Meet
the Musicians
Roger
Ceresi (Vocalist)
 Roger
Ceresi’s desire to express
himself through the arts first emerged at the young
age of five. Growing up in the projects was not easy
and Roger found that dreaming about becoming a performer
helped him to escape the difficulties of that period
of his life.
Thankfully,
Roger’s saving grace was his grandparents love.
At the age of ten, his grandparents took him from his
unhealthy environment and brought him into their loving,
nurturing home to live, which Roger can only describe
as "heaven". Here he now was encouraged to
turn his dreams into reality.
The
first instrument he attempted to play in 4th grade was
trumpet, which was very soon replaced by drums. The
drums were an instrument on which Roger could truly
excel giving him an outlet to release his spirit in
a powerful and energetic fashion. He took drum lessons
with several great drummers: Rocco Ruggiano, Arti
Cabral and the world renown, Allan Dawson.
He majored in classical piano and voice at Rhode Island
College where he was offered a scholarship in classical
voice, He then went to Berklee College of Music where
he majored in piano and arranging & composition.
Roger went on to play drums for many years in rock,
jazz, horn and show bands.
When
Roger played for a period of time in a show band, he
used to come out front and do an Elvis impersonation.
The audiences went crazy. That's when he realized that
for him fronting a band was where he felt most alive.
From that point on Roger never looked back. He began
studying voice with Dante Pavone in Boston who
tutored artists such as Michael Jackson, Diana Ross
and Steven Tyler and then in Los Angeles
with Seth Riggs who taught all the musical greats.
Roger
fronted a very successful Rock & Roll band called
"The Breakers" in Boston in the late 70's
to early 80's. They played up and down the East Coast,
including Boston, New York, Connecticut, New Hampshire
& Maine. They played the infamous Rat Skeller in
Boston at the same time "The Cars" and "Aerosmith"
performed there. Some of these accomplishments are recounted
in the new book From Rags to Riches to Faith
by Daniel W. Berthelette. A copy of this book
can be purchased here.
Roger
played with two other bands in the 70s: "Fancy
Colors" and "The BrotherHood Band". He
toured cross country and in Canada, first doing a tribute
to Elvis with "Fancy Colors", back when doing
tributes was not popular. They were ahead of the times!.
 In
the early 80's, Roger moved to California and fronted
an original rock band called "Good Thunder"
which performed thoughout Los Angeles. He also made
guest appearances with a well-known New Age band called
"Freeway Philharmonic". He did extensive studio
work singing on video and movie sound tracks. He also
studied acting at the well-known Santa Monica Playhouse
and went on to perform roles in plays and a comedy film.
Roger eventually moved back to Rhode Island where he
started to sing with R&B horn-bands.
He
began fronting a band from Massachusetts called "The
Kidds". The group was renamed "Roger Ceresi
& the Kidds" and later renamed "Roger
Ceresi & the Rockin' Soul Horns". They performed
successfully throughout the New England area for 7 years.
During this time, Roger co-wrote the group's infamous
CD entitled Don't Take Away the Night.
Roger
eventually moved on to form his current band, "Roger
Ceresi's All Starz". Backed by a stage full of
incredible musicians, each a star in his own right,
Roger leads this horn-driven band with all of his soul.
Roger is an engaging performer who draws from all his
life experiences to create a powerful, high-energy performance
filled with passion, excitement and pure unadulterated
fun! Audiences are immediately swept up by his energy
and enthusiasm. But, like any other great performer,
he knows that without a great group backing him up,
it wouldn't be the same. To that end, Roger says "this
is the best group of guys I've ever performed with,
hands down no doubt! I love this band. I have found
my home and I'm loving it!" And he was just
getting started.
Roger
has gone on to vocally coach others as well as umpire
youth baseball games. He has performed as a Special
Guest with two 18-piece jazz big bands: Larry Brown
Swinglane Orchestra and New Providence Big Band,
as well as with Bobby Christina's Caravan. In
addition, he formed a new jazz & blues trio. One
would think that he does all of the above full time,
but he doesn't! He has maintained a full-time job in
the hospitality industry for many years, earning many
awards, including the Bill Marriott Spirit to Serve
Award, and several others. And he is contemplating
writing a book!
NEW!!
See
videos from Roger's new CD, Class of '71 Masters,
below:
Listen
to the studio version of "Sound of Silence"
here, sung by
none other than Roger Ceresi, recorded in 2018!
He also performed it live with the Summer Pops Orchestra
in 2018.
 Okay,
why "Leather Lungs"? John's brother Pete told
him that he should use the nickname because a lot of
people who play blues music have them, and this is a
name which a newspaper gave him a couple of years ago.
He studied physics in college and works days as a contract
software engineer. He took private trumpet lessons in
high school for years from a wonderful man named Nelson
Balsamo, and played trumpet as often as he could.
John loves performing for people and loves to see them
enjoy and be uplifted by good music. Over the past few
years he has worked as a musician in the New England
region.
Some
of the people/groups he has played with are: Nick
Curran, Roomful of Blues, Duke Robillard, Sugar Ray
Norcia (Great singer with the famous Roomful of
Blues band for many years), Loaded Dice w/Danny
Vitale (Swing, jump blues group with many former
Roomful of Blues members), K.D. Bell (R&B,
Funk and Blues music), The Movers (Winners of
the 1995 Harper's Ferry Battle of the Blues Bands and
the 1995 12th Annual International Blues Talent Competition
in Memphis, TN), Ibrahima Camara (Senegalese
Talking Drum Master, African Pop Music; recorded on
his release, "Sama Yie", which won the Boston
Music Award, International category in 1993), Concord
Band (Community band concerts and solo work), Luther
"Guitar, Jr." Johnson (great Chicago-style
blues), Hot Tamale Brass Band, Mickey Bones
(marching brass band modeled after the great street
bands of the city of New Orleans), Clarence "Gatemouth"
Brown, Eric "Two Scoops" Moore
(recorded with him on his 1996 release, "Big Buffet"),
Chris "Stovall" Brown, Jay Place,
Matt Woodburn and the Kat 'N' the Hat Band,
Scott Shetler, "Sax" Gordon Beadle,
Charlie Hunt & Search Party, and last, but
not least, Phil Wilson.
John
DeBossu (Double Bass and Electric Bass)
 John
DeBossu
is a double bass and electric bass player and performs
jazz, rock, and classical music in the Rhode Island
area and on various stages in New England. Classically
trained, John lived in Geneva, Switzerland and performed
in France and Switzerland in various jazz groups, and
studied classical bass in Geneva. After moving to the
Boston area, John studied with Miroslav Vitous,
the founding bass player of Weather Report. John
regularly plays jazz and swing in the New Providence
Big Band, Gypsy Jazz, and other contemporary
jazz bands in the Rhode Island area.
Christopher
Depot (Electric Bass)
 Christopher
Depot
grew up in South Kingstown, RI and now resides in Cumberland,
Rhode Island with his wife and 2 children. He started
playing his grandfather’s trombone at 10, met Roger
while bussing tables at 14, and began performing with
the All Starz Band when he was 15. A graduate
of the University of Rhode Island, Christopher studied
trombone under Darren Acosta (Boston Pops, Finnish
Symphony) and Gabe Langfur (RI Philharmonic,
Vermont Symphony). Christopher has been the Director
of Bands at Woonsocket High School since 2011. He has
performed for many groups throughout Southern New England
including Superchief Trio, Steve Smith and
The Nakeds, and Dynamite Rhythm. Returning
to the band after taking a few years off to start his
family, Christopher has left the horn section and is
a part of the rhythm section! Now playing electric bass
and singing. We’re happy to have him back in this
new role!
Barry
Fleischer (Saxophone)
 Barry
Fleischer, tenor, Alto, baritone
saxophone; flute, Clarinet - from New Haven CT; has
been playing professionally since the age of 14. Studied
music with private teachers, and attended Julius Hart
School of Music Summer Program, Choate Summer Music
Program under the direction of Trombonist and Woody
Herman almunis Phil Wilson, University of Bridgeport,
Music Education Program. While playing in the Duke Ellington
Fellowship Orchestra at Yale University, under the direction
of Willie Ruff and Dwike Mitchell, of
the Mitchell Ruff duo, he was a featured solo artist
with such jazz notables as Dizzy Gillespie, Slam
Stewart, Benny Carter, Clark Terry,
Earl Warren, Dick Katz, Oliver Jackson,
Peck Morrison, Bo Diddley, and the Mitchell
Ruff duo. Barry has been an active and visible part
of the Boston Music Scene since moving from New York
City in 1982. In the early 1990's he was leader of his
own instrumental quartet, " Swing House".
His
music has been described as an authentic, jump blues
style, with all the energy and drive reminiscent of
the late 1940's and early 1950's saxophonists. His unique
and warm tone can be heard with many popular Boston
bands. He has recorded three albums on Rounder Records
with Michelle Wilson. He is currently a member of the
"Sweet Willy and the Continental Walk"
and Roger Ceresi's All Starz.
Gary
‘Guitar’ Gramolini
 Gary
‘Guitar’ Gramolini
is a founding and still active member of RI’s John
Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band (Rhode Island
Music Hall of Fame inductee, 2016), as well as a band
leader (Gary ‘Guitar’ Gramolini and the
Grinders), and band member over 4 decades in The
Boys of Summer, The Ocean Mistics, Ken
Lyon and Tombstone, The Saw Horses, as well
as a Solo Performer/Singer/Songwriter. He and Roger
Ceresi have been performing as a Duo since 2005 and
still going strong.
Phil
Gruppuso (Piano)
 Phil
Gruppuso is a longtime veteran
of the Providence music scene. He has played with many
local jazz and blues musicians, both as a side man and
and a leader. At present, he plays piano for The
New Providence Big Band and keys for the blues/R&B
group, The Automatics. His small group jazz appearances
are most often with the GCD Trio. In emulating
the straight-ahead sound of the 60's and the 70's, the
trio's influences include Ramsey Lewis, Ray
Charles, Gene Harris, and Les McCann.
Brad
Kleyla (Trombone)
 Brad
Kleyla is a freelance trombonist,
vocalist, and recording engineer in the Southern New
England area. He began studying trombone at the age
of ten, and went on to study trombone performance at
Rhode Island College. In 2010, Brad transferred to DePaul
University in Chicago where he obtained a degree in
sound recording technology. While at the DePaul University
School of Music, Brad studied trombone and euphonium
under Mark Fisher, Chicago Lyric Opera Orchestra,
and Charlie Vernon, principal bass trombonist
of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Brad is currently
the trombone instructor at Woonsocket High School and
Rick's Music in Cumberland. He also maintains a private
music studio. In addition to the RC Allstarz, Brad plays
trombone with the Narragansett Bay Symphony Orchestra
and holds the tenor section leader position at Grace
Church in Providence. He frequently performs in big
bands, musicals, and chamber concerts around New England.
Greg
Laboss (Vocalist Extraordinaire)
 Greg
"The Boss" Laboss is
a multi-instrumentalist, husband, dad, elected official,
and all-around nice guy!
Matt
McCabe (Piano)
 Matt
McCabe
is a seasoned and nationally-known Jazz piano player
who has played on the same bill with many Jazz greats
including B.B. King, Muddy Waters, Bonnie
Raitt, Van Morrrison, James Brown,
Willie Nelson, the Neville Brothers,
the Blues Brothers and more. His skill and style
are a treat for any music lover because he seems to
merge with the piano while playing standards, blues
and the boogie classics.
Music
came to McCabe early on and naturally. One of nine children
born to Irish parents, McCabe picked up the piano almost
by osmosis. His father, an English professor at Tufts,
and his older brother were into Jazz, but unlike his
siblings, he wasn’t interested in lessons and picked
up piano mostly by ear.
Matt
has been playing blues piano for over 30 years and has
toured extensively with many of the music greats such
as Anson Funderburg, Sam Myers, Roomful of Blues,
Sugar Ray Norcia, and Duke Robillard. Some
of the artists he has performed with are Stevie Ray
Vaughn, Buddy Guy, Ruth Brown, The Fabulous Thunderbirds,
Albert Collins, Boz Scaggs, Laverne Baker, Huey Lewis
and the News, Robert Lockwood, Junior Wells, Gatemouth
Brown, Big Joe Turner, Pam Tillis, Big Jay McNeely,
Otis Rush, Bruce Willis, Pinetop Perkins, Jay McShann,
Sam Meyers, Marcia Ball, Little Milton, Earl King, Jimmie
Rogers, Donovan, Maria Muldaur, Herb Ellis, Matt Murphy,
Joe Huston, Nappy Brown, and Delbert McClinton.
His film credits include “China Moon” with Ed Harris
and Madeline Stowe and “Honeydripper” with Danny
Glover. See his discography here.Other
credits are listed here.
Rob
Nelson (Guitar)
 Rob
Nelson has been playing in
bands in the New England area since 1968. These bands
include the Backslap Blues Band, Stovall Brown, Blue
Lights, Louis Camp, The Heptones (with Fatman Wilson
on vocals), Loaded Dice, Blueswagon and Sugar
Ray Norcia. He has also done several tours as the
guitar player for Roomful of Blues. As a member
of these bands, he toured extensively throughout the
U.S., Europe, Canada and the West Indies.
Prestige
gigs include the Montreal Jazz Festival (50,000 people),
the W.C. Handy Awards in Memphis, TN, (with B.B. King--host),
Tipitina's (New Orleans), Lone Star Café (N.Y.C.),
Antone's (Austin, TX), Slim's (San Francisco), Buddy
Guy's (Chicago) and virtually every major (and minor)
blues club in North America. I've toured with Lazy Lester
(a legendary blues harp player from Baton Rouge, LA.)
for 5 years. Also toured with bluesman Wild Child Butler.
Over the years I've had the pleasure of playing with
artists like Big Joe Turner, Lloyd Glenn, Buddy Guy,
Johnny Winter, Jimmy Johnson, Joe Louis Walker, Anson
Funderburgh, Katie Webster and Coco Montoya,
etc.
Rob
has opened for just about every major blues star including
Muddy Waters and John Lee Hooker and recorded
with Porky Cohen, Sugar Ray Norcia, Loaded
Dice, Blueswagon and NOW the Roger Ceresi's
Rockin' All Starz.
Richard
Ribb (Bass)
 Richard
Ribb (aka Rich) has performed
with a number of established bands in southern New England
including Arrow, the Shake, the Outpost Boys,
Rockin' Soul Horns, Biscuit City, the
Dick Clarks, the Mishnock All Stars, and
the Chesterfields. He brings groove-oriented
bass playing and close harmony singing skills to the
trio as well as an extensive knowledge of popular songs
from the 60s on. He continues to write and record original
songs, collaborating with many local musical colleagues
and has performed on several recordings for local and
regional acts. Check out his page at www.reverbnation.com/artist/richardribb.
Richard
Reed (Organ and Piano)
 Organ
and Piano player Richard “Dickie” Reed
has played with Junior Walker & The
All Stars, Otis Rush, Earl King, Duke
Robillard, Ronnie Earl, Hubert Sumlin,
Roomful of Blues and many other R&B and Rock
& Roll "Greats". He was inducted into
the RI Music Hall of Fame with The Schemers.
Chad
Souza (Drums)
 Chad
Souza was born in Attleboro, MA and raised in RI.
He started gigging on the drums at 13 with Johnny
Watson Jr. Since then, he has worked with a wide
variety of southeastern New England’s best blues
and swing groups including Rory and the Blueshounds,
The Mystic Horns, Professor Harp, and
Western Stars. He got a young start, thanks to
his bass playing father, whom you may remember from
his many years with the All Starz, ‘Papa’
Dick Souza. Chad was also a founding member of The
Funk Monks, Powerhouse, and Smokestack
Lightnin’.
Hank
Walther (Piano and Hammond Organ)
 Born
in Providence, RI in 1961, Hank Walther grew
up in Riverside listening to many local bands, including
Country and Blues. His father was Hank Walters, the
New England country legend, and thus Hank's influences
stretch from Floyd Domino and Floyd Cramer to Dr John
and Booker T. While in a Newport-based band, Little
Brother, in the 1980’s, he opened for Roomful
of Blues; and from that moment on, hewanted to
be in the band.
He
moved to Nashville in 1993 to play full time, and he
has played the Grand ol' Opry, and Farm Aid;
in Hank's case, several times with John Conlee.
Hank also worked with such major country acts as Jim
Ed Brown, Jeff Moore, and Michael Peterson.
He
moved back to Rhode Island in 1999, finally becoming
a member of Roomful of Blues for over two years,
from 2000-2002. Hank recorded on two of the band's albums,
Watch You When You Go and Live at Wolfetrap.
Since
leaving Roomful of Blues, Hank toured for over
10 years playing on cruise ships, both with Disney
Cruise Line in Florida and Norwegian Cruise Line
of America in Hawaii. After that, he settled down
with family in Riverside, joining and recording with
many local bands including Rob Nelson’s Americana
band, The Robcats, and Johnny and the East
Coast Rockers. In 2020, he became a member of another
great 8-piece big-horn band, Roger Ceresi's All Starz!
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