Ron Sunshine

One of the finest retro-swing bands to emerge in the '90s, Ron Sunshine and Full Swing gained a small following playing a '40s-like combination of jump blues, jive and small-group swing. Lead singer Sunshine (who has also led the New York-based blues band Ron Sunshine and the Smoking Section) was playing '40s music before the '90s swing revival really got going, but the rise of acts like the Cherry Poppin' Daddies, the Squirrel Nut Zippers and Big Bad Voodoo Daddy certainly didn't hurt him. Born and raised in Denver, Sunshine moved to New York in 1981 to attend Columbia University and graduated with a BA in 1985. Sunshine went on to play and record with artists ranging from Dr. John, Charles Brown, Tower of Power and Wilson Pickett to Blues Traveler and Joan Osborne. Sunshine, who made Brooklyn his home, formed Full Swing in the early '90s; at the end of the decade, its lineup included bassist Andres Villamil, guitarist Don Hovey, pianist Paul Tillotson, tenor saxophonist Craig Dreyer and drummer James Wormworth IV. Full Swing, whose influences range from Louis Jordan and Louis Prima to the Nat "King" Cole Trio, circulated copies of its cassette Sumpin' Jumpin' before recording the CD Straight Up for Daddy-O/Royalty in 1998.