Rick Hulett - Guitar, Vocals
Rick handles the lead guitar duties in Django’s Cadillac. He spent time as the guitar player with the Joe Ely Band and many other Texas bands. Rick was born and raised in the middle of the dust bowl, Lubbock, Texas. Rick grew up listening to the sounds of Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys on the radio. Taking up the guitar at the tender age of 12 he was soon playing “Under the Double Eagle” for just about anyone that would listen. After a prolonged mid-life crisis that began at approximately age 15 and continues today, he ended up in Hood River about the same time that Kerry did. Drawn by a shared love of improvisation, Rick and Kerry share a love of new sounds and don’t seem to be content to ever play a tune the same way twice.
A Northwest native, Kat graduated from Hartt School of Music, Hartford, Conn, She spent several years in New York City singing in various settings. Before returning to the Northwest, her performances included regular dates at both the Bitter End and the Bottom Line, both venues famous for their prominence in the music scene. In addition to a powerful voice, Kat brings an engaging stage manner to the band and provides the spark that sets off onstage fireworks. Kat also performs regularly in Portland with a vocal quartet called Signatures.
Dennis Williams on clarinet brings years of experience in all types of music to bear on the repertoire. A former member of the seminal Northwest band Second Balcony Jump, Dennis has played in marching bands, concert horn bands, salsa bands, swing bands, rock bands, country bands, Klezmer bands, and rubber bands. Somehow, he is able to instantaneously sight read and simultaneously transpose almost any piece of music you put before him. Dennis’s years of experience are evident as he makes this music his own.
Larry is fast becoming known as a first call bassist in he Northwest. A veteran of Portland country and western swing band Full Moon Highway, Larry brings his solid timekeeping and rhythmic feel to the bass chair for Django’s Cadillac. A former Oregon State Flatpicking champion, Larry also brings a host of original tunes and sweet lap steel to the Cadillac.
Tim brings his solid drum experience on swing and latin music to bear on the Cadillac repertoire. Unafraid to tackle some of the Cadillac’s more complex material, such as Blue Rondo ala Turk, Tim knows that “It Don’t Mean a Thang, If It Ain’t Got That Swang." Not only does he keep the time for the band, but he also finds us great venues to play in. He has been quite an asset to Django's Cadillac & we certainly appreciate all his skills and generousity. Recenty he volunteered at the Portland Jazz Festival & made some amazing contacts there.
Dustin Hunley is a relatively new addition to the line-up. Not only is he an amazing pianist, he is also a vocalist, music director, educator, composer and arranger. Dustin has performed for over 10 years as a professional musician with a variety of jazz, popular, funk, and commercial groups. He has performed in many top venues in Denver, CO, at the Bellagio and Mandaly Bay resorts in Las Vegas, NV, and on the Carnival Cruise Liner MS Ecstasy, as a band leader/front man for the Dustin Hunley Sextet. He has also played in many fine hotels and restaurants in Santa Fe and Albuquerque, New Mexico, along with other freelance jazz/vocal work. Dustin is currently in a new position as music specialist at Mid-Valley Elementary School in Odell, Oregon.