Band Biographies
Mark Grossman
[email protected]
512.495.9935
P.O. Box 81145
Austin, Texas 78708
Memphis Train Revue is a 10 piece R&B, classic soul and
funk powerhouse. Comprised of a vocal section, horn
section and band, Memphis Train Revue has rocked and
rolled audiences for 20 years. The Train gets bodies on
the dance floor singing, dancing and having a great time
and no one does it better!
Sheree Smith: Vocals
a weekly churchgoer and the
worldliness of an army brat giving
her broad exposure to musical styles from across the
country and around the world. Glenda has performed
as a professional singer with such artists as Kyle Turner,
Mr. James Polk and Women in Jazz.
Paul Klemperer: Saxophone
Born and raised in Attalla, Alabama, Sheree has starred in such
popular musicals as Beehive and
Dreamgirls and has lent her
voice to recordings for Overlord,
Spencer
Gibb,
the
San Antonio Spurs and the San
Memphis Train Revue combines the road-tested
skills of touring musicians with the technical profi- Antonio Riverwalk. With her extensive theater and
ciency of studio musicians and the showmanship of live performance background, Sheree is a master at
singers who honed their skills in church and theatre. engaging the audience and blurring the line between
The unique combination creates one of the funki- performer and spectator.
est rhythm sections around, a horn section so hot
Keith Fiala: Trumpet
they could burn down a house and singers who wear
their emotions on their vocal chords! If this band
Winner of the prestigious Louis
can’t get you on the dance floor, then there must not
Armstrong Jazz Award, Keith’s
be a dance floor!
talents won him a full music
scholarship at the University of
Glenda Dotson: Vocals
Texas. Keith has performed at
The daughter of a career army jazz festivals around the world and he rejoins Memman and minister, Glenda was phis Train Revue after a world tour with jazz legend
raised with the soulfulness of Maynard Ferguson.
Sonia Moore: Vocals
Sonia ’Saja’ Moore is a native
of Houston, Texas and has been
singing since she joined The New
Sunrise Baptist Church Choir at
the tender age of 6. At 16, Sonia
was a featured vocalist on MC Hammer’s iconic “2 Legit
2 Quit” album, performed on the subsequent national
tour and has since sung on tracks by Doug E. Fresh
(Make Love Tonight), Mr. 32 and Gov’t Mule.
A jazz fan from an early age, Paul
has studied with jazz legends Archie Shepp, Max Roach and Ray
Copeland. He has performed
with local legends Marcia Ball
and members of the Fabulous Thunderbirds and has
released a number of CDs, including Manteca-licious!
by Manteca Beat, Man in Chamber by The Klemperer
Group and Texas Tenure by PK Sax.
Raul Vallejo: Trombone
Raul was born and raised in Harlingen in the Rio Grande Valley
in South Texas, grew up watching
Lawrence Welk and listening to
his father’s Glen Miller and Tommy
Sonia has made a number of television appearances on Dorsey records. He credits the Blues Brothers’ Tom
shows such as The Arsenio Hall Show, The American “Bones” Malone with his interest in the trombone which
Music Awards, “Out All Night” (which starred Vivica A. he studied at the University of North Texas in Denton.
Fox and Patti LaBelle) and Saturday Night Live.
For the most current bios, visit www.MemphisTrainRevue.com/band.
Raul’s extensive resume includes touring with Jason
Willie Scoggins: Guitar
Mraz, Kelly Clarkson and Maynard Ferguson and perWillie Scoggins developed his
forming alongside Prince. As a founding member of the
work ethic while shucking corn
Grooveline Horns (along with Carlos Sosa and Ferand milking cows on his grandnando Castillo) Raul has played with a wide variety of
daddy’s farm just outside of Fort
artists including Blues Traveler, La Tribu, Maceo Parker,
Worth, Texas and began his music
Greg Boyer, The Scabs, Bob Schneider, Ian Moore and
career
at
the
age
of
8 when he was given the choice
the Grupo Fantasma Horns.
of learning piano or taking ballet. Thankfully, he chose
Will McGowan: Drums
piano and three years later received his first guitar as a
gift from his dad.
Will McGowan was so enamored
with the drums that he taught Willie graduated from the Guitar Institute of Technolhimself to play with nothing more ogy where he then taught for 7 years before joining
than a couple of tree branches Memphis Train Revue in 1995.
and empty cans of Crisco. DeJames Duvall: Sound Engineer
spite his grandmother’s constant pleas to “quit making
all that racket,” Will pursued his love and, at the age of
19, with a real drum set in hand, played his first gig on
Austin’s famed Sixth Street.
James has quickly built a reputation as one of the best sound engineers in Austin and one of the
easiest to work with.
Since then, Will has served as the music director of
one of Austin’s largest churches, toured the “Chitlin
Circuit” with Kyle Turner and entertained our troops As a professional sound engineer, James has worked
the boards at One World Theater, world famous Anin Bosnia, Croatia, Kosovo and Sarajevo.
tone’s and Threadgill’s, running sound for such artists
Yoggie Musgrove: Bass Guitar as Booker T and the MG’s, Kenny Loggins, Leon Russell,
Chubby Checker, Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings and
When Freescale Semiconductor Arturo Sandoval. James has also run sound for South
built a band to back Bonnie Raitt, by Southwest.
Eric Johnson, Kris Kristofferson,
Mark Grossman: Management
Ian McLagan, Stephen Bruton,
Ruthie Foster and Malford MilliPrior to joining the Memphis
gan for their “Road to Austin” concert, they had their
Train Revue team in 2005, Mark
pick of bass players and they picked Yoggie Musgrove.
earned his stripes by working a
wide variety of jobs in the enterYoggie has been voted by readers of the Austin
tainment industry. He managed
Chronicle the “Best Bassist in Austin” on multiple occasions, proving that he is a player with broad appeal, “Those Who Dig,” the band credited with ushering
in the Austin pop-folk-rock wave of the early ‘90’s. He
not merely a musician’s musician.
also worked various positions in radio promotion, sales,
Phil Redmond: Keyboards
A&R and business affairs at Amazing Records, Geffen
Records and Virgin Records.
Phil is a modern-day renaissance
man: keyboard player, guitarist, A graduate of The University of Texas and Loyola Law
drummer, trumpet player, produc- School, Los Angeles, Mark has practiced law in Calier, engineer, singer and songwrit- fornia, New York and Texas in the areas of mergers
er. It’s in his blood! Phil’s father, and acquisitions, securities offerings, entertainment
Roy Redmond, sang with James Brown, Ray Charles and and small business counseling. After a decade of pracSam and Dave. Phil has forged his own career playing ticing law, he returned to his first love, music, when
with such notable acts as Tommy Shane Steiner, Toby he opened his own artist management and booking
Beau and Motown’s El Debarge.
company, AustinMusicWorks.
Mark Grossman • [email protected] • 512.495.9935 • P.O. Box 81145 Austin, Texas 78708