The TCB Band is a group of professional musicians who formed the core rhythm section of

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the " King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. His ener ...

’s band from August 1969 until his death in 1977. (Depending on the context, the nickname may also extend to Elvis’ background vocalists during that same period:

The Imperials The Imperials are an American Christian music group that has been active for over 55 years. Originating as a southern gospel quartet, the innovative group would become pioneers of contemporary Christian music in the 1960s. There have been many ...

and The Sweet Inspirations). The initials TCB stands for Taking Care of Business, a personal

motto A motto (derived from the Latin , 'mutter', by way of Italian , 'word' or 'sentence') is a sentence or phrase expressing a belief or purpose, or the general motivation or intention of an individual, family, social group, or organisation. M ...

Presley adopted in the early 1970s. Although personnel changed over the years, the original members were

James Burton James Edward Burton (born August 21, 1939, in Dubberly, Louisiana) is an American guitarist. A member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame since 2001 (his induction speech was given by longtime fan Keith Richards), Burton has also been recognized ...

(lead guitar), Jerry Scheff (bass), John Wilkinson (rhythm guitar),

Larry Muhoberac Lawrence Gordon "Larry" Muhoberac, Jr.; (February 12, 1937 - December 4, 2016, in Erina, New South Wales, Australia) was an American musician, record producer, and composer who was also known under pseudonyms "Larry Owens" and "Larry Gordon". ...

(keyboards) and

Ron Tutt Ronald Ellis Tutt (March 12, 1938 – October 16, 2021) was an American drummer who played concerts and recording sessions for Elvis Presley, the Carpenters, Roy Orbison, Neil Diamond, and Jerry Garcia. Early life Born in Dallas, Texas, United ...

(drums). They first appeared live at Presley’s first

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Veg ...

performance at what was then known as the International Hotel (later the Las Vegas Hilton, now Westgate Las Vegas Resort and Casino) on July 31, 1969.

History

When planning his return to live performing after his successful 1968

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

television comeback, Presley had to replace original band members

Scotty Moore Winfield Scott Moore III (December 27, 1931 – June 28, 2016) was an American guitarist who formed The Blue Moon Boys in 1954, Elvis Presley's backing band. He was studio and touring guitarist for Presley between 1954 and 1968. Rock critic ...

D.J. Fontana Dominic Joseph Fontana (March 15, 1931 – June 13, 2018) was an American musician best known as the drummer for Elvis Presley for 14 years. In 1955, he was hired to play drums for Presley, which marked the beginning of a 15-year relationshi ...

(who had returned to session work) and

Bill Black William Patton Black Jr. (September 17, 1926 – October 21, 1965) was an American musician and bandleader who is noted as one of the pioneers of rock and roll. He played in Elvis Presley's early trio. Black later formed Bill Black's Combo. Ear ...

who had formed the Bill Black Combo before his death in 1965. Elvis’ first call was to guitarist James Burton, who was from

Ricky Nelson Eric Hilliard Nelson (May 8, 1940 – December 31, 1985) was an American musician, songwriter and actor. From age eight he starred alongside his family in the radio and television series ''The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet''. In 1957, he bega ...

's band, whom he asked to help form the group after knowing about him for many years and seeing him on television. After keyboardist Glen D. Hardin declined Burton's offer to join the group, Larry Muhoberac, who had played on several of Presley's

movie A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

soundtrack A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrac ...

sessions, accepted his offer to perform. Burton later added Jerry Scheff on bass and John Wilkinson on rhythm guitar. Muhoberac suggested

for the drums to round out the section. By February 1970, Glen D. Hardin joined on keyboards, eventually replacing Muhoberac who returned to studio work in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

. At that time Bob Lanning, a Los Angeles session drummer joined on drums, replacing Tutt who returned later that year. TCB brought a new lease of life to Elvis's rock 'n' roll sound of the 50s.

Larrie Londin Ralph Gallant (October 15, 1943 − August 24, 1992), better known by the stage name Larrie Londin, was an American drummer and session musician. According to journalist James Byron Fox, "If not the best known, Larrie is one of the most listene ...

, a Nashville session drummer who recorded and occasionally toured with Presley over a nine-year period, filled in for Tutt on occasion during 1976 and 1977 performances. In 1975, Burton, Tutt and Muhoberac backed

Johnny Cash John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American country singer-songwriter. Much of Cash's music contained themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially in the later stages of his c ...

on his album, '' John R. Cash''.

Tours with other musicians: After the TCB Band disbanded

Before Presley's death in 1977, several former members from the TCB Band went on to form

Emmylou Harris Emmylou Harris (born April 2, 1947) is an American singer, songwriter and musician. She has released dozens of albums and singles over the course of her career and has won 14 Grammys, the Polar Music Prize, and numerous other honors, includin ...

's Hot Band and The John Denver Band. These musicians include James Burton, Glen D. Hardin,

Emory Gordy Jr. Emory Lee Gordy Jr. (born December 25, 1944) is an American musician, songwriter and music producer. A former member of Emmylou Harris' backing band The Hot Band, he is best known for his association with country singer Patty Loveless, to whom h ...

and Jerry Scheff. Burton left the Hot Band in 1976 and was replaced by English guitarist

Albert Lee Albert William Lee (born 21 December 1943) is an English guitarist known for his fingerstyle and hybrid picking technique. Lee has worked, both in the studio and on tour, with many famous musicians from a wide range of genres. He has also mai ...

. Scheff was never a member of the Hot Band. Gordy left John Denver's band in 1980 (he re-joined the band and toured with John shortly in 1989) and was replaced by Scheff. Burton, Hardin and Scheff remained in John Denver's band until early 1994, and was then replaced by

Pete Huttlinger Peter John Huttlinger (June 22, 1961 – January 15, 2016) was an American guitarist. A graduate of Berklee College of Music, Huttlinger was a Nashville studio artist. In 2000, he won the National Fingerstyle Guitar Championship at the Walnut V ...

, Chris Nole and Alan Deremo. After drumming a few years with the

Jerry Garcia Band The Jerry Garcia Band was a San Francisco Bay Area rock band led by Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead. Garcia founded the band in 1975; it remained the most important of his various side projects until his death in 1995. The band regularly tour ...

before Presley's death, Ron Tutt was invited by

Neil Diamond Neil Leslie Diamond (born January 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. He has sold more than 130 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling musicians of all time. He has had ten No. 1 singles on the Hot 100 and Adul ...

to become Diamond's permanent concert and recording session drummer. Tutt's drumming has since become a feature to Diamond's concert shows, punctuating moments in the Diamond concert with his TCB Band style drum fills and cymbal crashes. Tutt is a workman celebrity drummer, and routinely receives concert crowd ovations when he appears and takes his seat at his drum kit. Noteworthy during concerts is Tutt's soaring drum work on the song, "

Holly Holy "Holly Holy" is a song written and recorded by Neil Diamond with instrumental backing provided by the American Sound Studio house band in Memphis. Released as a single on October 13, 1969, it was a successful follow-on to "Sweet Caroline", reachi ...

". Tutt has been recording and touring with Diamond to the present day. Tutt also appears on several of recordings by

Nancy Sinatra Nancy Sandra Sinatra (born June 8, 1940) is an American singer and actress. She is the elder daughter of Frank Sinatra and Nancy Sinatra ( Barbato), and is best known for her 1966 signature hit " These Boots Are Made for Walkin'. Nancy Sinatr ...

Reunions (1979, 1981, 1987, 1997–present)

The TCB Band reunited with a new lineup to record their own album in 1979 of covers of Elvis Presley songs as a tribute. They also reunited in 1981 as the backing band for

Tony Sheridan Anthony Esmond Sheridan McGinnity (21 May 1940 – 16 February 2013), known professionally as Tony Sheridan, was an English rock and roll guitarist who spent much of his adult life in Germany. He was best known as an early collaborator of th ...

, augmented by

Klaus Voormann Klaus Otto Wilhelm Voormann (born 29 April 1938) is a German artist, musician, and record producer. Voormann was the bassist for Manfred Mann from 1966 to 1969, and performed as a session musician on a host of recordings, including " You're So ...

and again mostly featuring Sheridan's recordings of Elvis Presley songs. Several members of the TCB band (Glen Hardin on piano, James Burton on lead guitar, Jerry Scheff on upright bass, and Ron Tutt on drums) also played with

Roy Orbison Roy Kelton Orbison (April 23, 1936 – December 6, 1988) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician known for his impassioned singing style, complex song structures, and dark, emotional ballads. His music was described by critics as ...

in his 1987 live performance ''

Roy Orbison and Friends, A Black and White Night Roy is a masculine given name and a family surname with varied origin. In Anglo-Norman England, the name derived from the Norman ''roy'', meaning "king", while its Old French cognate, ''rey'' or ''roy'' (modern ''roi''), likewise gave rise t ...

''. Burton, Hardin, Scheff and Tutt reunited again in 1997 to perform '' Elvis: The Concert'', with John Wilkinson rejoining for the 25th anniversary concert in Memphis. Since then, Burton, Hardin, Tutt and Scheff have toured frequently together, typically backing Austrian singer Dennis Jale and his band, mostly playing music from Elvis Presley's catalogue. They have also backed Greg Page of

the Wiggles The Wiggles are an Australian children's music group formed in Sydney in 1991. The group are currently composed of Anthony Field, Lachlan Gillespie, Simon Pryce and Tsehay Hawkins, as well as supporting members Evie Ferris, John Pearce, C ...

for two solo albums and some live concerts. However, after the 30th anniversary concert in 2007, Scheff departed the band and was replaced on tour by

Nathan East Nathan Harrell East (born December 8, 1955) is an American jazz, R&B, and rock bass player and vocalist. With more than 2,000 recordings, East is one of the most recorded bass players in the history of music. East holds a Bachelor of Arts deg ...

and

Norbert Putnam Norbert Auvin Putnam (born August 10, 1942) is an American musician, studio owner and record producer who was inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame in 2019.Robert McFarland, Jr"Norbert Putnam."'' Delta Business Journal''. November 2004. Acce ...

. Wilkinson died on January 11, 2013, from cancer, at the age of 67. Putnam and East departed the band in 2013. The TCB Band currently continues to tour backing Dennis Jale and his band. In 2019, for the first time since 2014, the TCB Band performed a new Elvis: The Concert-style show, alongside the

Royal Philharmonic Orchestra The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London, that performs and produces primarily classic works. The RPO was established by Thomas Beecham in 1946. In its early days, the orchestra secured profitable ...

, combining elements from the 2016-2018 Presley/Philharmonic tours with the old 1997-2014 TCB Band tours.

Members

Current Members: *

— lead guitar (1969–1977, 1979, 1981, 1987, 1997–present); vocals (1979) *

Glen D. Hardin Glen Dee Hardin (born April 18, 1939) is an American piano player and arranger. He has performed and recorded with such artists as Roy Orbison, Elvis Presley, Emmylou Harris, John Denver, and Ricky Nelson. Career Hardin was born in Wellington, ...

— keyboards, piano (1970–1976, 1979, 1981, 1987, 1997–present) Former Members: * John Wilkinson — rhythm guitar (1969–1977, April 1989, August 16, 2002; died 2013) * Jerry Scheff — bass, double bass (1969–1973, 1975–1977, 1979, 1987, 1997–2011) *

— keyboards, piano, electric piano (1969; died 2016) *

— drums (1969–1977, 1979, 1981, 1987, 1997–2021); vocals (1979) (died 2021) * Bob Lanning — drums (1970) * Eddie Graham — percussion (1970–1971) * Jerome 'Stump' Monroe — drums (1971, 1975, June 24, 1977) *

– bass, rhythm guitar (1973, 1979, 1981) * Duke Bardwell — bass (1974–1975) * David Briggs — electric piano, clavinet, piano (1975–1977) *

Shane Keister Shane Keister is an American musician. He is known for his work as a studio musician, writer, arranger and producer. He plays synthesizer, piano, Hammond B3, Synclavier, Fairlight CMI, Fender Rhodes, and others. History Keister was born in Huntin ...

— piano, Moog synthesizer (1976) * Tony Brown — piano (1976–1977) *

— drums (March 1976, June 25–26, 1977; died 1992) *

Bobby Ogdin Robert Ford Ogdin (born September, 1945) is a Nashville-based recording session pianist. He is best known as a member of Elvis Presley's TCB band. He performed on 20 of Presley's recordings and accompanied him on 45 live shows until Presleys' deat ...

— electric piano, clavinet (1977) * Tony Smith — rhythm guitar (1997–2007) *

— bass (2009–2013) *

— bass (2009–2013)

Timeline

ImageSize = width:1000 height:auto barincrement:20 PlotArea = left:100 bottom:80 top:0 right:50 Alignbars = justify DateFormat = dd/mm/yyyy Period = from:01/07/1969 till:01/01/2022 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy Colors = id:vocals value:red legend:Lead_vocals id:lead value:teal legend:Lead_guitar id:guitar value:green legend:Rhythm_guitar id:bass value:blue legend:Bass id:drums value:orange legend:Drums id:keys value:purple legend:Keyboards id:percussion value:claret legend:Percussion id:Lines value:black legend:Studio_album Legend = position:bottom columns:1 ScaleMajor = unit:year increment:2 start:1970 ScaleMinor = unit:year increment:1 start:1970 BarData = bar:James text:"James Burton" bar:John text:"John Wilkinson" bar:Jerry text:"Jerry Scheff" bar:Larry text:"Larry Muhoberac" bar:Glen text:"Glen D. Hardin" bar:Ronnie text:"Ronnie Tutt" bar:Bob text:"Bob Lanning" bar:Eddie text:"Eddie Graham" bar:Stump text:"Jerome Monroe" bar:Emory text:"Emory Gordy, Jr." bar:Duke text:"Duke Bardwell" bar:Tony text:"Tony Brown" bar:Larrie text:"Larrie Londin" bar:David text:"David Briggs" bar:Bobby text:"Bobby Ogdin" bar:TonyS text:"Tony Smith" bar:Norbert text:"Norbert Putnam" bar:Nathan text:"Nathan East" PlotData= width:11 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(10,-4) bar:James from:01/07/1969 till:16/08/1977 color:lead bar:James from:01/01/1979 till:01/01/1980 color:lead bar:James from:01/01/1981 till:01/01/1982 color:lead bar:James from:01/01/1987 till:01/12/1987 color:lead bar:James from:01/01/1997 till:end color:lead bar:James from:01/01/1979 till:01/01/1980 color:vocals width:3 bar:John from:01/07/1969 till:16/08/1977 color:guitar bar:John from:01/07/2002 till:16/08/2002 color:guitar bar:Larry from:01/07/1969 till:01/01/1970 color:keys bar:Jerry from:01/07/1969 till:01/03/1973 color:bass bar:Jerry from:01/06/1975 till:16/08/1977 color:bass bar:Jerry from:01/01/1979 till:01/01/1980 color:bass bar:Jerry from:01/01/1987 till:01/12/1987 color:bass bar:Jerry from:01/01/1997 till:01/01/2010 color:bass bar:Glen from:01/01/1970 till:01/03/1976 color:keys bar:Glen from:01/01/1979 till:01/01/1980 color:keys bar:Glen from:01/01/1981 till:01/01/1982 color:keys bar:Emory from:01/01/1981 till:01/01/1982 color:bass bar:Glen from:01/01/1987 till:01/12/1987 color:keys bar:Glen from:01/01/1997 till:end color:keys bar:Emory from:01/03/1973 till:01/10/1973 color:bass bar:Emory from:01/01/1979 till:01/01/1980 color:guitar bar:Emory from:01/01/1979 till:01/01/1980 color:guitar bar:Emory from:01/01/1979 till:01/01/1980 color:keys width:3 bar:Duke from:01/01/1974 till:01/05/1975 color:bass bar:Tony from:17/03/1976 till:16/08/1977 color:keys bar:Eddie from:01/01/1970 till:01/01/1971 color:percussion bar:Ronnie from:01/07/1969 till:01/01/1970 color:drums bar:Ronnie from:01/06/1970 till:16/08/1977 color:drums bar:Ronnie from:01/01/1979 till:01/01/1980 color:drums bar:Ronnie from:01/01/1981 till:01/01/1982 color:drums bar:Ronnie from:01/01/1987 till:01/12/1987 color:drums bar:Ronnie from:01/01/1997 till:17/10/2021 color:drums bar:Ronnie from:01/01/1979 till:01/01/1980 color:vocals width:3 bar:Bob from:01/01/1970 till:01/06/1970 color:drums bar:TonyS from:01/01/1997 till:01/01/2008 color:guitar bar:Stump from:24/06/1977 till:24/06/1977 color:drums bar:Stump from:08/11/1971 till:08/11/1971 color:drums bar:Stump from:07/12/1975 till:07/12/1975 color:drums bar:Larrie from:25/06/1977 till:26/06/1977 color:drums bar:Larrie from:17/03/1976 till:22/03/1976 color:drums bar:David from:01/03/1975 till:01/03/1977 color:keys bar:Bobby from:01/03/1977 till:16/08/1977 color:keys bar:Norbert from:01/01/2009 till:01/01/2014 color:bass bar:Nathan from:01/01/2009 till:01/01/2014 color:bass

Discography

Studio Album

*''The TCB Band'' (recorded in 1978, but never released until it was leaked on sale) #"

Mystery Train "Mystery Train" is a song written and recorded by American blues musician Junior Parker in 1953. Originally performed in the style of a Memphis blues or rhythm and blues tune, it was inspired by earlier songs and later became a popular rockabi ...

" (Ronnie on lead vocals) #" Hound Dog" (Ronnie on lead vocals) #"

That's Alright Mama "That's All Right" is a song written and originally performed by blues singer Arthur Crudup and recorded in 1946. The song was rereleased in early March 1949 under the title "That's All Right, Mama", which was issued as RCA's first rhythm and b ...

" (James on lead vocals) #" Jailhouse Rock" (Ronnie on lead vocals) #"

Suspicious Minds "Suspicious Minds" is a 1968 song written and first recorded by American songwriter Mark James. After this recording failed commercially, it was cut by Elvis Presley with producer Chips Moman, becoming a No. 1 song in 1969, and one of the most ...

" (Ronnie on lead vocals) #" Burnin' Love" (Ronnie on lead vocals) #" Love Me" (Ronnie on lead vocals) #" Little Sister" (Ronnie on lead vocals) #"

Heartbreak Hotel "Heartbreak Hotel" is a song recorded by American singer Elvis Presley. It was released as a single on January 27, 1956, Presley's first on his new record label RCA Victor. It was written by Mae Boren Axton and Tommy Durden, with credit being ...

" (James on lead vocals) #" Falling In Love with You" (Ronnie on lead vocals)

References

External links

Official TCB Band Fan Club
{{Authority control 1969 establishments in the United States 1977 disestablishments in the United States American rock music groups American pop music groups Elvis Presley Musical groups established in 1969 Musical groups disestablished in 1977 Musical groups reestablished in 1997