CHEYENNE

Meet Mark Heinrich, Drummer and Founder of Cheyenne

Mark Heinrich
Drummer and Founder of Cheyenne

Mark has been playing drums since he was 2!  He founded Cheyenne in the mid 90’s out of his passion for drumming and his love of country music.  Mark is originally from Schulenburg, Texas.

Meet Dustin Henderson, Lead Vocalist for Cheyenne

Dustin Henderson

Lead Vocals, Rhythm Guitar

Always singing, whether for his family or in his grandfather’s truck, Dustin got his musical influence by listening to various artists growing up.  From the Commodores to Merle Haggard he soaked it all in. He started singing professionally at the age of 20.

He first sang in a band called Carolina of Texas for 2 years without making a dime. “Just wanted to learn how to sing” he said. He has shared the stage with several artists such as Somewhere in Texas, Stage II, Lost Wolf, Eddie Raven, David Ball, TUB, Gary Stewart, RIO, Johnny Lee, Toby Keith, Mark Chestnutt,  Ace in the Hole Band, People’s Choice and Kevin Fowler.

Before joining Cheyenne in its early day, Dustin had sung in a National Competition called Star Mania.  After winning the local event, then the statewide contest, he flew to Las Vegas to take on the National Competition.  Competing  against  500 other contestants, Dustin ultimately ended up winning.

Giving the music business a break for a while, he met the love of his life, Jodi. Dustin and his new bride moved to the U.S. Virgin Islands. Living the “Island Life” for almost 2 years, they decided country music was still calling. So take me back to Texas.

Back in Texas he decided to give Cheyenne another try. Dustin says,
“Get your popcorn ready, because it’s gonna be a helluva RIDE!!!!!!!!!!!”

Meet Brian Curtis, Vocals & Lead Guitar

Brian Curtis

Lead Guitar, Vocals

Brian Curtis is originally from Corinth, MS and began playing music at age 10. Brian plays guitar and sings all styles of music including Country, Classic Rock, Modern Rock, Blues and Jazz. He is a graduate of Musicians Institute in Hollywood, CA and has toured professionally all over the United States since 1982. Brian was the lead singer/guitarist for Hollywood rockers “Bad Attitude” through the 1990’s, and has a release with them on Eonian Records.

He then became the leader of his own Classic Rock and Country band “Brian Curtis & Renegade”. Brian Curtis & Renegade were voted “Best 2 Step Band” at the famous “Cowboy Palace Saloon” in Chatsworth, CA which was featured in Toby Keith’s video “I Love This Bar”. Brian has 2 CD releases on Whirlwind Records that are receiving airplay on 78 syndicated radio stations throughout America and Europe hosted by Shane Wilder formerly from the TV show “Rawhide”. He also had 3 top ten hits on MP3.com. Brian played the Los Angeles music scene for 20 years and performed throughout CA and NV until moving to Austin TX in 2007.

Brian has already impacted the Austin music scene by winning “Best Overall Band” at the 2009 Corporate Battle of the Bands, and “Best Cover Band” in 2008. Brian has also been featured in “The Austin Statesman” news, KXAN Channel 4, and Austin Channel 8 News. He has also performed at several Austin, TX landmarks such as “Antone’s, Stubbs, and the famous Dessau Hall.

Meet Larry Gentry, Bass Guitar

Larry Jentry

Bass Guitar

Originally from San Antonio, Texas, Larry’s music career began in high school, playing saxophone with stage show groups and professionally with local club bands. Shortly thereafter, he started playing lead and rhythm guitar with local club bands. When the group he was working with could not find a bass player, he learned to play bass to fill in the gap, and came to love playing the instrument.

Larry worked about three years with The Moods (of Country Music) when they first changed from a rock group to a country group. He was with the group when they started recording in Nashville, and they enjoyed several successful hits. After leaving The Moods, he went to work with The Tommy Hill Show, which later became known as The Country Music Revue (CMR). The group featured Benny McArthur (now the front man for the George Strait Show), Jess DeMaine and Mary Margaret Kyle (of the Kyle Sisters fame) as lead vocalists. All enjoyed successful singles released under their names during this time, with many being number one hits on numerous Texas radio stations. The CMR recorded in Nashville under their own Title Records label, under the direction and guidance of Mel Tillis and his band, which took them under their wing and helped them become a polished show act. Larry worked with the CMR about 5 years, during which time they enjoyed performing on their own hour-long weekly television show on a local station in Austin. The group was used as a backup band for shows with many Nashville recording artists, including Cal Smith, Barbara Mandrell, Larry Gatlin, Don Williams, Mel Tillis, and the now world famous fiddle player from Branson, Shoji.

Following the breakup of the Country Music Revue, Larry worked with The Peoples Choice, a group primarily comprised of musicians from the CMR. Since it was difficult to make a living with this new startup group, he decided to move to Nashville to pursue his music career. Utilizing contacts he made while doing many package shows with the CMR, he was soon offered a position with The Leroy Van Dyke Show (his hits included “The Auctioneer”, “Walk On By” and “If A Woman Answers”). Larry worked with Leroy for over three years, where he had the privilege of doing TV shows, recording sessions, and even enjoyed performing several times on the Grand Old Opry and “Hee-Haw” shows. After leaving Leroy, Larry filled in with The Sonny James Show for a while during the time his bass player was in the hospital for surgery. While in Nashville, he was fortunate enough to be asked to perform on numerous studio recording sessions, not only demos but also several masters.

Texas was in his blood, and eventually Larry returned to Austin. He worked with local groups and recording artists Johnny Lyon, Les Hartman and Pauleen Reese; numerous other local groups and recording artists; plus many short-term pickup gigs such as Chad Austin and Chuck Barnes.

The years of experience with electronics makes Larry a value to any group because he can install and repair practically any audio or video equipment. Working in studios and with live  shows provided him the experience to help with front-of-house and on-stage monitor audio mixing. He normally did all of the show audio mix from on stage while playing with the CMR and Leroy Van Dyke Show. He presently has a “real job” at the DPS radio shop, where he supervises the design, installation and maintenance of the communication systems for the State Highway Patrol.

During the latter part of the year 2000, Larry joined the Kelly Pearson Show, and continued with the group until it disbanded at the end of 2003. They performed stage shows and dances at various venues across the state, including Far West Rodeo (now Cowboys) in San Antonio (a large venue with a capacity of about 8,000). Many shows, especially at Far West, included package shows with Nashville artists. While with Kelly, he recorded a master CD, which is being considered by several labels in Nashville. They enjoyed airplay on several radio stations across the state. Sales of the CD have been good, both locally and overseas. Larry still works with Kelly on special shows occasionally.

Larry continues to be in demand for recording sessions in the central Texas area, and has worked on numerous masters and demos for several Texas artists and groups over the past few years. He is one of the on-call staff musicians for the Austin-To-Boston studio, where he performed on numerous masters. Larry has worked numerous styles of music, but his preference is basic Top 40 Country, Traditional Country and Light Rock.

Larry also worked as part of the staff band for several opry shows, including the Georgetown Opry, Rockdale (Milam County) Opry and the Taylor Opry, which included backing several major artists such as Johnny Duncan. During the Opry shows, he worked with Tommy and Debbie Horton, who now do a theater show in Branson, MO. He was asked to perform with their group when they auditioned for their show at the Boxcar Willie Theater. At their request, he continues to join them on their show when visiting Branson. Larry is currently on the staff band for the Copperas Cove Opry show and now considers he is very fortunate to be working with the reorganized great Austin band, Cheyenne.

Meet Jonathon Herridge, Fiddle, Vocals, Guitar

Jonathon Herridge

Fiddle, Guitar, Vocals

Meet "Johnny Mik", Keyboards and Vocals

John Mikolasek

Keyboards, Vocals

Bill Terry

Steel Guitar, Vocals