About Us

Keyboards, Trombone, Vocals

Ralph started playing trombone at the age of 9. He went on to play through his school years in various concert bands, marching bands, and jazz bands. In college he played in one of the top college jazz bands in the Western U.S. with the College of San Mateo under the direction of Fred Berry, former trumpeter with the Count Basie Orchestra and current Director of the Jazz Orchestra at Stanford University. Ralph considers Mr. Berry to be one of his all time greatest musical influences and music mentors. Ralph started to play professionally at the age of 19 and performed at various nightclubs in the SF Bay Area in the genres of pop, funk, soul, rock, country, and top 40 radio hit covers. It was in this setting that he self taught to play the keyboards with the assistance of Gary Sanguinetti, who was the keyboard player and bandleader of the band Sky Blue Waters. Gary had previously taken private lessons from Tom Coster, former keyboard player with Santana. Gary taught Ralph the blues scale, which became the key to opening up his improvisational ability. In 1983, Ralph did a brief stint as a keyboard player for a San Jose rock band who opened up on numerous occasions for Eddie and the Tide, a popular Bay Area band at the time. In 1984 Ralph experienced a life-changing spiritual religious conversion and soon began using his musical talents in the arena of gospel, praise and worship music. He began to work with Ron Kenoly, a then unknown but soon to be world-renowned praise and worship leader with 18 albums to date and a Dove award recipient in 1997. Ralph played trombone and arranged the horn parts for Ron’s songs. Ralph founded RMR Groove Band in October 2022 and looks forward to many exciting years performing with these world class musicians.

Trumpet, Vocals

Arthur Stevens, started playing the Trumpet at the age of 11 in the public schools and college. Played in the schools bands, orchestra, stage bands, and Pitt band for stage productions. Also playing in local teen age soul bands, rock bands, Latin bands and many types of bands too numerous to remember. After returning from the Vietnam war Art played with a few popular San Francisco Bay Area bands including recorded bands as Malo, Mabuhay and Banditoes all while working the day gig as a corporate field engineer for IBM, and Hitachi.

Art has played with Candy Randy Blues Band of the San Francisco Blues society, Quany and the Quanditoes the San Francisco Bay Area. The Motown Soul band of San Francisco Bay Area, The Fabulous Players with Beverly Higgins Granny Goose and the soul Chips, San Francisco Bay Area band, The High Voltage jazz sextet of San Francisco Bay Area, The Mystifyers, Cold Cuts, The Brass Band of Bernal Heights, The San Francisco Mime troupe, and others too distant to remember but still playing till this day.

Saxophones

 If you’ve caught Ric Alexander on tour in the last year with Tony Toni Tone’, you’ll recognize him playing two saxophones simultaneously in a smooth and melodic style that captivates audiences wherever he performs. He recently performed a sold out show at The Marina Lounge in Suisun, CA.
Ric has shared the stage with various well known artists such as Gerald Albright, Kirk Whalum, Rick Braun, Jeff Lorber, Chris Botti, Jonathan Butler, Dave Koz, Wayman Tisdale, Will Downing, Confunkshun, Lenny Williams, Regina Belle, The Clark Sisters, The Winans, Rance Allen, Shirley Caesar, Edwin and Walter Hawkins, Ledisi, Goapele, Tony Toni Ton’e, Jody Watley, Sheila E., Larry Graham, Raphael Saadiq, New Edition, Smokie Norful, Bobby Caldwell, and the list goes on. 

Drums, Vocals

"I unwrapped a set bongos I received for Christmas, and ever since I've made Muziq my passion".

A Multi Instrumentalist, Lorenzo plays Percussion, Drums, Keyboard, Bass, and he also sings Lead and Background vocals.

Lorenzo has shared the stage on drums with Dorothy Morrison Combs, the original vocalist on the Edwin Hawkins song "Oh Happy Day", and former "Prince" Guitarist Levi Seacer, Jr.

Other shared stage performances include recording artist Nona Brown & "Living Example, Bobby Jones Gospel on BET, Covenant Voices Mass Choir feat Rev. Norman Hutchins, Marvin Sapp, Bay Area Guitarist Morris LeGrande, and he is currently keyboardist with Daryl "Klassic Man" Prater, and the drummer/lead vocalist with the East Bay Area Latin Funk & Soul Band "Los Cochinos".

Percussion

Michael has been an active musician in the SF Bay Area music scene for decades, working with some of the most well-known artists who have broken out from the local scene into nationwide and worldwide fame. He toured with Sly & The Family Stone and played drums for Bobby Freeman, who scored a huge national hit with C’mon and Swim, which became the song that started one of the most popular dance crazes in the 60’s. Michael also performed with his band The Martells at Hollywood USO shows for the military during the Vietnam War and played on a regular basis with Saffron Robe at the famous Peppermint Tree venue in San Francisco.

Bass, Lead and Background Vocals

A San Francisco Bay area native, Daryl began his musical journey at the age of

8, playing trumpet in school, and earned music honors throughout his school

years. As a teen, he was inspired by the Phenix Horns, the great horn section of his

favorite group, Earth Wind & Fire, and began playing with many of the top local

R&B, pop, and funk cover bands, which included notable musicians like 

Levi Seacer Jr. (guitar player for Sheila E. and Prince). He has had the honor of playing and sharing

the stage with the likes of Billy Preston, SF Bay Area legends Freddie Stewart Stone (Sly and the Family 

Stone) and famous gospel singer, Dorothy Morrison (“Oh Happy Day”). Daryl 

dabbled with several different instruments but it wasn’t until 1982, after hearing

the bass lines on the album, “Asphalt Gardens” of the great smooth jazz 

saxophonist, George Howard, that he really took hold of the electric bass. Since then, 

he has been playing with many contemporary/smooth jazz musicians in and 

around the Bay Area. He is the co-founder of the contemporary jazz group, D-Hook

and is the bassist and music director for the Marvin Gaye tribute band, 

Daryl Lynn & The Klique and Klassic Man.

Guitar

Franklin’s musical experience includes over 20 years of recording, producing, performing,

mixing music, recording and producing music with artists in various including R&B, Jazz,

Hip-hop/Rap to Alternative Rock, Punk & Folk. Franklin has performed and recorded with Robin

Duhe (former member of Maze Featuring Frankie Beverly), Quanti Bomani and his group Urban

Insight, and worked as a recorder/producer/engineer with Carl Wheeler, Walter Hawkins,

Tommy McElroy & Denny Foster, The Milkman, Bill Phillipe, April Johnson, Eric "EQ" Young,

Quanti Bomani, Robin Duhe and Myka Montgomery, to name a few.

Franklin is currently performing with D’Hook Smooth Jazz Esemble, Klassic Man & The Klique

in addition to RMR Groove Band. He is releasing his own project featuring his hit smooth jazz single

“Downtown” debuting soon.