“played with a degree of passion and enthusiasm that you just don’t see…with feeling and artistry- A.E. Hamberg– St Louis, MO "Bud’s the real deal man Lots of people try to make music. Bud is music." Larry S. - Grand Rapids, MI After being soundly beaten at piano and violin he found his true instrument in a second hand guitar. Raised in a musical family- Bud's dad was a jazz bassist and his mom a public school music teacher. Exposed to jazz, classical, opera and show tunes, he favored blues and rock. He earned a B.A. in Music Performance from Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville focusing on classical guitar and playing in the college jazz band. He travelled the midwest/south and recorded two records with "The Shotdown Band" a contemporary country group. He later played guitar for "Tizzy" (80's rock), "Calson"(Country), "Night Train" (Blues/Soul)and "The Stingers"(Classic Rock) before going solo in August of 2006. "The Great Divide" is his 5th CD of original music. Bud averages 140 shows a year in the St Louis, Chicago, Michigan and Nashville areas. He occasionally plays with various duos and also does a handful of shows each year with three groups. classic rock group "The Stingers", contemporary christian group "Grace Street" and a group that play's Bud's original music- The Floyd Duncan Orchestra. Bud's been a member of the music faculty at Principia College, Greenville College and Lewis and Clark College. He's been a guest instrumentalist on twelve records and has had two of his songs recorded by other artists. His first full-length solo CD project "Golden" was released in May of 2008 followed by "Eons" released March 6, 2010. A live recording of a solo show at Chicago's Elbo Room was released in 2011 as Bud Summers "Live in Chicago". His fourth album, an instrumental compilation of holiday music entitled "Midnight Clear" and was released March 1st, 2012. The "official" release date for "The Great Divide" is April 25th, 2014 when Bud played a solo acoustic set in the loft above his studio for fifty invited guests. Bud's vocal style is edgy but smooth and his writing is an eclectic blend of blues, jazz, rock, and folk. His guitar skills have been honed by studying classical and jazz music and by playing in rock, blues and country bands for more than twenty years. Live shows can be cover tunes- a wide mix of 60's through 2000's pop, blues, classic rock and easy listening styles or all original music from his four independently released albums. One of the hardest working musicians in the St Louis area, Bud Summers plays an average of 140 a year in the St Louis area as well as regular stops in Chicago and Nashville and an annual tour in Michigan. What groundhogs listen to when they're not looking for their shadows. A little bluesy, a little jazzy and not too far from the rock.- Bud Summers