James “Saxsmo” Gates Jr. (39 years) the charismatic sax man has been keeping vital a family jazz tradition since his first paying gig at 11 …
Joe Scott (32 years) the eclectic guitarist’s mix of jazz, rock and R&B has regularly filled Bogart’s Back Room for two decades and counting …
Steve Kessler (32 years) intuitive and highly independent pianist who’s turned down big-time offers to build a career on the local jazz scene …
Skip Gailes (31 years) In-between gigs in every club in the region, the saxophonist/pianist played a key role (with Doug Richards) in setting up the VCU Jazz Program and the Great American Music Ensemble …
Plunky and Oneness of Juju (30+ years) Internationally respected world-beat jazz group, with heavy African influences …
Steve Bassett (30+ years) Beach music specialist still pounding the keys and singing the classics …
Robbin Thompson (30+ years) award-winning singer/songwriter, soulful and gritty … like former band-mate Bruce What’s-His-Name …
Bruce Olsen (30 years) Former punk-rock hero with The Offenders, now mostly a studio engineer, but always experimenting and working with a few of the music scene elite …
Steven McCarthy (30 years) From Boys From Skateland to Long Ryders to Gutterball to touring with Jayhawks, Flying Burritos country rock background now disco dancing in NRG Krysis …
Buzzy Lawler (30 years) Rockin’ Horse diehard, still cranking out classic rock, dammit, as in the Stones and the Beatles … now with Loose Gravel …
Terry Garland (30 years) still pounding out percussive acoustic Delta blues, still sweating buckets …
Li’l Ronnie (30 years) Grandfather of local blues scene, his Grand Dukes are a jump-blues-meets-Chicago outfit, and his harp leads the charge …
Beex (30 years) legendary local punk-rock bar band …
The Bopcats (30 years) Fralin family has been mixing rock with rockabilly and blues flavorings for 20-plus years …
Doc Branch and the Keynotes (almost 30 years) straight-up and classic jazz, holding down the fort at Emilio’s every Friday since forever …
Harry Gore (26 years) From Christian rock to Chuck Berry to Dylan to reggae, still working guitar magic …
Bob Hallahan (27 years) a polished piano stylist who’s also helped polish more than a generation of VCU jazz studies graduates …
Page Wilson (25 years) Dean of American Mongrel music still picking and grinning nearly a quarter century later now with Reckless Abandon …
Ululating Mummies (22 years) eclectic world-music ensemble playing surf music for landlocked nations, wearing robes and funny hats …
Ban Caribe (22 years) Latin, Caribbean and soulful Afro-beats …
GWAR (21 years) Groundbreaking, parent-scaring slime-spewing shock rockers still spraying fans with fake blood …
Cashmere Jungle Lords (21 years) surf meets rockabilly …
Billy Ray Hatley (21 years) from Big City to the Show Dogs, Hatley has led roots rock and blues bands for many a year, but is now focused on impressive originals …
Mike Lucas (20 years) MVP around town as in-demand guitarist and pedal steel player, The Good Humor Band, Big Posse anchor …
Bio Ritmo (17 years) Latin-Cuban jazz with equal parts Puerto Rico and the Fan …
Avail (17 years) tattooed punks still spreading the gospel of punk love and solidarity …
Fighting Gravity (16 years) ska band Boy O Boy turned early-’90s frat-house favorites, persisting through several lineup changes …
Hotel X (14 years) world-beat jazz collective pushing the envelope as always, with more emphasis on groove than before …
Wrenn Mangum (14 years) after leading outlandish rock band Frog Legs, this Jim Morrison-meets-James Brown now dons rockabilly stripes, in addition to playing with rock band Bonanchor …
Carbon Leaf (12 years) Mainstream rock with hints of multiculturalism, signed with Vanguard, appeared on Dr. Phil, host Tiki parties on Brown’s Island …
The Taters (11 years) Roots rock troubadors, Bakersfield twang with Orbison and Everly influences …
River City High (11 years) Punk pop going places, but becoming grand old men of the scene …
Johnny Hott (10 years) Percussionist from House of Freaks with numerous others leads the Piedmont Souprize, a retro-jazz outfit with chanteuse in front …
The Chez Roué Orchette with Roger Carroll (10 years) Good-time jazz and Americana with bleating sax, pounding keyboards, Satchmo-esque trumpet, and Jimmy Durante meets Tom Waits vocals …
Strike Anywhere (10 years) Positive punk with dreads …
Walter Bell & the Latin Jazz Unit (10 years) contemporary jazz flutist …
Janet Martin (10 years) started with big hair duo The Rare. The Americana guitarist has focused on playing overseas for the last four years … S
