The Gator Beat has been playing dances and festivals on the West Coast for 20 years. We specialize in our own brand of South Louisiana music – it combines traditional Cajun, Zydeco, and New Orleans R&B. Most notable are the original creations, giving the band their reputation as unforgettable, a band with a beat that bites. The flavor is always spicy, like a good gumbo, and bound to please. As their new album is titled, the crowd is always left hollering Gimme Some Mo’.
The Band Members Are
David Scott saxophone, pennywhistle, percussion
A native of Australia, David, at the age of fifteen, boarded a ship headed for New Caledonia as a musician playing Jazz. He settled for ten years in Tahiti, playing island music, jazz and rock, and becoming fluent in French. He loved the fast dance tempos and when he sat in with Gator Beat in 1990, his fate was sealed. He has interwoven the horn with the accordion in an unprecedented style, unique to the world of Zydeco.
Beaumont Bradbury drums
At the age of 20, Beau has what it takes to get on the Gator Beat train. His mom was raised in New Iberia, Louisiana and has been a big part of the Gator Beat tribe since the beginning. Beau was attending our performances before he was born! He is currently in his junior year at UC Santa Cruz as a music major intent on being a professional drummer. He has a relaxed and easy style, attentive ears, and plenty of endurance. We are really jazzed this young man has come on board.
Randy Quan guitar
Randy has been the featured guitarist with Booker T. Jones since 1997. His distinctive guitar stylings have taken him from touring with blues legend Billy Boy Arnold to performing with and co-producing and recording two albums for renowned alto saxophonist Michael Bolivar. Randy started playing trumpet at the age of 8 in school bands. He picked up his brother’s guitar at the age of 12 and has been playing ever since. Quan is fluent in blues, R&B, and jazz and is an award winning songwriter. His tasteful style of economy and sweet sound colors are a compliment to the Gator Beat repertoire.
Linda Hutchinson bass
Linda was one of the original band members and helped craft the Gator Beat sound for 9 years before breaking to play with all kinds of different groups. She has earned her place as one of Sonoma County’s most respected bass players. We are overjoyed to have her back again, contributing her hardworking ethics and diligence and proving beyond a doubt that she is indeed, The Mighty Sparrow.
Willard Blackwell washboard, vocals
The sultan, as we like to call him, comes from Guam. He has played drums professionally since the age of eighteen. He had his own band, Solar Heat, here in the Bay area, and played with Big Brother and The Holding Co. He does a great job of pushing a relentless groove and his vocals are sweet, powerful, and soulful.
Bruce Gordon accordions, keys
After growing up in Washington DC in the sixties, this stellar musician studied jazz at Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle, earning a degree in music. He made his way to the Bay Area, in search of Zydeco musicians after hearing Clifton Chenier and Queen Ida’s music. Inspired by the unique sound, he founded the Zydeco Flames and participated in their success for fifteen years. As an accordion/keyboard player, he continues to be an in-demand freelance session player for national and local acts. His vast experience on piano adds Louisiana funk, blues, and Mardi Gras mainstays to the Gator Beat sound. Look out!
