Ray Reach Variety Band from Birmingham, AL

What kind of band do you want? What is your budget? Whether your budget is huge or tiny, Ray Reach can provide a band that will enhance any occasion! Reviews and testimonials from past clients are available on Ray's personal website. The bands lead by Ray Reach (pianist, keyboardist, vocalist, bandleader) can range in size from 2 to 40 players, including Ray Reach & Friends (3 to 6 players), the Soul Serenaders (6 to 9 players), the Bama Blues Crusaders (5 players), the Little Big Band (7 to 9 players) and the Ray Reach Orchestra (big band, 17 players; or big band plus strings, 25 to 40 players). His bands can cover many diverse styles, including Motown/Soul, R & B, Blues, Sinatra-style vocals, Big Band, Classic Rock, Broadway show tunes, Classical, Jazz and music of the 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s and even contemporary Country! Ray Reach's bands draw from a roster of some of the finest musicians from Birmingham, Atlanta, Nashville, Memphis, Miami, Jacksonville (Florida), New York, Dallas, Los Angeles and other cities, and can include (subject to budget and availability) such famous players as: Eddie "Knock On Wood" Floyd (vocals) - Declared a "State Treasure" by the governor of Alabama. His other hits include "634-5789," featured in the Blues Brothers 2000 movie. Eddie resides in Montgomery, Alabama and still tours with the Blues Brothers Band. Google him. He has a bio on Wikipedia Tommy "Pipes" McDonnell (vocals & percussion) - Veteran of the Blues Brothers Band and Ray Reach and Friends. "Blue Lou Marini" (saxophone / flute) - Veteran of Saturday Night Live Band, Blood, Sweat and Tears, Aerosmith, Dr. John, James Taylor Band and Ray Reach and Friends. Lou appeared in the original Blues Brothers Movie and the sequel Blues Brothers 2000. Google him. He has his own website and a good bio on Wikipedia Tom "Bones" Malone (trombone) - Also a veteran of the Saturday Night Live Band, Blood, Sweat and Tears, the David Letterman Show Band and many more. Tom was trombonist and chief arranger for the David Letterman Show Band. He also appeared in the original Blues Brothers movie and the sequel Blues Brothers 2000. Google him. Also on Wikipedia Jeff Coffin (saxophone) - Based in Nashville, Jeff was formerly a member of the Grammy winning group, Bela Fleck and the Flecktones and now tours with the Dave Matthews Band. Tom Scott (saxophone) - Veteran of the Saturday Night Live Band and the Blues Brothers Band. Tom has played on over 450 hit recordings. He has been nominated for 14 Grammy Awards and has won 3. Google him. Also on Wikipedia. Steve Gadd (drummer) - One of the world's greatest living drummers, Gadd has recorded and toured with an incredible number of famous musicians in practically every genre, from pop/rock, R&B and jazz, such as James Taylor and Chick Corea. Google him. Gregg Field (drummer / producer) - Veteran of the Count Basie Orchestra. Has also produced Grammy Award winning recordings and has toured with Frank Sinatra. He has also played on recordings with Natalie Cole, Michael Buble and countless others. Google him. Chuck Tilley (drummer) - Chuck is a former student of Ray Reach (at the University of Alabama) and has toured with Lee Greenwood, Richard Marx, Alabama, Englebert Humperdink and Dolly Parton. He is also a member of the group Sixwire, the band who came in 2nd place on the show "America's Next Great Band," and plays on the TV series 'Nashville." Chuck holds a bachelor's degree in jazz drums. Search for "Sixwire" on Wikipedia Ray can even hook you up with superstars such as: Michael Buble (vocalist), Smokey Robinson, John Mayer and others. If you can't afford the dollars for the big names, Ray can hire from a large roster of incredibly talented, but not-yet-widely-known players and singers who can perform the style or styles of your choice to a "T," at a quality level on a par with any of the nationally-known stars. Ray Reach is one of the most in-demand pianist/singers and studio musicians in the Southeast. He and the members of his band(s) have played on numerous hit records. Please contact Ray for a list of those recordings. In addition, he is an accomplished guitarist, composer, arranger, producer and educator. From 1998 to 2005, he taught jazz and music technology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and later served as Director of Student Jazz Programs at the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame. Although he has composed, arranged and performed in a variety of genre, he is perhaps best known for his work in the Motown/Soul/R& B, Blues and Jazz idioms. Yes, it's true! Ray Reach is an amazingly versatile musician! Please go to his website where you can view videos and listen to audio samples of his work and view a sample song list from his repertoire of over 1,600 songs.