The Mighty Soul Drivers

Official Biography (courtesy of The Mighty Soul Drivers)

The Mighty Soul Drivers bring the classic Soul sounds of Memphis, Muscle Shoals and points South to the hills of New England. The Mighty Soul Drivers take their inspiration from the giants of Southern Soul - O.V. Wright, Percy Sledge, Otis Redding and more and combine that with contemporary tunes written in the classic style. The Mighty Soul Drivers turn every venue they play into a Soul dance party!

Bob Orsi - Vocals, Guitar

Veteran front man Bob Orsi's dramatic vocals have driven the success of bands from CT's legendary Scratch Band to the award-winning D. Smith Blues Band. Although perhaps better known to the public for his harmonica skills, Bob is also an accomplished rhythm guitarist who brings an extra dimension to several of the songs. And of course it is his impassioned vocals that are at the core of The Mighty Soul Drivers' sound.

River City Slim - Drums, Vocals

After singing and playing harp as the front man for The Blues Blasters throughout the 90's, Slim has led The Zydeco Hogs as they brought the sound of Louisiana Zydeco and Blues to the Northeast. Slim has been spreading the Soul, Blues and R&B gospel over the air for years as a DJ on WWUH and WAPJ. The idea for The Mighty Soul Drivers had been kicking around in the back of his mind for a while when a chance meeting with Bob at a CT Blues Society jam session in early 2012 finally put the wheels in motion.

Larry Willey - Guitar, Vocals

Crowd-pleasing guitarist Larry Willey has led Blues and R&B bands for years, including The Working Band and The Blues Talkers. After witnessing the excitement of the Blues and R&B pioneers at the legendary Shaboo Inn in its 1970's heyday, Larry cut his musical teeth with CT Blues pioneers The Albert Otis Band, and has been a fixture on the CT Blues and R&B scene ever since.

Andy Karlok - Bass, Vocals

Andy came off the road with nationally-known Blues artist Luther 'Guitar Jr.' Johnson to join River City Slim & The Zydeco Hogs as they barnstormed their way throughout the Northeast. Andy has also held down the bottom for Dr. Ya Ya's Gumbo Party, a New England band specializing in New Orleans R&B.

Steve Donovan - Keyboards

Veteran keyboard man Steve Donovan recently returned to his native CT after many years in the Los Angeles area. Steve has appeared with a who's who of West Coast R&B and Jazz bands, and now brings his great keyboard stylings to The Mighty Soul Drivers.

John Smayda - Saxophone

Mild-mannered clock-maker by day, leather-lunged R&B sax honker by night -- whether he's got the tenor or the baritone in his hands, John adds a deep dimension to The Mighty Soul Drivers' sound.