Bios

Steve "The Harp" Mehlberg
Vocals, harmonica, keyboards, songwriter.

Band Leader of Steve "The Harp" Blues Band
A native son of Bloomington, Illinois, Steve has been blowing harp around the Illinois area since 1972. Steve has played with Stanley Jordan, Tommy Castro, Magic Dick, Ronnie Baker Brooks, Charlie Musselwhite, Melvin Taylor, Studebaker John and Hawkeye Herman.

Steve "The Harp": Plays Fender Amps, Hohner Harmonica's, Yamaha Keyboards, Astatic microphones & Shure Microphones.

Influences:
Howlin Wolf, Little Walter, Paul Butterfield, James Cotton, Rice Miller, Gary Smith, Rick Estrin, Big Walter and Al Wilson.

Steve is a Master Harmonica Instructor with over 30 years experience. Steve "The Harp", a veteran and now a retired Normal Fire Department Lieutenant, says," come on out to see us, you'll hear many of your old and new Blues favorites."

Jeff "Eldorado Fats" McCollum
Guitar player, crooner, chooglin' rhythm, fancy shoes.

Fats has been playing guitar in Midwestern cities like St. Louis, Milwaukee and throughout Illinois for years. He recently set up in Bloomington, Illinois, the home base for the Steve the Harp Blues Band and brings his old school blues style to the group.

His major influences are the Chicago and West Coast blues masters---Elmore James, Hubert Sumlin, Hound Dog Taylor, T-Bone Walker and Hollywood Fats (no relation). But he keeps a special place in his heart for anything and everything by Chuck Berry and the late boogie woogie piano king Johnnie Johnson.

Fats has a bunch of beat up, old Fender guitars and wonders just how many beer bottle stains one man can collect on his amp. He's also got some nasty Danelectro and Kay guitars that don't look nice, but sure sound good. Ask him about his '81Cadillac.

"Richie" Rich Leigh……………bass ……….Mr.. Born in Chicago, gets back to his roots joining Steve "The Harp" and the Bloomington blues boys after co-founding the 'Dexrays", a central Illinois rock-blues staple since 1999…….

Rich's Blues influence goes out to family as his cousin Pete Special, a Chicago blues icon, is a co-founding member of "Big Twist and the Mellow Fellows" and has toured with "The Band" ……….Rich has been playing guitar and bass since the 1970's and has sat in with bands from Chicago to Seattle…….his up-front style drives the groove and keeps "Eldorado" workin'. He revels in the eternal quest for tone……….

Billy Davis

Billy Davis has been playing drums for 26 years and started playing professionally at age 19. When he was 13, Billy studied for two years with Simone Simonton of Sugarland and the Indigo Girls. At 19 Billy started plaing with Saint Louis' K-She 95 Classics Band and also went on the road with The Scooters. He opened up multiple shows for Head East when Never Been Any Reason was on Billboards top 100 singles list. After college, Billy moved to Minneapolis and continued to play with local favorites Bruiser Brody and cut two CD's with The Navins. After Minneapolis Billy moved to Chicago, IL and now lives in Bloomington, IL with his family.