The Rick Strickland Band
R&B, Soul, Beach, RockNRoll
Well known for penning some of beach music’s most beloved hits including “Something Smooth,” “One Step Closer,” “Nice
While It Lasted,” and “My Heart Belongs To You,” Rick Strickland is also considered one of the best voices in Beach music. His
soaring vocals, smooth harmonies and high energy performances have delighted music fans young and old for decades. Now
event goers can enjoy Rick’s award winning, fan pleasing music and energy LIVE along with the outstanding musical talents of
The Rick Strickland Band!
Rick received a Cammy Award for Solo Album of the Year for "Something Smooth" at the 2007
Carolina Beach Music Awards and a Cammy Award for Songwriter of the Year at the 2005
Carolina Beach Music Awards for the song Something Smooth which was #1 on the Beach
Music charts the entire year of 2005. It was voted the #1 Beach Song of 2005 on a chart
compiled by 30 different DJs' top 100 Songs. It also ranked #8 on the top 50 Rhythm and Blues
Dance Songs of 2005.
Five original songs by Rick Strickland are now in the 94.9 Surf Hall of Fame including:
Something Smooth, I Miss You, One Step Closer, Party 'Til The Break of Dawn, and Nice While
It Lasted. Other songs which have received heavy airplay include: Bubba White’s, Love the
Night Away, Winner, The Devil Made Me Do It, We’ve Got It Made, My Heart Belongs to You, and Counting the Days. His songs
have charted in the top ten in Mississippi, Arkansas, Arizona, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, and
California.
During his career, Rick has performed with some of music’s giants. He was musical director for 3 national tours for Billy Joe
Royal. Rick has also performed with The Band of Oz, and Shag Time. In recent years he has been on the road as a solo artist.
But in 2009, this award winning artist realized a lifelong dream by forming his first full band, appropriately called The Rick
Strickland Band. Their debut performances at SOS Fall Migration Fun Monday, the Spanish Galleon, OD Beach Club, The
Charleston Beach & Shag Festival, Fat Harold’s and TJs Nightlife have brought down the house every time and have quickly
created some major buzz about the band’s high energy live performances, pristine harmonies and musical expertise.
The Band’s talent and energy coupled with Rick’s phenomenal original music
makes them a great choice for events and audiences of all kinds including
festivals, clubs, private events, wedding parties, corporate events – basically any
event where you’d like to deliver a truly unique musical experience. We are not a
cover band. The Rick Strickland Band performs 90% Rick's original music with
about 10% of our select cover tunes. Our music is typically classified as R&B
Soul, Beach and RockNRoll. The musicianship and vocals are stunning, the music
is fun to sing and dance to, and the energy and professionalism are always over
the top when The Rick Strickland Band takes the stage!
"Each member of this band brings an undeniable talent and strength to the group. Each one has achieved many great
accomplishments in their own field of music. Together as a team we are definitely a band of excellence," says Rick. "I'm honored
and humbled to perform with this group. It's a dream come true.”
Band Member Bios:
The forever versatile Art Benton (keyboard & vocals) began playing accordion at age 15 in restaurants & private parties. His first
band - The Blue Notes – was a James Brown tribute band. He then performed R&B with The Pagans working for Ted Hall out
of Charlotte. Art achieved nationwide recognition with the band Pallbearers who had a contract with Mercury Records in 1967
and had 2 nationwide releases “Getting Fired Up” & “Music With Soul.” These songs were played on The Dick Clark TV Show
and are still getting airplay in England today. Art later went on to perform with The Platters, Drifters, Sam The Sham and Billy
Joe Royal to name a few. Art has been Rick’s main go to guy for all things music since 2006, and showcases his stellar
keyboard talents on some of Rick’s biggest hits.
For over 35 years, Gary Bruce (lead guitar) has electrified audiences with his amazing guitar virtuoso. He has performed with
some of the industry’s greats including The Drifters, The Tams, Billy Scott and the Prophets, Bo Schronce of The Fantastic
Shakers, Rick Lee of Too Much Sylvia, and Butch Barnes of Sea Cruz. Gary is very unique as a player in that he is capable of
quickly finding the melodic center of a song and exploiting it to the maximum. He instinctively understands how to weave
melodies in and out of his rhythm and lead guitar parts – a quality that is very rare in musicians, and yet a talent that makes his
live performances fascinating to watch. Eclectic in his musical influences, Gary draws inspiration from a wide variety of artists
and musical styles, and weaves bits and pieces of each to create his own unique style.
As a young kid, James Watkins was naturally drawn to the bass beat. When he began mimicking some of music’s greatest bass
players, he was considered a child prodigy. Now 36 years into his career, James’ stellar musicianship has afforded him the
opportunity to perform with bands that backed up national artists including Steppenwolf, Isaac Hayes, Sam Moore (Sam and
Dave), and Chuck Jackson. James was honored to perform with 2 international tours sponsored by the US Department of
Defense to entertain our military troops stationed abroad. On his first tour in1980 with the group Alley Cat, James travelled for 2
weeks throughout Panama, Antigua, Puerto Rico, and Cuba at Guantanamo Bay. In 1985, he returned to Guantanamo Bay with
The Foundations (of “Build Me Up Buttercup” fame) in what was supposed to be a 1 week tour, but ended up staying 2 weeks at
the troops request. He has performed for 26 years with Columbia based band Fresh Air. James has developed his own special
technique of bass playing that is inspired by the works of Joe Osborne, James Jamerson, Chris Squire and Stanley Clark.
Drummer Don Hamrick’s professional career began at the age of 13 with his uncle Harold and “The Night Lifers”. He wrote his
first song, “Eyes of Gypsy Brown” at age 16. At 17, Don was performing with Nashville Recording artist, Jerry Moore. At 18, Don
helped formed the band “Truant” which later became “Fever.” During his career, he has toured with many national and regional
acts such as “The Clovers” (who had hits such as “Love Potion #9” and “Blue Velvet”), “ Billy Scott & The Georgia Prophets
Band” and “The Rick Elder Show” (formerly of “The Main Street Singers”). Don made his TV acting debut as the drummer for
Bill Haley and the Comets in the 1999 CBS mini-series “Shake Rattle and Roll”. He attended Winthrop University as a full time
music major from 1979-1983 and earned a B.M.E. as a percussion major. Don’s professionalism, musicianship, natural talent
and all around good guy attitude have been a winning combination throughout his career, and have afforded him much deserved
recognition abroad as a well known drummer, clinician, session player and instructor.
At the ripe age of 10, Debbie Anderson (vocals, acoustic guitar & percussion) entered a talent competition at school. She played
drums and sang the song “I Got The Music In Me.” She brought down the house that day and took home the winning trophy too!
Debbie has a natural musical talent that enables her to play multiple instruments and is versatile in many music genres. She
taught herself how to play acoustic guitar, bass guitar, drums, and her natural rhythm instincts make her a fantastic
percussionist. She is also a versatile vocalist having performed over 20 years and currently sings with The Andersons (southern
gospel), Three Day Funk (rock funk blues), The Lesa Hudson Band (country, soft rock, blues, praise & worship), and she is a
member of her Praise Team at church. Debbie is also a founding member of Contemporary Christian trio N’Accord, whose
distinctive and powerful harmonies brought many opportunities to perform throughout the Southeast. N’Accord released 3 CD
projects.
After the release of her first solo CD in 2006, singer/songwriter Lesa Hudson (vocals & keyboard) quickly gained popularity in
Inspirational Country Music circles. Three of her original songs from this CD project peaked in the Top 10 on the nationally
acclaimed PowerSource Christian Country Top 100 radio chart. She is a 3-time finalist for ICMA Female Vocalist of the Year,
and 2-time finalist for ICMA New Artist of the Year, Lesa has performed at some of Nashville’s most legendary venues such as
the Acuff Theater, BB Kings (during CMA FanFest), Gibson Guitar Café and Trinity Broadcast Network. Also a sought after
National Anthem singer, her most notable anthem performance at the 2007 Dodge Avenger 500 at Darlington Raceway was
televised on Fox-TV. Along with Debbie, Lesa is a founding member of N’Accord, performs with Three Day Funk, manages and
performs with The Lesa Hudson Band and is the Contemporary Worship leader at her church. She has released 5 CD projects
and 1 Live DVD project.
Rick’s Recent Accomplishments & Awards:
2009 - Radio releases: “Lifeboat” & “I’ll Give You More.” Both are currently rising the charts.
2009 – Cammy Award Nomination for Solo Album of the Year for “Island Soul”
2009 – Cammy Award Nomination for Songwriter of the Year for “Nice While It Lasted.”
2007 – Cammy Award for Solo Album of the Year for "Something Smooth"
2005 – Cammy Award for Songwriter of the Year for the song Something Smooth
2005 – Something Smooth was #1 on the Beach Music charts the entire year of 2005.
2005 – Something Smooth voted #1 Beach Song of 2005 (chart compiled by 30 different DJs' top 100 Songs)
2005 – Something Smooth ranked #8 on the top 50 Rhythm and Blues Dance Songs of 2005.
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Five of Rick’s original songs are in the 94.9 Surf Hall of Fame including: Something Smooth, I Miss You, One Step Closer,
Party 'Til The Break of Dawn, and Nice While It Lasted (2009).
Songs that have received heavy radio airplay include: Bubba White’s, Love the Night Away, Winner, Nice While It Lasted,
The Devil Made Me Do It, We’ve Got It Made, My Heart Belongs to You, and Counting the Days.
Rick’s songs have charted in the top ten in Mississippi, Arkansas, Arizona, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia,
Alabama, and California.
Rick’s acapella hit, “She Cain’t Fix Grits” became the most requested song in many different radio markets, heard on “The
John Boy and Billy Big Show” (as the most requested song on the show for two years), “The Wyndham Brothers’ Good
Morning Show,” and Columbia, SC’s Kicks 96 FM.
“She Can’t Fix Grits” and “Something Smooth” have been referred to as bonafide Beach Music classics.
NOTABLE QUOTES:
“Ricky is one of the most talented people that has been my pleasure to work with. Besides being a terrific writer, he is a truly
gifted singer with phenomenal range. We have been really good friends over the years -- best of luck to him.” -- Billy Joe Royal,
International Recording Star (Down in the Boondocks, Cherry Hill Park, Burn Like A Rocket)
“Rick Strickland is one of the most requested artists we play on the Breeze.” -- Leo Wyndham, Radio Personality
“I’ve never heard a bad Rick Strickland song. Rick Strickland has never asked me to play one of his songs. I play Rick Strickland
songs because I want to -- because they’re so good.” -- Woody Wyndham, Radio Personality
“When I first heard Rick Strickland, I said now that guy can sing. But as I got to know Rick, I realized he was much more. Rick is
an incredible singer, song writer, musician, and performer. Rick is the total package.” -- Craig Woolard, The Craig Woolard Band
“Not only is Rick Strickland a first rate song writer, he also has one of the best voices in Beach music. Having shared a stage
with Rick many times, I’ve never seen him give less than 150 percent in a live performance. I am a Rick Strickland fan.” -- Bo
Schronce, Lead Vocalist, “The Fantastic Shakers”
“Very exciting stage presence ...Rick Strickland is a true talent and deserves your attention.” -- Steve Hardy, Radio Personality,
“Steve Hardy’s Original Beach Party Band”
“Rick is the best R&B, Rock or Beach singer to ever come out of South Carolina. I’ve known him for about 30 years, and he
never fails to amaze me with his vocal and other musical abilities.” -- Warren Moise, composer/producer of “Mr. Beach” by The
ShagTime Band and “Ocean Boulevard” by Band of Oz”
“Rick is not only an excellent vocalist and musician; he is the best arranger that I have worked with. He is also an excellent
writer and the best studio vocalist that I have seen over the many years that I have been in this business.” -- David A. Hicks,
Different Drummer, Inc., “Band of Oz”
“Saturday night at J.B. Pivots, I had the pleasure of spinning some tunes after The Rick Strickland Band played. This was my
first time seeing his group. Rick sang many of his current and past hits as well as some neat medleys. He even had requests to
do some songs again in the last set. This guy's talent is something else. Something that I like to see on stage is the performers
having fun. they can be the best vocalist in the world, but if they just stand up there and sing, I am totally under-whelmed. I
worked some gigs with BOZ when Rick was with them and he had lots of energy on stage. He hasn't lost his zeal when the
stage lights come on and the music starts. His vocals and guitar playing were top shelf, folks. If you get a chance to check him
out with his band mates, do so.” – Butch Halpin, Gigs In Review
Fan Reactions on Facebook:
“Have enjoyed your music for quite a while and just saw you and the band live at N Myrtle Beach Fun Monday for the first time.
We really enjoyed the performance. We liked your on stage delivery and the great music from the guitars and organ. You have
a great voice and we enjoy the original song list. You have a new friend in us and you have our vote. Your band would be a
welcome addition to any event! Thank you for a great show and we love you and the band, keep the music coming.” – M.K,
September 17, 2009
“Saw your performance at the Industry Awards and loved the song So Do I. You received a standing ovation and I was one of
the first standing. I would not be surprised if you won song of the year for this one. – D.H, November 17, 2009
“Saw (Rick and the band) at Fat Harold's and loved every minute. (We) met him and another member of the band. Great Great
Great!! A must see. J.D., March 10, 2010
“Great Band. Everyone has to see RSB. They'll blow you away….” R.L., April 9, 2010
Contact Information:
Booking Contacts:
Lesa Hudson – 843.229.2953 – [email protected]
Rick Strickland – 843.277.0727 – [email protected]
Websites:
www.therickstricklandband.com
www.rickstrickland.org
www.facebook.com – The Rick Strickland Band
www.youtube.com – The Rick Strickland Band