Reese Wynans (born November 28, 1947) is an American

keyboard Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...

player, who has done session work and has been a member of Double Trouble and progressive rock band

Captain Beyond Captain Beyond is an American rock supergroup formed in Los Angeles in 1971.
at

. In 2015, he was inducted into the

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), sometimes simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and othe ...

as a member of Double Trouble. Reese Wynans with Joe Bonamassa

Personal life

Wynans grew up in

Sarasota Sarasota () is a city in Sarasota County on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The area is renowned for its cultural and environmental amenities, beaches, resorts, and the Sarasota School of Architecture. The city is located in the sout ...

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

, United States, during the 1950s. Wynans and his six siblings began taking piano lessons at early ages, but he was the only one who "really loved playing." .

Musical career

Wynans was a member of the Second Coming, which from November, 1968 to March, 1969 included two future and founding members of

The Allman Brothers Band The Allman Brothers Band was an American rock band formed in Jacksonville, Florida in 1969 by brothers Duane Allman (founder, slide guitar and lead guitar) and Gregg Allman (vocals, keyboards, songwriting), as well as Dickey Betts (lead guita ...

: guitarist

Dickey Betts Forrest Richard Betts (born December 12, 1943) is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, and composer best known as a founding member of The Allman Brothers Band. Early in his career, he collaborated with Duane Allman, introducing melodic tw ...

and bassist

Berry Oakley Raymond Berry Oakley III (April 4, 1948 – November 11, 1972) was an American bassist and one of the founding members of the Allman Brothers Band, known for long melodic bass runs. He is ranked number 46 on the ''Bass Player'' magazine's list ...

. Other band members were Dale Betts, Larry Reinhardt, and John Meeks. Wynans was involved in the initial jam session with Duane Allman, Betts, Oakley,

Butch Trucks Claude Hudson "Butch" Trucks (May 11, 1947 – January 24, 2017) was an American drummer. He was best known as a founding member of The Allman Brothers Band, for which he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995. Trucks was born ...

, and

Jaimoe John Lee Johnson (born July 8, 1944), frequently known by the stage names Jai Johanny Johanson and Jaimoe, is an American drummer and percussionist. He is best known as one of the founding members of the Allman Brothers Band. Johanson played ...

that led to the formation of the Allman Brothers Band, but was eased aside in favor of vocalist

Gregg Allman Gregory LeNoir Allman (December 8, 1947 – May 27, 2017) was an American musician, singer and songwriter. He was known for performing in the Allman Brothers Band. Allman grew up with an interest in rhythm and blues music, and the Allman Br ...

, as founder

Duane Allman Howard Duane Allman (November 20, 1946 – October 29, 1971) was an American rock guitarist, session musician, and the founder and original leader of the Allman Brothers Band, for which he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in ...

did not want two keyboardists, two guitarists, and two drummers all in the same band. In 1973 he played with

Captain Beyond Captain Beyond is an American rock supergroup formed in Los Angeles in 1971.
at

and was on the album ''

Sufficiently Breathless ''Sufficiently Breathless'', the second album by Captain Beyond, was released in 1973 and features a jazzier, smoother sound than its predecessor, reminiscent of mid-1970s Santana (band), Santana. The medley format of the first album is retaine ...

''. He quit after just one show with the band, later explaining, "Captain Beyond was a great band to play with, but from the management side it was terribly organized... I was very poor at that time, living in somebody´s else garage, so I needed to work and had to quit." In 1975 he relocated to Austin, TX to join the Jerry Jeff Walker band. They recorded several albums and toured the US extensively. other band members were Dave Perkins, Bobby Rambo, Leo Lablanc, Tomas Ramirez, Ron Cobb, and Fred Krc. Wynans also played with The Explosives along with Fred Krc, Waller Collie, and Cam King. In 1980 he joined the Delbert McClinton band. Other band members were Billy Sanders, James Pennebaker, Larry Lange, Robert Harwell, Ernie Durawa, Roddy Colona and others. He also played piano on many of the tracks on Carole King's albums "Touch the Sky" and "One to One" and appears on her vhs recording of the same name.

1985–1990: Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble

Wynans joined

Stevie Ray Vaughan Stephen Ray Vaughan (October 3, 1954 – August 27, 1990) was an American musician, best known as the guitarist and frontman of the blues rock trio Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble. Although his mainstream career spanned only seven years, ...

and Double Trouble in 1985, playing keyboards on '' Soul to Soul'' and ''

In Step ''In Step'' is the fourth studio album by Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble released in 1989. The title ''In Step'' can be seen as referring to Vaughan's new-found sobriety, following the years of drug and alcohol use that eventually led Va ...

''. Wynans performed with the group until Vaughan's death in 1990. After Vaughan's death, Wynans joined the touring bands of

Joe Ely Joe Ely (born February 9, 1947) is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist, whose music touches on honky-tonk, Texas Country, Tex-Mex and rock and roll. He has had a genre-crossing career, performing with Bruce Springsteen, Uncle Tupelo ...

and

Lee Roy Parnell Lee Roy Parnell (born December 21, 1956) is an American country music and blues artist, singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Active since 1990, he has recorded eight studio albums, and has charted more than twenty singles on the ''Billboard'' Hot C ...

1992–present

Since moving to

Nashville Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

, in 1992, Wynans has played keyboards for a number of

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while the ...

artists including

Brooks & Dunn Brooks & Dunn are an American country music duo consisting of Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn, both of whom are vocalists and songwriters. The duo was founded in 1990 through the suggestion of Tim DuBois. Before their formation, both members were solo ...

Trisha Yearwood Patricia Lynn Yearwood (born September 19, 1964) is an American singer, actress, author and television personality. She rose to fame with her 1991 debut single " She's in Love with the Boy," which became a number one hit on the ''Billboard'' c ...

Martina McBride Martina Mariea McBride (née Schiff, born July 29, 1966) is an American country music singer-songwriter and record producer. She is known for her soprano singing range and her country pop material. McBride was born in Sharon, Kansas, and relocat ...

, and

Hank Williams Jr. Randall Hank Williams (born May 26, 1949), known professionally as Hank Williams Jr. or Bocephus, is an American singer-songwriter and musician. His musical style is often considered a blend of southern rock, blues, and country. He is the son of ...

Wynans has also played for

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...

artists

Buddy Guy George "Buddy" Guy (born July 30, 1936) is an American blues guitarist and singer. He is an exponent of Chicago blues who has influenced generations of guitarists including Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, Keith Richards, Stevie Ray V ...

John Mayall John Mayall, OBE (born 29 November 1933) is an English blues singer, musician and songwriter, whose musical career spans over sixty years. In the 1960s, he was the founder of John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers, a band that has counted among it ...

Kenny Wayne Shepherd Kenny Wayne Shepherd (born Kenny Wayne Brobst; June 12, 1977) is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He has released several studio albums and experienced significant commercial success as a blues artist. Life and career Shepherd wa ...

Colin James Colin James (born Colin James Munn, August 17, 1964) is a Canadian rock and blues singer and songwriter. Biography Early years James was born in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. His grandpa was Serbian. He got his break opening for Stevie Ray V ...

, Ana Popovic,

Dudley Taft Dudley S. Taft (born July 4, 1966, Washington, D.C.) is an American musician. Taft is a blues/rock musician who fronts the Dudley Taft Band and was a songwriting member of Seattle band Sweet Water and member and chief songwriter of Seattle, Wa ...

Eli Cook Eli Cook (1814–1865) was Mayor of the City of Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the he ...

, and

Los Lonely Boys Los Lonely Boys are an American musical group from San Angelo, Texas. They play a style of music they call "Texican Rock n' Roll," combining elements of rock and roll, Texas blues, brown-eyed soul, country, and Tejano. The band consists of thr ...

. Wynans performed on six of the 13 songs o
''The Nashville Sessions''
a 1999 album released by Colorado jamband

Leftover Salmon Leftover Salmon is an American jam band from Boulder, Colorado, formed in 1989. The band's music is a blend of bluegrass, rock, country, and Cajun/Zydeco. Over their thirty years as a band Salmon have released seven studio albums and three li ...

. The album featured many musical collaborations, with Wynans contributions coming on songs featuring musicians such as

Béla Fleck Béla Anton Leoš Fleck (born July 10, 1958) is an American banjo player. An acclaimed virtuoso, he is an innovative and technically proficient pioneer and ambassador of the banjo, bringing the instrument from its bluegrass roots to jazz, classi ...

Jerry Douglas Gerald Calvin "Jerry" Douglas (born May 28, 1956) is an American Dobro and lap steel guitar player and record producer. Career In addition to his fourteen solo recordings, Douglas has played on more than 1,600 albums. As a sideman, he has ...

, and

Randy Scruggs Randy Lynn Scruggs (August 3, 1953 – April 17, 2018) was an American music producer, songwriter and guitarist. He had his first recording at the age of 13. He won four Grammy Awards and was named Musician of the Year at the Country Music ...

. In 2006, Wynans contributed B3 organ to two songs on the self-titled album from

Black Stone Cherry Black Stone Cherry is an American rock band, formed in 2001 in Edmonton, Kentucky. They were signed to Roadrunner Records until 2015; the band is now signed to Mascot Label Group. The band consists of Chris Robertson (lead vocals, lead guitar), B ...

. Wynans frequently performs live at 3rd & Lindsley Bar and Grill in Nashville, with a number of established local bands, usually consisting of

session musician Session musicians, studio musicians, or backing musicians are musicians hired to perform in recording sessions or live performances. The term sideman is also used in the case of live performances, such as accompanying a recording artist on a ...

s. In late 2014 and early 2015, Wynans was inducted into the Musician's Hall of Fame, Austin City Limits, and the

all as a part of

& Double Trouble. In 2015, he became the touring keyboard player for blues rock guitarist

Joe Bonamassa Joseph Leonard Bonamassa ( ; born May 8, 1977) is an American blues rock guitarist, singer and songwriter. He started his career at age twelve, when he opened for B.B. King. Since 2000, Bonamassa has released fifteen solo albums through his inde ...

. Wynans had previously played keyboards on Bonamassa's 2014 album ''

Different Shades of Blue ''Different Shades of Blue'' is the eleventh studio album by blues rock guitarist Joe Bonamassa. It was released on September 22, 2014. The album debuted at number 8 on the Billboard 200, which makes this Bonamassa's highest charting album, and ...

'' and his "Muddy Wolf" tour, where Bonamassa played songs originally recorded by

Muddy Waters McKinley Morganfield (April 4, 1913 April 30, 1983), known professionally as Muddy Waters, was an American blues singer and musician who was an important figure in the post-war blues scene, and is often cited as the "father of modern Chicago b ...

and

Howlin' Wolf Chester Arthur Burnett (June 10, 1910January 10, 1976), better known by his stage name Howlin' Wolf, was an American blues singer and guitarist. He is regarded as one of the most influential blues musicians of all time. Over a four-decade care ...

. Wynans appeared with Bonamassa on his winter 2016 tour and featured on his album ''

Blues of Desperation ''Blues of Desperation'' is the twelfth studio album by American blues rock guitarist Joe Bonamassa. It was released on March 25, 2016 through J&R Records. Reception ''Blues of Desperation'' has been given a Metacritic Metacritic is a webs ...

''. In March 2019, his album, ''Reese Wynans And Friends: Sweet Release'', spent two weeks at number 2 in the US ''Billboard'' Blues Albums Chart. In March 2020 Wynans came full circle, replacing the late Gregg Allman on organ for the special The Brothers 50 celebratory concert, that marked 50 years since the formation of the Allman Brothers Band, at Madison Square Garden.

Equipment used

Hammond B3 Hammond may refer to: People * Hammond Innes (1913–1998), English novelist * Hammond (surname) * Justice Hammond (disambiguation) Places Antarctica * Hammond Glacier, Antarctica Australia *Hammond, South Australia, a small settlement in South ...

and Leslie 142 * Roland RD800 * Roland Juno 106 *

Wurlitzer 200A The Rudolph Wurlitzer Company, usually referred to as simply Wurlitzer, is an American company started in Cincinnati in 1853 by German immigrant (Franz) Rudolph Wurlitzer. The company initially imported stringed, woodwind and brass instruments ...

* nord stage 2 for wurli sounds on tour

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wynans, Reese Double Trouble (band) members American organists American male organists 20th-century American keyboardists Living people People from Sarasota, Florida Guitarists from Florida Captain Beyond members 1947 births 20th-century American guitarists 21st-century organists 20th-century American male musicians 21st-century American male musicians 21st-century American keyboardists Provogue Records artists