Joe Hopkins- Clarinet
Joe has been playing jazz clarinet since the 9th grade . He played with many groups in the Fort Worth , Dallas area where he grew up. He had his own jazz band while at Reed College in Portland. He joined IBM in 1962 and retired in 1993. He continued to play while employed by IBM. He worked with the Churchill Street Jazz Band in Northern California for ten years (1980's) and played most of the Jazz Festivals on the west coast. After moving to Arizona in 1990 he immediately began to play jazz in the Phoenix area. He was a member of the Desert City Six for 13 years. In the last 10 years he has also played with the Off the Wall Over the Hill Gang, Dr. Sasparilla and his Red Hot Jazz Band, Cat's n' Jammers, Cell Block Seven from Lodi, California and the BoonDockers from Northern California. He currently leads three bands of his own: The Joe Hopkins Quartet and the 52nd Street Jazz Band which plays Chicago/New York Style Jazz ala Eddie Condon groups. In addition Joe leads the Moldy Fig Jazz Band which plays authentic New Orleans style Dixieland. Joe is currently Director on the board of the American Federation of Jazz Societies and a member of the American Federation of Musicians, local 586 in addition to being the Vice-President and musical director of the AZ Classic Jazz Society.

(480) 396-6798 Cell Phone: 602-810-5888 Email: jazzclarinet@cox.net

Gary Church - cornet, piano, trombone and guitar (Click Here for Gary's web page) (Click here for Gary's "MYSPACE" page)
Gary started his musical career in Phoenix and after 25 years has returned. He has performed at countless jazz festivals and clubs. He was with the Silver dollar Jazz Band, Boondockers, Desert City Six, Fulton Street, and many others. Although jazz is his main love, Gary performed and recorded with such Country greats as Roger Miller, Willie Nelson, Mel Tillis and Merle Haggard. He is currently on tour with the Mel Tillis Show. In 2002 Gary was the 23rd musician elected to the Western Swing Hall of Fame.
His career has taken theses twists and turns.
1970-1974- Jeff Woodhouse Dixieland Band, Desert City Six, The Barehanded Wolf Chokers Oldtime Dixieland Band Inc.
1974-1976- Walt Disney World -Orlando Florida, Bill Allred's Reedy Creek Jazz Band, Sammy Gardner's Dixieland Band at Rosy O'Grady's in Pensacola Florida, Central Florida Hot Jazz All Stars with Jim Maihack, ( backing up Bobby Hackett in Orlando).
1975- Worked as a replacement trombonist in Jim Cullum's Happy Jazz Band in San Antonio, Tx.
1976- Crazy Ed's Place in Deer Valley with Igor, George Rock, Bruce Leeland and The Desert City Six and Igor’s Jazz Cowboys.
1977-1979 Went on the road with the Freddy Powers Show from Nevada, while with Freddy got to work with, Al Hirt, Peanuts Hucko, Milton Quackenbush, Wild Bill Davison, Tiny Moore, Jimmy Ivers, Roger MIller and Willie Nelson.
1980-Walt Disney World in Orlando Florida worked with the Pearly Band and The Banjo Kings, with Lee Floyd, Eddie Erickson, Randy Morris.
1981 - was in the house band at Willie Nelson's Jazz club in Austin Texas called DJANGOS with Ray Benson's Band "Asleep At The Wheel".
1982-1991- traveled with Merle Haggard's Strangers playing Western Swing and the Sac Jubilee each year with Jimmy Rivers, also subbed in the Fulton Street Jazz Band and Jan Sutherland and Custer’s Last Band.
1991-2000 worked with Mel Tillis and The Statesiders in Branson Mo. and with The Creole Jazz Band from Springfield Mo.
2001- Joined the Boondockers in Sacramento Ca, returned to Phoenix and worked with his own groups , The Desert City Six, The Joe Hopkins Quartet, The 52nd Street Jazz Band Band, Bob Wardlaw’s Swingtime and others.
2004- returned to the Mel Tillis Band.
He has recorded with;Larry Joiner And the Mavericks,,The Desert City Six, Freddy Powers, Bill Allred, Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, The Joe Hopkins Quartet.

Be sure to read "The Autobiography of a Nobody: The life and times of a sideman" by Gary Church.

"There have been many books written by and about musicians. What sets this book apart from most of them is that I am not a famous man. I am what is know in the music business as a sideman. Although this is the story of my life, it could also be the story of many others that do the same this as I do for a living. You probably don't know our names, but you see us everyday on your TV sets and you hear us every day on your radios. Without us, the singers that you love to listen to would be reciting poetry, because there would be no music behind them. We are like the offensive linemen on a football team. We never score the winning touchdown in the Super Bowl, yet the game could not be played without us". Excerpt from the book

To order, call (480)895-2765