Gabriel Rhodes will present the Rhodes Summit Review on Thursday, Dec. 30, at the Main Stage bar and dance club in Cottonwood. Doors open at 5 p.m. and the show starts at 6 p.m. Cover is $5.
The eighth summit will be a night of entertainment with some of the finest Arizona musicians, all in tribute and remembrance to guitarist, singer, songwriter and Arizona Blues Hall of Fame inductee, the late Danny Rhodes [Jan. 30, 1950-May 23, 2008].
This year’s summit features three notable Arizona bands: Toucan Eddy, who will play from 6 to 8 p.m.; Big Daddy D & The Dynamites, who will play from 8:30 to 10:30 p.m.; and Well Dressed Wolves, who will play from 11 p.m. to close.
Food will be provided.
During the Rhodes Summit, there has been an ongoing tradition: A group photo with all the attending patrons wearing the official Rhodes Summit T-shirt, available for purchase during the event. Get a shirt and become part of the history and story of the Danny Rhodes Summit.
Danny Rhodes
Rhodes became a fixture in the local Northern Arizona music scene from 1996 to 2007, as well as touring the U.S. and taking his music to all corners of the country. He is remembered for giving energetic live shows, displaying his virtuosic guitar playing, soulful voice and his unique songwriting style, taking his inspiration from the blues, funk, New Orleans jazz and 1960s-era rock music.
He has played in all 50 states, as well as Canada, Japan and Europe. He also performed on Austin City Limits, the Grand Ole Opry, HBO and the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. In the late 1970s, Rhodes spent two years in Austin, Texas, and shared bills with Stevie Ray Vaughn and the Neville Brothers.
Later moving to Nashville, Tenn., he performed with Dicky Betts, Brenda Lee, Mel McDaniel, Eddie Rabbitt, Charlie Rich, Gregg Allman, Rodney Crowell, Gatemouth Brown and Dash Crofts. He was a staff writer for Warner/Chappell, the publishing company for Warner Bros.
He wrote songs for several artists, including Etta James. Rhodes’s song, “Get Funky,” was the first single from her “Stickin’ to My Guns” album released on Island Records.
In 1996, he moved to Arizona and formed Danny Rhodes and the Messengers. The band won the 1999 Arizona Battle of the Bands, went on to open for the Neville Brothers, the Radiators, Tab Benoit and Sonny Landreth, and released two albums, “Home Cookin’” in 1997 and “Welcome To The Night” in 2002. In 2006, he released his first and only solo album, “Cairo To Cottonwood.”
For several years, Rhodes hosted a blues show at Cliff Castle Casino and has performed with many of the biggest names in Arizona blues, including Big Pete Pearson, Long John Hunter, Bob Blasi, J.D. Simo, Chuck Hall, Tommy Dukes, Maxine Johnson, Chico Chism, Chris Hiatt and Hans Olson. In 2006, he was inducted in the Arizona Blues Hall of Fame.
Rhodes died May 23, 2008. Later that year, his fourth and final album was released posthumously, a self-titled double album, compiled of unreleased tracks recorded from 1995-2007, demos and live tracks.
Toucan Eddy
The Toucan Eddy Band formed in Flagstaff in the late 1970s, founded by singer, songwriter and guitarist Bert Campbell, lead guitarist Dale Cadell and singer, songwriter and guitarist Thomas Waterfield. 
The band soon gained a reputation for “A Class” musicianship and energetic live shows, classifying their music as Rhythm and Roll, a combination of rock, R&B, Latin and select original music.
After 10 years together the band broke up with members going off to seek other musical endeavors, most notably Campbell moving to Nashville, Tenn., to pursue a songwriting career and Cadell forming the legendary Arizona group, Limbs Akimbo. The original three founders would reform Toucan Eddy in the 1990s and the group is going strong to this day. Waterfield left to pursue a solo career but sits in with the group on occasion.
From the current lineup, drummer and vocalist Joey Rivera Cruz is a veteran musician of the local Arizona scene as well as of the California and Nashville music communities. On saxophone and flute, David Russell is a staple from the Prescott Jazz community and has played with various groups over the years. Rounding it out is bassist and vocalist John Sarson, simply known as “the quiet one.”
Big Daddy D & The Dynamites
Darryl “Big Daddy D” Porras was born in Los Angeles and moved to Prescott in 1976, living in Northern Arizona until 2005 then moving to and residing in Phoenix.
Picking up the guitar at 17, his first exposure to the blues was hearing Stevie Ray Vaughn. He soon discovered artists like Three Kings, Buddy Guy and Albert King, furthering his love and passion for the classic genre.
In 1992, he would join his first band, the Leisure Kings, a band led by Freddie Cisneros, a Texan blues guitarist and Arizona Blues Hall of Fame inductee voted “Best Unknown Guitar Player” in Guitar Player magazine in 1989.
During his five-year tenure in the band, Cisneros would become a mentor to Porras, shaping the musician known today as Big Daddy D.
While living in Prescott, he would also become a consistent presence on the local Blues scene and would soon play for artists such as Chuck Hall, Hans Olson and the Hoodoo Kings.
In 1999, he formed Big Daddy D and The Dynamites. Initially covering blues masters such as BB King, Freddy King and Buddy Guy, the band would go on to incorporate influences from soul, swing and jazz into their sound, forming a distinct sound and feel they’re known for today. Over the years, the band has been a host to many accomplished musicians such as mentor Freddie Cisneros, Roger Smith, Bob Sellani and Ray DeSylvester, all recognized by the Arizona Blues Hall of Fame.
Twenty years later, Big Daddy D & The Dynamites are still performing, playing shows throughout Phoenix and Northern Arizona.
Well Dressed Wolves
Well Dressed Wolves, formerly known as The Mods, are a rock trio based out of Phoenix. The band consists of guitarist Travis Eaton, bassist Louis Occhiline and Danny Rhodes’ son, drummer Gabriel Rhodes. The band officially formed in the summer of 2004. They quickly found a chemistry that had been lacking in their previous bands, being united by the influences of 1960s rock as well as 1990s alternative.
Travis Eaton began playing music at the age of 4. Originally inspired by country music, he was exposed to rock ‘n’ roll after hearing Creedence Clearwater Revival. He then discovered The Beatles and made the decision to pursue rock music. When he was 10, as a tribute to the Beatles, he began performing in a band called the Moptops. Soon after that, he would join a local rock band called Recall, where he met drummer Gabriel Rhodes.
Gabriel Rhodes is the son of Danny Rhodes and has been playing drums for over 30 years.
Gabriel Rhodes has played, recorded and toured with 20-plus different artists, all ranging from different styles such as blues, rock, New Orleans funk and hard rock/metal to name a few.
Rhodes would meet Eaton at a local Battle of the Bands in 1999. Upon discovering a mutual love and passion for the same bands — most notably The Beatles — they become fast friends and bandmates, playing in several bands together throughout the next few years. In 2004, after having exhausted many musical ventures, Eaton and Rhodes began playing with Louis Occhiline, Eaton’s friend.
Occhiline was born into a large musical family, growing up with a band that was comprised of his four uncles. At 17 he would pick up the bass and take an interest in the instrument. With there being a shortage of bassists in the local music community, he learned the basics of the instrument, which would lead to the formation of his band, Frequency Response, formed by Eaton and Occhiline while still in high school.
The band split in early 2004, but during this time Occhiline developed his musical style by tapping into the bass styles of Jack Bruce of Cream, John Entwistle of The Who and Paul McCartney.
Since their formation, Well Dressed Wolves has released five EPs and continues to perform many shows throughout Arizona. June 2021 marked 17 years since the band’s formation. The group is currently at work on a new EP and their first record.
Contact Main Stage in Cottonwood or email Gabriel Rhodes at rhodes_gabriel@yahoo.com for more information.
The event is also on Facebook as 2021 Rhodes Summit Review: In Memory Of Danny under the Events page.
