TBone Craig was formed about three years ago. The original members played together mostly at various "open stage" events held in and around the Peoria area. About three years ago, we attended a particular "open mic night" at The Red Barn in Peoria. A friend and fellow musician, Jim Whiteman, sat in with us when it was our turn to play. We had a good time as usual. After our "set" was over, Jim joined us for drinks and conversation. It was Jim who suggested the name TBone Craig. It stuck and we have been playing ever since.

The band members were originally Aaron Miller (lead guitar and vocals), Pat Sheridan (rhythm guitar and vocals), Mark Sherman (bass), and Jeff Biggins (drums). Jeff left the area about a year ago, so now we have Cecil Grubbs on drums for many gigs. Joe Miller is our drummer for dances and whenever Cecil can't make it.

The band plays traditional blues, jump blues and jazz. We play tunes by Freddie Greene, Charles Brown, B.B. King, Dr. John, Howling Wolf, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, John Nemeth and many others. Most of our selections are very "danceable" and the band grooves best when dancers get up.

"Bruiser and The Virtues: The jazzier side of Bruce "Bruiser" Rummenie... wonderfully concocted songs in the way of classic dance band tunes; a hot saxophone, piano, upright bass, drums, and Bruiser on a big fat electric archtop guitar. This band is precious and awesome." -OpeningBands.com 2005

"This is probably the best local band for swing dancing, so get out there if you're in town!" -Jim Phillips, University of Illinois Swing Society. 2003

"Jumping out of the gate with "I Don't Like You," Bruiser and the Virtues dare you to join their rhythm train before it pulls out of the station for the trip Uptown. The musicality of the band is unquestionable and impressive... Bruiser's vocals pour over the tracks like smooth whisky over ice. Kudos to the rhythm section for bop extraordinaire, while the horns burn, keyboardist Neal Robinson comps, swings, and makes the ol' 88's beg for mercy. A gas." -Cody Sokolowski. The Octopus, 2001

"Bruiser and the Virtues' debut CD admirably till the fertile soil of a genre steeped in American jazz, swing, and blues tradition and is a noteworthy addition to any record collection..." -Don Gerard. News Gazette. 2001

"You're a band after my own heart. Doing T-Bone Walker and Louis Jordan stuff! You guys were pretty much my favorite band at the International Blues Challenge..." -Jimi Hocking. International Bues Challenge Individual Competition winner, 2005.

Due to health reasons, Heidi Fite will be unable to make our workshop. Based off the advice of Charlie, we were able to get Melissa to step in for her and they have some amazing things planned! Get better Heidi!

Charlie began dancing and teaching in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1999. He played a leading role in FUSION swing dance, a not-for-profit cooperative group of St. Louis teachers and dancers dedicated to promoting and supporting social dancing (especially Swing, Lindy Hop, and Blues) in the St. Louis area.

Charlie is freaking hilarious, and he also manages to present fundamental concepts in a practical and knowledgeable way. He brings to his classes and workshops a focus on solid techniques and a dedication to the learning process and personal expression.

Since 2001, he has focused on Blues dance, playing a pivotal role in the recent resurgence of local and national interest in Blues through teaching Blues workshops across the United States and Canada and helping to organize Blues dance events like Cheap Thrills All Blues Weekend 2003-2005 and STLBX 2002-2005, and most recently bluesSHOUT! 2007.

In addition to teaching, he started The Blues Dance Project, salving away for many hundreds of tedious hours doing historical research on the history of dances that are related to blues music, and has recently created a youtube group devoted to videos of these dances. Visit http://www.blues-dance.com/bluesdanceproject/ or www.youtube/group/bluesdance for more information and to watch the videos.

Charlie now lives in Cincinnati and teaches Blues dance both locally and nationally, continuing to develop his unique style of modern Blues dance by incorporating ideas from the original forms of the dance, while giving special

Melissa brings a fresh perspective to the modern teaching techniques. With 20 years of dance experience including tap, jazz, ballet, and hip-hop, she has a keen sense of musicality and body awareness. However, her natural sense of dance does not limit her strength as a teacher, as she has spent years studying and teaching body mechanics to athletes and dancers alike. Her students often become mesmerized by her undulating hips and require smelling salts or a firm slap to fully regain consciousness.

Her dedication to the art and enthusiasm about the dance was noticed by FUSION in 2004 when she was invited to join the organization. Since then she has traveled, teaching both Blues and Lindy Hop workshops and classes. Melissa consistently demonstrates her unique knowledge and fresh ideas by implementing new exercises to help her students become familiar with their body and encourage deliberate movement.