THE BAND

The Holliday/Walsh Band

A four piece Blues and Classic Rock band with some of the finest musicians in Kansas City with a set list that ranges from the Classic Rock of Eric Clapton, Van Morrison, The Allman Brothers, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Van Morrison, ZZ Top, The Eagles, Santana, The Band, Tom Petty, & The Rolling Stones to the Blues of Delbert McClinton, B.B. King, Freddie King, Albert King, The Nighthawks & Tab Benoit.

Ron Holliday and Tim Walsh have played together for over 20 years across Missouri, Kansas & Nebraska and are adept at playing the music you want for your club or event. Although the band is blues/rock based, the band can expand to soul tunes and country classics upon request. The Band is a solid, dependable group of music professionals who are capable of playing a wide variety of music. The band consists of 2 guitars, bass, & drums. However, the band can easily be expanded to a 5-piece band adding a keyboard depending on the event.

Ron Holliday

Tim Walsh

Don Erickson

Jerry Riccardi

SONG LIST

BIOS (Musical Journey)

Ron Holliday - Guitar/Vocals

Ron’s musical journey began early in life. His father, James Earl Holliday, was a guitar player & singer who played an Epiphone semi-hollow body guitar at family functions and small events. He died in a traffic crash when Ron was 5. Ron’s mom was then determined for him to play guitar. When Ron turned 8, he began formal guitar lessons with a legendary guitar teacher in Hannibal, Missouri, a black man by the name of Maceo Wilson, who was strict and demanding. Ron hated the lessons but took them for 2-3 years. Ron’s mother remarried and they moved to Canton, Missouri, the home of Culver-Stockton College. In Junior High he began playing simple folk songs on an acoustic guitar with a friend when Peter, Paul & Mary and the Kingston Trio were popular.

When the Beatles hit America in 1964, Ron was glad he had taken guitar lessons. In high school he played with some of his friends in bands called “The Barons” & “The Signs of Trouble.” They played (poorly according to Ron) Beatles tunes, along with songs from the Rolling Stones, The Rascals, Paul Revere & The Raiders, the Animals, along with the one-hit wonders of the day including “Louie, Louie,” & “96 Tears.” He was thrilled when the band had its first “paid” gig when they made $40!

Ron hung around the Culver-Stockton gym in those days because the local high school boys could play basketball at certain free times. He began hearing a loud rock band in the basement practicing. He began sneaking down to the basement and eventually was allowed into their practice room if he sat in the corner quietly and watched. The band was heavy into Deep Purple and Vanilla Fudge. He eventually became friends with these college fellows and they allowed him to play on occasion. While in high school, he began playing with this band at wild fraternity and sorority parties. A black friend then recruited him to play in a very successful soul group out of Quincy, Illinois, who was in desperate need of a guitar player who had quit and moved back to Chicago. He played with that band for a few months before he left for college at MU. This experience opened him up to a whole different style of music and introduced him to the songs of Wilson Pickett, Otis Redding, Sam & Dave, and blues artists like B.B. King and Buddy Guy.

While in college he did not play in a band but attended numerous concerts with groups touring the country. He saw the original “Allman Brothers Band,” which Ron describes as a life-changing event.

After graduation from the University of Missouri, he joined the police department in Overland Park, Kansas and after a couple of years several other police officers and Ron started a band. After several personnel changes, Tim Walsh joined the band, “The No Money Down” band, as a second guitarist. This was a very successful band and they played together regularly for several years. The band played classic rock, country, 50’s-60’s, soul, and some blues. Ron left the band and returned to MU for law school but the band continued. While in law school, Ron played with a Classic Rock band (“Fairfax”) in Columbia, Missouri. Very loud amps & Led Zeppelin was on the menu! Following graduation from law school, he rejoined the “No Money Down” band in Kansas City and continued playing on a regular basis until several years ago. About 3 years ago Ron actively joined the “jam scene” in Kansas City which has led to the formation of the “Holliday/Walsh” band, with his musical partner of 40 years, Tim Walsh.

Tim Walsh Guitar-Vocals

I was very fortunate at the early age of 5 having a father that was a part time musician/mechanic that afforded me the built-in guitar teacher he was. I took to it much better than my older sister who didn’t have much interest. He got me started on country and blues basics and I took it from there. Many hours of late-night record player time provided me with tools to advance my skill. Like Ron, I too was/am a big Allman Bros fan as well as ZZ Top and many others of that era. I put Billy Gibbons and Dickey Betts as my major early influences.

During high school, I met Ron Holliday while working at Irish Music. Had an audition with his band and enjoyed many years and long nights of music fun. Throughout the years and a move to California after college, I played with several different Rock/blues bands and picked up bits and pieces along the way. Ending up back in Kansas City in the early 80’s, I continued to pursue greater knowledge and focused on pretty much all blues guitar. I leaned toward tunes from The Nighthawks, Albert King, both Vaughn brothers and many others.

Raising a son and working many hours in IT resulted in a pause for 10 or so years of band activity.

Now that I‘m officially retired, I’m resuming my journey to just have fun, keep learning and play the occasional gig with these outstanding seasoned veterans.

Don Erickson - Bass/Vocals

Don was kicked out of the music program in fifth grade for irreverence. He was playing his violin upright on his leg, and when his teacher saw this her head exploded. Don had never actually seen a woman's head explode before that, but he has seen it a few times since. Strangely, the other times that Don has watched womens' heads explode it never had anything to do with how he was holding a violin.

Don decided that he wanted to learn the bass guitar when he heard the song "Introduction" on the "Chicago Transit Authority" album.

During college, a job playing bass on the road fell into his lap while he was night auditor at the Bellerive Hotel. Don then made a living as a musician for six or seven years (the line was squishy) before getting a real job and forming a construction company with his then guitarist, Dennnis Simmons. He did not play in a band for 35 years until Ron Holliday talked him into joining the Holliday/Walsh band.

In his spare time, Don enjoys writing about himself in the third person.

Jerry Riccardi - Drums/Vocals

Jerry plays the drums. And sings.