Jaret Carter

Guitar, resonator guitar, vocals 

Born in Valdese, N.C., in 1967, Jaret Carter has been playing music for 34 years because “it’s a challenge and a release that’s embedded in my soul.” Growing up, he remembers seeing and hearing all kinds of music on television and around his house and listening to his parents’ collection of 45s that featured Dobie Gray, The Platters, Sam Cooke and more. To this day, his father sings, his mother plays southern gospel piano, and his brother, Jeff, plays keyboard, organ and piano in church.

Jaret has been singing for as long as his mother can remember, starting with humming along with the radio in the back seat of the family car as a young boy. He got his first guitar – a “cheap Kay acoustic” – at age 8 and has been playing and singing along ever since. 

He plays almost every kind of guitar there is, including 6- and 12-string acoustic and electrics, resonators (a.k.a. Dobro), lap steels, Weissenborn slides, and bottleneck acoustic and electric slides. He also plays mandolin. 

His early musical influences and idols are many and span many musical genres. They include Ray Charles, Robben Ford, Mark Knopfler, David Lindley, Ry Cooder, Tony Rice, Jerry Douglas, Stevie Wonder and Lowell George. 

Prior to forming ToneBlazers, he played in a number of bands around North Carolina, including Phoenix, South City, Select, Angels Ride, Heavy Weather, Jonathon Birchfield Band, Straight Drive, Jaret Carter and Darin Aldridge – a duo that eventually became a trio with Billy Gee – and The Circuit Riders.

He has played in studio with Tony Rice, Aubrey Haynie, Kenny Smith, Jack Lawrence, Vassar Clemmens, Russ Kunkel and Clay Jones. He also has played and recorded with the late Charlie Waller and The Country Gentlemen.  

Jaret lives in Lenoir, N.C. with his wife Lynne and two young daughters, Aubrey and Rylee. He currently gives guitar lessons to around 45 students a week at The Music Center in Lenoir and Morganton, N.C

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Billy Gee

Electric bass, vocals 

Born in LaPlata, Md. in 1951, Billy Gee grew up in a house filled with music and has been playing music for 50 years. He says playing music “gives me a thrill and I think it’s something I was born to do.” His mother was a music teacher who loved the Big Band sound and Broadway musicals. His brother Dick loved folk music, and his dad just loved music. 

Billy still has his first instrument – a rented Olds cornet that he played in the school band as a fourth grader. His first guitar was a Gibson Melody Maker – a “nice beginner six-string electric given to me by my folks.” His first bass guitar was a Teisco brand that he got in a trade, and his first amp was a Silvertone Twin Twelve that his parents bought him at Sears. 

Billy’s mother and older brother Dick were big influences on him by simply playing their favorite records all the time. As he became interested in rock and roll, Paul McCartney and Brian Wilson made a big impression on Billy, and he pretty much learned how to play bass by playing along with Beach Boys and Beatles records. He was also greatly influenced by Carole Kaye and James Jamerson, both pop music session bass players he wanted to emulate. 

Although he plays guitar and loves to “fool around” with keyboards and drums, Billy primarily plays upright and electric bass today. 

While still living in Maryland, Billy played with many local bands, but in April 2004, he began touring as a bassist for international bluegrass legend Charlie Waller and his band, The Country Gentlemen. When Charlie died later that year, Billy became one of the founding members of The Circuit Riders. In addition to The Circuit Riders and ToneBlazers, Billy performs with Sassafras, Eric Ellis and Friends, and Fried Pies. 

Billy has recorded on several album projects, including Darin Aldridge’s “Call It a Day” and the Circuit Rider’s “Let The Ride Begin” on Pinecastle Records. In addition to having played shows with well known musical figures such as Bo Diddley, Doc Watson, Wayne Henderson, Jim Lauderdale, and Charlie Waller, he also performed with The Country Gentlemen at the 2005 Presidential Inaugural Celebration in Washington, D.C.  

He lives in Moravian Falls, N.C. with his wife, Brenda, a retired school teacher. When not performing, Billy runs his own guitar repair business, Guitar Specialist, and is a respected warranty station for several brands including Martin, Taylor and Fender. One of his many clients is the legendary Doc Watson.

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Dale Meyer

Guitar, mandolin, resonator guitar, vocals 

Born in Alexandria, Va. in 1957, Dale Meyer has been playing music for over 40 years.  He remembers going to a fair when he was six-years old and being captivated by the bass guitar in a live band playing a song called Shady Rosie.  After the fair, he pestered his parents to buy him a bass guitar, and by the time he turned seven, he had one.   

Dale describes himself as a “street smart” musician who doesn’t have a lot of formal training, but plays what he feels.  What he loves most about playing music is the fellowship with other musicians and helping interpret songwriters’ songs for appreciative audiences. 

All through school, he was in the music program and played drums, trumpet and tuba. Today, “using the term ‘play’ loosely,” he plays acoustic and electric guitar, resonator guitar, mandolin, bass, pedal steel guitar and drums.

Over the course of his career he has been a session musician and played in numerous bands around Morganton, N.C. that play everything from bluegrass to top 40 country and pop to original rhythm and blues. The bands  include Whiskey River, Stetson Band, Younger Brothers, KeenFish, George Shuffler Band and Straight Drive. In addition to helping found ToneBlazers, Dale currently plays in three bands:  Red Rockin Chair, Michael Reno Harrell and Brother Dave. 

Dale has performed on stage with George Shuffler, Marty Raybon, Jack Lawrence, Danny Flowers, Alan Johnson, David Johnson, Etta Baker, Ricky Matlock and John Boy & Billy. He’s also on CDs made by Michael Reno Harrell, Brother Dave Band, Blalock & Lunsford, Tom Eure, 2^nd Time Around, KeenFish and more. 

Dale’s early musical influences and idols include Chicago, John Denver, Cat Stevens, The Allman Brothers, Moody Blues, Marshall Tucker, Doc Watson, New Grass Revival, Tony Rice and Alison Krauss. 

Dale lives in Morganton, N.C., with his dog, Maggie, and his cat, Precious. Recently retired from his job as Burke County Director of Public Works, he runs his own recording studio, Sound Stage, LLC, in Morganton, NC

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Randy Gambill

Guitar, mandolin, vocals 

Originally from Jefferson, N.C., Randy Gambill has been playing music for 35 years, primarily because he loves “the buzz.” He considers himself a “utility man and songwriter” who began learning the guitar and mandolin at an early age. Randy’s musical influences include James Taylor, Sam Bush and many others. Randy joined his first bluegrass band in high school, playing everything from late-night festivals to church revivals, and got his first experience playing in bars and casinos when he was in Las Vegas with the U.S. Air Force. 

From Las Vegas, he traveled throughout England, performing with the country trio Borderline for two years, playing in pubs and clubs until his separation from the service. He remained in England for another eight years, playing in various bands. 

While in England, Randy helped to form  bluegrass band Southern Exposure with the Jeff Beck of bluegrass banjo, Leon Hunt, as well as Mike Prior and Steve Mazillius. Southern Exposure successfully recorded, produced, toured and promoted its CD, Small Town, for which Randy wrote five of the eleven tracks. Randy has shared the stage with Alison Krauss, Tim O’Brien, Mark O’Connor, Laurie Lewis, June Tabor, Jerry Donahue and Tony Furtado. 

Randy’s next move took him to Nashville where he lived for two years. During that time, he released an independently produced Country CD, which included six of his original songs. 

Since returning to his native North Carolina, Randy has been involved in a number of CD recording projects including Celtic, bluegrass and Americana music, where several of his original songs have been used.  He also released a solo album of original material in 2006. 

He has performed with Doc Watson, Steve Lewis, Wayne Henderson, The Kruger Brothers, Johnny Bellar, Jim Lauderdale and shared the studio with Doug Jernigan and Roy Huskey Jr.. In addition to ToneBlazers, he continues to play with Backstreet, Sassafras and does solo work. 

Randy, his wife Sharilyn, and their kids live in North Wilkesboro, N.C.  When he’s not performing, he is the lead instructor in networking technology (Cisco Systems) at Wilkes Community College in Wilkesboro, N.C.

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