Our Creative Team
Price Jones is a musician and composer living and creating in Nashville, TN.
Price Jones began making music as a young girl growing up in Kentucky, where she spent summers performing musical theatre professionally across the metro Louisville area. By her late teens, she would discover classical guitar and move to Nashville, TN, to deepen her studies at Belmont University. Her relocation to Nashville in 1982 marked the beginning of a decades long career in songwriting, recording, producing, and composing.
The Rolling Stone Review 1985 The Year in Rock book wrote of Jones’ trio Afterdark, “A trio led by the stinging guitar attack of Ms. Price Jones, Afterdark offers as rocking and danceable a live set as any”.
Jones released the single Goodtime Romeo in 1985. However, it was with her next project, Oooznoz, that Jones really began to make her mark on the Nashville music scene. Jones was praised by her critics and peers alike for her musicality, songwriting, and skills as a vocalist. Oooznoz was widely acclaimed and took Jones across the southeastern United States playing festivals, concerts, and radio shows.
Of Oooznoz, Nashville Scene critic Michael McCall wrote, “Jones performs an amazing command of various musical styles, all performed with disarming confidence.”
When Jones was not on the road, she owned and managed Cat Tracks studio in Nashville. She spent 10 years at Cat Tracks producing and engineering, and it was there, in 1997, that Jones composed the rock opera, The Fortunate Few.
In 1999, Jones launched an animal welfare organization, Give a Dog a Home, and spent the next decade of her life rescuing German Shepherds.
Music never let go of Price Jones. Neither did her dream to see The Fortunate Few brought to life. This year, she and some of Nashville's greatest instrumentalists and singers have collaborated to make Jones' vision a reality.
Stan Lassiter is a native of Nashville and a classical trained guitarist. Stan is considered by many to be the city's premier jazz guitarist. He is committed to the expression and expansion of music. He has performed with some of the best musicians of our time including the legendary saxophonist Sonny Stitt. He has opened for SpyroGyra, Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, Eric Johnson, Stevie Ray Vaughan and numerous others. Stan has his own radio station on iHeart Radio and his own DVD category on Mel Bay Productions. "In the world of contemporary guitar, there's a small group of players whose extraordinary technique and musical vision make them hard to categorize and certainly impossible to imitate. Shawn Lane, Allan Holdsworth, Charlie Hunter, David Fiuczynski, and Philip deGruy come to mind—guitarists who've had to invent a unique sonic language to express themselves. Stan Lassiter is one of these rare guitarists. I've known Stan since the early '80s, and over the years I've watched him continue to discover new ways to navigate the fretboard and create amazing music. Who else can weave knuckle slide, Indian tabla rhythms, and warp-speed bebop lines into a solo guitar piece? Whether coaxing delicate harp harmonics from a nylon-string or raging on electric, shredding with a thumb pick or blending fingerstyle jazz with flamenco, Stan plays with a beautiful blend of passion and virtuosity. Totally original and captivating." Andy Ellis Senior Editor, Premier Guitar
Bill Francis, a PA native, first picked up the bass at 12 years old and 2 years later was playing out professionally with local rock bands. After graduating high school he spent a year touring through the United States and Central America with the internationally known company "Up With People". Following that, Bill began his formal music training at North Texas State University where he earned a degree in Jazz Performance. Since then Bill has played and toured in a multitude of bands. He has also participated at the Bass Collective in New York City and studied privately with John Patitucci. Bill's true music passion is jazz but he enjoys playing most all genres.
Kyle is from Atlanta, GA. He started playing drums at age 7. He grew up playing in school jazz bands and his own bands. In 2010, he went to Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA. He graduated in 2013 with a BA in Performance.
Since graduating, he has made his home in Nashville, TN. He has played countless artist/sessions/corporate gigs, as well as forming his own groups.
His favorite candy is Reese’s.
photo credit @jonuptonmusic
Seth Timbs is a songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who founded the piano pop band Fluid Ounces in the 1990’s and has played with The Long Players, Brendon Benson, Jack White, Jacob Dylan, Radney Foster, sElf, Leticia Wolf and many others.
There is little information for much of the early life of Eric Hamilton. It is rumored that he was born and raised in a French Quarter brothel, in New Orleans, Louisiana. No record of his existence is found until a 1992 arrest for illegal gambling, in Nashville, Tennessee.
Shortly after this arrest, Eric founded the Eric Hamilton Band. They were soon signed to Curb/Atlantic Records and released the flagship album, Keep The Change. In support of that record, EHB toured all 50 states of the US, in 50 days. Called The Handful of Dirt Tour, he performed 3 shows a day in all 50 states and a final show on day 51, in Washington, D.C.. This was the tip of the iceberg. EHB did 250 to 300 shows a year for over 5 years. He still tours with Eric Hamilton Band and has had the same members for over 20 years.
Eric Hamilton has since released 11 full albums. He has written songs for and with Edwin McCain, Johnny Cash, Ira Dean, Sweepy Walker, John Carter Cash, Travis Meadows, Kris Kristofferson. His songwriting catalog is over a thousand recorded songs. He has written dozens of National jingles, from worldwide products to National political campaigns, including former President Barack Obama. He has won 4 Pollie Awards and was nominated for Best Song In a Motion Picture, in the 2016 Oscars.
Eric is an award-winning film Producer, Director, Writer, and Actor. He has received 3 Best Actor awards at various International Film Festivals and 2, Best Picture awards The transition from Record Producing to Film Directing, and Frontman to Leading Man was a short step.
Currently, he resides in the countryside surrounding Nashville, TN, with his wife, Lauren and daughter Tess, collaborating with them both, creating art in many forms. From dark beginnings, he has made a life of shining light into the corners and crevices of the human condition.
Rebekah Davis is an artist originally from East Nashville. Performing, directing, composing, and painting have taken her from Southern Europe to Southeast Asia and now, back to Nashville. A medical actor by day and painting instructor by night, she is a serial collaborator and passionate about making new works with other artists.
Bio here
Bio here
Kelly Whitlow is a 16 year old junior at Ravenwood high school. She loves musical theater and music in general, and she is so excited to be working on TFF!! She loves hanging with her friends and family in her free time and loves to read. She has been doing musical theater for about 8 years, including Matilda the musical.
Hi, my name is Faith and I will be portraying one of the Bendall kids in our upcoming rock opera!!! As a senior in high school I am the leader and main vocalist for my schools Rockband; I also enjoy doing community service for Key Club. I have had a passion for singing since I was 11, when I first discovered my voice. Because I mostly tend to sing classic rock, performing in a rock opera is an exciting first for me. I look forward to showing my talents off on stage during our shows. The Fortunate Few will knock your socks off!!!
Angelis has been in over 35 shows and is so excited to perform!! Her favorite roles consist of Anybodys (West Side Story), Wednesday (Addams Family), and Diana (A Chorus Line). Her passion is simply being able to perform! She really hopes you enjoy the show :)
Kameron is a high school senior in Nashville, TN.
Mason is so excited to be a part of “The Fortunate Few”, with this amazing group of performers and musicians. His is about to start his junior year at RHS. Since age 11, he has jumped at any chance to perform. You may have seen him around town in some of his favorite shows/roles- “West Side Story” (Tony), “Newsies” (Davey), “Legally Blonde” (Emmett), “Chicago” (Amos Hart), “Addams Family” (Gomez), and “Lucky Stiff” (Man #1) . Mason also plays trombone, piano, loves to travel and hang out with his friends and family, including his sister- Raleigh and twin brother- Walker.
Arianna Wooten is ecstatic to be voicing a Bendall Kid in The Fortunate Few! She grew up doing musical theater, but more recently she likes to read, play the violin, write songs, and do aerial silks. You may be able to spot a young Arianna on Netflix or Youtube in a few Mother Goose Club Playhouse videos, but she'll never tell...
Ben Gregory is a Nashville native. He majored in theater and sang with the a capella group Mixed Company at Yale University.
He has been in theatrical works in Heidelberg, Germany as well as L.A. and Nashville, including another original rock musical
entitled Repo: the Genetic Opera. Favorite roles include Judas in Jesus Christ Superstar, Lumiere in Beauty and the Beast, and the
Lecturer in Reefer Madness. He is thrilled to be involved in another original rock musical. In his spare time, he does yoga, plays piano
and loves to hike. He also helps people find and sell homes in Chattanooga and Nashville, TN.
In 1984, Johnny started singing professionally at Six Flags over Georgia. From there he went to Knoxville where he performed nightly in piano bars in notable places like Chantilly’s and Regas restaurants. Then, in 1985, Johnny was hired by Musicana Enterprises which was based in Cocoa Beach, Florida. Through this company, he was booked at the Myrtle Beach Hilton and aboard the SS Constitution Cruise Ship in Hawaii. Johnny was the star singer in the Starlight Lounge and sang with a quartet in the Tropicana Showplace. Singing in these different venues provided Johnny with the experience of singing a wide repertoire of music, which included everything from Big Band standards to R&B and Country.
Since moving to Nashville in 1987, Johnny has performed with a variety of bands at numerous nightspots. He has performed at the Western Room in Printer’s Alley, City Limits, Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge, The Stockyard, Douglas Corner, The Nashville Palace, The Bluebird, and had a 3-year booking at the Nashville Nightlife. In 1991, Johnny was a finalist on TNN’s “Be A Star” which led him to a spot in the “Welcome Home Troops” show hosted by Ralph Emery. Johnny’s other television appearances include Ed McMahon’s “Star Search ’94,” and “Charlie Daniel’s Talent Roundup.”
Johnny has also appeared in numerous musicals in the Nashville area including Baby, Godspell, Falsetto’s, Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, and Evita with the Tennessee Reparatory Theater.
Currently, Johnny performs with the Rory Partin Big Band – formerly the Bo Thorpe Orchestra. With this group, he has performed at two Presidential Inaugural Balls, and recently at Ray Steven’s CabaRay for the New Year’s Eve 2018-2019 celebration. Johnny also has a home studio where he has recorded hundreds of television and radio jingles that have aired worldwide.
Bill Fondren is an experienced and trained voice actor who loves working behind a microphone. Most widely known in Nashville for his work as a radio and television traffic reporter, Bill has also served as an interview host and radio disc jockey. He is currently working with a collaborative writer on a memoir about his experiences with Bipolar 2 Disorder and other fun things that accompany it, such as chronic anxiety, attention-deficit issues, and obsessive thinking. In addition to voice-over projects, Bill enjoys speaking to any size group (both live and virtually) about brain health issues. Bill and his wife Mimi live in Nashville, TN with their own indoor cat colony.
Czar was born in Nashville, but got his musical roots while being raised in Memphis. He worked for a few studios in Memphis as well as owning his own recording studio called the Kremlin. In 2000 Czar founded Throneholder Productions, a production company for hip-hop, R&B, pop, and dance music.
After years of producing independent artists, Czar later returned to Nashville to pursue a BA in audio production from the Art Institute of Tennessee Nashville, which he received with honors. During school he began to focus on engineering and mixing, which is where he finds most of his work since moving to Nashville. When he's not busy in a studio engineering or in the Kremlin mixing, Czar spends his spare time researching gear, blogging about audio, writing gear reviews, and posting helpful tutorial videos online to help others learn.
Clarke Schleicher was active in music starting with the trumpet in 4th grade, tuba in 5th grade, and electric bass in 8th grade.
Clarke’s fascination with recorded music started when his father asked him to record training seminars he was presenting for the Air Force Reserve. After Clarke finished editing his father’s speeches, he would record his favorite songs off the radio and practice editing those.
Clarke decided to pursue recording engineering and enrolled in Middle Tennessee State University. While in college, he continued playing music, pursued audio engineering, and minored in business management. After graduation, he immediately started working as a recording engineer and studio manager for the legendary music publishing company Cedarwood in Nashville, TN. Later he worked as a recording engineer at the Bennett House Studios where he worked with Neil Young, Amy Grant, and Dion among others. Now an independent engineer, he has been a staple in Nashville studios working with the industry’s top producers, artists, and musicians. Joan Baez, Martina McBride, Taylor Swift, Sara Evans, Marie Osmond, Dixie Chicks, Pam Tillis, Mark Chesnutt, The Band Perry, Blake Shelton, and Lady Antebellum have all been successful clients.
Over the span of his career, Clarke has earned three Grammy Awards, twenty #1 singles, and ten #1 albums. Recording seminars for his Dad opened doors for him to record artists heard around the world. Photos, detailed credits, and contact information available at mixedbyclarke.com.
Robert Hickman is a 12-year veteran of the Entertainment Industry. Graduate of Middle Tennessee State University with a Bachelors in Recording Industry Production and Technology and a minor in Entertainment Technology. He has designed musicals and straight plays for theatre and worked as an event and technical production manager for a theatre. During his time in the industry, he has also worked as an audio-visual technician for corporate, hotels and convention centers.
While touring on the road, he has held a combination of positions: stage manager, lighting designer and production manager with various artists and projects. Robert has also worked for a creative design firm 44 Designs in Nashville, TN, where he designed, programmed and managed numerous artists, events and projects ranging in size and scope. His skills range from creative design and stage layout to lighting and video programming using various industry standard software and technologies. He is excited to partner with The Fortune Few Rock Opera as the lighting designer and part of the creative team.
Tosha was born and raised here in Nashville where she trained at the Bellevue Dance Center, but left after graduating from Hume-Fogg. She went to Oklahoma City University as a Dance Performance major, and while in Oklahoma, she studied Ballet, Tap, Jazz, and Musical Theater intensively, and was part of The American Spirit Dance Company, the hip hop and step team OCU Rhythms, and the OCU Theatre Department. She has also studied multiple styles of dance in New York, Chicago, and Nashville, and continues to go to conventions to not only continue to work on her craft as a dancer, but to continuously study how to be a better teacher.
Tosha has a passion for performance and has been dancing, singing, and acting since the age of 5 on stage and screen. She has been in numerous stage productions, industrials, commercials, TV shows, music videos, and films throughout her career. She has been blessed to be able to perform at the Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Rocketown, The End, Nashville Shores, Nissan Stadium, The Ryman Auditorium, The Grand Ole Opry, and many other great local theaters in Nashville and Oklahoma City. She just became a dancer for the Nashville Sounds baseball team!
Although she enjoys performing, Tosha feels called to be a dance teacher and choreographer. She started as an assistant teacher at The Bellevue Dance Center and has now been teaching dance for 12 years. You may have seen her critically acclaimed choreography for Pull-Tight Players, Gaslight Dinner Theatre, Larry Keeton Theatre, Circle Players Theatre, Street Theatre Company, and Murfreesboro Center for the Arts. She has taught at Belmont University, Vanderbilt University, Lipscomb University, Columbia State Community College, Centennial High School, Christ Presbyterian Academy, Father Ryan High School, Nolensville High School, Brentwood Academy and is the choreographer for the award-winning Ravenwood High School Musical Theatre Program.
She has recently stepped into the role of Director and has directed "You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown" for CoPlayers Theatre. Next on her directorial slate is A Chorus Line for Circle Players Theatre. She is currently teaching dance at Street Theatre Company! Check her out on www.tmpchoreography.com
Parrish Monk is a full-time visual artist, artisan, educational consultant and adult educator. Parrish teaches developmental math, finite math, entrepreneurship and business management courses to adult learners at various colleges in the region. After 11 years spent in the military Parrish finally graduated from college with his Bachelor’s degree in Psychology at age 32. Although he struggled in college, he went on to acquire his Masters in Business Administration and his Doctorate in Education only to realize that he felt his most happiness when he was creating art. While Parrish is very passionate about his role as an adult educator he is equally as passionate about being an artist, artisan and a writer.
As the father of three boys (26, 25 and 13) Parrish lives in Northern Kentucky with his wife and youngest son Kadin who is on the Autism Spectrum. Outside of teaching and family most of Parrish’s time is spent creating and selling his artwork and writing his critical reading novels and leadership development curriculum. Since becoming a full-time artist on January 2014 Parrish has opened several art galleries and collaborative pop-up shops as well as displayed his work in multiple art galleries. Parrish is humbled at the fact that he has sold over 523 original pieces of art since first sharing his artwork publicly in November 2011. As a late blooming artist Parrish never imagined any modicum of success let alone that he would become a full-time artist by default.
After working as the Dean for the Business Management Program and General Education Department for over 6 years Parrish the college where Parrish was employed closed down forcing Parrish to take a risk and become a full-time artist on January 1, 2014. Parrish has been a successful artists ever since and is now working on a series of short but powerful illustrated critical reading novels (i.e., learning fables) and the accompanying curriculum with the intention of distributing these powerful stories and workbooks in K-16 settings across the nation starting in 2019.
Chanda Froehle is a self taught stained glass mosaic artist who lives and works in Georgetown, Indiana. After years of painting, she transitioned into mosaic art, which has been her primary medium for the last eight years. Most of Chanda’s work revolves around the shapes, colors, and patterns found in nature. The majority of her work is in the form of stained glass mosaic windows, created to reflect and enhance the sunlight that shines through it. Chanda Froehle’s work can be seen at her studio, online, and at Edenside Gallery in Louisville, Kentucky.
Katie Hildreth is a Nashville graphic designer with over 30 years of experience. She specializes in a broad range of services including packaging design, merchandise design, web design, social media, and artist relations for record labels, musicians, entertainers, and non-profit organizations. Her passion for live music and it’s venues springs from past works within the rich and diverse music scenes in Buffalo, NY and Nashville, TN. Her role as President of the Board of Directors with the Buffalo Music Hall of Fame was the beginning of a love for the history and stories connected to the music that ties people from all around the world together.