MEET ON EASY STREET
Ryan Benton, keyboard/guitar
Ryanis a pianist, guitarist, bassist and vocalist originally from Richmond, Virginia. He holds a bachelor's degree in music from James Madison University and is classically trained in piano, though he has an affinity for improvisational music such as jazz, blues, r&b and soul. You can find him performing most weekends in the Loudoun County, VA area and for the youth singers at his church.
Chip Hammond, drums
Chip began playing drums when he was 12 years old and was gigging in the northern New Jersey metro area by the time he was 15. He studied orchestral and marching percussion with Dr. Alyn J. Heim, drum set with NY metro jazz great Carl Wolf, and later studied jazz performance with Anita Thomas. In addition to playing with a variety of bands, he played in the pit orchestras for musical theater productions in high school and college. After taking a hiatus, he began playing again in 2014 on the Northern Virginia jazz circuit.
Donna Hammond, vocals
Donna’s vocal training has been under excellent choir directors and various programs such as the Vocal Workshop in Vienna, Virginia. She has performed with numerous church and school choirs and musical theater productions; she has also directed a number of adult and children’s choirs. She has been performing jazz since 2015 at various venues in the northern Virginia metro area.
Chris Thompson, bass
Chris’s musical skills were honed in the clubs of his native Philadelphia. He is a multi-instrumentalist who plays guitar, bass, pedal steel, and dobro, among others, in ensembles ranging from jazz to classic rock to country. He's always been a jazz aficionado and enjoys his role as the bass player for OES.
