Jackie's Groove

Larry Braggs is passionate, powerful and very spiritual. These are also the amazing attributes of his voice. Cut from the same cloth as some of the world's greatest vocalists, Larry has one of the most notable voices in the business. With a vocal range over three octaves and a command of the stage like no other, Larry has become one of the most electrifying entertainers on tour. This has gained him the respect and praise of his peers and fans all over the world. For the past 14 years, Larry Braggs has been the lead vocalist for the legendary soul band Tower of Power. Now as a solo artist, he is becoming one of the most sought after singers in the business. Touring almost two hundred days out of the year Larry is a powerful force of talent to see.

The MS Fitness Challenge (MSFC) was birthed from David Lyons' MS Bodybuilding Challenge and his wife, registered nurse, Kendra's desire to help others who suffer from multiple sclerosis. His bodybuilding challenge and his book, David's Goliath, about his journey as a bodybuilder with MS, are inspirations to others who find trials and obstacles in life too difficult to overcome. David and Kendra founded the MS Fitness Challenge charity organization as a way for others to join them and fight this debilitating disease through health fitness.

www.msfitnesschallenge.com

www.optimalbodypf.com

Gerry “The Gov.” Brown is an Grammy Award winning recording engineer and producer based in Los Angeles credited on over 47 Platinum and Gold Records. He has received over 15 Grammy bids, including five nominations for Alicia Keys’ “Songs In A Minor,” a Song of the Year Award for Erykah Badu’s “Love of My Life,” two nominations for Vanessa Williams’ “Comfort Zone” and “Sweetest Days,” and three nominations for Raphael Saadiq’s “Instant Vintage”. Gerry also won a Billboard Award for producing “Love Is” by Vanessa Williams and Brian McKnight. His album credits include artists Whitney Houston, Earth Wind Fire, Madonna, Sting, Prince, Madame X, Bernadette Cooper "Drama According To Bernadette Cooper", Stanley Clarke, Leon Ware, The Bee Gees, Brandy, Joss Stone, TLC, Brian McKnight, Phil Collins, Kelis, George Clinton, Nappy Roots, Anastacia, Jill Scott, Buddy Guy, Jaguar Wright, Warren G, Common, The Bangles, Marcus Miller, Wayne Shorter, Roy Ayers, Craig Harris, The Gap Band, Usher, Monica, Jonathan Butler, Mariah Carey, Victor Wooten, Babyface, Andra Day, Natasha Agrama, And Eddie Murphy.

Michael McDonald  is an American singer, songwriter, keyboard player, and record producer. He is known for his soulful baritone voice.
McDonald’s music career spans more than forty years. His early career included singing with Steely Dan. He joined The Doobie Brothers in 1976 and remained an integral member until 1982, after which he released the first of eight solo albums. During his career, he has collaborated with a number of other artists, including Van Halen, Patti LaBelle, Aretha Franklin and Toto. He has also recorded for television and film soundtracks. During his career, McDonald has won five Grammy Awards.

Bassist Benny Rietveld brings an impressive resume with him. After moving to Hawaii from his native Utrecht, the Netherlands, he attended the University of Hawaii College of Music for two years. Island dates with artists such as The Crusaders, Richie Cole, Barney Kessell, Howard Roberts, Bill Mays, and Makoto Ozone followed, until he moved to San Francisco in 1983. He joined up with Sheila E.'s 1984 tour, who was then opening for Prince on the "Purple Rain" tour. Dates with Huey Lewis and the News followed that. He then signed on with Miles Davis for his 1988 World Tour, as well as working with Davis and Michel LeGrand on a Warner Bros. soundtrack.


Recently, Benny has released an album entitled "Mystery of Faith". The album can be described as "odd, eclectic, yet eminently listenable music." The CD, his first solo effort, also includes performances by Carlos Santana, Tom Coster, Barbara Higbie and other friends. The mostly instrumental collection will take you from the Middle East to Middle Earth, with various stops in between. To learn more about Benny Rietveld or to listen to excerpts from "Mystery of Faith", visit him at bennyworld.com.

William Bradford "Bill" Champlin is an American singer, guitarist, keyboard player, arranger, producer, and songwriter. His performance work is principally associated with the bands Chicago and the Sons of Champlin. He has won multiple Grammy Awards for songwriting.

Tamara Champlin is an American Singer/Songwriter who started her career as a session singer in Houston, Texas, later moving to Los Angeles. She has performed with and written for singers such as Elton John, Leon Russell, Nicky Hopkins, Andreas Carlsson, husband Bill Champlin and son Will Champlin. Tour Dates from 2010-2015 with Bill Champlin included California, Europe, Hawaii, Japan, South America, Kuwait and Iraq ; she is a full member of the Sons of Champlin, active in the Rhythmic Arts Project to benefit children, and the Saving K-9 Lives Charity encouraging adoption of shelter pets.

AN ACCOMPLISHED and versatile producer, composer, and musician, Terry has commanded such diverse projects touring, recording and performing as music director and/or guitarist for dozens of renowned artists including Billy Preston, The 5th Dimension, Wilson Phillips, Al Jarreau, Joan Baez, Joe Walsh, Keb’ Mo’, Gerald Albright and Eartha Kitt, to name just a few. Added his passion for music, and through his innate curiosity, ability and perseverance, Terry emerged as a skilled artist, forging an enviable career that has crossed over into every major category of music in the spectrum.


ORIGINALLY FROM MIAMI, Terry was formally educated in Boston, graduating with a Bachelor’s Degree in Arranging from the prestigious Berklee College of Music. After arriving in Los Angeles, Terry built a solid reputation as an in-demand session guitarist and producer. His music styles range from jazz to pop, rock, blues, RB and beyond.

After having been heard, drumming with Toni Basil's band by composer, Danny Elfman and his longtime orchestrator, Steve Bartek, Johnny Vatos Hernandez was hired as a session drummer on Elfman's first film score, "The Forbidden Zone". Hernandez joined the original lineup of the famous band, Oingo Boingo, a position he held for seventeen years, until their breakup in 1995. During that time, the band released eight albums, toured the world and played thousands of concerts.


After the breakup of Oingo Boingo, Hernandez joined the band, Tito and Tarantula and was featured in the Robert Rodriguez film, "From Dusk Till Dawn." He had a rewarding time, touring Europe with Tito until 911, but at that point, he decided to return to Los Angeles to play jazz again. In the 1990s, Hernandez returned to regular session work for composers, like Jason Johnson, Steve Bartek and Bear McCreary. He was the drummer for Bear McCreary's hugely popular "Battlestar Galactica" live orchestra concerts.


For the past seven years, Hernandez has been touring with his own, Boingo Dance Party, a high energy, wild Oingo Boingo music show that features former members of Oingo Boingo. As well, Hernandez is the drummer for the Don Kubec Big Band and recently formed his own avant-garde group, Vlatko, featuring composer and arranger, Michael Vlatkovich on trombone (with whom Hernandez has played professionally for the past forty years). Vlatkovich is one of the leading talents among the Los Angeles improvisational scene. Playing unrestricted free style music always will be good for Hernandez's soul.

Lenny Castro is a percussionist who got his start recording and touring with Diana Ross, Boz Scaggs and Toto and has gone on to work as a freelance percussionist with some of the biggest musical legends, including  Adele, The Rolling Stones, Sir Elton John, Al Jarreau, George Benson, Eric Clapton, Alien Ant Farm, Steely Dan, Christopher Cross, The Mars Volta, Dolly Parton, Stevie Wonder, David Sanborn, Avenged Sevenfold, Little Feat, Tom Petty and many more.