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Hometown: Stockton, California, United States

Influences: No influences given.

Website: http://htt://www.sonicbids.com/TheGroovenators

Our Story:

Shad Harris & The Groovenators are based in California's Big Central Valley and are ready to travel nationally and internationally to enterain the masses with West Coast Blues at its finest. They play a blend of West Coast Blues with a funky twist. They play originals and blues covers, and have their own unique signature sound. Shad Harris - Keytar/Vocals has toured nationally and internationally since 1966 and played drums, keyboards, guitar and bass with various award winning bands and Hall of Fame artists including, Etta James, Charlie Musselwhite, Eddie Harris, The Motown Review Big Band, Roger Daltry, Johnny Heartsman, Ron Thompson, Ron Hacker, Johnny Nitro, and the Tommy Castro Band. Shad was the original drummer for the Tommy Castro Band for over five years and they still remain good friends today. He was the band leader for the Jazz-Fusion ensemble Wave, and the award-winning R&B band The East Side Loop. Shad studied music with Professor Robert Harris in St. Petersburg, Florida; William Bell at College of Alameda in Alameda, California; Ed Kelly at Laney College in Oakland, California; Chuck Brown in San Rafael, California and Jerry Jackson Sr. in Oakland, California. Shad has also acted and composed musical scores for Scorpio Rising Theater, a Hollywood theater company, and written, arranged, produced and published songs for the Tommy Castro Band, Mel Brown, and Little Sister & The Bad Intentions. He has also played with Norman Lankford and his popular jazz quartet, Group Therapy, Hank Mobley, Mel Williams and Horace Silver. Gary Hamilton - Guitar/Vocals has been playing music for over 30 years. He began playing with local Bay Area bands and started his career in music playing drums at first. He then transitioned to bass, and eventually lead guitar, vocals, and sax. He has shared the stage with gifted artists such as Albert King, Charlie Musselwhite, Tommy Castro, Jackie Payne, Johnny Nitro and Smokey Wilson. Neil Williford's inspiration to play saxophone started with his mother who was a pianist. He started playing at the age of eight in elementary school and developed his skill over the years playing in local bands. Neil studied voice, piano, theory, Jazz, Blues, R&B, and Soul at Laney College in Oakland, California. Neil's father was a Big Band Jazz Saxophonist on the East Coast. Neil has shared the stage with many great musicians including Monbo Hernandez, Gerald Veasley, Joyce Cooling, Jazz Crusaders, Angel Bofill, Najee, Piece of a Dream, Mick Martin & The Blues Rockers, Guitar Mac, Craig Horton, Coco Montoya, Lenny Williams, Shane Dwight, and Jeramy Norris. He has played with B.B. King, Earl Good Rockin' Brown, Little Bee Bee, Jessie James, Jimmy McCracklin, Big Mama Thornton, Chuck Willis, and Beverly Watson. Myron Pipkin - Bass grew up in a musical family. At the age of ten his father gave him his first guitar and by the time he was sixteen he was playing professionally in the San Francisco Bay Area. He has toured nationally and internationally. Myron has developed his own unique soulful, funky formula that consistently lays funk grooves to the foundation of his music. Myron has shared the stage with many prominent figures in the entertainment industry such as Ron Thompson, Johnny Harrison, Mick Fleetwood, Eugene Blacknell, Regina Belle, Barry White, Earth Wind & Fire, Morris Day & The Time, Lakeside, John Lee Hooker, James Brown, Charlie Musselwhite, Keith Haines (Double Vision), John Blackwell (Prince), Dee Simmons (TLC), Toni Braxton, Silk & The Braxtons, Maurice Otey, Escape, Keith Sweat, James Levi, Paul Jackson (The Herbie Hancock Sextet) and Creedence Clearwater Revival. Dave Peters is our professional drummer who brings over 30 years of experience playing Blues, Rock, Funk, Latin, Jazz, Afro-Cuban, R&B, Country, Mexican, Reggae, etc...He has played with Grammy winning musicians including Jason Newsted (Metallica), Gordon Hunte (Sade), Julius Melendez (Santana) and Tony Lindsay (Santana). He has studied with Chuck Brown, Atma Anur, Colin Bailey, Robert Kaufman, Rob Hart and Dave Garibaldi. This is the band of professional musicians you have been looking for to play at your event(s). Let us entertain you with the Best in West Coast Blues.

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