Jay MowBray
Jay’s been singing in bands since he was in grade school. In his 20s, he sang with a gospel band that toured churches around the Midwest, but put music aside to concentrate on his career (first as a journalist, then an electrician and finally an attorney). Then, in his 30s, a group of attorneys persuaded him to sing with the Crime Doctors, which eventually became one of the most popular bands in Wichita. Upon moving to Kansas City, he auditioned for a band that eventually became the Hipnotics. The Hipnotics won the Kansas City Blues Challenge and competed in the International Blues Challenge in Memphis. They released a CD, Plannin’ An Accident, and several songs from that CD made it on to the top 40 blues charts nationally. After a brief foray into singing jazz with some of the top KC jazz artists, and releasing a well-received CD, JayMo and Friends, Jay decided to form a new band, the KC Aces. The KC Aces are, in Jay’s words, the “best group of talented cats” he’s ever had the good fortune to sing with. He is honored to be one of the front men in a band that overflows with talent. And the fact that every man in the band is a nice guy is an added bonus. Jay was inducted into the Kansas Music Hall of Fame in 2020.
Terry Swope
For over fifty years Terry Swope has been wandering the world entertaining people. A self-taught musician and a natural showman, Terry’s had the good fortune to have performed with KC’s best players throughout his career, something he’s forever grateful for. Among the many stellar bands Terry has played and sang with are the JPT Scare Band and Boko Maru. Come check out our next show to see why Terry is still one of our area’s favorite guitarists and singers. Terry was inducted into the Kansas Music Hall of Fame in 2020.
Oscar Polk
Oscar Polk has earned his reputation as one of the most soulful sax players in KC. He’s played with everyone of import in KC over the years, from the Bon Ton Soul Accordion Band (one of KC’s most popular bands of the 80s, recently inducted into the Kansas Music Hall of Fame) to his own band, the Oscar Polk Band, which is a mainstay on the KC music scene. His improvised solos are always a thing of beauty. But you’ll have to hear for yourself just how powerfully Oscar can wail!
Andy DeWitt
Singer/bassist Andy DeWitt has played styles ranging from jazz, cabaret, and classical (including a stint as a section bassist for the Kansas City Symphony and principal bassist for the Omaha Symphony) to rock, pop, and blues. He has performed with a number of notable area bands, including Island (with world-renowned jazz guitarist Steve Cardenas), Phonics (featuring Andy’s original compositions), the KC Bottoms Band, Hothouse, and the long-running Brewjam at the 75th Street Brewery, among many others. Since 2009, he has produced six albums on his own label, Alnico Music. He has been married to his wife Nancy for over 40 years and they have two sons and four grandchildren.
Tommy Sutherland
Tommy Sutherland is a drummer and percussionist, a member of the Kansas Music Hall of Fame, who has played for over 50 years with many of the best bands to ever play in Kansas City, including Marsyas, Orphann, Frequent Zs, Cowtown, the Bon Ton Soul Accordion Band, the Oscar Polk Band, the Elders and now the KC Aces.
Pat Pearce
Pat Pearce has been playing piano since the age of 10 and it has taken him from early KC bands like The Classmen (who played for the Vogues and opened for Gary Lewis and the Playboys as well as Paul Revere and the Raiders), to founding Pat’s Blue Riddim Band (later shortened to the Blue Riddim Band), which was the backing band for Rufus Thomas and Dr. John, also opening for Stevie Ray Vaughan, Peter Tosh, The Blasters, Bob Marley and the Doobie Brothers, among many others. Blue Riddim was also the first American band to play at the world famous Jamaican Sunsplash festival, had a reggae album nominated for a Grammy and played a tune (“Love People”) on the soundtrack for the movie Club Paradise starring Robin Williams and Jimmy Cliff.
Along the way, Pat studied classical piano with, among others, James Mathis (named by Time magazine as one of the most prominent North American pianists of the 20th Century), but decided there were enough classical pianists in the world and opted for playing gigs at places like the Whiskey a Go Go, the Peppermint Lounge, Chicagofest and Carly Simon‘s club on Martha’s Vineyard.
He’s also played “all the Oprys” with performers like Hank Thompson, Wanda Jackson, Stonewall Jackson, Kitty Wells, Jet Williams ( Hank’s daughter), David Frizzell, Leroy van Dyke, Jimmy Valentine (from the Statler Brothers), Tanya Tucker and Gene Watson.
Pat is a two-time inductee to the Kansas Music Hall of Fame. Since settling down to raise his daughter, he has performed with the soul band Atlantic Express at corporate events and high-level wedding receptions, such as Warren Buffett’s granddaughter in Omaha, with Bono sitting in with the band.
Since joining the KC Aces, Pat has demonstrated he can play anything well, and he’s brought another style to the band, a rollicking honky tonk piano that fits the Aces like a glove.