Tim

Tim Bernard and Lotte West are Bernard-West. That’s us! I grew up in Atlanta, Ga. I listened to John Lee Hooker, Bo Diddley, and James Brown. At 15 I started playing blues harmonica and this music disease grabbed me and wouldn't let go. Little Walter was my biggest influence. I learned to speak saxophone shortly after that and at 22, I picked up my sax and harmonica and hit the road.

The following years I must have played every city in the Southeast. I would like to share some highlights. Lets call them brushes with fame. In 1977, I played in a band called Darryl Rhoades and the HA HA Vishnu Orchestra. We played New York City twice and got a (write up in Rolling Stone Starwars issue 1977). I’ve jammed with Marshall Tucker, Jerry Lee Lewis for a week, was opening act for Muddy Waters at the University of Georgia and played harmonica with Ozzy Ozbourne and his band in the 80’s. I’ve been in many horn sections but my favorite was with the Drifters. That job took me to Europe twice.

I met Lotte in 1989 while I was Cruise Director on the Europa. She had been playing with various top forty bands around the South and had released an album with a group out in California. We met in Cape Canaveral, Florida and I hired her to sing and play acoustic guitar. She has a very polished single act. We became best friends and created an act of our own. Cosmic how our relationship took off in Cape Canaveral, don’t you think?

So that's just what we did. We joined Carnival Cruises first and ended up on Royal Carribbean. We’ve seen a lot of the world and a lot of Las Vegas Casinos. We’ve written songs about our experiences and they are reflected on our new CD, Wanderer. The CD features reggae, blues, jazz, r&b, pop, and country styles of music. So sit down and lean back and turn up the music.

Tim on stage at  in Atlanta,  July 12th 2009 Darryl Rhoades and the Ha Ha Vishnu Reunion Show.  Sold out show.  800+ were there.

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