This past Tuesday night I had the opportunity to attend the “East Bay Grease Benefit for Bruce Conte” who is battling leukemia .  The benefit was held at Yoshi’s in Oakland and was produced by “Soul Sisters Productions” (Tracy Turner-Pain and Susan Mills) and David K. Mathews.  First of all let me say that Tracy, Susan, and David did a remarkable job in putting this Benefit together.  The show moved quickly with little down time in between sets, which in and of itself was quite a task given all the artists that donated their time for the cause.   Available for purchase to the fans were signed posters by all the artists in attendance, which went toward the benefit, in my opinion a very nice touch.  And many artists donated their CD’s for sale to raise additional monies.  Once again, great job Tracy, Susan, and David.

As for the Benefit concert itself, I must say it was nothing short of outstanding.  A who’s who of Bay Area Musicians showed up to perform  Artists in attendance were as follows:  The Ray Charles Project (David K. Mathews, Deszon Claiborne, Glenn Walters, & Tony Lindsay), Bobby Vega, Clifford Coulter, Chester “CT” Thompson, Deszon Claiborne, Elvin Bishop, George Brooks, Greg Errico, Jeff Tamelier, Jonnie Bamont, Karl Perazzo, Louis Pain, Lydia Pense, Linda Tillery, Mic Gillette, Mike Sasaki, Nate Ginsberg, Rick Baily, Ron E. Beck, Rick Stevens, Renato Caranto, Tom Coster, and Tom Poole.  The musicianship of these artists made this an incredible music event, and the sold out audience, many of them musicians themselves, were on their feet most of the evening.  For me, the highlight of the evening was Linda Tillery.  I have not seen here perform in many years, but her voice is still powerful, and she commands the stage.

Bruce himself was on stage performing with many of these artists.  Given what he is going through, he looked and sounded great.  For those of you that missed the show, and would like to contribute to help in Bruce’s battle please go to www.soulsisterspdx.com or www.towerofpower.com

For those of you on facebook you can see photos of the event at https://www.facebook.com/events/365685780225797/

Darryl Walker lead singer for East Bay Soul has just released a new CD of his own titled “Hold Me”.  In an email exchange with Darryl he writes ” Greg Adams and Lee Thornburg are featured together on one song, and Greg Adams does a tasty solo on the title track (Hold Me)”.

About Darryl:

Darryl Walker has been blessed with incredible talents. Since early childhood, when he could belt out “Sittin’ on the Dock of the Bay” with the passion of Otis Redding, Darryl has grown into one of the most exceptional vocal talents in the industry and has graced some of the most notable venues and exclusive private events as well as notable jazz and R & B concerts in the country.

In addition to his stunning vocal abilities, Darryl has also become known for an amazing talent on the saxophone. Specializing in R&B, Pop, Blues, and Jazz, Darryl has lit up countless live shows and recording sessions with leads and backgrounds…adding vocals or horn for a bevy of labels: Tabu, A&M, Motown, Mesa Blue Moon Records, Northern Blues, and Ripa Records. Bilingual skills have garnered him the honor of being the vocalist of choice for the pre-production team of world-renowned Latin artist Luis Miguel.
Darryl’s an active voting member of the Recording Academy’s Los Angeles Chapter. Also a member of AFTRA, he’s backed up guest stars on The Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson, and performed jingles for Dole, Pringles, Toyota, and Honey Nut Cheerios.

This double threat is known in the industry as a consummate professional. His natural talents, dedication to his craft, charisma and personal warmth come across with each and every performance. It’s easy to see what has made this artist a favorite with so many celebrity, society and corporate clients across the nation. Darryl currently tours with Greg Adams and East Bay Soul as lead vocalist, and saxophonist, and Haute Chile Productions as lead vocalist, saxophonist, and percussionist.

We will soon have a few of Darryl’s songs in our rotation here at Horn Driven Radio. You can pick up the CD now at www.darrylwalker.com. Once on Darryl’s site go to the “Darryl Walker Store” tab.

This Friday August 16th, Tower Of Power will be on Fox and Friends Summer Concert Series.  To find out more go to http://www.foxnews.com/on-air/fox-and-friends/all-american-summer-concert-series.