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"SUMMIT CITY SAINTS DIXIELAND BAND" MUSICIAN BIOS
Fred Lynn (Trumpet), from State
College, founder and leader of the "Summit City Saints Dixieland
Band", originated the band in Fort Wayne, Indiana in 1990. Upon
returning to his hometown of State College in 1996 after 30 years in the
Midwest, he reformed the band with some of the Centre Region's finest
musicians. Fred began playing the cornet at the age of 6. He received the Colonel
George S. Howard Outstanding Musician Award while at State College High School,
where he also was the Principal Trumpet in the "State College High
School Band, Orchestra and Stage Band, and at District, Regional and State
Concert Band and Orchestra" competitions. In his senior year, he was
the featured soloist, performing and recording H. L. Clark's "Carnival of
Venice" with Ronmarc Records. During his undergraduate studies at Penn
State, he performed with the Penn State Symphony Orchestra. He later played in
the "55th U.S. Army Band" and also performed Army
bugler duties. During his military career, he recorded trumpet soundtracks and
bugle calls for military training films under contract with RCA. Fred is an
alumnus of Penn State, Purdue and Indiana Universities. While living in
Indiana, Fred performed with the "Fort Wayne Area Community Band",
the "Indiana / Purdue Fort Wayne Symphonic Winds" and
the "Second Time Arounders Marching Band". Upon returning to
State College, he has marched with the "State High Alumni Band"
in annual Homecoming Parades and has performed with the "Little German
Band", "State College Area Municipal Band", "Keystone
Society of Swing Big Band", and "Nittany Valley Symphony".
Fred also founded a popular 6-piece band known as the "Macho
Nachos", decking out in Mexican attire and specializing in the sounds
of the 1960's made popular by Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass. He has been a
member of the Central Pennsylvania Musicians Association, the United States
Federation of Musicians, and the American Federation of Musicians.
Bill Fatula (Trumpet & Flugelhorn), from Howard, performed
with the "6th U.S. Army Band (Presidents West Coast
Band)"in San Francisco and the "296th U.S.
Army Band" in Tokyo, Japan. He was also the Principal Trumpet with the
"San Francisco Opera Company" and the "Oakland
Symphony". While attending Penn State, he played trumpet with the "Penn
State Blue Band, Concert Band, and Wind Ensemble". Locally, he
has performed with the "Philipsburg Swing Band", "Bellefonte
Community Band", "Macho Nachos Tijuana Brass Band", "River
City Brass Quintet", and has done Broadway Musicals with the "BoalBarn
Playhouse" and "Bellefonte Theatrical Society". Bill
currently performs with the "State College Area
Municipal Band", the "Lock Haven
Symphony Orchestra", "Coburn Brass Civil War Quintet",
"Brass Relief Quintet", "The Little German Band",
"Keystone Society of Swing Big Band", and "Bavarian
Stompers", to name a few.
Dr. Ned Deihl
(Ph.D.) (Clarinet), from State College, is Professor Emeritus of Music
Education and Director of Bands (retired) at Penn State, having taught there
for 32 years. He is an elected member of the distinguished American Bandmasters
Association. He holds music degrees from Indiana University at Bloomington, the
University of Michigan, and Penn State, and taught music in public schools for
five years. He was the Principle Clarinet at Indiana University, and in
military service he was concertmaster of the "Ninth Division Band",
played sax with the dance band and was conductor of the chorus. He also played
a stint of clarinet with the "U.S. Army Orchestra", and for fifteen years with the "Altoona Symphony Orchestra". Currently,
Dr. Deihl is the Director of the "State College Area Municipal
Band", plays alto saxophone with the "Keystone Society of
Swing Big Band", and plays with various chamber groups. In his spare time, he
teaches clarinet in his home studio. Playing Dixieland with the "Summit
City Saints" has added yet a new dimension to his diverse musical
activities.
Jay Vonada (Trombone), from
Aaronsburg, made all-state band in his junior and senior years of high school,
and went to all-eastern band in his senior year. Jay won the John Philip Sousa Award as a senior. He attended
Mansfield University in the fall of 1993, studying jazz improvisation with Dr.
Michael Galloway for one year and jazz arranging for one semester. He was lead
trombone and featured soloist with the "Mansfield University Jazz
Band" for four years, where they performed at the PMEA, MENC, and
placed third at the Villanova Jazz Festival in 1994. Jay played with Jazz
saxophonist Bob Mintzer at the Mansfield University Jazz Festival, and also
performed with Mansfield alumni Neil Slater, who is currently director of the "One
O'clock Lab Band" at the University of North Texas. In 1999, Jay won a
scholarship to study at the Berklee College of Music. Among the non-jazz groups
he performed with are the "Mansfield University Wind Ensemble, Orchestra,
Trombone Choir, Brass Quintet, Trombone Quartet, and
Pit Orchestra". He also performed as an extra for the "Williamsport
Symphony". Since leaving College, Jay has performed at his high school
with the jazz band, in the pit orchestra for Penns Valley High School from
1999-2001, for the Bald Eagle Area High School from 2002-2004, for "Singing On Stages" production of Dream Girls in 2006 and Oliver in 2007,
and trombonist with the "Valley Jazz Orchestra" from 2004-2007. He has played with "The
Friends Band", "Jazz Innate", Greg Johnson's "Jazz Monsters", "Punk Jazz" and at the monthly "Jazz Jam at Sozo's" in State College. He was
also the Lead Trombonist with the "Keystone Society of Swing Big
Band". He plays in a trombone quartet called "Trombone Chowder" and also plays in a newly formed five-trombone and
rhythm jazz group. Jay's personal jazz improvisational style is grounded in the
bebop tradition of Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie and J.J. Johnson, who he
reveres as the three greatest soloists of all time. Since discovering Jazz in
1995, he listens to the masters through recordings and live performances, as he
believes is the only way jazz can be taught. He has over 500 CDs of the jazz
masters, mostly trombonists JJ. Johnson, Curtis Fuller, Carl Fontana, Frank
Rosolino, Slide Hampton, Ray Anderson, Conrad Herwig, Steve Davis, Hal Crook,
etc. Transcribing their solos or just learning them by ear is how he is
developing as a jazz player. As the great trumpet player Clark Terry said
"Imitate, Assimilate, Innovate". He recorded a demo in November 2006,
and most of these tracks can be heard on his website www.myspace.com/jjazzbone.
Jim Kerhin (Banjo & Vocal), from State College
(formerly from Milwaukee, Wisconsin) began learning the 5-string banjo and
guitar while stationed in Germany as an aircraft technician with the USAF. Upon
returning to Milwaukee, he learned to play the plectrum banjo and played for 8
years at Shakey's Pizza parlors, eating lots of pizza and really learning how
to play. He enjoyed a 13 year membership playing banjo and guitar with "Barbara
and the Karousels", a southeastern Wisconsin polka/dance band. His
fondest memories are playing with them representing Wisconsin for the 1992
President Clinton Inaugural Parade and a week-long musical tour in Germany and
Austria in 1993. He enjoyed being a busy sideman, subbing in many bands in
southeastern Wisconsin. He was the vocalist and rhythm banjo in the "Banjo
Barons Ragtime Band". Jim retired from a 32-year career at Sears in
2003 and moved to State College in 2005 to get out of the cold, have fun and
continue to develop his musical skills. He is the Vice President of Music and
Performance with the "Nittany Knights Barbershop Chorus" and
sings Lead with "Logan's Heroes Barbershop Quartet". Jim
enjoys giving presentations on "How to Listen" at banjo conventions.
He gives beginner banjo and guitar lessons and has since learned to play the
electric bass guitar. He also performs with many other groups in the State
College area and says he still has some dates open if you need a banjo player!
Dr. Philip Jensen (Ph.D.) (Tuba), from
Boalsburg, originally from Michigan, received his Ph.D. from Michigan State
University. As a Junior in High School, Phil won the Ted Nicholson Memorial
Music Scholarship and attended the Summer Youth Music Program at MSU. He also
won the John Philip Sousa award as a senior. Currently, he is the Principal
Tuba of the "State College Area Municipal Band" and a member
of the "Brass Relief Quintet", "The Little German Band",
"The Bavarian Stompers" and "Below Centre" (a tuba/euphonium quartet).
Previously, he played with the "Midland (MI) Concert Band".
Phil plays a Helicon, the precursor of the modern sousaphone. When he's not
playing tuba, Phil conducts research on plant diseases at Penn State in the
Department of Plant Pathology.
Dr. Frederick Brown (Ph.D.) (Keyboard), from
State College, began taking piano lessons at age four until he was 16. As a
high school senior, he began playing Saturday nights in a rural Fire Hall in
upstate New York with "The Don Kay Trio", a country music
group of singer with guitar, drums, piano, with a square-dance caller.
Attending Hope College in Holland, Michigan, he played four years with various
versions of "The Collegians Dance Band", which he owned
the last two years. During his last year as a doctoral student at the
University of Virginia, he was the pianist and choir director for a little
country church, where he was known as "Brother Fred". Until three
years ago, he played just for enjoyment and various church groups. Then he
joined the "Paul Carney Banjo Band" and played accordion with
them for two years. Since then, he became the keyboardist for "The Second
Winds" and the "Summit City Saints". Dr. Brown is an
Associate Professor of Psychology at PSU and his research investigates the
rhythms of life. He has edited the book "Rhythmic Aspects of
Behavior" with Col. (Army ret.) R.C. Graeber, NASA, and has written
"Adjustment and Wellbeing", a book on positive psychology, to be
published by Prentice Hall Publishing Company.
Jim Franklin (Drums), from Lock
Haven, also plays the trap set
with the "Keystone Society of Swing Big Band" and does
a "little-bit-of-country" with the "Corrine King Band" and
"Country Connection". At age 13, Jim started playing drums
in his father's band. While serving in the U.S. Marines Corps, Jim played 1st
Soprano Bugle in the "Drum & Bugle Corps" for 8 years, as
well as a short stint with the "First Marine Division Band". After training at the "Navy School of Music for Drums", he played with the 1st, 2nd & 3rd
Marine Division Bands, the Drum & Bugle Corps, & many other Marine
Corps Bands until his retirement of more than 20 years in the Marine Band field
ended in 1987. Jim also plays in a gospel group called "GOSPELBOND" in
the Selinsgrove area, as well as a Praise Band in his own church. Jim
has also had some trumpet training and is a State Representative for "Buglers
Across America", playing taps at special events and military funerals
in the area.