Harmonica Bill - Harmonica, Vocals
Harmonica Bill (harp, vocals) has been a blues fanatic for almost thirty-five years and has been blowing harp for thirty-one of them. He's been fortunate to sit in with blues legends Son Seals and the Allman Brothers Band and to play a few tunes with the house band at Chicago's famous Checkerboard Lounge.
Harmonica Bill & Marked Deck arose out of Bill's disappointment with the state of Long Island's blues scene (there are some great bands on Long Island, but none that played 1950's-era Chess Records-style blues until HB&MD) and "blues-rock" masquerading as real blues.
Bill's influences range from the country blues of Sonny Terry, to Little Walter and James Cotton's Chicago blues sound, to the West Coast masters like George Harmonica Smith, William Clarke, and Rod Piazza.
Rich Albertson - Bass
Rich Albertson loves the blues, and it shows. His supreme taste and tone on bass have earned Rich spots with some of the area's best blues bands, including Chris James & The Smokin' Kings and the late 'Boom Boom' Johnson.
Matt Lifford - Piano, Organ
Matt Lifford is a killer blues pianist. In 2019, Matt's band "The Piano Matt Quintet" represented the Long Island Blues Society in the International Blues Challenge's Youth Showcase in Memphis, Tennessee.
Ellis Holmes - Drums
Ellis "the Drum Daddy" Holmes plays all sorts of music ranging from school musicals to big-band jazz. Ellis joined the band in 2022; at first, Bill called him to sub on drums when we were in-between drummers. After his first gig with Harmonica Bill & Marked Deck, Bill said, "Ellis, what are you doing for the rest of your life?" The Drum Daddy has been with the band ever since and the band's heartbeat has never been stronger (or groovier).
Bob "Hoochie Koochie" Paolucci
Bob Paolucci is a true blues loving musician... in fact, his own band is called "Hooch and the Bluesicians". Bob is a killer harmonica player, but, fortunately for HB&MD, he also loves to play lowdown blues guitar. Bob began helping us out on guitar in early 2024, and of course we asked him to stay because it sounds real good when he shares the stage with us.
Junior Davis - Guitar
Junior Davis brings huge tone to the mix and he is a true connoisseur of the West Coast blues form. While Junior loves to play rhythm guitar and support the band, his leads reflect his Kid Ramos and Alex Schultz influences. Junior has played with many Long Island band through the years, but he considers Harmonica Bill & Marked Deck his home. Junior now splits his time between Long Island and Florida, but he's a bandmember for life.