Jeff Chiasson
Upright bass, Vocals
Jeff has been playing music since he was eight. He survived many years of piano and guitar lessons and in the last decade mandolin. Jeff played guitar in his first band in middle school through high school, which developed a following in the Detroit area where Jeff was raised.
Musical influences include Jazz, Folk, Rock, Reggae, Gospel, and Big Band. Jeff was a regular listener at Detroit area clubs including folk at the Raven's Nest, rock at the Grande Ballroom and Pine Knob, and jazz at the Detroit Jazz Center, Ponchitrain Hotel, and the Montreau Detroit Jazz Festival.
In the 70's (oops I just dated him) Jeff auditioned while a senior in high school for a professional band and was accepted over a month before graduation. Two days after his offer and after receiving permission from his parents to participate and school to graduate, Jeff was off to Arkansas rehearsing for his first show, a fundraiser with Jimmy Stewart in Charleston West Virginia.
Jeff sang and played professionally including stints in Las Vegas, , Knotts Berry Farm, and State Fairs. He's performed and done warm up shows for a number of country and western stars including Mini Pearl at the Las Vegas Freemont Hotel, Marty Allen, George Kirby, John Davidson, and Roy Clark including some work on Hee Haw.
He currently spends his time doing instrument repairs and set ups on instruments for a local company and playing mandolin and harp with another band, JAVA . He is enjoying playing upright bass with his professional peers in Years In The Making.
Mick Sexton
Guitar, Dobro, Vocals
Mick surprised his parents by plunking out the Hank Williams song “Your Cheating Heart” on his grandmother’s piano at age four. He progressed to an accordion with lessons and at 4 ½ he was playing “The Blue Danube Waltz” at a local radio station in Oskaloosa, Iowa. By his 5thbirthday, he was taking lessons with a Stella acoustic guitar. After getting an electric guitar and amp, he performed in and won a number of talent contests at several local county fairs. By the age of ten, he also performed at the Jerry Lewis Muscular Dystrophy Telethon and was showcased on several occasions on a popular TV show called The Rhythm Playboys.
In his teens and through the 70s, Mick was a part of many bands. His first band, The Perfidians, introduced him to playing in clubs (while in 8thgrade), and led to several other bands. MADD, a regional favorite, played at State Fairs, amusement parks, and on local TV shows. With the keyboard player from the band MADD, he joined a group called London Fog and recorded a 45 original called “Mr. Baldi.”
During the 80s and 90’s he was on the road with both country and top forty bands doing gigs on the West Coast and in the Southeast from Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina, to Alabama. Highlights of those years were opening for the Whispers in the Oakland Coliseum and recording an album of Country Rock originals with Captain Country. While touring in the Southeast with the band Elixir, Mick experienced playing on stage with Jeff Cook from the band Alabama in Tampa, playing corporate Christmas parties for the likes of CitiCorp Banks, National Guardian Alarms, and Florida Heart Surgeons. Weddings and proms were also a feature of the bands Elixir and Sapphire while living in Florida.
The last 10 years Mick has been concentrating on playing acoustic guitar and presently playing in the acoustic trio Years in the Making.
J.R. Matt
Guitar, Mandolin, Vocals
A native of upstate New York, singer/songwriter, J.R. Matt has spent over fifty years telling his stories to music. From 1967 until 1969 he was a member of the top 40 band, The Infirmary. In 1971, he joined former Infirmary band mates to form the hard rock band, “Lucifer”. They recorded an album; the original of which, is considered a very rare find. If you go on line and type in Joe Mattioli, you can purchase the re-released cd. And you might recognize the voice of a seventeen year old future Foreigner rocker on it as well.
In 1982, country music found a new song writer in J.R. Matt. With his former band, Union, J.R. had shared the stage with legends Johnny Cash, George Jones, and Ray Price, just to name a few.
Union appeared before 70,000 country music fans at Jamboree In The Hills,which is considered to be the “Superbowl of Country Music.” In 1987, they appeared on The Nashville Network and had made numerous appearances on the Jamboree, U.S.A stage at the Capital Music Hall in Wheeling, W. Va. They performed together for fifteen years. In addition to his musical talent, J.R. has authored a book titled, “Dream Catcher”. It can be purchased on line at Lulu.com
Joining J.R. in his latest musical journey is multi-instrumentalist, Jeff Chiasson and guitarist Mick Sexton. The trio is appropriately named, “Years in The Making” because they have been musically and individually literally years in the making.