David Sturdevant

Vocals, Guitar, Harmonica, Chromatic Harmonica, Mandola
Hometown: New York

Led by guitarist, vocalist, and harmonica player David Sturdevant, who moved to California from upstate New York in the 70's, the San Francisco Medicine Ball Band is an impressive collection of musicians from near and far. While David's main instruments are guitar and chromatic harmonica, he can also be found playing keyboard and belting out a variety of favorites from New Orleans R&B to Jazz standrads, Dixieland and all ports in between. He performs regularly in the house band of San Francisco's famous Caffe Trieste and serves as the music director for Oakland's Plymouth Church of Jazz & Justice - not to mention other musical and performing groups around the Bay area.

Charlie Hickox
Vocals, Keyboard, Left-hand bass, Melodica
Hometown: Fairfax, CA

Charlie Hickox reigns from Cleveland Ohio and joined the group in 1980 when David and the band were performing regularly at Clancy’s Irish Pub in San Francisco. It was during this time that the principle repertoire of what would become the cherished sound of The Medicine Ball would be developed between Sturdevant and Hickox. Charlie performs regularly in a variety of Bay area clubs and often in his home town of Fairfax where is a welcome regular at the Sleeping Lady. Once or twice a month during weekend evenings you'll find him with the band at the Taste of Rom in Sausalito, first Sundays of most months with Big Money in Gumbo at the No-Name in Sausalito with Mal Sharpe on Jokes and Trombone.

Ylonda Nickell
Alto Saxophone
Hometown: St. Helena, CA

Ylonda Nickell has shared the stage with many jazz and contemporary heavyweights, including: Sonny Stitt, Freddie Hubbard, Mose Allison, Robert Cray, Boots Randolph, Manhattan Transfer, Willie Nelson, Richie Cole, and many others. Ylonda has appeared at The Monterey Jazz Festival, The Russian River Jazz Festival, The Cotati Jazz Festival, Concerts-By-The-Sea (Redondo Beach), The Great American Music Hall, Yoshi's, and many other venues. Her numerous recording credits include two solo albums, ALTO LADY and MINNESOTA SAX, as well as other projects. Born in St. Helena and educated at CSU, Chico, on a jazz scholarship, Ylonda has been playing the saxophone since she was a child. She has been a jazz educator for many years, teaching privately, and in public schools. She has helped develop the talents of countless young musicians, including Eric Crystal. The late Martha Young was Ylonda's mentor, shaping her technique, understanding, and appreciation of jazz at an early age. It was Martha who taught her how to swing. Ylonda lives in the Bay Area, where she performs on a regular basis.

John Hunt
Vocals, Trombone
Hometown: Texas

John Hunt has been a professional musician since 1967. While attending Tulane University he discovered the trombone and began playing in various Dixieland Jazz clubs on Bourbon Street in New Orleans. He was a charter member of the New Orleans Saints band until a two year hitch in the U.S. Navy in 1969 put his music career on hold.
Following his release from active duty in 1971, John returned to his home near Houston, Texas and studied music, first at Lee College then at the University Of Houston. From 1971 through 1981 he made his living playing music in a wide variety of styles and venues before relocating to California in 1982 where he found David and the Medicine Ball on the streets of San Francisco. From then until the present he has worked throughout Northern California as well as steady engagements with the San Francisco 49ers Band, 13 years at the Gold Dust Lounge, and 2 1/2 years at the New Orleans Room of the Fairmont Hotel with Don Neely’s Royal Society Six. In 1998 he formed the John Hunt Jazz Band , a group dedicated to the great American Jazz and Swing tradition.

Crystal Monee Hall
Vocals
Hometown:Grand Island, Ne/Austin, Tx

A self proclaimed “church girl” when it comes to her ealriest musical influences, Crystal grew up singing in the church choir and watching her mother sing on Sundays. This influenced her to become involved in music in school, chorus and show choir as well as starring roles in musical theatre in high school to directing the gospel choir in college, where she first started playing the piano and writing music. A year ago she started playing the guitar and began to explore her burgeoning and unique voice as a singer/songwriter.

Larry Vann
Vocals, Drums, Percussion
Hometown: Oakland, CA

Larry Vann has made an impressive mark on the Bay Area music scene over the years with his authentic, piercing, all-encompassing musical technique. One listen to his compelling, penetrating and intoxicating grooves clearly demonstrates why he has been in such huge demand for sessions and tours with the likes of Elvin Bishop and Merl Saunders. His top-notch drumming and percussion has garnered him popular and critical success throughout the United States and Europe, but Vann has also wowed critics and crowds alike with his sultry singing voice, buoyed by his melodic, inventive songwriting.

Bill Belasco
Drums, Percussion
Hometown:

Bill has been playing drums since the age of three and started his professional career at the age of fifteen with a brass-rock band. He went on to perform with various show and dance bands until coming to the Bay area in 1975. Soon after arriving in San Francisco he became a regular at the nite-club "Ivan Alexander's" with a band called Jumpstreet featuring Joahym Young. In 1980 Bill joined the Pickle Family Circus and went on to tour the United States, Europe and Japan. He has worked as a dummer with "Speedy Garfin" in the Catskills, recorded with the "Jules Rowell Quintet" and the "Dave Miller Trio" and can often be found with "Majestic Swing", "Waldo Carter", "patrick Maier", “Jules Broussard”, and “Grant Ewall” bands.

Mindi Hadan
Vocals
Hometown: Texas

MINDI HADAN, a rising star on the San Francisco music scene, has been playing to Standing Room Only audiences at the popular nightclub, "Jazz At Pearl's" with her unique blend of R & B influenced, country flavored, jazz standards. Born in Nebraska and raised in Texas, Mindi had a true musical education from the Heartland. The youngest of eight children, Mindi grew up singing in the church choir. She spent every Sunday night watching Lawrence Welk, which lead to forming an Acapella four part harmony singing group with her sisters. During these formative years, Mindi's mother introduced her to Big Band music, Polkas and Yodeling. A turning point of "living in the sticks" was when Mindi discovered the discount cassette bin at the local gas station with $1.99 collections of Patsy Cline, Connie Francis, Judy Garland, and surprisingly, Marilyn Monroe. This eclectic treasure chest was the beginning of Mindi's musical alchemy of combining styles and bringing new interpretations to vintage classics.

Bob Scott
Drums
Hometown:

Bob Scott has been a professional drummer since he was 14 yrs when he made his own drum set and In the 7th grade joined a garage jazz band and played his drum contraption. A year later a local music store recognized Bob's nutural ability for drums and encouraged his dad to buy him a real drum set. His dad reluctantly loaned him the money.
Bob got enough gigs to pay back his dad before entering the 9th grade. After graduating from University of Nebraska he moved to San Francisco and studied drums at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. He has performed non stop in the musically diverse San Francisco area for 30 years with many great musicians as a drummer/singer and continues to compose songs.

Bob Scott has toured and recorded with Willie Nelson, Ray Charles, Earl Father Hines, Bob Dorough,Margie Baker,Art Pepper,Pharaoh Saunders, Jules Broussard,Jackie King, Dan Hicks and the Hot Lick.

Andrew Beal
Alto Saxophone
Hometown:

Andrew Beal is a prolific young saxophonist who also goes by the name Mr. Big for short, but his stage name is Jusco Roo Starr. He describes his style of music as Funk Fusion, Jazz, Hip Hop, R&B . . . you name it. He was a finalist on America's Got Talent and is noted for his dance moves both with and without his Alto Saxophone in hand. A

Andrew wants to create a new style of music and aspires to be one of the greatest players in history and use his influence to attract the great music creators of our time to invent a style of music that uses horns like guitars, the rhythm and bass of Hip Hop (808!), and traverse styles while remaining danceable. He has performed with the renowned guitarist Peppino D’Agostino and bassist DeWayne Pate. Andrew has recently been inspired by Hiromi Euhara and likens himself to her in that he admires all great artists. Jim Carrey, Michael Jackson, and Jerry Rice are each members of different entertainment worlds and yet all have exceedingly influenced his glowing resolve to perform before millions.