The Tonebenders are: Jeff Cole, Greg King, Bruce Edwards and Ron Starr. With four guys from different backgrounds you gotta figure that the band's influences are pretty diverse:

Jeff Cole - Guitar & Vocals | Jeff grew up in the south in the blue collar textile town Danville, Va. It was a lot like Mayberry and Jeff wasn't much different than Opie, fishing with Grandpa and playing Little League baseball. He got a guitar for Christmas at the age of 10 but lessons were not affordable and he quickly lost interest. While in the Navy he was visiting a young lady friend who was cleaning out a closet. She had put an old acoustic guitar out on the curb, he retrieved it and took it back to the ship. There were several guitar players around so he started sitting in with them picking up what he could. Before long he was strumming a few tunes. He continued to noodle for years but developed a severe case of stage fright that prevented him from playing in front of an audience. Finally at the ripe old age of 35 he decided it was now or never and began to force himself into playing and singing for others. It didn't take long before he teamed up with some friends and formed the Lyvyn Large Band. Since then he has played in several groups along the way to the Tonebenders.

Ron Starr - Guitar & Vocals | Ron refuses to tell us where he is from. We're thinking it has something to do with witness protection or those pesky UFO sightings in the late 50's. We do know that along the way he made a stop in Nevada where he played bass and sang with a band called "Heartless" for some years. Then came a stint running Axe-Trax Recording Studio as well as playing the part of his idol John Lennon in one of those tribute shows at The Reno Hilton. He claims to have shared a dressing room with Michael Jackson of all people but wont talk about whether Micheal shared any of his "Jesus Juice" with him. From Neveda he found his way to Tampa and has been in several bands over the years, most recently The Ruins and The Mullberries. As the newest Tonebender, Ron brings his years of experiance and impressive knowledge of music to the band.

Greg King - Bass | Greg says that he is not easily influenced and then just giggles uncontrollably. Actually at 56, Greg King is the Elder Statesman of The Tonebenders. He actually is older than many types of dirt. One of Greg's earliest memories is of watching Annette Funicello grow breasts on the Mickey Mouse Club - in black and white! That memory still haunts him today and is why he's been to the Magic Kingdom 312 times. Women interested in catching Greg's eye should have at least two pairs of Mickey Ears on stand by. Greg really was born in Chicago but has lived in the South for 35 years. In Chicago Greg played bass for The Windy City Blues Band, The Blacklights, and the seminal psychedelic group Jefferson Squid. His early influences include The Beatles, Cream, Led Zep, Blues Magoos, Shadows of Knight, and a tall, willowy girl named Wendy. Today his musical tastes run from Tom Petty to Tom Waits. Greg has just discovered Julia Nunes - a brilliant young lady with a great voice and mad uke skills.

Bruce Edwards - Drums & Vocals | Bruce never answers the phone or emails and we couldn't get an answer about what his influences were as a drummer so we decided to make some up. As far as you know, Bruce was influenced by Mickey Dolenz of the Monkees which is sad because Mickey was an actor not a drummer. What could also perhaps be true is that Bruce was indeed influenced by these stellar drummers: John Pepys, Eric "Stumpy Joe" Childs, Peter "James" Bond (one of the few drummers to ever spontaneously combust on stage), Mick Shrimpton, and last but certainly not least, Joe "Mama" Besser.
What is true is that when he was young his mom bought him half of a drum kit so he became half a drummer. Later on he traded his younger brother for a floor tom and cymbals and the rest is a fading memory. That little bit of info could very well explain why Bruce calls his floor tom "Ralph".

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