Chad is the middle son of the three Causey children and is now the President of The Band House. A French Horn player like his mother (which broke his father’s heart) he is a former band director of over 10 years. He came to the store after leading the Airline High School Viking Band for 7 years.
chad
causey
Producer
When Bob “Slice” is not conducting the Bill Causey Big Band, he is the Asst. Band Director at Parkway High School. He has been performing with the big band for 45 years.
Bob Maynard
Conductor
Joey was switched from saxophone to trumpet at Bill’s direction 27 years ago. He is the manager of the Texarkana Band House and when he is not working or giving trumpet lessons, he is attempting to organize the vast music library that Bill left. He has a beautiful wife and 3 children. The youngest of which is named Teddy.
Joey Castrogiovanni
Musical Director
TRUMPETS
Joey has performed with the Arkansas All Star Big Band, LA Legacy Jazz Orchestra, Shreveport Symphony, South Arkansas Symphony and the Texarkana Jazz Orchestra. He has played as well on countless shows in the Texarkana region such as Frank Sinatra, Jr., Johnny Mathis, Four Tops, Temptations, Regis Philbin, Joan Rivers, Wayne Newton and the international touring show, All Hands on Deck. Joey has performed with the Bill Causey Big Band for over 27 years.
Joey Castrogiovanni
Buddy is head band director at Fouke High School in Fouke, AR.
Buddy Deese
Galindo is Associate Professor of Music at Northwestern State University since the fall of 1988. Prior to moving LA he worked as a freelance trumpet player in Chicago and was Principal Trumpet of the Boise Philharmonic Symphony. Galindo is Past-President of the State Chapter of the International Association for Jazz Education and current Treasurer for LAJE as a clinician and soloist. He has performed with the Temptations, the Four Tops, Bob Newhart, Jim Nabors, the Elvis Presley World Tour, Don Rickles, Joan Rivers, Nelson Riddle’s Orchestra, and Regis Philbin. He has served as a guest clinician for the Arkansas All-State Jazz Ensembles and the Four-States Bandmasters Association. Galindo is also a Past-President and member of the Jazz Hall of Fame.
Galindo Rodriquez
Lewis is an accountant by day and trumpeteer at night.
Lewis Smith
Paul grew up in Butler, PA, which is in the heart of Steeler country. He taught middle school band for 33 years in the Caddo Parish system. He still continues to teach as it just seems that he can’t quit teaching. Professionally he has shared the stage with the O’Jays, Sam Moore, Mitzi Gaynor, and many others. For over over 10 years he toured with Percy Sledge. Paul still actively performing across the southeastern United states. Go Steelers!
Paul Tinker
Saxophones
Trevor is Assistant Professor of Music of Single Reeds and Director of Jazz Activities at Louisiana Tech University. As a multi-instrumentalist, Trevor performs in a variety of settings and styles ranging from pit work, to symphony orchestras, to big bands. He is a former musician of two national touring shows, and has performed in big bands and orchestras in Pennsylvania, Indiana, and North Carolina.
Since moving to Louisiana in 2016, Trevor performs with the NELA Clarinet Choir, a jazz trio, and has subbed in both the Monroe Symphony Orchestra and the Shreveport Symphony Orchestra. In the summers, he is a clarinet and saxophone performer fro the New Music on the Bayou music festival. He is very fortunate to have met Bill and enjoys every opportunity to play with his Big Band.
Trevor Davis
L
Lauren Eckstein
Equally adept at both the classical and jazz repertoire, saxophonist Dr. Paul Forsyth has performed recitals and taught masterclasses at numerous concert halls, universities, and conferences around the world. Paul has been featured as a soloist and chamber musician at North American Saxophone Alliance Conferences, World Saxophone Congresses, and International Saxophone Symposiums. He has been instrumental in commissioning several new works for solo saxophone, saxophone quartet, and saxophone/oboe duo. As a top-call saxophonist in northern Louisiana, he has performed with such performers as Regis Philbin, Lew Soloff, The Temptations and Bobby Vinton. In 2017, Paul was named the NASA Competition Committee Chairman.
Paul has been on the faculty of Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, LA since 2007 serving as Associate Professor of Saxophone. Paul is also a Yamaha Performing Artist. He has performed with the Bill Causey Big Band for the past 11 years.
Paul Forsyth
George is a retired band director and currently the longest standing member of the Bill Causey Big Band.
George Hancock
Bob is Asst. Band Director at Parkway High School in Bossier City, LA.
Bob Maynard
Gary
Gary Meggs
Trombones
Dick has been teaching in the public schools of East Texas and Arkansas for the past 34 years. He is currently the Band Director at North Heights, Jr. High in Texarkana, AR. As a trombonist, Dick performs regularly in a wide variety of venues. He is the director and lead trombonist with the Texarkana Jazz Orchestra and plays in several other groups including the LA Legacy Jazz Orchestra, Colt and the Old 45’s and the Bois D’Are Dixieland Band. Dick has had the opportunity to perform in concert with the following musicians and entertainers: Fabian, Bobby Rydell, The Shirelles, Bobby Vinton, Jim Nabors, Mary Wilson and The Supremes, Don Rickles, Robert Goulet, Joe Piscopo, Natalie Cole, The Temptations, The Four Tops, Bill Watrous, Tom “Bones’ Malone, Blue Lou Marini, Regis Philbin, Joan Rivers, Frank Sinatra, Jr. and Wayne Newton. Dick played with Bill for over 22 years.
Dick Eckstein
Ed spent 34 years as a band director in Arkansas and Texas. He retired in 2015 from the Pleasant Grove Independent School District in Texarkana, TX and now serves as an educational representative for The Band House Music Store in Texarkana. Ed plays bass trombone in the Texarkana Symphony Orchestra as well as the Texarkana Jazz Orchestra. He began playing with Bill Causey in 2001 and has performed many shows with him. Ed and his wife, Kathy have two adult daughters and a herd of rescued dachshunds.
Ed Grissom
A native of Houston, TX, Don joined the University of Arkansas at Monticello music faculty in 2015. He has been a teacher and professional musician for over 30 years, 23 of those years he served active duty in the USAF Band career field and retired in 2012 as a Master Sergeant.
Before joining the military Don worked in Nashville, TN as a member of Danny Davis and the Nashville Brass, the Nashville Contemporary Pops Orchestra and a music contractor with Ross Productions. Don has appeared professionally with such artists as Burt Bacharach, Natalie Cole, Bob Hope, The Four Seasons, Frank Mantooth, Bob Mintzer, Jim McNeely, Rob McConnel, Al Vizzutti, Lori White, Andy Williams, Rufus Reid, and Toni Tennille. He has performed on 10 recordings with the USAF Bands and was a featured soloist on 3 recordings with the USAF “Dimension in Blue” jazz ensemble of which he was a member of for 13 years and was musical director for 7 years. Don can also be heard on the soundtrack to the motion picture “Rocky IV”. Don has been performing with Bill’s Big Band for the last year as their lead trombonist.
Don is presently the Director of Bands at the University of Arkansas at Monticello teach Low Brass and Jazz Studies.
Don Marchand
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Jeff Matthews
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Mark Minton
Rhythm Section
Drums : C.E. is a former drummer and percussionist for the 564th Tactical Air Command Band at Langley AFB and The Airmen of Note USAF Band. C.E. is currently the percussion instructor at the University of Arkansas at Monticello.
C.E. Askew
Keys: Joe is currently the band director for Captain Shreve High School in Shreveport, LA.
Joe Cagle
Bass: Ardis currently works as band director at Magnolia Charter School upper campus, in Shreveport, LA, providing band, guitar, piano and string instruction for 6th – 11th grade students. Ardis attended all Caddo Parish Public Schools where Mr. Bill Causey was his high school band director. This friendship created a bond that lasted for 49 years up to the present.
He has formerly worked in the Caddo Parish School System, as a middle and high school Orchestra Director at Youree Drive Middle Advanced Placement Magnet and C.E. Byrd Magnet High School for 39 years, until his retirement. In addition to his teaching career, Ardis has been part of the 156th Army Band of Louisiana for twenty-four years in good standing with an Honorable Discharge. The Army Band, under the direction of Chief Warrant Officer (W-4) Douglas Peterson and Chief Warrant Officer (W-2) Leon Anderson, Sr. has served band positions across the United States, including the West Point Academy, and the National Jazz Ensemble of America. He has played with several celebrities such as the Commodores, Earth Wind and Fire, Supremes, Stevie Wonder, Temptations, Joan Rivers Chilites, Kenny Rogers and Charlie Daniels to name a few. Moreover, he has toured the South Pacific with the United Service Organization – (USO) with a musical group called “Soul Maskossa,” entertaining the men and women of the Armed Forces for three months. He is dedicated in serving as a local, state, and national church musician currently at Grace United Methodist Church and Mt. Bethel Missionary Baptist Church, as bass guitarist. Ardis also is presently bassist for The Shreveport Regional Jazz Ensemble, The Bill Causey Orchestra, and resides in Shreveport with his wife Gloria and two children.
Ardis Case
Keys & Trumpet: John “Bass” Deese has been a life-long member of the Four States area and has been teaching band for 2 years. He is currently the Assistant Band Director for Redwater High School in Northeast Texas. In this position, he directs the high school jazz band, and assists with the middle school, junior high and high school bands. Mr. Deese will be starting a new position in Summer of 2018 at Pleasant Grove Independent School District as Assistant Band Director.
Bass is a freelance musician on both trumpet and piano. He has learned from several famous jazz musicians, such as Clark Terry, Mike Williams and David Kane. He has performed in several groups in the Four States area such as the Texarkana Jazz Orchestra and the Bill Causey Big Band. He also is an alumnus of the 2012-2105 Cadets Drum and Bugle Corps in Allentown, PA. Bass had the opportunity to perform with famous jazz artists and big bands, such as “Blue” Lou Marini, Tom “Bones” Malone, Mike Williams, Dennis Montgomery III, Steve Lippia, and the Fabulous Equinox Jazz Orchestra. He has also performed in near and distant venues, such as the Four States Jazz Festival in Texarkana, TX, Northwestern State University Jazz Festival in Natchitoches, LA, Elmhurst College Jazz Festival in Chicago, IL Chicago Midwest Convention, and the People’s Republic of China.
Bass currently lives in Texarkana, TX with his beautiful wife, Antonia.
Bass Deese
Drums: Russell is band director at Fouke High School in Fouke, AR.
Russell Roberts
Auxillary Percussion: Travis is the woodwind repair specialist at the Texarkana location of The Band House.
Travis Roberts
Sound Engineer
Pat is the former sound engineer for Margaritaville and helped bring the Big Band Tuesdays to Paradise Theater.
Pat Divietro
Manager
Karen has worked with the Causey family for the last 5 years. First as a Color Guard Instructor for Chad Causey while he was Band Director at Airline High School. Bill hired her to work at the Band House in Bossier City about 2 months later. Karen helped Bill keep up with which musicians would play each week since the beginning of Big Band Tuesdays at Margaritaville. She often refers to this feat as “hearding cats”.
Since the mid 90’s, Karen has been accumulating percussion instruments and has played with several small local groups. Months after the Big Band was going, Karen got the nerve up to ask Bill if she could hang with the drummer to watch and learn. Knowing how demanding Bill was of his musicians, Karen was thrilled that Bill agreed to let her play! Karen’s current favorite auxiliary instrument is the cabasa.