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Truck Driver Bingo is a guitar/bass/ drums power band that plays raw blues and out jazz. While our primary motivation for making this music is to get people to listen, it’s not unusual for them to get up and dance as well. The band consists of Jay Fortier on bass; Hank Cupp on drums; Frank Galante on vocals and guitar and Cheryl Wolfram on vocals and rhythm guitar. All four band members are seasoned musicians and are committed to musical excellence and a polished performance. We like making people happy! Just who are the guys in Truck Driver Bingo?
Hank Cupp has been a drummer since his early teens, through college, and all his adult life. There have been many genres, including Jazz, Big Bands, Blues, Rock and Roll and even Concert and Theater Orchestras. “I just love making music with other people. It feeds my soul. There is nothing like the feeling of being part of a musical ensemble.”
Frank Galante has been singing and playing guitar practically all his life (which means for more decades than he cares to admit). He started his musical journey as a regular player at many of the most happening clubs in New York City and has since performed everywhere from the Great Lakes to the Caribbean, to Amsterdam. When not playing the blues or jazzing out, he performs on classical guitar, lute and Baroque guitar, having studied with some of the world’s most noted performers and teachers. As he says: "Music is my reason for being".
Manistee Michigan native Jay Fortier began his career in the 1960s singing and playing banjo with folk music trio The Coachmen. Discovering Rock N’ Roll, Fortier switched to guitar and soon founded The Magnatones. The group kept busy gigging locally. However, the young Rock band went through several name and personnel changes to ultimately become the hugely popular regional outfit Band X. By this time the multi-talented Fortier had switched to bass guitar. Band X continued to record and gig around their native Michigan for almost a decade and received steady radio airplay for their regional hit “How Good The Rain.”
When local musician Cheryl Wolfram was asked what she enjoys most about performing music in front of an audience there wasn’t a moment of hesitancy in her response. “I enjoy doing this so much that I am counting the days to retirement, so there will be more time to perform music. The performance itself is very exhilarating feedback loop from people as they are enjoying it and you are enjoying it yourself.” Cheryl has been a member of Cherri & the Violators, Peace Love Music, Babe Ruthless and the Funtastix.
That’s it. Three old guys…one old gal ... still at it. In performance, the band is super tight and operates at an energy level that belies our age. We push out some smokin’ Blues and test the edges of jazz fusion and improvised music. It makes for a dynamic mix in live performance. We have been a regular fixture at multiple venues in NW Michigan , four years running, and garnered rave reviews after playing Ludrock 2019. It’s time to branch out. You hire us. We’ll get your crowd moving. Member of the West Michigan Blues Society
www.wmbs.org
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
111 W Colby St, Whitehall, MI, United States, Michigan 49461
