Homeless Blues Benefit Concert | |||||||||
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| The Musicians | The Tickets | Home | The Poster | The Sponsors | CROSS Ministries | ||||
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These are the Musicians who are playing for you at the Homeless Blues Benefit Concert. These are also the Musicians who are Donating their time and talent for a cause that they feel is very important to Des Moines. | |||||||||
Iowa Blues All of Fame Members | |||||||||
 In 1967, he got up the nerve to ask to sit in with The Norman Henderson Trio, a Jazz group from Denver, Colorado that was performing at a club on Center Street in Des Moines. It went well, and George was offered the job as frontman. His first paid gig with the band was at the Knights of Pithius Hall in Waterloo, Iowa.George was in the band The Soul Pushers from '69 to '72, before forming We The Band, playing a mixture of Soul, Funk, R&B, and Blues. In 1975, George joined Antelon, a 7-piece horn band that performed original material and played all over the Midwest, and recording in the late '70s. George opened up his own construction business in Des Moines, while keeping up his singing chops while sitting in at Blues jams locally and on the road. He has sung at venues in Chicago, Memphis, Nashville, and even Hawaii. He has performed with many name artists including Son Seals, Otis Clay, Big Time Sarah, Chico Banks, Dion Payton, Kenny Neal, Billy Branch, Bob Margolin, and Preston Shannon, among others. In 2003, George found himself leading the band The Other Brothers, releasing two CDs with the group. In 2005, he joined The Bob Pace Band, and is currently keeping a very busy schedule of gigs all around Central Iowa. | |||||||||
Ron McLain | |||||||||
 In the seventh grade when Ron started playing the stand-up bass it was a toss up who was bigger! "It always just fascinated me, and I sing bass," the 63-year-old Des Moines native says. Through high school Ron played in the school band. He started traveling with a spiritual music organization called True Friends where his voice was as instrumental as his bass playing was. After Switching to the electric bass he traveled throughout Iowa for a number of years in the late 1950s performing with the six-piece, Gospel style group. For a brief while, he hooked up with Jimmy Pryor and a few others to create the Soul Gospel group, The Mighty Revelators. He became one of the founding members of The Soul Brothers and they were together for about 9-10 years. Ron, went to Costa Mesa, California in 1968. He came back in 1971 because Des Moines is laid back and home. He decided to take a look at other things for a career and took a few short courses at Drake. Ron found what he was looking for and for 30 years has been working for the local chapter of the Teamsters Union. As the President of the Local he became the first minority to hold an executive position on the board here in Iowa. Retired now Ron is back involved with the Central Iowa Blues Society and the Blues Scene here is Des Moines. | |||||||||
Gilbert Davis | |||||||||
Gil traveled to New York and Detroit before settling in New Jersey. Near the end of the '60s, he called up George and told him to come out to Jersey and they went on to form The Chosen Few in Asbury Park. The band at one time featured saxman Clarence Clemons, who went on to huge fame with Bruce Springsteen. In fact, Clemons was Best Man at Gil's wedding and Gil played on two tracks on Bruce's Greetings From Asbury Park album. The Chosen Few eventually became The Hot Line. Their biggest highlight was performing at the famous Apollo Theatre. George went back to Des Moines and Gil left the music scene, eventually going into the ministry for 12 years until 1998. Gil is now back in Des Moines and performing in clubs again with George in their band, Sumpin' Doo. | |||||||||
George Davis | |||||||||
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 George Davis is a native of Des Moines. He began singing at the age of 9 with his brother and sister, Gilbert and Audrey, as The Davis Trio. At 12, he became the lead vocalist in the group, Little George & the Del-Rays. They performed throughout the state and in Omaha, Nebraska, but most of the engagements were on clubs on Center Street here in Des Moines. When George was just 17 the Del-Rays were signed with a newly founded record company in Des Moines, Success Records. They later changed their name to The Blendtones and released their first record titled Lovers, written by George. The record climbed to #3 in Los Angeles, behind #2 "Just One Look" (by Doris Troy) and the #1 hit "Fingertips" (by 12 year old Stevie Wonder). In the summer of '63, the group went on a very successful tour on the West Coast. At 18, George began taking guitar lessons and within a year the group, The Soul Brothers, was formed. The players consisted of Harlan Thomas on keyboards, Ron McClain on bass, Gene Jackson on drums and both "Chicago Rick" Lussie and George on guitars. The group also featured several vocalists, including Willis Dobbins, Brother Butch Edmonds, and Anita Cooper. The Soul Brothers were featured as the house band at the San Francisco Lounge on Ingersoll Avenue in Des Moines for a number of years. George got a call from his brother Gilbert, who had relocated to New Jersey sometime in '68. He told George the area was wide open for musicians and that was all George needed to hear. George and longtime drummer friend, Billy Crawford, took off for the Garden State. The remained there and played successfully, teaming up with new groups of very talented musicians. Today, George and Gilbert are back in Des Moines. When not teaming up again with his brother Gil, in their band with George in their band, Sumpin' Doo, George can often be seen at the Blues On Grand club, where he is usually coaxed up to the stage to sit in with the band that is playing. George is the epitome of class, and his impassioned, utterly soulful voice, never fails to bring down the house... | |||||||||
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| The Bob Pace Band | The Thunderbolts | Hot Tamale | Hall of Fame Band | Back to the Top | |||||
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Bassist Gilbert Davis, started performing at an early age in Des Moines with The Davis Trio. With Little George & the Del Rays, Gil was performing in the clubs on Center Street as a teenager. The Del Rays became The Blendtones and they were signed to the Success label, enjoying a big hit record with "The Lovers" in 1963 and a successful West Coast tour.