SLIGHTLY TILTED
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| One hot August night in 1977, a Dallas rock band packed up and loaded the van for the last time. Thirty years later they somehow ended up as neighbors in East Texas. Rhandy Simmons, Fred Howard and Tim Grugle went their own way on that day in 1977; now with the addition of Kent Gooding and Wes Hendrix, they are slightly grayer and play slightly quieter. Kent Gooding is an accomplished vocalist, guitarist, keyboardist and percussionist. Kent has played with many artists during his career including Gary Porterfield and Michael O’ Neal. He is currently busy recording a solo album at Siesta Ranch and also performing with The Whisky River Road Show and Post Oak Savannah. Wes Hendrix shares the vocals and is also a smooth operator of a six string. Wes brings a soulful and gritty style to the mix. He paid his dues working as a house musician in 1979 at The Steak Pit on Harry Hines in Dallas where he met songwriter David Patton and formed the David Patton band, from whom many lessons were learned. In 1981 Wes formed the country band Stallion and for 14 years toured with great success. In 1995 he toured with Sony recording artist Ty Herndon. Wes is now working freelance with artists such as Kacey Musgraves. Fred Howard can rock with the best, as he did in Dallas bands Lodella and Pandora, but he is also an accomplished finger- style guitarist. With this diversity, Fred brings a refined element to the group. This is evident in his songwriting abilities and musical tastes that range from jazz-fusion to classical to blues. Fred is currently a session guitarist for Siesta Ranch Recording Studio. Being elected as a Buddy Magazine Texas Tornado in 1991 was one of the highlights of drummer Tim “Chopper” Grugle’s career. It started when his parents noticed he beat everything in their house with wooden spoons and sticks. Also a recording engineer and producer, he has played with, recorded or produced for most major and major independent labels, and acts such as Metallica, Chuck Berry, John Nitzinger, Raizin Cain, and Pantera. His band Bellicose was an icon in the Texas music scene and their CD “Love On Ice” went to number one on many stations. Bassist Rhandy Simmons started out with Fred and Tim back in the ‘70’s and then went on to play with numerous notables including Danny and Darius Brubeck (Dave’s sons) and Roomful of Blues. Rhandy won the Buddy Magazine Texas Tornado award in 1987, and was with Anson Funderburgh and the Rockets when the band won the 1992 W.C. Handy award for Best Blues Band. After touring and recording with Mike Morgan and the Crawl, Rhandy established Siesta Ranch Recording Studio where he has recorded and produced dozens of CDs. |
