Clutch Band Bios

Clutch Band Bios

Ricky G	Born in the Bronx, N.Y., Ricky's interest in music became apparent at an early age. He learned to play the guitar at age 12 and was singing in restaurants and nightclubs in New York at age 16. His musical influences were Elvis, The Beatles, Neil Diamond and Bobby Darin. Ricky's early roots in musical theater and summer stock included lead roles as "Tony" in West Side Story and "Sid" in The Pajama Game. He also had roles in Lil' Abner and Bye Bye Birdie. Ricky moved to Fort Lauderdale in 1978 where he performed as a single act in hotels and nightclubs. In 1986 he met Buttercup and "Clutch" while singing with another band on the same circuit. He joined Clutch in 1989 but left due to personal reasons in 2000. He is very happy to be back with his 2nd "family" and all his valued friends and fans.
Michael	Michael Land is the newest heartthrob in the band and he possesses one of the finest tenor voices to ever grace the ranks of Clutch. He recently performed with the At The Hop Show at the Jim Stafford Theater in Branson, Mo. and now resides in Nashville, Tn.
Jumpin' Johnny Flame	Jumpin' Johnny Flame began his show band career in 1979 with a band called The Convertibles and also had the opportunity to play guitar very briefly for Percy Sledge and the legendary Bo Diddley. But a chance meeting in 1981 led to his joining of Clutch while he was performing in a small club in New Orleans with his local show band Dean Darling & the Wanderers. Buttercup happened to be home for the Christmas holidays and saw the show and asked Jumpin' to join his band and in 1984 he became a proud member of Clutch. Jumpin' performed with Clutch from 1984 to 1993, then from 1994 to 1996 he played with the JJ Muggler Band, which is a New Orleans based Southern Rock band. They recorded a CD and was an opening act for such artists as Lynyrd Skynyrd, Molly Hatchet, Bad Company, Wet Willie, Foghat, and others. He joined up with the National Broadway Tour of Smokey Joe's Cafe and in 1998 did the US tour, in 1999 the European tour in Germany & Switzerland, and in 2000 the Asian tour in South Korea. He had a brief return to Clutch in 2001 before returning to the Broadway circuit where he played in the orchestra in 2003 for the FAME 100 City US Tour, in 2004 the Grease US Tour with Franki Avalon, the 2005 FAME Asian Tour in South Korea, in 2006 with Franki Avalon in Branson, Missouri, and the 2007 Grease Asian Tour in Macau, China. In 2007 he was inducted into the Westbank Musician's Hall of Fame which is a local organization in the New Orleans area. JJ Flame is proud to be back with is first love........Clutch!
Poindexter	Poindexter is the Hugh Hefner of the Nerds! He first joined Clutch in 1990 and was an instant hit with the fans. He is an accomplished drummer and has studied many styles of music. In coming back to play for Clutch Poindexter feels he has finally reached "Nerdvana".
Laronia	Leapin' Larry, as he is also known, first joined Clutch back in 1988 and immediately became a favorite of the band. He is a multi taleneted musician and brings his expertise in saxophone, flute, and piano to the band and is also well versed in musical theory. He resides in Marietta, Ga.
Nolan	Nolan has been a part of the Clutch rhythm section for several years. His solid bass playing gives the Clutch sound a strong footing to build on. He resides in Panama City Beach, Fl.
Erik	Erik, Clutch's keyboardist extraordinaire, hails from Atlanta, Georgia, and has played with many professional acts during his long career; including stints with Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show ("Sylvia's Mother," "Cover of the Rolling Stone," "A little bit more," etc.) and the Double Talk Show band with Clutch members Ricky "G" and The Captain. Besides his incredible prowess with keyboards and synthesizers, Erik's tribute to Jerry Lee Lewis is a highlight of most Clutch shows.
Charlee	Charlee is a fan favorite and has been in the Clutch line up for several years. Her Dolly Parton and Brenda Lee features are crowd pleasers and she is also an accomplished choreographer and worked with Louise Mandrell in Pigeon Forge. Charlee now appears as a special guest for current Clutch shows.