GROOVE HARBOR PLAYERS INCLUDE SOME AMAZING & TALENTED ARTISTS:

JIM SHAFER – Bass & Vocals
Jim has been playing and singing since his teens, and the bass guitar has always been his instrument of choice! Jim has spent over four decades as a major market radio personality, landing in Charlotte in the early 90's on a country music station. He joined with the Eggman in '96 to do mornings on MAGIC 96.1 oldies for nearly ten years before segueing to LITE 102.9 for another 7 years as morning man. During his years at MAGIC 96.1, Jim put together the Band Of Gold, which played hundreds of shows all over the Carolinas, and the very popular Jingle Bell Hops every holiday season at Ovens Auditorium, where The Band Of Gold backed up many national recording acts. Jim retired from full-time radio a few years ago, but still volunteers at WSGE 91.7 a couple of times a month, playing beach and shag music on Saturday mornings from 9am to 1pm. Jim is happy laying down the low end for Groove Harbor, and is looking forward to seeing his radio listeners at a live show soon!


KENNY SPARX  -  Guitar, Utility, & Vocals
Kenny comes from a musical family, as his father was a touring and recording professional musician. Beginning with his first piano lesson at age 5, Kenny played his first professional show with a national artist at the ripe old age of 12. Kenny is a multi-instrumentalist, highly proficient on 11 instruments. He shares lead vocals and sings the very highest first tenor harmonies for Groove Harbor. Keyboards is Kenny’s primary instrument and, like Groove Harbor’s keyboardist Tad Hough, Kenny also studied with World Class Jazz Pianist Ziggy Hurwitz who taught him music theory and improvisation and chord substitution.

Kenny is a music theory nut who loves figuring out complicated chords and arranging sophisticated yet cool vocal harmonies. He has toured as Band Leader/Musical Director with over 20 well known national acts in the Jazz, Rock and Country genre’s, As a BMI registered songwriter and publisher, Kenny has written over 400 songs, including songs that have been recorded by multiple national and regional artists. Kenny won the Queen City Music Award for Male Country Artist of the Year in both 2017 and 2019, as voted on by the local/regional fan base.   

What Kenny likes the best about performing with Groove Harbor is working with true professionals who are also very dear friends and getting to play so many great songs spanning the decades. 


TAD HOUGH – Keyboards & Vocals
Tad has been a professional keyboard player for over four decades with a body of recording and live work ranging from rock and funk to jazz and beach.  His performances have taken him on tours throughout the United States primarily in the southeast. Tad was born into a musical family in Gastonia NC.  His dad played jazz saxophone and his mother played piano and sang.  He was surrounded by the classical, church and the 60s rock and soul music of the day.  Having started piano in the first grade, he was electrified by the Beatle’s appearance on the Ed Sullivan show in early ’64.  “Suddenly I knew I had to be involved in music for the rest of my life.”

Tad started playing keys in a wide variety of regional bands and studying music with Ziggy Hurwitz, a legend in the Charlotte music world. Tad has played with many recording artists, Percy Sledge, Billy Joe Royal, Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs, the Poor Souls.  Singer George Hatcher contacted Tad to record keys and arrange strings on the Coming Home album, distributed in both the US and Europe.

Recently, Tad has been holding down the keyboards with Blind Manifest, The Harvest band, and most recently, GROOVE HARBOR!


WENDY RUSSELL - Vocals
Wendy grew up singing in church and school bands. During and after college, she sang in too many weddings and receptions to count. Her first cover band right out of college was "Freeway", based in Marietta, OH. A variety/rock/top 40 cover band. Wendy moved to Charlotte in the mid 80's and joined a local cover band, "the Providents". Next was "Idol Chatter", an original and cover traveling band. From there, the band morphed into "White Lies" based out of Daytona Beach. She then took a 5-year house gig at Merlin's in Charlotte with "the Feel Good Band", a rock, funk, variety, top 40 cover band. (Great gig!) Wendy’s next adventure was "Ladyfingers", a variety duo covering beach, blues, country, pop, dance/disco, rock...even a little rap. That duo still plays the occasional wedding and reception. She then took a long hiatus from playing full-time when she started working in "Big Corporate" but continued to play weddings, private parties and one-nighters with "Ladyfingers".

Wendy has joined Groover Harbor,  working with a very talented bunch of local musicians and putting together a song list sure to have something for everyone.


MEL MILLER - Drums & Vocals
Putting the “Groove” in Groove Harbor is Mel Miller on Drums and Vocals.

Mel is from Charlotte and has played with many successful local bands in and around Charlotte. Some of these include The Cracker Band, The Fabulous Plaids and The Mirrors Band to name a few.
After performing with these bands, Mel owned and operated Merlin’s dance club in West Charlotte for 10 years where he played drums and sang in the house band five nights a week. Mel is now proud and excited to be a member of the Groove Harbor band.