BIG CHIEF

BIG CHIEF is a band that expands from four to six pieces to suit the event. Formerly known as Big Chief and the Continentals the band was originated in 1989 and like good wine has grown better with age. The core members are Sam Hall, Jeff Davison, Dave Thibodeau and Steve Lynnworth. A keyboardist and a vocalist are added as requested and both positions are chosen from a field of star players. Within the four piece band there are four strong voices to create a unique variety of singing styles and harmonies. The backbone of the Big Chief sound emanates from the strong rhythm section making it easy for any of the hand picked guest musicians to easily find firm footing. The band visits many musical areas including swing era classics ala Ellington and Sinatra up to and including classic soul and rock favorites with a New Orleans party number thrown in to get the dance floor boiling. Along the way don’t be surprised to hear some Chuck Berry, Stevie Ray Vaughan or even the Beatles. In short something for everybody!

JEFF DAVISON - FOUNDING MEMBER / DRUMS / VOCALS

After cutting his teeth on rock and roll like most American kids, Jeff got interested in blues at the age of sixteen. Following the pulse of rhythm and blues led him to meet and play on stages with many greats like Muddy Waters, Koko Taylor and Eddie Shaw. Later, Jeff journeyed to Chicago and New Orleans to learn first hand from Junior Wells, Buddy Guy, Otis Rush, Professor Longhair, the Fabulous Thunderbirds and Bonnie Raitt. These influences have honed Davison’s eclectic R&B tastes in drumming and vocal styles winning him recording session work with Bob Rasero’s Renovators, T.J.Wheeler and folk hero Creighton Lindsay. Inspired by the aforementioned legends, Jeff played and sang with the several area bands including the Blues Prophets, Blues over Easy / the Upsetters and the Red Light Revue which are now part of the foundation of the local music heritage.

DAVE THIBODEAU - BASS / VOCALS

Hailing from Providence, R.I., Dave Thibodeau was a prodigy tutored by his touring bluegrass musician father and his concert violinist grandfather. Young Dave followed suit and took an interest in the guitar at the age of ten. After moving to Maine he studied bass at the University of Maine in Augusta while enjoying memberships in diverse and revered ensembles like the Dani Tribesmen Reggae band, Joy Spring Jazz and the Kennebec Valley Boys Bluegrass band. In his travels around New England Dave has opened for and played with Mose Allison, Chubby Checker, Levon Helm and the Band, to name a few, and was told with a hearty hug after a stint with blues great Pinetop Perkins that "he would be missed." Dave’s keen ear, solid playing and improvisational aptitude has made him a favorite on the best players list of substitute and session musicians.

STEVE LYNNWORTH - GUITAR / VOCALS

Steve led his band the Swinging Blue Matadors to be winners of the New Hampshire Blues Bank Collective battle of the bands. Following that Mr. Lynnworth’s band became finalists in the 1996 International Blues Talent competition in Memphis, Tennessee. Like the others in Big Chief, Steve was mentored by a diverse collection of talent, namely Boston jazz guitarist Gerry Beaudoin and legendary blues virtuoso Ronnie Earl. Steve has also shared the stage with B.B. King, Pine Top Perkins, Luther Guitar Junior Johnson and showboat Shirley Lewis. New England favorite "Little Jimmy" Junkins was impressed enough by Steve’s talent to make him a "Soulcat" and trade licks with him on their collaborative 1998 disc "Powerful Love." With a songwriting style reminiscent of Chuck Berry, Willie Dixon and T-bone Walker, Steve’s original compositions are economically arranged, well conceived tuneful numbers creating a lyric that renders a powerful image with a simple phrase.

SAM HALL - SAX / VOCALS

A rhythm section without a saxophone is like cake without ice cream. With that in mind, Sam Hall has more flavors then Ben and Jerry. Originally from the sunshine state, Sam’s impressive sound was shaped by his musical education on club stages in and around Richmond, Virginia. With the group Little Walter and the Bonnevilles, he appeared with the Temptations, the Four Tops, Smokey Robinson, James Brown and numerous other artists. Sam’s great tone and broad musical vocabulary has been further forged by jazz jams with legendary Basie and Ellington band members. Sam’s New England accomplishments include Bill Chinnock, the Soul Brothers and Blue Willow.