Meet the Band
Larry Cornelius - Lead Guitar And Vocals
Born and raised in small town Indiana, Larry played in his first band in 1967 at age 12 after being inspired like so many by the Beatles. Self-taught, he developed his lead and rhythm guitar skills by constantly jamming along with albums by favorite bands like The Allman Brothers, Led Zeppelin and countless others. During military service from 73-77 he bought his first pro-level electric guitar (Les Paul) and had it with him aboard ship while traveling the Western Pacific regions. 4 years of jamming with shipmates, and starting to write songs, it was a good way to pass the time at sea. From 1981 - 1985 he enjoyed guitar and vocal duties with the band "Passage"; an all-originals power trio playing clubs around San Jose CA. Upon the birth of his daughter in '85 he left the live music scene and focused on family and career but never stopped "wood shedding" at home.
Larry moved to Oregon in late '94 and was soon playing live again, with solo acoustic gigs in the Albany / Corvallis area. He soon joined "The Love Handles", also a power trio but this time focused on blues / rock covers. After a few years he moved on to another blues/rock trio called "Black Sedan". But in 2002 he was recruited to a new 6 piece band "Big Boy and the Toys" i.e. BBT which featured the powerful voice of Steve Eddings, 2 guitars, bass, drums and sax. The band quickly became known for exceptional high-energy renditions of classic rock hits from A to Z. In 2005 a tragic car accident took the life of their beloved bass player Hans. The long search for a replacement finally ended in 2006 with the addition of Jason Reed, a graduate of the Jazz Studies program at the U of O in Eugene. Jason's 2nd gig with BBT was the 2006 Hewlett-Packard Company picnic in front of an audience of 7000! A strong performance led to a repeat HP picnic gig in 2007.
For 10 years BBT played various clubs, private and corporate gigs throughout the Willamette Valley. After BBT ended it's run in 2012 Larry decided to focus again on writing originals toward a lifelong goal of releasing his first "album". He co-wrote songs, engineered, produced and released the 2014 CD "All the Madness" with former BBT singer Steve E., under the artist name "Eddings-Cornelius". In 2019, Larry, Jason and Steve along with drummer Mitch Jones formed "BBT Unplugged", focusing on acoustic classic rock. This was interrupted by the global pandemic which shut down the music venues and most other social interactions face to face. Larry spent 2020 making solo-acoustic music videos and uploading them to his channel on YouTube, as so many musicians around the world did to help the public cope with being under "lock-down".
Finally, in 2021 Larry and Jason along with vocalist Patti Cleveland formed another classic rock ensemble which has now become "The Kota Silver Band". Efforts to complete the lineup with drums and keyboards resulted in multiple false starts thru 2021/22 but as of March 2023 with the addition of the one and only Scott Thomas on drums, TKSB are now at work on updating the setlist in preparation for live gigs this summer! Their focus is on performing quality renditions of well-known classics that keep audiences dancing and singing along through the entire show!
Larry's dog that joined his family at the beginning of the band's existence. Lakota (Kota) is the namesake and mascot of the band.
Patti Cleveland - Vocals
Patti originally comes from Newport Beach, CA but has lived most of her life in Lebanon and Philomath, Oregon. She grew up singing in choirs in her church and high school, then went on to Oregon State University where she sang in the OSU Concert Choir and Chamber Choir. During this time she put together a Beauty Shop Quartet, enjoying the theatrical and close harmony singing. After college, singing was primarily limited to weddings, memorial services and the occasional karaoke adventure. After spending time in the airline industry in Colorado and California, she returned to Oregon to work for Hewlett-Packard where she met her husband, Kurt. Her former boss (and karaoke buddy) was a bass player in a band and he asked her if she'd like to sing in a band. Being a stay-at-home mom at the time, this sounded like an adventure she couldn't pass up! Choral singing and rock and roll singing are NOT the same, but she quickly adjusted and sang with the rock, blues, and groove band, All Rights Reserved (ARR) from 2004 - 2020.
Covid paused the band, but after the loss to cancer of their lead guitarist and dear friend Doug Cox, the group disbanded. Cousin and Bass Guitarist for the Kota Silver Band, Jason Reed, approached Patti to join he and Larry Cornelius, Lead Guitarist, to form a new band. She responded enthusiastically with a "Heck, Yeah!" She didn't quite realize how good she had it with ARR, 18 years of essentially the same band members, so it was difficult to experience the ebb and flow of band members, trying to find and solidify the performance group. Hallelujah! We found Jim Hill, our drummer and we were ready to rock and roll! Her daughters, Kira, Kayla and Amelia can once again brag to their friends that their mom is a lead singer in a rock and roll band, along with her biggest fan, her grandson Jayce. She's looking forward to connecting with the crowd and making great music with these fabulous musicians.
Jason Reed - Bass Guitar
Jason is an Oregon native and started playing the bass at age 12, eventually winning a national “Outstanding Musician” award at Musicfest USA, the National High School Jazz Band competition, at which his High School took first place! He went on to major in Music at the University of Oregon. (Go Ducks!) Following an 8-year hiatus to start his career and his family, he moved from jazz to rock and roll with The Funk Junkies and Blue Collar Kingpins while living in Minneapolis. Shortly after his move from Minnesota back home to Oregon in 2005, Jason was contacted by Larry Cornelius at the recommendation of cousins Kurt and Patti Cleveland, regarding an opening for a bass player in the Corvallis area band "Big Boy and the Toys". This proved to be a successful long term musical partnership and journey that continues to this day! They enjoyed a multi-year run playing high energy rock and roll. (Fun fact, Patti Cleveland, Kota Silver’s lead singer and Jason’s cousin, introduced him to Larry) He has continued playing in various music projects with Larry, culminating in the current The Kota Silver Band (TKSB). About TKSB, Jason says “we have such a unique and talented group of musicians in this band, it is exciting to play every time. I enjoy being on stage with wonderful musicians and great people and providing awesome entertainment for the crowds!” He hopes you enjoy Kota Silver’s music and greatly appreciates your support!
Mia Cleveland - Vocals
In case you were wondering and couldn't tell by the resemblance, Mia is the youngest daughter of Patti Cleveland. She's followed in her mother's footsteps and then some! Mia has been singing her whole life, growing up with classic rock music. She sang in choirs since elementary school and was chosen as a choir member for the Oregon Music Ambassadors, traveling and performing throughout western Europe. Mia has continued to sing for Linn-Benton Community College, singing in the Concert Choir, Chamber Choir, and the acapella group, Formal House Party. She has found a style of her own and has a fantastic ability for harmonies. Mother and daughter are enjoying the opportunity to blend their voices and styles with the Kota Silver Band.
Jim Hill - Drums
Jim's musical journey began in grade school, where he performed on a set of bongos to The Lion Sleeps Tonight. His inspiration to pursue drumming came from watching his brother-in-law play—who later lent Jim his first drum kit during his sophomore year of high school.
Soon after, Jim began jamming with friends, which eventually led to the formation of his first band. The group performed at the high school talent show during his junior year, playing classics like Johnny B. Goode and You’ve Got Another Thing Comin’. That band went on to play at various local events around Gresham, Oregon.
Jim's passion for drumming found a new expression in a church setting in the Gresham area. After relocating to Salem, Oregon, he played at the First Presbyterian Church and later joined the youth worship team at the Peoples Church. His involvement there led to an opportunity to play with a worship team featured at the Jesus Northwest Festival for three consecutive years.
Seeking to deepen his spiritual foundation, Jim moved to Oklahoma to attend Rhema Bible Training Center. During that time, he joined a ministry team that played at tent meetings across the region.
Following his time at Bible school, Jim returned to Salem and continued drumming for various churches, including Jefferson Baptist Church—where he met and married his beautiful wife.
Today, Jim plays drums at The Shift in Albany, Oregon.
In 2024, Jim was invited to join TKSB for a special private event scheduled for July 21.
Robert "Cheap Suit" Enriquez - Keyboards and Vocals
Born in El Paso, Texas but raised in Fullerton, California, Robert was exposed to music from the start. His father sang in the church choir, mother played the piano, and his eldest brother, Armon, played baritone sax as an original member of the surf music giants, “Dick Dale and the DelTones. King of the Surf Guitar”.
Starting off on the bass guitar, which transitioned quickly to keys with his first keyboard, a Vox Continental organ. That transitioned into a Hammond B3 so at 16 he was already playing in bars and nightclubs. As he was hooked on playing live and getting to live that early dream of being a professional musician. The sky was the limit.
Robert was fortunate to be able to jam, play in groups, with players that later went on to fame and fortune. The 70’s was a great decade for groups he was in. “Good Bush” with Bob Ellis (The Stack), Buddy Clark (The William Clark Band, James Harmon Band), Bill Shepard (The Stack), Robert Fleischman (Journey) Followed by his own group “The Toots Band” that featured Marc Droubay (Survivor), Marc Christian (Merle Jagger, Berlin). Getting to tour all over the states and Canada with even a 6.5-month residency in Japan with the soul, showband “Khalua” at exclusive night clubs in Tokyo.
The 70s ended with a long-time writing project of an unpublished opera, reality check having to go get a “real” job, and a slowing down on playing live. Lots of life changes in the 80’s in a slew of casual groups performing at schools, corporate gigs, and what felt like ¼ million weddings. That period sent him back to school and personal introspection and a pause with music.
After a couple of years went by Robert’s friends told him he needed to start playing again. Open mike sessions at Harvelle’s, a blues club in Santa Monica was recommended and he started sitting in. As this club was a prominent talent magnet on the west side of LA, and there being a scarcity of keyboardists playing, Robert was afforded the opportunity to play with great, stellar, and not so great musicians. The house band, “Larry Johnson & The New Breed Band”, was filled with the stellar. Larry Johnson (Stax Records guitarist and vocalist), Eric Ward on bass (Marvin Gaye), Delacy White on drums (Barry White Orchestra), and Dr. Alfonso White on keys (LA R&B studio musician) all played real deal R&B/Blues. Scheduling conflict for Dr. Al gave Robert the opportunity to sit in with the New Breed at Harvelle’s every Thursday night for several years and was made richer for the experience. The Blues. It also helped get studio gigs and meet other skilled pros to work with and play local LA clubs. Joining studio pros Bruce Paine vocals guitar, Ted Demos guitar vocals, Bill Dodge bass, Doug Birmingham drums Robert would play in assorted bands with these folks and others like “The Faults, Features, and Cheap Suit. Cheap Suit would carry over into the new century for over 2 decades finally ending with the trio of Steve Kariger guitar, Mark Conlon vocals, & Robert on keys, track production, drum tracks and bass tracks, they played LA’s South Bay clubs until 2017 with the passing of Mark.
2018 had retirement for Mr. & Mrs. Enriquez and the move to Albany, OR for the new phase in this ongoing story. Looking around at diverse groups as well as auditioning did not provide Robert with the music fix that he needed. After being introduced by fellow, and monster keyboardist Nathan Olsen, to guitarist Larry Cornelius, an idea to record some favorite music with Larry, was hatched. Robert Cheapsuit’s Albany Project was the result. 14 songs and counting later, the suggestion was made that Robert might play a couple of gigs with “The Kota Silver Band”, and as it turns out, these were the folks that Robert was looking to play with. He just had to pass the
audition.
"Dangerous" Doug Edwards - Sax, Guitar, Keyboard, Sound
Doug knew at the age of sixteen he would always play and compose music. His first experience in a recording studio, the day after an unplanned visit to a Tower of Power Concert, cemented the idea.
He played in pit orchestras for several local productions and in the studio for local bands needing horn tracks on recordings. Instruments included Alto sax, Tenor sax, Clarinet, Flute, and Percussion.
Soon after high school a band he had recorded with invited him to sit in with them at a local nightclub in Eugene. The band was Foxfire and the club was then called "The Sire", now known as Shooters Pub. He ended up staying with the house band playing sax and percussion, sometimes singing backing vocals. The band had a wide range of styles and stayed in the club for 2 1/2 years, 5 nights a week. It was inevitable that the band would go on the road but the stress caused a breakup.
After Foxfire he played in several local bands whenever they wanted a sax. Since the Eugene area was difficult to make a living in; he took a job at HP in Corvallis and used the money to buy recording gear, PA gear, and a trailer to haul it in. White Tiger Productions was capable of live and studio 16-track recording, as well as sound reinforcement. The musician's ear and experience coupled with strong technical skill was a good combination.
Songwriting has strengthened guitar and keyboard skills. See reverbnation.com/douglas edwards for original material.
After a lot of "special guest" gigs, short stints with bands, and many sound reinforcement jobs, he landed with Big Boy and the Toys. BBT played some large shows and it gave him the opportunity to learn more about large scale production setups and protocols. BBT morphed into Kota Silver and here we are.
