[The Band]
From left to right: Paul Lupo, Ward Parker, Olman Hairston, Rich (Swordfish) Lamb, Bob Dee

The Band



Bob Dee – Guitar and Lead Vocals

Ward Parker – Guitar, Vocals

Paul Lupo – Guitar, slide, Ebo, Vocals

Olmon Hairston – Bass

Rich Lamb – Piano, Percussion, Vocals

Peter Joseph Paul - Drums, Percussion, Congas, Bongos


Special Guests


Cynthia Enfield (Background Vocals)

Bob Corazza (Background Vocals)

Larry Robinson (Hammond Organ)

Tony DeMarco (Violin)

Vincent Henry (Sax)



Photo by Jeff Fasano


Bob Dee

Lead Vocals, Guitar, Keyboards, Percussion

Methuselah’s Valise is Bob’s brainchild. The original concept for the band was to make acoustic music in a band setting. This concept while adhered to in the early phases of the band was eventually abandoned as too constricting to the expanding nature of the music. Bob has been writing music for over 35 years and has quite a library of music from which to choose. Methuselah’s Valise however is comprised of mostly new material. Bob is the de facto leader of the Band if there is a leader. He is the common denominator that brought everyone together and he is the glue that keeps it all together. His desire to make great music and his obsession with perfection give the band its unique sound. If not for Bob, there would be no Methuselah’s Valise.



Rich (Swordfish) Lamb

Keyboards, Recording Engineer, Percussion, Vocals

Rich was born in Massapequa Park on Feb. 4 1963. He is an accomplished recording engineer that has worked with Joan Osborne, John Cale, Ian Hunter, Willie Nile and They Might Be Giants, to name a few. Rich graduated from The Berklee College of Music (Boston) in 1988. Rich was (and still is) a staff engineer at Systems Two Recording Studio in Brooklyn and at The Trinity Church in Manhattan. He hooked up with Methuselah’s Valise when he had the job as recording engineer for the band while they recorded at Systems Two. It was a perfect fit. It soon became apparent that Rich’s musical skills in both recording and playing became an integral part of the band’s sound.



Paul (Stime-Lemon) Lupo

Guitar, Vocals, Percussion

Paul is an extraordinary guitar player. His ties to Bob Dee go back to childhood. Paul and Bob learned to play together in the basement of Bob’s Grandmother’s house in Brooklyn. They have collaborated many times over the years and he was the natural choice to play guitar for Methuselah’s Valise. Paul is actually responsible for the name of the band. When Bob asked Paul to play with him again, Paul replied, “Who wants to go see a couple of old suitcases like us?” Thus was born Methuselah’s Valise. Paul is accomplished at many different styles of music and his playing with the varied styles of Methuselah’s Valise goes hand in hand.



Hairston Olman

Bass

Olman, as the members of the band know him, is an accomplished bass player. Olmon lists his influences as James Jamerson, Paul Mc Cartney, Duck Dunn, Paul Chambers, Victor Wooten, Janek Gwizdala, Anthony Jackson, Will Lee, Paul Entwistle, Ron Carter, and many others. He often states that "learning to play bass during the period of Motown, The Beatles, and various artists recording on Stax records prepared him to understand the role of the bass as a textural and support instrument, as well as framing the rhythmic structure of a song. “The bass can be such dominant instrument within a song so choosing the right notes is paramount. I'll always remember a story told to me about Miles Davis, who told one his contemporaries who excelled at playing a lot of notes extremely well but had grown bored with his amazing musical ability, ‘if you want to play better take the horn out of your mouth once in a while‘. In other words, less is more.” Olman brings that concept to his playing with Methuselah’s Valise. His solid foundation to the music holds it all together. Olman has a long history with Bob Dee, the leader and founder of Methuselah’s Valise, and was the natural selection for the band.



John Ward Parker Jr. (Uncle Winston)

Guitar, Vocals, Percussion

Ward, as most people call him, or Uncle Winston, as Bob Dee calls him, is one of the founding members of Methuselah’s Valise. Ward and Bob go back to the mid 70’s, when they met at college and discovered two things they had in common. They were both from NYC, and they both played the guitar. That was enough to start a collaboration that has lasted, on and off, for over 30 years. There has been a definite connection between Bob and Ward about the direction of the music that makes for a real partnership in creating the “sound” of the band. Bob and Ward write most of the music. The exception is the music that was written by our departed brother Ritchie Joyce that, were he still with us, would be an integral member of the band. Methuselah’s Valise, in many ways is a tribute to our friend.



Peter Joseph Paul

Drums, Congas, Bongos, Percussion

Peter is a multi-instrumentalist, who plays the drums for Methuselah’s Valise. At present, Peter also plays as a “one man band” in the subways of New York City as a member in good standing in M.U.N.Y. (Music Under New York). Peter is an accomplished drummer, able to play any style or genre of music. He is also an accomplished songwriter in his own right. Peter was born in the Bronx but now resides in Manhattan. He is a life-long New Yorker. He has performed "LIVE" for events at The New York Hilton Hotel, The Long Island Railroad, Lincoln Center, City Stage, The New Yorker Hotel and The Times Square Alliance. The addition of Peter’s versatility to Methuselah’ Valise provides the “backbeat” that pushes the different styles of music they do to new heights.