Deep Cut Band :: Past and Present Members

Chris Hughes :: The Barefoot Professor

Chris is a founding member of Deep Cut, playing drums and percussion with the band since its formation in 2007. A native of Massachusetts, his musical and percussive influences are largely drawn from Atlanta and the South, having enjoyed a steady diet of 8-track cassette tapes and vinyl tracks during his formative years from the likes of The Allman Brothers, Marshall Tucker, The Outlaws and Lynyrd Skynyrd. Hughes cites the influence of Artemis Pyle, Joey Kramer, Mitch Mitchell and John Bonham on his drumming style. Like Jonathan Gale, Hughes was on musical hiatus when the two met in a business meeting, where a brief discussion about the genius of Stevie Ray Vaughan led to an impromptu jam, and eventually formation of the band.

Jeff Gillman :: KJG

Jeff began playing guitar with Jonathan Gale’s touring band in the 1990s at colleges, bars and clubs throughout the Southeast. They continued to play acoustic duo gigs after the band dissolved, including a regular stint at Knicker’s bar in La Grange, GA where the two formed a lasting friendship based on musical compatibility. Among many stories from the road, one of their favorites is the phone call Gale placed to Gillman from Atlanta’s Northside hospital – asking if he could fill in at a gig that night when Gale’s eldest daughter decided to arrive a few days early. Jeff’s love for music and infatuation with musical instruments started at the age of 5 in Florida’s panhandle, an area which was a musical breeding ground for him. Throughout his teenage years he learned from the best of the best, later relocating to Atlanta, which became his home base for extensive touring across the Southeastern states.

Visit the facebook page of Jeff’s popular cover band, Bulletproof.

Derrick Huff :: Concrete Jimmy

Derrick filled in for a last minute gig with the Deep Cut band after the departure of their second guitar player, and he has been playing with the band ever since. Along with acoustic and electric guitars, Huff recently took over the bass guitar position as well. He has served as art director for the band’s marketing efforts, including design of all promotional materials for the successful run of Rock-n-Roll Stories Live! shows. Originally from Montgomery, Alabama, Derrick began his musical career playing bass in bands there, continuing to play in various bar bands while attending Auburn University in the late 1980s and early 1990s. He relocated to the Atlanta area to pursue a “real job/career” in graphic design, but couldn’t resist the urge to play music, eventually forming popular local band The Angry Monkey Project. Huff is also a member of Savannah-based Liquid Ginger, where he met Jeff Gillman who invited him to join his band Bulletproof and made the introduction to other members of Deep Cut.

Please visit Derrick’s graphic design Web site.

Kenny Head

Kenny first joined Deep Cut on stage for the Rock-n-Roll Stories Live! shows, where his incredible piano and keyboard playing added a much needed dimension to the band’s sound (and allowed us to play many songs that we hadn’t been able to up to that point). He is a native of Columbus, Georgia, with an extensive musical career spanning more than 30 years, having played in various Country showcase, Blues and Rock clubs around the Atlanta area along with European tours for Blues artists on the Ichiban Record label. Kenny has recently toured with Country artist John Berry and is currently on the road with The Georgia Satellites. In the last several years, the Satellites have played large venues and shared the stage with Cheap Trick, Foghat, Atlanta Rhythm Section, Blue Oyster Cult and many other well-known touring bands. Head’s influences vary from Chuck Leavell to Elton John, Bill Payne to Floyd Cramer, Billy Joel to Ray Charles.

Thomas Saari

Tom filled in as bass player for Deep Cut during several formative years of the band, concentrating on playing those little known riffs that some might not notice, but that really drive the song. He was born and raised in the Atlanta area, and plays bass and guitar in several local bands. Saari has enjoyed a long and successful career as a working musician, having gigged all over the Southeast and up the East Coast, from Florida to Nova Scotia and virtually everywhere in between.

Jon Wunderlich

Jon has played keyboards and piano with the Deep Cut band, sitting in for several successful shows at Atlanta’s famous Smith’s Olde Bar. In addition to his musical endeavors, Wunderlich also has a side business tuning pianos, and another where he creates and sells fused glass jewelry.

Please visit Jon’s piano tuning and repair site.