For all the marathon rehearsals and times you’ve told me, "don’t even talk about money," I say thank you, thank you, thank you, not only for your time and talent, but for helping me to believe in myself when the little devil on my shoulder was shouting, "you totally suck, you loser!"

David Derge
Danny Frankel
Rayford Griffin
Julie Kiner
Doane Perry
Dan Potruch
Hal Rappleyea
Andre Thomas
Darryl Woolfolk

Viola
Sarah Shulman

Cal Bennett
Jean Fineberg
Lenny Harris
Tibor Olah
Michael Session
Andrew Woolfolk

Trumpet
Michael Hunter

Harmonica
Jon Gindik

Keyboards
Alfred Johnson

Angel Luis Figueroa
Michael Friend
Munyungo Jackson
Kalani
Nydia Mata
Kevin Ricard

Vocals
Joseph Bell
Julie Chadwick
Tony Novelle
Michael Shiflett

Marc Antoine
Larry Burnett
Stanley Cooper
Keith Field
Grant Geissman
Shelley Jennings
Steph Lexner
Tetsuya Moriguchi
Victor Sanders
Snuffy Walden

Marc Antoine (Guitar) ~ I met Marc in Los Angeles in the early nineties, before he was a smooth jazz household word. After hearing what he could do with a classical guitar, I was only too glad to have him do some club dates with my band, The Marginal Prophets. I didn’t know then that only a few years before his left hand had been shredded in a chance meeting with a plate glass door, and that the doctors said he’d never play again. You’d never know it to hear him play! That incredible spirit is what makes him a great musician.

Joseph Bell (Vocals) ~ If I could find this man I would hire him in a New York minute. (Joseph, where are you?) One of the most angelic voices I’ve ever heard. Check him out on Spirit Moving Me.

Cal Bennett (Sax) ~ I’m not sure if we met at church or at a club, but it wasn’t until he came to our first rehearsal that Cal and I found out we lived three doors away from each other! Cal has served as the musical director for Toni Braxton on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, has performed with Norman Brown, Bobby Lyle, Carl Anderson, recorded with Ice Cube, Hami, New Birth and Donna Summer, and has recently released his second solo album.

JT Brown (Bass) ~ When I moved back to DC in 1996 and asked local musicians, "Who is the best bass player in town?" I started hearing the name JT Brown. Best known as Mary Chapin Carpenter’s bass player for many years, he has recorded and performed with Esther Phillips, Esther Satterfield, Vicki Wynans, Stanley Cowell, Tremaine Hawkins, Anne Nesby, Carlton Burges, and Evelyn King. JT worked his booty off learning all the nuances and left turns of a dozen originals in two days for a date we played at Blues Alley ~ and, thanks to him & that rhythm section, we were smokin!

Larry Burnett (Guitar & Vocals) ~ It was at one of our dates at The Cellar Door that Rick Roberts discovered my then-partner and scooped him up to form Firefall. A soulful singer songwriter with a beautiful voice as well as a tasty guitar player, I’ve always thought Larry was even better than what the world got a chance to hear.

Julie Chadwick (Vocals) ~ When I lived in Venice, I started a Saturday night songwriter’s soiree, at which Julie was one of the beloved regulars. She was also a regular performer on the LA club scene, and especially at At My Place, where we often harmonized on each other’s gigs. A soulful and original singer songwriter.

Stanley Cooper (Guitar) ~ I first heard him playing with Maiesha Rashad at a little club in Silver Spring, Maryland in 1997 and dug his style. Stan has performed & recorded with the Marcus Johnson Project, Me’Shell Ndegéocello, Stacy Latisaw, Chuck Brown, Jean Carne, and Dougy Fresh.

David Derge (Drums) ~ I was fortunate to get to know David and his razor sharp wit after hearing him play in Chicago with Judy Roberts. That was when we were mere children, of course. Within days of my moving to LA, they came here on tour, and it was David’s mad skills that drew an audience full of amazing drummers, including Rayford Griffin and Michael White, all of whom I met for the first time that night. David has worked on scads of jazz projects, and has played with David Benoit, The Rippingtons, Shawn Colvin, Cannonball Adderley, Jose Feliciano, Larry Carlton, Richard Thompson, Bryan Bowers, Adrienne Barbeau and Scott Wilkie.

Angel Luis Figueroa (Percussion) ~ I had to drag his ass from Chicago to Los Angeles, but once he got here, he was unstoppable. Since then, Angel has toured and recorded with Herbie Hancock, Sting, Maxwell, Brian McKnight, Marc Anthony, The Temptations, Kenny Loggins, Jackson Browne, and has appeared on The Tonight Show, Vibe, VH-1, MTV Unplugged, and the David Letterman Show. He is the founder/director of PAWS (Percussion Artists Workshop), and teaches percussion at the University of Southern California.

Danny Frankel (Drums, Percussion) ~ Danny was the wonderfully zany and creative drummer in one of my very first bands, when we were still teenagers in Silver Spring, Maryland. Imagine how trippy it was, then, some 15 years later, when Angel Figueroa dragged me out in the middle of the day to somewhere in Redondo Beach, to get out of the car and find Danny standing there in the middle of this California suburb. Surreal! Turned out we were both there to visit percussionist Kevin Ricard. Of course, it’s all been downhill since then for Danny, who has recorded and/or performed with Beck, Marianne Faithful, Fiona Apple, Lou Reed, Jewel, Michael Penn, Victoria Williams, Lucious Jackson, Bo Diddley, Chico Science and many others. His CD, "New Thing on Jupiter," (an homage to his home planet) is available on W.I.N. Records.

Michael Friend (Percussion) ~ Michael has toured internationally with Ethiopian Jazz vocalist Aster Aweke as well as Gladys Knight and Lloyd Price. I always tell Michael that he was appropriately named, because he is one of those true blue spirits you can rely on to be real. It was a great joy to play with him in DC and I look forward to stealing him away from Lloyd Price, Jerry Butler and Ben E. King next time I do a few dates on the right coast.

Jean Fineberg (Sax & Flute) ~ Jean is a New York girl who has played and recorded with David Bowie, The Shirelles, Patti LaBelle, Little Anthony, Chic, and many others. She is a partner in the band Deuce and a member of the Montclair Women’s Big Band. An immensely talented pro, she contributed mightily to This American City, Blues Wings, Clear the Sky and other cuts on Tattoos.

Grant Geissman (Guitar) ~ Has recorded with such artists as Van Dyke Parks and Brian Wilson, Quincy Jones, David Benoit, Chuck Mangione, Sheila E., Carl Anderson, Keiko Matsui, Placido Domingo, Luis Miguel, and Paula Abdul. Did a beautiful job in the studio with us on Anything But Love and I Halve His Heart.

Jon Gindik (Harmonica) ~ People familiar with his little harmonica book might be surprised to find out what an excellent player he is. Check out his beautiful chromatic flow on Anything But Love and I Halve His Heart.

Welton Gite (Bass) ~ Welton got his start at age 14, touring with The Staple Singers at the height of their popularity. When Mavis asked him his name, she concluded that "Welton" would never do, and asked him his middle name. When he told her, "David," she said, "That’s what we’ll call you, Little David." Hence, that classic bass solo in "I’ll Take You There," features Mavis encouraging the young lad, with the phrase, "Little David, play on it." He then learned the meaning of 200 Motels, touring with Marvin Gaye, The Jackson Five, Smokey Robinson, Little Richard, Jr. Walker, Shalamar, Billy Preston, The Rolling Stones, Steppenwolf, Dr. John, The Pointer Sisters, Sister Sledge, Luther Vandross, Hubert Laws, Ronnie Laws, Willie Bobo, Carl Anderson, Norman Connors, Julio Ingelsias, Cheryl Lynn, Jeffrey Osborne, Della Reese, Patrice Rushen, Thelma Houston, and recording extensively with Alphonse Mouzon of Weather Report fame. As you can imagine, he is an awesome player. He recently sat in my livingroom giving new meaning to the term multitasking, as he laced beautiful lines over complex jazz changes on a song he’d never heard before while surfing the internet. Damn genius!

Rayford Griffin (Drums) ~ Michael Jackson, Anita Baker, Babyface, The Isley Brothers, Stanley Clarke, George Duke, George Howard, Bette Midler, Jean Luc Ponty, Norman Brown, Stephanie Mills, Patrice Rushen, Angela Winbush, Jeff Lorber, Winton Felder, Everett Harp, Dave Koz, Boyz II Men, Cameo, DeBarge, Manhattan Transfer, Kenny G, Rodney Franklin . . . what can you say about this man? Considered by many to be simply one of the best in the world, I feel very fortunate to have worked with him. I was also fortunate to have met Rayford the week I moved to Los Angeles, so that he was among my very first friends. Our conversations often run deep, and it was one such exchange that was the inspiration for the song, They Do Not Play the Drums.

Lenny Harris (Sax) ~ Lenny stepped into my band for a date we did at Blues Alley and seriously stepped up to the plate! His heartfelt playing style has earned him numerous recording and performing credits which include The Blackbirds, Gene Chandler, Soloman Burke, The Manhattans, Jean Carne, Eddie Floyd, Lloyd Price, Al Johnson, and Martha Reeves.

Michael Hunter (Trumpet) ~ Audiences who’ve heard him play over the years with Lenny Kravitz, Boz Scaggs, or any of the many artists he’s worked with haven’t heard the half of Hunter’s talent. His chops are first rate ~ as evidenced by the fact that he has recorded with none other than the Godfather of Soul, James Brown ~ but his improvisations are so tight because his melodic sense and compositional ability are truly phenomenal.

Munyungo Jackson (Percussion) ~ Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, Sting, Stevie Wonder, Anita Baker, Willie Bobo, Stanley Clarke, George Howard, Norman Brown, Dianne Reeves, Kenny Loggins, Jonathan Butler, The Supremes, Lionel Richie, Everette Harp, Keb’ Mo’ . . . The first time I called Munyungo to ask him to play on my demo, I was so terrified I couldn’t get the sentence out, so he interrupted, saying, "Do you want me to record They Do Not Play the Drums with you?" and before I could even say, "Well, yeah . . ." he was saying, "Hell, yes!" He then put layer upon layer of gorgeous percussion on my tracks, only stopping when he’d added the last little piece of perfection, a tiny bell at one strategic moment. As soon as he did it, I realized the song would not have been right without it. A trooper and a sweetie.

Shelley Jennings (Guitar) ~ Since contrbuting her fine guitar playing to Tattoos, Shelley has been recording and touring with Ferron.

Alfred Johnson (Keyboards & Vocals) ~ One of the most significant moments in my life was when Matt Kramer, then running Santa Monica’s premier club, At My Place, introduced me to Alfred, saying, "You two need to write together." Was he ever right! For those of you who don’t think you’ve heard Alfred, check out Rickie Lee Jone’s brilliant debut lp, and find Alfred’s music on "Company," "Youngblood," and "Weasel & the White Boy’s Cool" — in my opinion, some of the best songs on the album. Alfred is also probably one of the best lyricists ever to write in the English language and the funkiest damn piano playin’ man you’ll ever hear.

Kalani (Percussion) ~ Kalani has performed and/or record with such music legends as Kenny Loggins, David Sanborn, Max Roach, Barry Manilow, Vic Damone, John Mayall, Chante Moore, Dr. John, Jeff Porcaro, Michael Kamen, Melissa Manchester, is the featured percussionist on Yanni’s multiplatinum "Live at the Acropolis," and has performed on numerous film and TV soundtracks.

Bill Lanphier (Bass) ~ He appears with the likes of Vinnie Colajuta on The Rippingtons 1989 GRP release Kilimanjaro, as well as recordings by Harry Chapin, Tim Weisberg and Mark Winkler. A brilliant player who never took anything too seriously, check out how much he adds to Anything But Love, Carpenter, and I Halve His Heart.

Steph Lexner (Guitar) ~ From Paris, Steph came to L.A. in 1987 to study at the Guitar Institute of Technology. He was playing on the same bill at Cafe Largo when we found out at sound check that our guitar player was in a near fatal car accident. Steph reluctantly agreed to fill in and amazed us all as he immediately picked up even the most complex changes on two sets of originals. Since then we’ve done many a gig together and besides being an exceptional player, he’s grown dear to my heart. He has performed with The Coasters, The Drifters, Santana vocalist Greg Walker, and has recorded with Atlantic Records recording artist Steve Kowalczek. His sessions for film and television include the cable series "I Need a Life" and the soundtrack for the feature film, "Ghost Ship."

Nydia Mata (Percussion) ~ Cuban-born percussionist Nydia "Liberty" Mata is best know for her numerous recordings and performances with Laura Nyro, but has also played with Latin Fever, Isis, Lillian Allen, and with Jean Fineberg in Deuce. She is co-founder of The Harp Band and Retumba. It was great to work with Nydia on Tattoos.

Wade Matthews (Bass) ~ Talk about beautiful melodic bass lines! Wade was the other name that I kept hearing when I asked for the best bass player in DC. Wade was already one of the most highly respected musicians in the DC area when he began touring with my former high school upper classmate and Springstein guitarist, Nils Lofgren. I was lucky enough to have Wade in my band when I went back to live in Maryland in 1996, and sadly, heard that he was having serious health issues a few years later. On August 18, 2005, music lost a great talent and a wild and wonderful spirit. We will miss you, Wade. I am thankful that our paths crossed and that you graced my songs with your skillful musicality. I'll never forget the gorgeous counterpoint you created the first time we rehearsed "Look Back & Laugh" in my parents' suburban basement in Kensington. It never sounded better. And now you're in the Heaven Big Band, with Jimi, and Ray and all the rest. Bitch, stop gloating!!

Matt McFadden (Bass) ~ From New York, New Jersey, and Miami with a stint in Boston studying at Berklee. Matt has played with "too many people," including Dave Becker, The Fents, and Garden Variety, but thank God I am one of them! One of those wonderful musicians who knows how to play the song and not just the instrument, he’s also got a brilliant mind, a fantastic sense of humor, and has been an amazing source of support for which I am deeply grateful. His appreciation for my music increases my own appreciation of it.

Paul Merar (Bass) ~ Paul has appeared on over 20 albums including the Stayin’ Alive soundtrack, the Rocky IV soundtrack, and Frank Stallone's solo album. His television and film appearances include the Golden Globe Awards, Merv Griffin, Solid Gold, Stayin’ Alive and Dance Fever, and he has toured with Frank Stallone, Stix Hooper, Iyo Matsumoto, Arbors, Cheveré, Vicki Hubley, Faith Pillow, and numerous bands in the Chicago and Los Angeles areas.

Tetsuya Moriguchi (Guitar) ~ Tetsuya appears with Michael Ruff and Marilyn Scott on Lesley Smith’s 1992 release, Les is More.

Tony Novelle (Vocals) ~ Tony and I met at church, when we were both part of the music ministry at Agape Center of Truth. If you're lucky, you can still catch him there some Sundays, where his solos are always a highlight of inspiration to last you through the week. Check out his beautiful voice on Spirit Moving Me.

Tibor Olah (Sax) ~ Tibor appeared, played his ass off, and disappeared, never to be heard from again. Wherever he is, I’d like to thank him for the great job he did on this recording of Revelation.

Doane Perry (Drums) ~ Before he went off to play with Jethro Tull, Doane played with us at At My Place, when Alfred Johnson and I put together The Huzband. I still remember Doane’s sensitivity when I was ready to tear my hair out. A great cat to work with, and, of course, a great player. You can also hear him on recordings with Lou Reed, Jimmy Messina, Laura Branigan, and Dweezil Zappa,

Dan Potruch (Drums) ~ Why do I love drummers so much? Because of people like Dan, who is a laugh riot besides being a tasty drummer. I don’t know the half of what he’s done, but you can find him on recordings by Larisa Bryski, Jill Cohn, Rick Dufay and Chris Ho.

Kevin Ricard (Percussion) ~ In addition to his numerous film and television credits, Kevin has performed with Sergio Mendes, Herb Albert, Steve Winwood, Kenny Loggins and has been touring with Stevie Wonder since 1998. His long list of international recording credits include Joe Zawinul, B.B. King, and Wayne Shorter.

Michael Session (Sax) ~ Michael first heard me not as a musician but as a poet, at a Leimert Park reading. As I recited my piece, Thank Black America, I saw him raise one eyebrow, with a look of surprised approval. The feeling was mutual once I’d heard him blow and before long we were playing some musical dates together. You can find Michael on recordings with the late great Horace Tapscott, in addition to his own solo projects.

Michael Shiflett (Vocals) ~ What a voice, and what a spirit! Somewhere between Michael McDonald and David Clayton Thomas, a heart of gold, a Virginia boy with soul. When I first called Michael to sing with me on a project, he hadn’t heard me and was totally uninterested. His voice was dripping with a tone I recognized, the jaded L.A. what-meaningless-wannabe-waste-of-time-is-this? tone. I had to convince him to listen to the tape, but what a good laugh we got out of it later, when we became each other’s biggest fans and good friends.

Sarah Shulman (Viola) ~ Sarah adds her beautifully emotive playing to various cuts on my 1980 release, Tattoos. You can hear her best on You Are the River and In the Mourning Sun, but she’s also here (and there) on Clear the Sky.

Andre Thomas (Drums) ~ Playing with Dre made me a better musician, because his pocket is so phat, so solid, that I could just sit in it and do my job. That’s why I secretly call him Doctor Pocket, and why Aretha Franklin, Lloyd Price, Jean Carne, Melba Moore and Roy Ayers were also glad to find him.

W. G. Snuffy Walden (Guitar) ~ In the heydey of At My Place, Alfred Johnson and I teamed up to form The Huzband, and Snuffy brought his amazingly soulful guitar into the mix. He was already a studio legend, having recorded with everyone from Chaka Khan, to Eric Burdon and Donna Summer. Snuffy went on to score thirtysomething, The Wonder Years, Ellen, Rosanne, Sisters, The Jackie Thomas Show, I'll Fly Away, My So Called Life, the Stephen King mini-series, The Stand, Felicity, Early Edition and many other television shows and films. He is currently scoring The West Wing, Once & Again, The Drew Carey Show, Roswell, Providence, Norm, Three Sisters, The Street and First Years. He won an EMMY for his theme to The West Wing and has received eight Emmy nominations.

Darryl Woolfolk (Drums) ~ Currently working in Vegas with Gladys Knight, his numerous touring & recording credits include K-Ci & Jojo, Jeffrey Osborne, Patrice Rushen, Philip Bailey, The Pointer Sisters, Micki Howard, Little Richard, Billy Preston, DeBarge, Jennifer Holiday, Mark Lindsay, Jean Carne, Stephanie Mills, Thelma Houston, Johnnie Gill and Jody Watley. Darryl’s been the backbone behind many a gig with me over the years, and he’s a joy to work with. As he would say, he’s just playin!

Andrew Woolfolk (Sax) ~ Like his brother, Andrew was raised in the diverse locales that give one a global world-view. As a prominent member of Earth, Wind & Fire throughout the 70’s, and as Phil Collins’ sax man in the ‘90s, he has toured and recorded extensively and is well-known. I was lucky enough to have him join us for some shows when he was between legends, and was delighted to discover that he can not only play "outside," but could read my mind when it came to solos.