Athens A-Train Band

Band members:

Katie Ford is the featured vocalist for the Athens A-Train Band. She possesses a captivating voice with an ability to interpret a wide variety of song stylings. She evokes the sounds of classic jazz vocalists such as Ella Fitzgerald and Dinah Washington as well as current singers such as Diana Krall. She does a wonderful job with ballads like "At Last" and can really belt out swing tunes such as "All of Me". She is always a big hit with crowds due to her voice, stage presence, and outgoing personality.

David Gastley plays guitar for the Athens A-Train Band. He has been playing music in the Athens area for over 20 years. Dave's favorite guitar player is Joe Pass, the renouned guitar recording artist who worked with all the jazz greats. Dave's guitar stylings reflect the influence of Joe Pass. Dave also played for a number of years as the lead guitarist for the blues band "The Healers". He transitions flawlessly from jazz, swing, ballads and latin to blues. As several of Dave's fans have remarked, " ... he can make the guitar sing". Dave's high energy solos are always crowd pleasers, including his version of "Johnny B. Goode".

Mike Jones plays tenor saxophone for the Athens A-Train Band. Mike is a talented jazz soloist who is able to interpret songs of various musical styles in a sophisticated yet intensely soulful manner. He plays in the style of the great jazz saxophists such as Ben Webster and Stan Getz. Mike also has a thorough understanding of music and provides the band with creative ideas for arranging songs. A tango that Mike wrote and A-Train performs packs a lot of intensity and really gets people on the dance floor.

Darrin Cook plays upright bass for the Athens A-Train Band. Darrin is a serious musician who has excelled in playing bass in quite a number of bands in the Athens area. He has also served as the principal double bassist for the Athens Symphony. He is in demand as a side man due to his uncanny ability to " make a song work". He has the skill to play music of various styles always in an outstanding manner. His solid playing adds greatly to Athens A-Train Band's unique sound.

Jamie DeRevere plays drums for the Athens A-Train Band. Jamie has also played in a number of bands in the Athens area, quite often with Darrin Cook. They have known each all their lives growing up locally as first cousins. Jamie and Darrin form the rhythm section of the band and their play together is impeccable. Jamie is a master of all the jazz and swing beats from intricate latin rhythms to bebop. Jamie is able to play a ballad very tastefully and to really let loose with an up-tempo jazz tune.

Ron McClendon plays keyboard for the Athens A-Train Band. Ron has played with several bands in the Athens area for over 20 years. He brings his valuable experience of playing early rock 'n roll and rhythm and blues to this group. He enjoys playing music of various styles , particularly latin jazz, swing,and blues. His expertise is in voicing chords on the keyboard to complement the talented vocal and instrumental soloists of the Athens A-Train Band. Ron is also the primary person to contact to book the A-Train Band.

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