The Marshall Tucker Band and The Little River Band

BIO

Doug Gray – lead vocals | B.B. Borden – drums |Ryan Ware – bass / vocals |Marcus James Henderson – keyboards / saxophone / flute / vocals | Chris Hicks – guitar / vocals | Rick Willis – guitar / vocals

When you wake up and want to put a smile on your face, you think of the songs that always manage to reach down and touch your soul the moment you hear the first note. The Marshall Tucker Band is one such group that continues to have a profound level of impact on successive generations of listeners who’ve been "Searchin’ for a Rainbow" and found it perfectly represented by this tried-and-true Southern institution over the decades. “I’ve been in tune with how music can make you feel, right from when I was first in the crib,” explains lead vocalist and bandleader Doug Gray, who’s been fronting the MTB since the very beginning. “I was born with that. And I realized it early on, back when I was a little kid and my mom and dad encouraged me to get up there and sing whatever song came on the jukebox. It got to the point where people were listening to me more than what was on the jukebox! There’s a certain gift I found I could share, whether I was in front of five people or 20,000 people. I was blessed with that ability and I’m thankful I can share with others." The Marshall Tucker Band came together as a young, hungry, and quite driven six-piece outfit in Spartanburg, South Carolina in 1972, having duly baptized themselves with the name of a blind piano tuner after they found it inscribed on a key to their original rehearsal space — and they’ve been in tune with tearing it up on live stages both big and small all across the globe ever since. Plus, the band’s mighty music catalog, consisting of more than 20 studio albums and a score of live releases, has racked up multi-platinum album sales many times over. A typically rich MTB setlist is bubbling overwith a healthy dose of hits like the heartfelt singalong “Heard It in a Love Song,” the insistent pleading of “Can’t You See” (the signature tune of MTB’s late co-founding lead guitarist and then-principal songwriter Toy Caldwell), the testifying “Fire on the Mountain,” the wanderlust gallop of

“Long Hard Ride,” and the explosive testimony of “Ramblin,’” to name but a few.

Indeed, the secret ingredient to the ongoing success of The Marshall Tucker Band’s influence can be seen and felt far and wide throughout many mainstream digital outlets (Netflix, Amazon, etc.). In essence, it’s this inimitable down-home sonic style that helped make the MTB the first truly progressive Southern band to grace this nation’s airwaves — the proof of which can be found within the grooves and ever-shifting gears of “Take the Highway,” the first song on their self-titled April 1973 debut album on Capricorn Records, The Marshall Tucker Band. “We had the commonality of having all grown up together in Spartanburg,” explains Gray about his original MTB bandmates, guitar wizard Toy Caldwell and his brother, bassist Tommy Caldwell, alongside rhythm guitarist George McCorkle, drummer Paul T. Riddle, and flautist/saxophonist Jerry Eubanks. “The framework for Marshall Tucker’s music is more like a spaceship than a house,” Gray continues, “because you can look out of a lot of windows and see a variety of things that show where we’ve been and what we’ve done, and how we’ve travelled through time to bring those experiences out in all of our songs.”

The Marshall Tucker Band’s influence can be felt far and wide through many respected contemporaries and the artists who’ve followed the path

forged by their collective footsteps and footstomps. “MTB helped originate and personify what was to become known as Southern rock, and I was privileged to watch it all come together in the ’70s, night after night,” said the legendary late Charlie Daniels. “In fact, The Charlie Daniels Band has played more dates with The Marshall Tucker Band over the past years than any other band we’ve ever worked with. Even after all these years — after the tragedies, the miles, the personnel changes, and the many developments in the music business.” Daniels added that he never got tired of seeing his MTB brothers on the road: “Whenever Doug Gray walks into my dressing room with that big ol’ smile of his and then we hug each other and sit and talk for a while, the evening is complete.”“I remember seeing Marshall Tucker and The Outlaws play together in Jacksonville many years ago, when I was just a kid,” recalls Lynyrd Skynyrd lead singer Johnny Van Zant. “And I heard them all over the radio back then too. They were just so cool and so unique that I fell in love with the band, and I also fell in love with the music. Having them open for us on all those dates was like a dream come true, and they’re still as good as I’ve ever seen them. It brought back a lot of memories for me, because I really looked up to those guys when I was first starting out.” Ed Roland, the lead vocalist and chief songwriter for Collective Soul, adds “The Marshall Tucker Band had a big influence on me and they still do.” Roland, who’s lived the majority of his life in and around Atlanta, also proudly points out that his band’s biggest hit, “Shine,” owes a clear debt to the musical structure of “Can’t You See,” and he’ll often start off by singing the opening line to that song — “I’m gonna take a freight train” — whenever Collective Soul performs “Shine” live. “We don’t want to stray from what we grew up listening to,” Roland continues. “I think that’s something important for people to hear. It’s just who we are, and I don’t think we should run from it. Hopefully, people see that southern connection to the bands we love like

Marshall Tucker in our music.” Doug Gray sees no end to the road that lies ahead for The Marshall Tucker Band, whose legacy is being carried forward by the man himself and his current bandmates, drummer B.B. Borden (Mother’s Finest, The Outlaws), bassist/vocalist Ryan Ware, keyboardist/saxophonist/flautist/vocalist Marcus James Henderson, guitarist/vocalist Chris Hicks, and guitarist/ vocalist Rick Willis. “You know, I think it was Toy Caldwell’s dad who said, ‘There’s more to gray hair than old bones,’ and we still have a lot of stories yet to tell,” Gray concludes. “People ask me all the time what I’m gonna do when I turn 80, and I always say, ‘The same thing that we’re continuing to do now.’ We’re road warriors, there’s no doubt about that — and I don’t intend to slow down.” May the MTB wagon train continue running like the

wind on a long hard ride for many more years to come. One thing we absolutely know for sure: If you heard it in a Marshall Tucker Band song, it

certainly can’t be wrong.

—Mike Mettler, this ol’ MTB chronologist

Little River Band Bio

The Eagles founding member, the late Glenn Frey, knew what he was saying when he dubbed Little River Band “the best singing band in the world.” Through the ‘70’s and ‘80’s, LRB enjoyed huge chart success with multiplatinum albums and chart topping hits like: “Cool Change,” “The Night Owls,” Happy Anniversary,” “Reminiscing,”  “Lonesome Loser,”  “Take It Easy On Me,” “Help Is on Its Way,” “We Two,”  “Man On Your Mind,” “The Other Guy,” and It’s A Long Way There.”

Worldwide album, CD sales and digital downloads now top 36 million and LRB has set a record for having had Top 10 hits for 6 consecutive years - In fact, they were the very first band to achieve that remarkable status! According to BMI, “Reminiscing” has garnered rare status with over 6 million airplays on American radio, and “Lady” is close behind with over 5 million airplays. 

Bassist/vocalist Wayne Nelson joined the band in 1980.  He worked alongside founding members with some of the most distinctive harmonies and vocal abilities, creating the unique LRB sound. In 1981, Nelson was recognized by world renowned Beatles producer Sir George Martin whom, while producing ‘Time Exposure’, chose Nelson to record lead vocals on two of the band’s biggest hits, “The Night Owls” and “Take It Easy On Me.” Later that same year guitarist extraordinaire Stephen Housden joined LRB bringing a rock element into the band’s sound   and helped contribute to their string of Top 10 hits.  As band members departed, both Housden and Nelson worked together to bring LRB into the new millennium.   

To date, lead singer/bassist Wayne Nelson has contributed his vocal and bass guitar talents on 22 Little River Band Albums/CD’s.  LRB continues to perform to sold out audiences, and Stephen Housden continues to write and participate in all things Little River Band. 

In 2004 LRB was inducted into the Australian Recording Industry Association Hall of Fame at the 18th Annual ARIA Music Awards and in September 2015 the band was awarded Casino Entertainer of the Year at the G2E Gaming Expo in Las Vegas Nevada. 

Turning the page brings us to the current lineup of Little River Band… 

Keyboardist and vocalist Chris Marion is a Dove Award winning producer. Chris is the creator of all the orchestral arrangements and charts on The Big Box and BLACK TIE. It is amazing to watch him play, sing, and conduct from his riser! 

Singing Drummer Ryan Ricks has locked down the rhythm section, and rounds out the vocals with his incredible range. Great singing drummers are rare…and LRB is lucky to have Ryan as part of that all-important vocal blend. 

Nashville Guitarist Colin Whinnery plays lead guitar, and shares lead vocal duties with Wayne. He continues to deliver a unique voice and a fresh outlook to the lead section. 

Nashville Singer-Songwriter and Guitarist Bruce Wallace plays rhythm guitar and adds a new layer to the vocal harmonies. The addition of Bruce to the line-up has added to the energy of the already highly energized LRB.

Early 2014 saw the release of Little River Band’s, ‘Cuts Like a Diamond,’ on Frontiers Records.  “What If You’re Wrong,” went to #1 and stayed there for 3 weeks says Jim Shoe of CLASSX Radio.  “Forever You, Forever Me,” and “You Dream, I’ll Drive,” both climbed into the station’s TOP 3.  

In November of 2016, LRB released, ‘The Hits…Revisited,’ on Wurld Records. This CD consists of 9 re-recorded hits along with 2 new songs. May of 2017 brought the release of ‘The Big Box’ - a box set consisting of 6 discs’s featuring a DVD with live footage from their 40^th Anniversary Tour.

In November of 2020, during the Pandemic, and in partnership with TIME LIFE, the orchestral accompanied ear candy ‘BLACK TIE,’ was released to rave reviews. In 2024, Little River Band released their new album ‘Window To The World.’ They are currently writing songs for the next album. 

2025 rolled the band into their 50th Anniversary with a total 92 shows with their “HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TOUR.”  During that tour they also did 23 co-bill shows with Three Dog Night which thrilled audiences around the country because of the overwhelming number of sing along hits. 

Easy On Me were hits in 5^th and 6^th y 

Bringing their vocal and musical energy along with great arrangements to their timeless classic hits, each show creates new memories for the audience.  The band enjoys watching their fans fall in love with the songs all over again as they are swept up by the show’s powerful performance and the volume of hits from LRB’s history. 

With 90 -100 dates being scheduled for their 2025-2026 tour, Little River Band is hotter than ever selling out shows and making music coast to coast continuing their legacy of being “the best singing band in the world.” 

Little River Band is: 

Wayne Nelson:  Lead Vocals/Bass 

Chris Marion:  Keyboards/Vocals 

Ryan Ricks: Drums/Percussion/Vocals 

Colin Whinnery:   Lead Guitar/Lead Vocals

Bruce Wallace: Guitar/Vocals