Meet the Band

The Eagles
With five number one singles, fourteen Top 40 hits and four number one albums, the Eagles were among the most successful recording artists of the 1970s. At the end of the 20th century, two of those albums, Their Greatest Hits (1971-1975) and Hotel California, ranked among the ten best-selling albums ever, and the popularity of their 2007 Long Road Out of Eden proved the Eagles' staying power in the new millennium.  Though most of its members came from outside California, the group is closely identified with a country- and folk-tinged sound that initially found favor in Los Angeles during the late '60s.  The band also drew upon traditional rock & roll styles and, in their later work, helped define the broadly popular rock sound that became known as classic rock.  Rolling Stone ranked them 75th on the 100 Greatest Artists of All Times, and they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998.

Jeans ‘n Classics
Jeans ‘n Classics’ concept of combining rock musicians and headlining stars with world-class symphony orchestras has revolutionized the music industry, both in terms of classical orchestras and in terms of how rock music is appreciated and enjoyed.  Their shows combine the hard-driving rhythms of rock and roll with the warmth and depth of a symphony orchestra for an exciting, electric performance.  For more information, check their website at www.jeansnclassics.com.

Lead Vocals:  Michael Shotton
Born in Newcastle, England, Michael Shotton loved music from the moment he discovered The Beatles.   He began performing at the age of three, playing drums (southpaw) and singing in countless original, top-40 and specialty tribute acts.   In 1991, after appearing on Boston’s fifth album, Walk On, (replacing Brad Delp), he turned down the lead vocal position with the legendary band to sign with EMI records worldwide with his own original hard rock band, Von Groove.   To date, Von Groove has completed their ninth album.    In 1998, Shotton also became part of the rock group The Outpatience, releasing their debut album, Anxious Disease.  This album features all of the members of Guns n’ Roses (including a duet with Axl Rose), Steve Stevens of Billy Idol fame and Louis Conte of Phil Collins, and many other A list sessions. 
In 2001 he independently wrote, produced and released a 9/11 fundraiser song titled The Heart of America, which is currently part of a compilation album with Paul McCartney and Bruce Springsteen.  
In the summer of 2007, Shotton had the honor of writing and co-producing I Believe, the new theme for the annual Canadian Special Olympics.  Despite all of this, he still found time to develop his own TV show for pre-schoolers called Mike's Garage, adapted for television with the support of Bob McGrath of Sesame Street.
Recently, Shotton has teamed up with Gordon Deppe (The Spoons) and Tom Lewis (Partland Brothers, Alan Frew) to form the pop-rock band 5 Star Fall.  He has also joined forces with Canadian Hall of Fame icon Rik Emmett, playing, co-producing and co-writing the melodic hard rock of Airtime. The debut album Liberty Manifesto is available internationally under the Marquee/Escape labels.

Back-up Vocals:  Katalin Kiss
Katalin Kiss is known in the Canadian music industry for her staggering, tear-the-roof-off vocals. In her travels, she has worked with many legends, including Del Shannon, Chubby Checker, Chuck Berry and Chaka Khan.
Kiss lives in Picton, Ontario with her bassist husband and three children. They have their own recording studio.

Guitar:  Peter Brennan (Founder, Jeans ‘n Classics)
Born in Huddersfield, England, Peter Brennan came to Canada with his parents in 1957.  Growing up he was heavily influenced by the Beatles, and eventually chose to leave his formal music studies in order to pursue his craft in the Canadian arts scene. With his talent as a percussion major and as an accomplished guitarist, Brennan quickly formed professional relationships with various rock bands, becoming the music director of the ‘70s hit Gary and Dave, working in musical theatre in productions such as Rock ‘n Roll, and traveling to Germany to work as a guitarist in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cats.
As a producer, he arranged and produced an extensive number of albums by Canadian artists and accumulated a large portfolio of commercial work.  He has produced albums that have hit Top 10 charts as far away as the United Kingdom and has earned several Producer Grants and awards along with being a judge for Canada's Juno Awards.  He also has provided arrangements for several commercial ventures and for the 2002 World Youth Day - Pope John Paul II Celebrations.
In the early 1990s, he gathered a group of talented musicians and formed his own rock/symphonic ensemble, Jeans 'n Classics. The roots of his efforts grew deep and this group of rock musicians, many of whom are classically trained, became known for their ability to understand and respect orchestra culture and performance. Collectively they are committed to building a diverse, younger, sustainable audience in support of symphony orchestras across Canada, the United States and Europe by performing rock music in combination with a full orchestra.
Brennan has scored orchestral arrangements for more than 1,500 rock/pop songs.  In 2007, he received the Mayor's Honour Award for the Arts in London, Ontario, Canada.

Guitar:  Dave Dunlop
Dave Dunlop has been a professional guitarist, songwriter, singer and educator for the past 20 years, and is currently a member of the award-winning Strung-Out Troubadours, as well as the Rik Emmett Band, the Alan Frew Trio and Jeans ‘n Classics.  With Hall of Fame star Rik Emmett, he co-wrote, recorded and co-produced a duo project, Strung-Out Troubadours, which won both Album of the Year and Best Group/Duo at the 2007 Canadian Smooth Jazz Awards, where they were the most heavily nominated act.  Each of the “Troubs” was individually nominated for best guitarist as well.  Dunlop was also lead guitarist and writer in The Full Nine, signed with Disney’s Mammoth Records.
In 2005, he founded Room 9 studio, and he has been busy recording and producing projects non-stop ever since.  The studio also drew him into the jingle world, writing the music for an American Budweiser radio campaign.
He has been a faculty member at the National Summer Guitar Workshop and has done sideman stints with Bo Diddley, Mike Reno of Loverboy, Ron Sexsmith and others.
In 2008, Dunlop joined the re-formed Hall of Famer group Truimph, supporting the original line-up of Rik Emmett, Gil Moore and Mike Levine.  He continues to balance his studio work with touring.

Keyboards:  Don Paulton
Paulton returns for his twelfth season with Jeans ‘n Classics and also currently performs with the Canadian super-group Lighthouse. As part of that band he was inducted into the Canadian Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993.
He has worked with five Juno award-winners and has performed with such acts as Chuck Berry, The Byrds, Peter Noone (Herman’s Hermits), Del Shannon, Ben E. King, Leslie Gore, the Platters and Aretha Franklin.
Paulton toured extensively with the hit theatre production, A Closer Walk With Patsy Cline, mastering the piano styles of Floyd Kramer, and has appeared with symphony orchestras across North America as a member of the Jeans 'n Classics band.

Bass: Kevin Muir
Kevin Muir returns to Lima after being part of our Music of Elton John concert last season.
He began his musical career on violin before discovering the acoustic bass, which he began playing full-time in university. He has a music degree from the University of Western Ontario (Hon. Bachelor of Music, Theory & Composition, Gold Medal) in classical composition.
He's been performing as a bassist full time ever since graduation, traveling across the continent in various musical guises. Muir has been the bass player with the Stratford Festival Orchestra since 1993, but can also be found playing orchestral, chamber, jazz, and pop music all over Southern Ontario, as well as doing his fair share of session work in the area.
Occasionally he re-emerges as a composer, and has had his works performed to very small crowds in very small venues here and there. Kevin currently resides with his wife, his son, two dogs, two cats and a horse in the middle of a field somewhere outside of St. Marys, Ontario.

Bass/Conductor:  Mitch Tyler
LSO audiences will recognize Mitchell Tyler as the conductor of our Music of Elton John concert from last season, and he is very much looking forward to working with the LSO again this year.
Tyler is an Honours Bachelor of Music (Theory and Composition) and Bachelor of Education graduate of the University of Western Ontario and has been a professional musician since 1987.  As a freelance electric and upright bassist, conductor and music educator, he has done everything from theater, concert and symphony work to session, club and corporate engagements.  He is a part-time contract teacher of string music and classical guitar in London, Ontario.
Tyler has shared the stage with Roger Hodgson (Supertramp), Lawrence Gowan (Styx), Rik Emmett (Triumph), Alan Frew (Glass Tiger), as well as Amy Skye, Rich Little, Joan Rivers, Mickey Rooney and Donald O'Connor.  Recent recordings include Denise Pelley’s Christmas From The Heart (2007) and London Pro Musica/Antler River Project’s Songs OF The Land (2008).
Tyler is in his seventh season as a regular guest conductor with Orchestra London Canada’s very successful “Red Hot Weekends” series.  In 2009, Orchestra London Canada contracted him to write an educational series of musical theatre shows for children.  In February 2009, The Adventures of Robin Hood premiered, featuring the 1938 film score of Erich W. Korngold. In February 2010, Sleeping Beauty premiered, featuring Tchaikovsky’s famous ballet score. The third show in this series, The Three Musketeers, will be produced in February 2011.

Drums:  Dale Anne Brendon
As a rock drummer and orchestral percussionist, Dale Anne Brendon has performed with Roger Hodgson (Supertramp), Marie Osmond, Alan Frew (Glass Tiger), Rik Emmett (Triumph) and Sam Orbison (The Roy Orbison Story) and, of course, the Lima Symphony Orchestra during our Music of Elton John performance last season.  Her travels as a drummer have included frequent tours around North America performing with Jeans n' Classics, excursions to Morocco and Ireland playing in clubs and theatres and frequent Canadian rock n' roll tours.
Brendon her home near Stratford Ontario Canada, where she often performs Broadway musicals and records soundtracks for the theatre productions at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival, including their 2010 production of Evita.