Gumbo Ya! Ya! is an eight piece rhythm and blues band from Adelaide, South Australia that has been performing for over 33 years.
Biography
Gumbo Ya! Ya! has been performing New Orleans rhythm and blues, swing, soul and funk since 1987.
Gumbo Ya! Ya! formed in late October 1987 with the aim of presenting the richness and variety of New Orleans funk, soul, shuffle and rhythm and blues music. New Orleans music moves both the feet and the soul and catches everyone up in the Mardi Gras spirit - which is undoubtedly why the band has developed such an enduring following.
In 1988, Gumbo Ya! Ya! took up residency at an inner city hotel and within weeks were playing to capacity crowds who couldn't seem to get enough of the high energy music the outfit were dishing up.'No matter how we feel when we walk in here, we are guaranteed to leave on a high' mused one regular. Those Sunday sessions became legendary.
Later on the band cemented its musical reputation by being asked to support Joe Cocker, B.B. King and Ray Charles.
While other bands have come and gone, Gumbo Ya! Ya! have continued to perform regularly, drawing consistently large crowds and continue to delight an audience that includes everyone form gyrating youngsters hooking on to an energetic groove to a generation who were probably jiving to the original artists who influenced Gumbo Ya! Ya!
Members
Current line-up
- Charli Holoubek - guitar
- Eric Stevenson - vocals
- Richard McDonald - keyboards
- Ron Kosmider - bass
- Tim Germein - trumpet
- Darryl Pope - trombone/ trumpet
- Terry Jones - saxophone
- Mark Meyer - drums
Past Members
- Marty Holoubek - bass
- Chris Neale - drums
- Ralph Franke - saxophone
- Steven Peterka - drums
- Matt Crago - drums
- Jeff Algra - drums
- Mark Heffernan - bass
- Sam Eades - trumpet
- Jamie Capatch - saxophones
- Terry Jones - saxophone
- Chris Soole - saxophone
- Tom Stehlik - drums
- Alex Musolino - saxophone
- John (Yohann) Coultas - trombone
- Narmon Tulsi - bass
- Peter Lowrey - saxophone
- Greg Germein - trombone
- Wayne Nietz - drums
- John Freeman - drums
- John Frangos - drums