Me, Myself, & Us Concert Series: Steve Ferrone, Will Lee, Eddie Martinez at Fine Arts Auditorium – Armstrong State University – Savannah, GA

Thomas Claxton’s “Me, Myself, & Us” Concert Series welcomes world-renowned artists Steve Ferrone, Will Lee, and Eddie Martinez for an incredible evening exploring the musical timeline of your lives…

• Steve Ferrone is the drummer of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and a former member of the Average White Band. He has recorded and performed with numerous other high-profile acts, including Duran Duran, Stevie Nicks, Christine McVie, Slash, Chaka Khan, Eric Clapton, Bee Gees, Scritti Politti, and Johnny Cash.

Ferrone played with the band Bloodstone, appearing on their 1975 album Riddle of the Sphinx. He then began playing with Brian Auger’s band Oblivion Express, which had previously featured drummer Robbie McIntosh. McIntosh later joined the Average White Band, and had just released their first number one album when McIntosh died of a heroin overdose. Ferrone was asked to join AWB in his place, and stayed with them for the next eight years, recording and playing concert tours to support several hit albums, until AWB broke up in 1982. Since appearing on Chaka Khan’s 1978 debut album, he went on to play on most of her following albums of the 80s, many of them with former AWB band member Hamish Stuart. In 1985, Ferrone joined the Saturday Night Live house band. He contributed as session drummer for Duran Duran on the Notorious, Duran Duran, and Thank You albums. He also toured with Duran Duran on the Strange Behaviour tour in support of the Notorious album . He also toured and recorded with Eric Clapton from 1986 to 1992. He played drums for the Alan Parsons rhythm section at Abbey Road Studios for Eric Clapton and others.

• Will Lee is known as bassist for over three decades on Late Show with David Letterman, giving him the world’s record for longest-running bassist on late night television. Will has also lent his considerable talents to over 2,000 Pop, Jazz, Rock, Reggae and Gospel albums from Chaka Khan to Ricky Martin, Frank Sinatra to James Brown, Barbra Streisand to D’Angelo, Cat Stevens to Alicia Keys, Aretha Franklin to BB King, David Sanborn to Spyro Gyra & Bob James to Pat Metheny.

He has sung and played on an equal number of TV and radio commercials as well as many movie soundtracks. Will performed at Live Aid with The Thompson Twins & Madonna and has also been part of the house band for most of the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremonies.

An inductee of the Nashville Musicians Hall of Fame, Will also has the enviable position of having performed or recorded with all 4 of the Beatles, which is pretty thrilling for a guy who is a founding member of the world’s premier Beatles band, The Fab Faux!

• Guitarist and Songwriter, Eddie Martinez took his professional music career by the horns when the 1980’s came along, first appearing on the map for such artists as Robert Palmer, Steve WInwood, and David Lee Roth… all within the span of LESS THAN A YEAR. From there, Martinez became a go-to performer, working with such marquee names as Mick Jagger, Meat Loaf, and Run DMC. Run DMC’s hit, “Rock Box”, which heavily features Eddie Martinez, is also commonly cited as the first rap video played on MTV.

Joining Steve, Will, and Eddie and rounding out the night will be:

• Four time IMC and RMA award-winning vocalist / songwriter, Thomas Claxton, performs over 200 shows per year, spanning the United States and abroad. The classically-trained vocalist has also performed on stage and/or recorded with a number of industry-recognized performers including Leland Sklar, Liberty Devitto, Chuck Negron, Tony Franklin, Carmine Rojas, Bernard “Pretty” Purdie, and many others. Chosen by internationally circulated, “Rockwell UnScene Magazine”, as their “Best Male Vocalist” (2014, 2015, 2016, 2017), Thomas is also an experienced Event Promoter, Coordinator, and Vocal Coach and has been featured by Acoustic Guitar Magazine, South Magazine, and The NAMM Foundation’s “Talking Up Music Education” as well as The NAMM Show’s “Oral History Program”.

The night will also include band members:

• Elizabeth Jones (Gretsch School of Music) on Backing Vocals
• Ashlyn Rusgrove on Backing Vocals