded over the fall of 1985 with Sabu at the helm and saw a January 1986 release. “Cheesecake” a signature song from the bands live set, was chosen to be the first single, but the was soon overshadowed when another song “Bad Guys” found it’s way onto the soundtrack of a movie of the same name. A music video was produced for “Bad Guys” and received much-attention on MTV’s Headbangers Ball and later VH1.https://preciousmetal.band/ 

 William Patrick Corgan Jr. (born March 17, 1967) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and professional wrestling promoter. He is best known as the co-founder, lead singer, primary songwriter, guitarist, and only constant member of the rock band the Smashing Pumpkins. He has also been the owner and promoter of the National Wrestling Alliance since 2017. A cultural icon of Generation X, Corgan is credited with helping popularize alternative rock music as a member of the Smashing Pumpkins.

Corgan formed the Smashing Pumpkins in Chicago in 1988 alongside guitarist James Iha, with bassist D'arcy Wretzky and drummer Jimmy Chamberlin joining soon after. Strong album sales and large-scale tours propelled the band to commercial success and critical acclaim throughout the 1990s. After their break-up in 2000, Corgan and Chamberlin started a new band called Zwan; after this band's demise, he released the collection of poetry Blinking with Fists (2004) and the solo album TheFutureEmbrace (2005) before reforming Smashing Pumpkins in 2007. The new version of the band, consisting of Corgan and a revolving lineup, has released new albums and toured extensively. In October 2017, Corgan released Ogilala, his first solo album in over a decade.[1] His latest solo album, Cotillions, was released in 2019.[2]

Corgan co-founded Resistance Pro Wrestling in 2011. He joined TNA Wrestling in 2015 and became its president in 2016, but left a few months later. He purchased the NWA in 2017.