Jim Brighton has been a fixture in the Jam Band Scene since the early 80's. Starting as the original Bass Player in the punk rock band MDC (with High School pal Dave Dictor), Jim soon rejoined with long time friend from Glen Cove NY, Butch Zito, to create their own band, The Solar Pigs. The Pig's morphed into STACKABONES in 1983. The two have kept the band alive for all these years. Throughout Stackabones' history, Jimmie has played hundreds of gigs, jammed with the likes of Martin Fierro, Buddy Cage, Bobby Black, Richie Havens, and Howard Wales; and has shared the same bill with Hot Tuna, NRPS, John Prine, David Bromberg, Louden Wainwright III, Canned Heat, Lucinda Williams, Mother Hips and MANY others.
Butch Zito began performing at the ripe age of 3 and has never looked back. At the age of 19, he learned to play guitar and wrote his first song, Burned on Love, which Stackabones recorded in Austin, TX, in 1983. Austin was a seminal breeding ground for Zito’s songwriting chops. He often collaborated with his longtime friend and pickin’ partner, Jim Brighton. Having written over 90 songs worthy of others' ears, Zito notes, "I don’t write songs, they write themselves, I’m just a channel." Butch now resides on the East Coast and plays in various mediums of music: Bluegrass, Americana, Singer-songwriter, all playing his original material.
Multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Scott Cooper is a veteran of the Bay Area music scene. He plays guitar in the popular Grateful Dead tribute band The China Cats, plays bass with the Gary Gates Band, hosts a monthly bluegrass jam in his town of Santa Cruz, and plays both keyboards and/or drums with Stackabones. Scott has also worked with blues legends Johnny Shines and Luther Tucker, and Galactic sax man Ben Ellman.
Chip Clofine has been playing one instrument or another since he was a kid. It wasn't until a drummer friend brought him an electric bass and said, "Try this!" that he found the instrument he was made for. Chip spent many years performing and recording with Stackabones, and has shared the stage with such greats as Mickey Hart, Warren Haynes, Hot Tuna, and the Aquarium Rescue Unit.
Teri Dobra began singing professionally when she auditioned for Butch Zito's Band BZB in 2000 and became the band's backup vocalist. With a desire to exploit their harmonies even further, Butch and Teri formed an Austin roots band named Railroad Pete – yet again diving into Woody Guthrie's world for the name of their band. Their latest venture has them singing tight bluegrass harmonies in a "half-grassed" band named Morning Sky. Teri came on board with Stackabones in 2009 and can be heard lending her harmonies on their latest recording "The Wax Still Drips".
BAND MEMBERS:
- Butch Zito – rhythm guitar, vocals
- Jim Brighton – lead guitar, vocals
- Scott Cooper – drums, keyboards, vocals
- Chip Clofine – bass
- Teri Zito – vocals
- Pat Kelly – drums
ESTEEMED COLLABORATORS:
- George Marsh – drums
- Howard Wales – organ, piano
- Steve Doblick - guitar, vocals
- Brad Reisau - harmonica, vocals
- Christian Salcedo – keyboards, guitar
