Vocalist Bobby Harden
Bobby Harden, New York City’s acclaimed soul singing sensation, thrills audiences globally as lead singer with the Original Blues Brothers Band, which features the legendary musicians Steve Cropper and ‘Blue Lou’ Marini. Bobby Harden is a classic example of a true “Soul Man.” Bobby has performed at President Obama’s inauguration party and regularly plays with his Soul Purpose Band at City Winery, City Vineyard, The Falcon and Minton’s Playhouse. He headlined at BB King’s Club in NYC with his Soul Purpose Band, the venue where he himself was inducted into the NY Blues Hall of Fame in 2013.
Bassist Booker King
Composer/Bassist, Booker King is a native of New York City. Booker graduated from FiveTowns College and studied under Bob Cunningham, Richard Davis and Homer Mensch. Booker has toured the world laying down powerful grooves and orchestral melodies. Among the artists he has performed and/or recorded with are Jane Siberry, Angelique Kidjo, Kelis, Grant Green Jr., Santana, Defunkt Big Band, Yoko Kanno, Corey Glover, Dean Brown, Mary Wilson, Stephanie Mills, Paul Shapiro, Paul Simon, Bill Sims and the American Roots Orchestra, Femi Kuti, Billy Cobham, Bobby Caldwell and Lila Downs.
Drummer Yuichi Hirakawa
Yuichi moved to New York City in 1994. Currently as a full-time freelance drummer, he performs at various live music venues in New York City, The Yuichi Hirakawa Jazz Group performed at Arthur’s Tavern in Greenwich Village every Tuesday from September 2001 to March 2020. Yuichi has appeared at the Blue Note Jazz Club in New York and in Tokyo several times and the Birdland Jazz Club in New York. He has toured in Tokyo and Kyushu, Japan, and performed at the April Jazz Festival in Finland.
Keyboardist Ron Thompson
Ron Thompson is a New York City based band leader, composer and music educator. Ron has performed and recorded with Alyson Williams, Lilias White, Ray Schinnery, Cheryl Pepsii Riley,Teruo Nakamura, Hugh Masekela, Tom Browne, Tom Scott, Mark Peterson, As well as RnB vocal groups, Blue Magic’, ‘Rose Royce’, ‘The Main Ingredient’
Guitarist Stew Cutler
Stew Cutler has worked with a wide variety of soul, blues, gospel and Jazz artists including; Percy Sledge, Eddiie Floyd, Wilson Pickett, Z.Z. Hill, Fontella Bass,,Queen Esther Marrow, David Sanborn, Eliot Sharp, Harvey Brooks, Lester Bowie and many more. He also has 7 of his own recordings as an artist and has done hundreds of recording sessions.for a wide variety of artists, as well as movie and TV soundtracks etc. He is also in the NY Blues Hall of Fame