FLORIST * BRIDAL * FORMAL WEAR * BANQUET * DINNER THEATER * WEDDING PACKAGES * CHAPEL
Biographies of Performers
(past and future)
Performed on April 17th
MEDIA BIOS:
JOY SHAVER SANFORD
Joy Shaver Sanford is originally from Hardy, Arkansas and graduated from ASU with a degree in music education. She recently retired after 30 years as a music teacher in the Arkansas public school system. She was a child prodigy pianist and was the premier student of piano virtuoso Professor Myron Myers who taught at ASU the 1960's and 70's. Joy is a classically trained concert pianist and accompanist, and is currently very much in demand at ASU to perform with the advanced music sudents at recitals and concerts at the university. She has also studied Jazz piano and has worked with many important Jazz musicians during her music career. She has also participated in the legendary Jamey Abersol Jazz Clinics in Louisville. Critics have marveled about her special touch on the keyboard, and her exceptional mastery of the instrument, as well as her ability to accompany a vocalist of any genre. Joy Shaver Sanford lives in Jonesboro, Arkansas and performs at the university, local clubs, and at the Peabody in Memphis.
LISA AHIA GAZAWAY
Native Hawaiian vocalist Lisa Ahia Gazaway is from Maui. Lisa began performing shows with her father Samuel Ahia, Hawaii’s premier Jazz guitarist and Polynesian entertainer, when she was eight years old. Since that time, she has been performing traditional Hawaiian and Polynesian music as well as Jazz standards for audiences from Hawaii to Nashville. She is an accomplished ukulele player, and has been featured as a musician, vocalist and master of ceremonies for the major Native Hawaiian and Polynesian shows in Maui. Lisa also has a deep heartfelt love for American jazz standards. Her beautiful velvet voice delivers a unique artistic quality to every song she sings. With depth and emotion, she sings the melody and lyrics with her special phrasing and interpretation. Some of her favorite vocal influences are Sarah Vaughan, Carmen McCrae, Johnny Hartman, Chet Baker, and Tony Bennett.
GARY GAZAWAY
Gary Gazaway is from Northeast Arkansas, where the Western Lowlands of the Central Mississippi Valley join the Ozark Plateau. At an early age, he was influenced by the region's rich musical heritage of blues, soul, gospel, folk, rock, and jazz. He has lived and worked in New York City, Miami , Puerto Rico, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Nashville, and Hawaii, exploring and researching the music and culture from each community. Gazaway has performed or recorded with a long list of diverse Latin and American artists including Israel Lopez (Cachou), The Machito Orchestra, Celia Cruz, Lisette, Flora Purim, Airto, Wagner Tiso, Toninho Horta, OPA, Jaime Roos, Eduardo Mateo, Jaco Pastorius, Jon Hendricks, Ornette Coleman, Robert Palmer, Joe Cocker, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Delbert McClinton, George Jones, Steve Winwood, The Memphis Horns, The Committments, Phish; and on 3 platinum and 7 gold albums. His music has been described as instrumental Jazz/Blues/Latin/Rock, and is a terrific blend of many different styles and influences that create a unique instrumental sound. He plays the trumpet and keyboard with supersonic effects, and leads his band through original songs and modified jazz standards that can be intense and melodic, but contain open sections for free-form improvisation, with modern and traditional dance rhythms layered underneath. Gary Gazaway's group "El Buho" (a nickname fondly bestowed to him in South America and translates as "The Owl"), tours in the Southeast, Midwest, Southwest; and has featured many special guests including Victor Wooten, Mike Gordon, Oteil Burbridge, Grant Green Jr., and the increasingly popular Sound Tribe Sector 9.
Performed on September 6, 2007 - Vikki McGee Band
Vikki McGee hails from the small town of Port Barre, Louisiana. Right in the heart of Cajun Country where there is lots of good food, fun loving people, and lots of great music. Although Vikki is not a Cajun singer, that hot spicy blend definitely seeps into her voice.
Vikki is the third generation of musicians in her family. They have contributed and influenced her powerful sound and music.
"I love all kinds of music, never could settle on one." She grew up listening to everything from Ray Charles, Aretha, to The Carpenters, and even Ozzy! "I just sing it all, of course my favorite is Rhythm and Blues." When I write, every song is different. Some have a country feel to them, some are blues, some Rock and Roll, its just whatever I feel at the moment.
Vikki has led many bands including Louisiana Fire which opened for many groups such as Little Texas, Restless Heart, Tracy Lawrence, Shenandoah, and many others. While with Louisiana Fire, Vikki covered the South. They performed for Jerry Jones and some of the Dallas Cowboys Victory Parties. Vikki now leads her own band (The Vikki McGee Band).
Vikki and her band can go up or down in size (anything from a solo acoustic gig, to a full five piece band). The Vikki McGee Band can perform at Weddings, Engagement parties, Anniversary parties, Restaurants, Festivals, and Fairs. Whatever the event, big or small, she can deliver a powerful performance that will long be remembered.
Vikki's CD entitled "Never Knowing", is available at cdbaby.com, itunes.com, and all shows. Please visit Vikki at her website www.vikkimcgee.com.
Vikki McGee is an extremely versatile singer/songwriter. She is a crowd pleasing entertainer, who works very hard to do what she loves to do...... sing the songs in her heart.
Performed on September 13, 2007 - F.U.P.C.
"Don't try to impress with fancy guitar licks, but always play from the heart!"
Tony Spinner, musician, guitarist and vocalist is not only a blues player through and through who lives and breaths blues music, he is also blessed with an incredible voice as well as an amazing guitar technique. That's what makes him such an exciting performer to see live! Let's dig into the career of this unbelievable talented guitarist to find out what Tony is all about!
Tony was born in Cape Girardeau, MO on June 9, 1963. His family wasn't musical as far as playing instruments, but they listened to music a lot especially Marty Robbins, Elvis Presley, Tom Jones and a wide variety of others. Tony always got excited when a tv show would have a musical guest. He loved to watch shows like Sonny and Cher, Dean Martin and Glen Campbell.
Tony always liked music as far back as he can remember: "I started off liking '50's rock-n-roll celebrities such as Little Richard and Chuck Berry who I still like today and I also remember liking songs that told stories like "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown" by Jim Groce and "Uneasy Rider" by the Charlie Daniels Band."
At the age of 8 he took guitar and piano lessons for a short time but he really wanted to play the saxophone, because it always was the lead solo instrument in most of the '50's music that he listened to at the time. At age 14 Tony really got serious with guitar after watching the movie "Woodstock" and seeing Alvin Lee with 10 Years After and Jimi Hendrix. Tony tried out for a jazz band but it only lasted a day and a half on guitar: "On the second day of rehearsal the band leader figured out that I couldn't read music and sent me on my way. He said I couldn't play in the jazz band without learning to read music. I still can't read and I still don't play jazz!" During his highschool period Tony and his buddies always had a band. They changed the name of the band almost every week, because they couldn't agree on a name! They played hard rock like Van Halen, Ted Nugent and Queen.
The musician that influenced him most was Chuck Berry: "His music still gets me excited when I listen to it. He really wrote some great lyrics. Jimi Hendrix was very influential because he was so expressive with his music. Stevie Ray Vaughan got me out of hard rock and back into the blues and boogie that was my first love and of course Rory Gallagher was a big influence, because he taught me to play from the heart and not to think too much with your head. Don't worry about trying to impress people with fancy guitar licks...but play from your heart!"
Tony started getting serious about music in junior high school. His friend Kevin Rellegert bought a bass guitar from a Sears catalog and he and Tony would work up songs together. Eventually they found a drummer and started a band. The first gig was at a talent show at the Jackson, Mo. Fair. They lost to tap dancers! "The judges were old and were holding their ears the whole time we were playing, but the audience seemed to like us." The music Tony likes to play most is boogie and blues because it feels very natural to him. He liked it from the start and it makes him feel good! The music he never gets tired of listening to are albums from the original Allman Brothers Band with Duane and Barry. He collects their bootlegs as well as bootlegs of Jimi Hendrix, Rory Gallagher, Robin Trower and he spends most of his spare time listening to them. Lately he is also listening a lot to Norah Jones and Doyle Bramhall II. He likes bands that improvise live with their music. That's interesting to him!
One of the first gigs with his band was at a place called "The Hideaway" in Illinois: "It was always hard to find a gig when I first started playing music. I remember driving across the Mississippi River from my home town of Cape Girardeau, Missouri to Illinois and convincing a club owner to give my band a chance. Well this guy did and that's pretty much where we started. It taught me that persistance is the key to getting anywhere in life!"
The first time he met Kim Edens was the night he moved to Arkansas from Missouri more than 20 years ago. He moved to join a band and the guitar player took him to see Kim's band play. He knew right away that Kim was a great drummer. Tony met Sonny Hunt when he recorded at his studio with a band he was in and he bumped into Mark Fender off and on in different night clubs; they played the same circuit. It was early 2001 that The Tony Spinner Band started playing together.
Such is the respect he has with the musician fraternity in the U.S. that Tony has joined the grammy award winning Toto band and has performed on all their shows since 1999, singing background vocals (high harmonies) plus electric and acoustic guitar. He now sings lead vocals with TOTO on their big hit "I can't stop Loving You". He appears on the Toto CD "Livefields" and on the Toto "Live in Amsterdam" DVD released in September 2003.
Tony Spinner has three records of his own released on the Blues Bureau International Label. The first record, "Saturn Blues" was recorded in 1993, "My '64" in 1995, and "Crosstown Sessions" in 1996. He was also chosen to record on the label's tribute albums to Stevie Ray Vaughan and Albert King, "Hat's Off to Stevie Ray," and "Fit for A. King."
His most recent work includes a remake of "Up From the Skies" on the "Voodoo Crossing, a tribute to Jimi Hendrix" CD released in November 2003. Since 1998, he has also performed on two records and toured with Paul Gilbert, formerly of Mr. Big, playing electric and acoustic guitar and singing background vocals. Prior to 1998, Tony toured as guitarist and background vocalist for the Pat Travers Band.
Tony likes playing early 60's strats and his personal favorite is a 1960 Fiesta Red Strat named Vern. He owns the '64 Chevy SS on the cover of "My 64" and it is one of his most prized possessions and one of his favorite hobbies.
Tony is currently writing and recording his forthcoming CD titled "Chicks and Guitars" which is tentatively scheduled for a late 2004 release. When Tony is not touring with TOTO he plays in the United States and The Netherlands with this own group The Tony Spinner Band.
Performed on September 26th
Chillyrose
Chillyrose is an original rock n roll band, based in Northeast Arkansas. The current lineup consists of Kris Rose, Alex Lynch and Chris Lynch. Based on a philosophy of creating music that is at the same time fun to listen to and exciting to dance to, chillyrose performs a variety of venues and settings, most recently headlining the largest microbrew beer festival in Arkansas, LittleRocktoberfest.
The beginnings of chillyrose may be traced back to Harmony Road in Randolph County Arkansas, where the brothers Chris and Alex Lynch grew up in a musically rich environment. Their parents provided support and encouragement to enjoy writing and performing music. Kris Rose, longtime musical partner, met Chris Lynch in Junior High school. The two immediately began jamming, and when Chris moved away, Alex and Rose performed with several different bands. Many different bands, and many shows later, chillyrose was born as an acoustic duo. Alex joined the band in 2006, and chillyrose became electric!
Chillyrose original music is currently being produced by Harmony Studios, and is available online at my myspace.
Performed on August 16th & October 18th
The Billy Joe French band is well known for their traditional country music sound. Lead singer French has been a country music fixture for many years and was influenced by the classic country voices of Ray Price, Merle Haggard and Marty Robbins. With Tim Crouch on fiddle, Robbie Springfield on steel guitar, Ed Cooper on lead guitar/background vocals, Ken Loggains on drums, and Doug Driesel on bass/background vocals, this group is rich with musical talent.
Performed on August 23rd & October 11th - The Mike Gray Band
Mike has been singing professional since he was 5 years old, starting out on the Sunday afternoon radio show with his parents, and then with many local bands in the northeast Arkansas area. After high school ventured up north and played with Ted Nugent and The Amboy Dukes. Coming back to Arkansas and starting his own bands over the years. He has gone thru many phases of music and recorded, gospel, rock,blues and country over the last 20 years. His last recording Maiden Voyage was a combination of all these, and were all written by him. He plays lead guitar and banjo on most of the tunes. He sold several thousand c.d.s locally of the Maiden Voyage album and is currently playing with the band Backflash when he doesn't have a booking with the Mike Gray Band. Mike is an accomplished song writer and blues guitarist anlong with being the co owner of Petals and Lace/Creekside Loft, florist bridal formalwear, chapel, and banquet hall in Hardy Ar.
Mike has warmed up some big bands, such as David Allen Coe, Kentuckey Headhunters, Henry Gross. 38 Special, Edgar Winter Group, Chicage and Blood Sweat and Tears. Mike has his own recording label, Southern Gray Records and will soon be opening his recording studio in Hardy Ar.
Lauren, was born with a special gift from God, a beautiful voice. Besides walking around with a microphone in her hand since she was two years old, she sang backup on her dad's last c.d. and since then she has become a lead singer specializing in the blues.
Lauren has performed on Beale Street numerous times and performs at the CreekSide Loft dinner and Blues events every third Friday. Also, she is a full time employee of Tri County Farm and Ranch, and booked every weekend for 8 months in advance.
JAZZ OF YOUR LIFE CONCERT in Hardy, AR
Joy Shaver Sanford, (piano), Lisa Ahia Gazaway (vocal), and Gary Buho Gazaway (trumpet)
gave a JAZZ OF YOUR LIFE Concert at CREEKSIDE LOFT in Hardy, Arkansas, on August 30, 2007.
Performance of uplifting sounds by The First United Pentecostal Church Choir. One hour of praise and worship songs with the special Black Light hymn.
Performed on September 20, 2007 - Backflash, country at its best
Blazing a trail straight out of the Ozarks, BACKFLASH plays a high energy combination of classic Southern rock and country that's a sure crowd pleaser ... if you want to rock all night or just kick back to some golden old country tunes.
BACKFLASH's music has them very much in demand with over 200 shows slated within the next year. Many opening for the likes of THE KENTUCKY HEADHUNTERS and CONFEDERATE RAILROAD. So if you feel like hitting the dance floor or just sitting back and watching the show this group will leave you coming back for more and more ... Southern style! !
Mike Wicker, Vocals, guitar and bass is from Myrtle, Missouri. He has been playing music for over 35 years. Mike has been playing in the Backflash band for the last 4 years. He has toured the US and played with a number of local groups giving him the ability to lay down a country tune down with the "best of em" as well as churn out the likes of some Bob Seger.
Justin Baldridge, guitar and bass. Justin was born and raised in Mammoth Spring, Ar. Justin is 22 years old and has been playing in the Backflash band for the last 4 years. He has been playing the guitar since he was 14 years old. Justin alternates throughout the evening between bass and guitar. Justin brings an edge of youthful energy to the group. Although he is the youngest of the bands line up keep an eye on him as are sure to hear more of this young man in the future.
Greg Larson, drums and vocals. Greg has been on several recordings and international tours. With over 20 years on the drums he adds a solid backbeat that drives the band and fills the dance floor. Greg was a graduate of Mammoth Spring, Ar although some people claim he is from Spain. Keep your eye on him as he like to throw the drum sticks in the air and catch them never missing a beat.
Mike Gray has been singing professional since he was 5 years old, starting out on the Sunday afternoon radio show with his parents, and then with many local bands in the northeast Arkansas area. After high school ventured up north and played with Ted Nugent and The Amboy Dukes (see more about Mike Gray in the Mike Gray Band bio).
Call (870) 856-2113 to make a reservation or contact us via e-mail to petalsnloft@centurytel.net
Petals & Lace
and Creekside Loft
111 Woodland Hills
Hardy, AR 72542
(870) 856-2113
Email: petalsnloft@centurytel.net
