WALT'S GOAL IS TO TAKE HIS AUDIENCE TO A PEACEFUL PLACE IN TIME. TO RE-CREATE THE MAGIC, AS ONLY WALT CAN. THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF IMPERSONATORS OF ELVIS. WE INVITE YOU TO SEE THE DIFFERENCE IN OUR TRIBUTE, "ONE NIGHT WITH YOU"..
Walt has been performing since 1993. Being a true fan of Elvis, he has developed his impersonation into a genuine TRIBUTE respected by those Elvis himself worked with.
"Walt is as sincere as I remember Elvis being and works at his craft the same." -Ray Walker (bass singer, The Jordanaires)
"I've sung my share of Elvis shows, but would sing with you (Walt) on any stage in any city." -Butch Owens (former bass singer, The Stamps
"Thank you Walt for including me on your show. I think you're an awesome performer and your band is exceptional." -Portia Griffin (The Sweeet Inspirations)
Walt's goal is to take his audience to a peaceful place in time. To re-create the magic, as only Walt can. There are thousands of impersonators of Elvis. We invite you to see the difference in our TRIBUTE, "One Night With You".
Meet the Band
Meet the Band
MeET THE BAND
Cathy belfIOre - Vocals, acoustic guitar
Cathy has been performing as a background vocalist/acoustic guitarist with Walt Sanders & The Cadillac Band since 1999. A lifelong musician, Cathy began her music career at a young age performing with her sisters as a family group: The Belfiore Sisters. Cathy and her sisters covered a lot of ground performing regularly at The Winesburg Inn and several area festivals, clubs and organizations. They landed a spot as regular artists on "The Gene Carroll Show" out of WEWS Cleveland and spent several years performing with Live Shows at Kings Island, Darien Lake, Geauga Lake, Cedar Point and The Mutton Hollow Theater in Branson, MO.
Cathy has been playing the guitar since age 8 and has taught private lessons for over 30 years. Cathy is very active leading contemporary worship at her local church and is also very passionate about building and developing youth worship bands. She is very proud of her past and present guitar students and youth worship team members, many of whom have gone on to study music and play professionally.
Cathy holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communications with a minor in Music Performance and a Masters in College Student Personnel. Cathy works full time for Oberlin College and resides in Bellevue, Ohio with her (3) multi-talented boys.
ERICA BICKHART - vocals
Erica has been singing with Walt Sanders & The Cadillac Band since 2011. While not on stage singing Elvis music, Erica enjoys paying tribute to one of her favorite singers, Karen Carpenter. Erica has her Bachelors of Science in Elementary Education with a minor in Music from Southeastern University in Lakeland, FL. Erica works at 50 North - Hancock County Agency on Aging as the Activities Coordinator and resides in Findlay, OH, with her husband and teenage son. Erica is also an educator and music director for the Youtheatre productions and workshops at the Marathon Center for the Performing Arts and is a private voice instructor.
AJ TSCHERNE - guitar, vocals
AJ's music career started at the age of 9. With full support of his parents AJ began taking private guitar lessons from Toledo veteran guitarist, John Justus. At 14, AJ formed “The Notables” with two high school friends and started playing private parties, weddings, country clubs and of course the “animal clubs” (Elks, Eagles, Moose etc.”) Please click the link below to read more about Aj's musical career. From "The Notables" to "Wally and the Beavs" to Walt Sanders & The Cadillac Band, AJ's played with the Best.
David Mcnary - bass
Dave is from the North Shore of Ohio. In addition to his work with Walt Sanders & The Cadillac Band, he is in demand as a freelance bassist with a wide variety of regional bands and musical acts.
David began his professional music activities first by studying drums, but ultimately found his musical voice with the bass guitar. His great ear and solid chops are deeply appreciated and respected by his peers. Keyboardist, Pete Ford writes, “I come from a family of bass players, David is one of my favorite rock bass players to gig with. When David is on the gig I automatically play to my fullest because I don't have to worry about the bass part, it'll be there. I know he's done his homework and the musical foundation will be solid. It might not be immediately obvious but he truly leads the band on stage with his solid musicianship and leaves us the space to do what we want over the top. His energy is right, and the musical pocket is deep with David on the gig. Also he reacts to the subtle musical gestures we all tend to do to make it fun on stage. He is deeply informed by having listened to and worked out bass lines to hundreds of songs on his own. It allows us all to open up and really dig into the music.”
Dave also enjoys recording original music creations in his spare time.
Pete Ford - keyboard, instrumentation
Pete, a professor of Music Theory at Adrian College, brings his keyboards to life providing all the intricate sounds heard in the background of every Elvis recording. Piano parts, string and horn parts. Nothing is missing while Pete is on stage. Click on the link below for more details on Pete and his music career.
SCOTT KRETZER - drums
A graduate of the University of Kentucky with a degree in music education, Scott Kretzer is a freelance percussionist and teacher in the Northwest Ohio/Southeastern Michigan area. He teaches applied percussion, world music, and works with the jazz combo ensembles at Heidelberg University. Scott also teaches applied percussion and percussion methods at Adrian College.
Along with Walt Sanders & The Cadillac Band, Scott performs regularly with the Scott Gwinnell Jazz Orchestra, Carl Cafagna and North Star Jazz, The Sixth Edition, and The Murphy’s Place Jazz Orchestra. He has performed with many top jazz artists including Clark Terry, Delfayo Marsalis, David “Fathead Newman”, Shirley Jordan, John Clayton, Sonny Fortune, and Jon Hendricks.
In 1991, Scott was inducted into the Yamaha Young Artist Program after winning the Drum Corps International solo snare drum competition in the summer of 1990. He served as a percussion instructor for the Cavaliers Drum and Bugle Corps from Rosemont, Illinois (1991, 92, 94, 96) and a percussion arranger (1997-1998). He also arranged for and instructed the Aimachi Band from Nagoya, Japan and the Wistaria Windies Drum and Bugle Corps from Toyama City, Japan. Other groups include Maumee High School (Maumee, OH), Klein High School (Houston, TX), the University of Kentucky (Lexington, KY), and the University of Miami (Miami, FL).
Lance Horwedel - guitar, vocals
If you’ve seen or heard live music in North Central Ohio in the Last twenty five years there’s a good chance you’ve seen Lance Horwedel. In addition to providing production for local festivals and outdoor events, he was also the nucleus of several popular area bands including Hipster, The End, Rumours, and Dazey Chain. He also enjoyed being a member of Cleveland’s Kidd Wicked in the late nineties.
Lance helped write and record two full length albums with The End and another full length album with Kidd Wicked. Each of these bands warmed up for acts like Kings X, Ace Freehly, Enouff-Z-Nuff, Slaughter, Warrant, and Alice Cooper Click for more info
DOUGLAS J. NEEL - bass
Douglas is currently Instructor of Jazz/Contemporary Guitar at Capital University- Conservatory of Music, Mt. Vernon Nazarene University, and the Univ. of Findlay, Ohio.
As a freelance musician, Douglas has performed with numerous artists/ensembles/groups throughout Central and Northwest Ohio, including Trio NOT, The Michael Shirtz 4tet/5tet, The Pinup Project, The Conspiracy Band, Yumbambé, Paul Brown’s Science Gravy Orchestra, Central Ohio Brass Band, The Dominion Brass, the Scott Gwinnell Jazz Orchestra, the Student Loan, Soul Kitch’n, Matt King & The Roustabout Band, and the Broadway touring shows of Hairspray, A Chorus Line and Chicago. Additionally, Douglas has shared the stage with such greats as Melissa Manchester, Jay Ashby, Elizabeth Von Trapp, Aretha Franklin, and continues to lead his own Trio/4tet on a variety of performances.
Douglas has also served on the faculty at Mt. Vernon Nazarene University, Bowling Green State University, Tiffin University, and Terra State Community College during his career.
In addition to being a Performing Artist for Benedetto Guitars, Douglas is also an Edwards Trombones Affiliated Artist, and performs throughout the region as a trombonist, 7-string guitarist, and bassist. He holds degrees from the Capital University- Conservatory of Music (BM, Music Performance) and Bowling Green State University- College of Musical Arts (MM, Dual Specialization).
Jeff Denney - drums, vocals
Jeff has been a professional musician since the age of 13. An avid lifelong musicological interest has enabled him to work in many different musical situations with an authentic approach and feel for the music. From Rock to Jazz, Blues to Pop and classical, to the Studio to Theater Pit Orchestras to whatever.
In addition to working with Walt Sanders and The Cadillac Band, he is also a member of "HIGHLIFE AGAIN" (The Music of Steve Winwood), Jeff Dempsey's Soul Cry (original music), The Stokes Brothers Band (Blues, Funk, Classic Rock), Airtight (Jazz Quartet) and is part of the teaching staff at Musicians Alley in Sandusky Ohio.
Horn Section
Horns are also available to put your concert experience over the top. With charts to nearly all songs performed, this is a wonderful addition to our show. when budget allows.