PRESS RELEASE
January 14, 2003 – York, PA.
On February 14th, Columbia-based
R&B band, MAXWELL, will reunite for a special Valentine’s Day dance party
at Ruffins in York. Best known for its
driving rhythm section, tight vocal harmonies and exceptional horns, MAXWELL
was a top draw at area clubs and concerts from 1972 through 1984. Serving up
it’s own mix of 70s R&B, funk, and disco, as well as jazz-influenced
original cuts, the group was considered by many to be one of the best local
bands of that era. The group’s long-anticipated October 18th reunion
dance party at the Lancaster Host Showroom, which drew a capacity crowd of
nearly 1,500 fans, proved that MAXWELL has just gotten better with time.
Lead by trumpeter and vocalist, Jeff Aston,
and lead guitarist, Corby Myers, who performed with the band through its entire
career, Maxwell earned local fame with its hit record, “Radiation Funk,” which
chronicled the 1979 incident at Three Mile Island. The song received extensive
airplay in Central PA and reached the number two spot on local top 40 charts.
With the release of a follow up song, “A New Star,” the band was invited to
perform as the opening act for several national recording artists including the
Temptations, Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes, and the Village People.
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Along with Aston and Myers, Maxwell’s
February 14th appearance at Ruffins will feature lead vocalists
Kathy Matthews and Tonya Drayden-Cox. Matthews, who appeared on the group’s
second album and performed with Maxwell in concert with "The Spinners"
and "Tom Browne" at the York Fairgrounds in 1981, has performed
extensively throughout the east coast, Canada, and Japan since leaving the
band. York native, Tonya Drayden-Cox, who worked with the group from 1982
until 1984, is best known for her appearance on the TV show, "Star
Search," where she was a four-time winner, and for her winning
performance on “Showtime at the Apollo.” Other Maxwell alumni who will be
appearing at the Valentine’s Day event are drummer, Gary Waters, pianist/vocalist,
Danny Stuber, sax player/percussionist, Jimi Harris; bassists Allen Roth and
Lloyd Kinard; and original Maxwell flugelhorn player, Mike Aston. Call Ruffins at 717-852-0669 for more
information. |