Soul Function front-man, Travis Worthy, is a true professional showman who hails from South Carolina, home to musical legends like Dizzy Gillespie, James Brown and Chubby Checker. Worthy is the type of lead singer that energizes the crowd; he brings the party to you with great musicianship and emotion. He’s got the chops, balancing gritty and smooth vocals with sweet, southern charm. Worthy, a conservative political activist, spends a quarter of his time in Washington, DC when he’s not in Myrtle Beach.
Curtis McDonald
Curtis McDonald, a native of the Grand Strand has been playing guitar since the age of 13. After graduating from Coastal Carolina University with a degree in Classical Guitar Performance, he spent two years as the Artistic and Musical director for Christ United Methodist Church. While in university he performed with the Guitar Orchestra, the Guitar Quartet, and Pop 101 ensembles. His influences include Eric Johnson, Mike Campbell, Eric Clapton, Joe Perry and Andy Summers. Curtis has played throughout the Grand Strand with iconic artists such as The Coasters,The Platters, The Drifters, and the Crystals. Curtis currently resides with his lovely bride, Erica in Nashville, Tennessee where he is following his passion.
Patrick O’Leary
Patrick Chang O’Leary was lucky enough to live near Atlantic City, NJ where there were real pro musicians who could guide his budding talent. At the age of 11 he was playing professionally mastering the electric bass and upright. In 1987 he came to Myrtle Beach, SC and was exposed to all types of music, the recipient of many musical awards he is known to be one of the best bass players on the east coast. “I’m thankful to participate in so many wonderful events with Soul Function. Nobody brings it like Travis and the boys.” Mr. O’Leary resides in Gatlinburg, Tennessee.
Derrick Byrd
Derrick Byrd is a native of Columbia, South Carolina and has been playing drums since the age of 6. While being the main drummer for Soul Function, Derrick has also had the honor of performing with a number of R&B, Southern Rock, and Gospel artists on the east coast. Derrick is also currently touring with the Spirit of Praise Ministry, and planning his wedding with fiancé Terasha. Mr. Byrd is a graduate of Coastal Carolina University and resides in Atlanta, Georgia.
Damon Bradley
Damon Bradley has been living in Myrtle Beach, SC for the past 30 years. He has been playing and composing music for the past 25 years on keyboards. He has composed 14 pieces of music for Killer Tracks/Network Music-Sony/BMG in Beverly Hills, CA (www.killertracks.com) and 7 pieces of music for StudioCutz in Atlanta, GA (www.studiocutz.com) for their stock library music used in TV, commercials, radio, and movie trailers all over the world. Damons music has been played on ABC, The Discovery Channel, The History Channel, Lifetime, PBS, The Hallmark Channel, The Speed Channel, and other TV channels all over the world. Damon has also beta tested and composed music for sample libraries such as ‘The Vienna Symphonic Library’ under the direction of Herb Tucmandl and the ‘East/West Quantum Leap Symphonic Orchestra’ under the direction of Doug Rogers and Nick Phoenix and also ‘SAM Horns’ under the direction of Maarten Spruijt.
Dave Mackay
Dave Mackay is a British-born pianist, composer, producer and music director based in New York City.
In recent years, Dave has performed on stage and worked in the studio with a number of top artists including Bobby McFerrin, Patrice Rushen, Grace Weber, Anthony Hall and Chris Leon. He has toured and recorded throughout Europe and across the US to crowds of up to 15,000, including performances at The Lincoln Center, Rockwood Music Hall, Exit/In, Cadogan Hall, Westminster Abbey and DeMontfort Hall. He has also been featured at many major festivals including the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, CMJ Showcase, Warped Tour, London Jazz Festival, City of London Festival, London Thames Festival, Art and All That Jazz Festival and Exhibition Road Music Day. As a music director, he currently leads The Full Circle Band, a pop/rock band which has raised over $500,000 for music outreach programs through their fundraising work in the Boston community.
Dave has also established himself as a versatile writer and producer, with a composition portfolio spanning the worlds of television, theatre, instrumental music and contemporary songs. He currently composes play-along tracks for drummer Mike Johnston’s educational website mikeslessons.com, which boasts the largest community of drum students of any drum website in the world. He has worked on 19 albums for a range of artists in the last 3 years, while also writing extensively for his solo project, ‘Dave Mackay Group’. Dave’s solo music has been streamed in 155 countries around the world since 2013 and his first two albums both reached the Top 5 of Bandcamp’s instrumental music chart. In September 2013, Dave embarked on a highly successful nationwide tour of the US, performing clinics and shows across the country with his band. He will be recording his third album in 2015 and plans to tour Europe this coming Spring.
Mark Mendez
Trumpeter Mark Mendez has been honing his musical craft for over 30 years. A native West Virginian and graduate of West Virginia University with a degree in trumpet and music education, he has made his home and career as a music educator on the Grand Strand for 20 years. He is the area coordinator for the popular Festivals of Music competition in Myrtle Beach, SC and is in demand as a performing musician, drill designer, clinician, and adjudicator throughout the east coast. As an original member of Soul Function he has always believed in the mission of the band to be the ultimate in entertainment. Mendez is married to his beautiful wife Kim and together they have two boys Robinson and JT.
Adrian Crutchfield
