FORTY YEARS ....     The Players

Eric Chase – acoustic guitar, nylon string guitar,           piano, vocals

Eric Chase is a singer/songwriter born and raised in California.  This album is his first solo effort, after forty years of writing songs privately.  He started his career in music as a teenager and was the bass player for the Southern California band the Gross National Product in the late 1960’s.  Since those days he has pursued a career as an environmental geologist and returned his first love, music, in 2007.

Johny Barbata is a consummate professional drummer, having anchored such legends as the Turtles, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, Jefferson Starship and Eric Clapton, as well as performing on solo albums by Neil Young, Stephen Stills, Graham Nash and many others.  He has over 20 hit records to his credit and has appeared on hundreds of recorded works.  Johny’s drumming style is the perfect blend of creativity and a solid groove that makes every recording better. 

Richie Ayres began playing professionally at the age of 14, and by age 18 was opening for acts like Willie Nelson.  He began engineering and producing in top studios like Record Two in Mendocino California by the age of 20.  Taught by top recording engineers like Shannon O'Neil, Louie Demetre, Paul Carlsen(Nirvana, Greg Allman) & Rick Duncan, and by seasoned studio-savvy musicians like Johny Barbata,(Crosby Stills Nash & Young, Eric Clapton, Neil Young, Jefferson Starship), the Doobie Brother's Mike Hossack, and Steve Kindler (Rod Stewart, Jeff Beck), Rich learned about song development, arranging parts, complex vocal harmonies, and the fundamentals of quality recording.  He spent three years in Hollywood in the late 1990’s as a session guitar player, while engineering and producing in L.A. recording studios like Winslow Court Studios in Hollywood, and Apparatus Studios in the Malibu hills. He now owns and operates River City Recording in Roseville, California.

Alex Drizos is the bassist for the Dave Mason band.  His early career included recordings and tour appearances with Christian music acts such as The Archers, Denny Correll, Benny Hester, Phil Keaggy, Brian Duncan and the legendary Andrae Crouch.  He went on to play bass guitar for Donna Summer on her '92 World Tour, which took him to Chile, Argentina, Brazil and Spain.  In 1997 Alex began working with Eddie Money until receiving the call to join the Dave Mason Band in August of 1997.  He was asked to play bass, sing and be the tour manager from his first day on the job.  He performed with Dave in Japan in December of 1997, then on the “Co-Founder's Of Traffic" Tour with Dave and Jim Capaldi in 1998.  He is the bassist on the live album "40,000 Headmen Tour", and continues to play for and manage the Dave Mason Band tours today.

Rick Duncan is a Juilliard School of Music graduate whose talents include all styles of music, including rock, rhythm and blues, jazz, pop, and classical symphony work.  Rick is also a talented recording engineer and producer, who owns and operates the recording studio Nacnud Sound in central California.  Rick has worked with top acts like Jefferson Starship, Mickey Thomas, Bill Champlin (Chicago), The Commodores, the San Francisco Woodwind Quintet, Jon Smith (Toto), Tesla, and has a client list that includes Warner Brothers Records and Geffen Records among many, many others over a 23-year period,

Bruce Spencer is a leading live performance and session drummer and percussionist, who has recorded and appeared with Wynona Judd, the Jerry Garcia Band, Jackie Green, Jimmy Smith, Larry Gatlin, Mickey Thomas, Tiny Tim, and dozens of other artists.  He is also a multi-talented composer, arranger, recording engineer, and producer who has a long list of clients in the worlds of music, advertising, and business spanning more than 20 years.

Brian Courtright is a versatile and talented drummer and percussionist who currently appears with the Parrot Heads, a Jimmy Buffet tribute band, among other acts in the northern California area. 

Amy Ruff is a talented singer/songwriter with an incredible range and style, who lends her skills to many artists in the northern California area.

Mic Gillette - Trumpet, Trombone

Mic Gillette is a legendary trumpet, trombone, and flugelhorn player who has appeared with Tower Of Power, Cold Blood, The Rolling Stones, Santana, Rod Stewart, Elton John, Blood Sweat And Tears, Quincy Jones, Sons Of Champlin, and many more.  Mic brings a tremendous energy, a wide musical range, and a sweet and soulful interpretation of any music he touches