[ Richard Day-Reynolds | Pat Counts | Rick Roadman | Jon Byer | Phil McCoy ]
Richard started playing classical piano when he was four. Not spontaneously, mind you - he took lessons - but he became very good at it. At 7, he also took on the cello and his life long love of playing anything stringed was born. He discovered guitar when he was ten, stand up bass at 12, mandolin at 16, and in the years since has played (if not well, certainly enthusiastically) pedal steel, lap steel, dobro, banjo, and tenor, bass and baritone guitars. Through it all, he has always had a deep & abiding love of the instrument of voice. Growing up in the South, he sang in church and school choirs and was steeped in the rich, Southern gospel tradition. He attended the University of Tennessee (Go Vols) and studied to be a high school choir teacher.
While at UT, he met, played, partied with and was stylistically heavily influenced by Russell Smith (later the founder of the Amazing Rhythm Aces), and Russell's mix of blues, gospel, country, bluegrass and balls-out rock & roll. The South of the late-50's through most of the 70's was an incredible melting pot of musical genres before it melted down into Southern Rock testosterone-heavy posturings, and Richard continues to be influenced by the rich palette of music he grew up with to this day.
During the 70's he played with a number of primarily acoustic bands in Tennessee performing everything from Merle Haggard to Howling Wolf to Gram Parsons to Muddy Waters. Moving to Oregon in the late-'70's, he performed as a solo acoustic act until he signed on as a guitarist and harmony vocalist for Portland blues and R & B favorite, Kate Sullivan, and in 1980 appeared on Kate's first album, "New Shade of Blue".
In 1995, following a 12-year hiatus to help raise his two sons, he helped form the McMinnville band Sunstone, with which he played guitar, sang, and wrote for the band's 1997 EP " Get it! This is it!" After the breakup of Sunstone in November of 1997, Richard formed the band Blindside with drummer Gary Carpenter & bassist Dan Seymour. In October of 1998, he added a keyboard to the lineup forming the basic working unit that became the Richard Day-Reynolds Band. He also continues to work as part of an acoustic duo and/or trio.
In 2000, the Cascade Blues Association nominated Richard's band for "Best New Act," and in 2001 & 2002 gave him nominations for "Best Contemporary Blues Act."
"Live @ the Deluxe" was Richard's first "solo" recording effort. In 2002, The Richard Day-Reynolds Band released the album "It's Not Easy." He is currently gathering and writing material for an acoustic album to be released in 2003.
Richard and Lori, his wife of 23 years, live in McMinnville, Oregon. Their two brilliant and sensitive adult sons live in Portland, Oregon, and actually stay in touch.
"Simple But Brutal"
Look Back toward the Mid-West.
Bars, Legion Halls, Frat houses, School gyms, Barbeques, Studios, Basements, Garages, Barns, it didn't really matter, if people were ready to party and music was to be part of the menu, you might find Pat Counts standing back there trying to keep 4 strings and the beat all locked in together. It was a big part of his world off and on from the late 60's till a "New Wave" band, they hadn't come up with the terms Alternative or Grunge yet, brought him out to Portland in the late 80's.
One night while innocently walking down Hawthorne street he heard music coming out of an otherwise unremarkable bar, walked in, and fell in with the "wrong sort of crowd", blues musicians.
Turn around, the year is 2003 and the old bad habits are still in control. Over the years there has been an individual Muddy Nomination in '91, stage time, fun and frolic with quite a cast of the Northwest's finest musicians. Great times with Johnnie Ward and the Jokers, The Clevelands, Margo Tufo, Mel Solomon, Yo and De Cats, Francine West and the High Speed Wobblers (always did like that name), Robbie Laws, and sets here and there with what seems like the entire pantheon of Portland's blues scene. For the last year or so Pat's been advocating his bass creed of "Simple But Brutal" with the Richard Day-Reynolds Band. "It's great to be working with a group of guys that are good players, writers, and good people on top of it. You should come out and see us, we have FUN doing our thing-and it shows."
Rick was born in Portland, OR & started out singing with his Mom. Every Sunday they would go to different churces & listen to the choirs and sermons. Rick sang in a Longview, WA Baptist Church choir and started playing Cornet in grade school. He played in the school pep band, the Boy Scouts, and state competitions. A career in Brass ended when the English invasion started in the 60's. When the Beatles/Stones/Animals/Kinks came to town Rick promptly traded his Cornet for an electric guitar.
After a few years of playing with local Rock, Funk & Country groups, Rick joined The Stone Johnny Mtn Band. A group of N. Idaho musicians steeped in what was at that time termed 'Outlaw Country' (Willie/Waylon etc.) The next 8 years of travel and adventure covered the breadth of the United States and most of Western Canada. He was a lead singer, songwriter, and lead guitarist. Stone Johnny recorded one album in 1981.
Rick has shared the stage with Tennessee Ernie Ford, David Allen Coe, Gene Clark & Michael Clark from The Byrds, Dan Hicks, Merle Haggard, Country Joe McDonald, James Cotton, Hoyt Axton, Elvin Bishop, Norton Buffalo/Bill Kirchen, Mission Mtn. Wood Band & Asleep at the Wheel. Rick has also backed up Hank Thompson, Vassar Clements & Ferlin Husky.
Since moving back to Oregon, Rick has played with various musicians and currently occupies the other guitar chair in the Richard Day-Reynolds Band. Rick resides in Beaverton, OR
He can be reached at richard_roadman@hotmail.com
Jon's been playing drums for 20 years off and on but the last four have been very busy, productive and rewarding. He's played in several projects with bassist Pat Counts, including a stint with Pat and Mel Solomon. Jon's influences would be in no order: Steve Gadd, Stewart Copeland, John Bohnam, Phil Collins, Ringo Star, Martin Chambers, Rhienhart Melz, Steve Jordan, Fred Belo, Jeff Miniwether, Mel Brown, Joe Morello, Steve Ferrone, and of course, Keith Moon. One of the benefits of having a wide range of inflences is that it gives him the opportunity to play with a very wide variety of musicians and musical styles. Besides playing blues, Jon has played with some original and cover rock bands and even played country for a few years.
Currently, he's working with several bands, including The Richard Day Reynolds Band, 8-tracks with Brian Berg, The Quags, The Bad Sumaritans and the Kinzel & Hyde Band.
Phil McCoy grew up (relatively speaking) in Keizer Oregon where he was classically trained on violin and received several awards for his solo artistry during his school days.
He took a long break from performance music while serving in the military, but during his last years in the service became acquainted with Sig Paulson, a local Salem musical icon. One evening in 1987, sitting around the house "jamming," Sig encouraged Phil to perform with him at the Busick Court restaurant in Salem with Mark McKinney on keyboards and the rest is reverb (so to speak).
Phil has performed with numerous local acts both as a guest artist and band member. To name a few: One Red Dog with Sig Paulson, The Bob Beck Band with Gary Burford, Ellen Whyte and Reflex Blue and as a member of the original Reflex Blue with Garry Meziere, Nothin' Too Fancy, Somebody's Dad with Dave Rand and Steve Banks, Diana and the Songdogs with Diana Hengerer and Donnie Wright, Melody Guy, and most recently with the Richard Day-Reynolds Band.
Phil's greatest influences on his musical style have been his classical training and great admiration for the artistry of Jean-Luc Ponty and Stephane Grappelli. Though he has always had a passion for jazz, he has gathered an ear for many other styles including country, bluegrass, swing, rock, and blues. Phil primarily plays a five-string Zeta electric violin currently, but keeps his traditional four-string acoustic instrument handy just in case. More recently he has added the mandolin to his toolbox and hopes to work it into an additional performance instrument in the future.