The Highballs are one of the Detroit area's premier dance bands. Our specialty is Motown, Soul, British Invasion and American Pop and Rock of the late 50s, on through the 60s, and into the 70s. We also feature on occasion our very own Elvis Tribute artist, Eastside Elvis. We can also accommodate requests for additional genres and eras of music to custom-build our performance for your event, whether it is a wedding, private party, festival, corporate event, or a club date. Whatever the event, we are sure to get your guests out of their seats and keep them dancing!
Great band! Added fun to a great night! Very talented.
Response from The Highballs!!:
Nicole - Thanks for the review! We had a great time last night at Colin and Jane's celebration. Thanks so much for making us a part of it.
My husband and I still can't believe how lucky we were to find The Highballs and hire them for our July 2016 wedding. We were really nervous about hiring a wedding band. My husband and several of his friends are musicians and having GOOD MUSIC at the wedding was one of our top priorities. That being said, we were planning from afar. And we aren't really into current pop music. We're fans of classic rock, folk, and jazz so we were having trouble finding something that we really liked and that could fit with our budget. We ended up coming across The Highballs online and checked out a few of their videos. Classic Rock, Motown, British Invasion? Yes, please! We hired the guys before we actually went to listen to them play. The night we went to see them we were floored and totally giddy - the band sounded great and they were a ton of fun! Through the entire rest of our wedding planning we would just stop and smile- we had a great dance party to look forward to! The guys were incredibly accommodating with our crazy request list (which had to be whittled down, of course) and John and Niko even learned a song by a totally obscure current indie artist to play as we walked down the aisle (they did acoustic for our ceremony). It was all just amazing and guests are still telling us how great our party was. We keep looking through photos and thinking back over the day. It was everything we had hoped for and one heck of a great dance party!
Price Range: Contact for rates
Gig Length: 45 - 240 minutes
Languages: English
At first sight of The Highballs, clad in suits and ties, and the occasional fedora or cardigan sweater, we command curiosity and attention, regardless of the audience. From the beginning of our shows, right up to the last encore, our audiences are startled to hear the taut precision of our arrangements and the pleasing 3 and 4-part vocal harmonies. And our set lists are comprised of songs that we can hear our audience asking themselves, "Man, how long has it been since I've heard that one?" and "I remember that tune!". Recognizable, but not obvious song choices are what keep our fans smiling and dancing throughout our live shows. Each of the 4 band members have at least 25 years of on-stage experience. We understand how important your event is to you, and our standards for ourselves couldn't be higher, from a performance and professionalism standpoint. We will provide all of our own equipment. We can also provide emcee services, as well as DJ services to round out the event.
Formed in 2010, the four of us share a love of the music of the greatest era, and a desire to perform those songs that we all love. Thus, The Highballs were born. Pat Shanley and John Jacobs share the band’s lead and backing vocals, and rhythm and lead guitars; Jef Reynolds holds down the bottom end on bass and vocals, and Tom Johnston holds it all together on drums and vocals. Each player brings with him 25 years-plus of stage and studio experience in previous bands. Together, we form a tight foursome, featuring 3- and 4-part harmonies and top-notch musicianship. We have had the honor and pleasure of performing from audiences of 10s to 1000s, on small local club stages to national stages, opening for national acts.
The Highballs are a professional organization that provides our own equipment, including instruments, PA system, lighting equipment and all of the other technical equipment needed. We are very flexible to your needs and will work with or with the venue to make sure the set up, breakdown and everything in between is painless.
| July 01, 2017 • 5:30pm - 8:30pm | Anniversary Party |
The Highballs' focus is to keep our listeners engaged and dancing! For that reason, our set list consists of song after song that lures the crowd onto the dance floor and keeps them there! Here are many of the artists, and their songs to which we pay tribute:
Chuck Berry (Memphis, Oh What a Thrill), Elvis Presley (Little Sister, Devil in Disguise, Burning Love, Love Me, Stuck on You, You Gave Me a Mountain, I Got Stung, Viva Las Vegas, Suspicious Minds), Buddy Holly (It Doesn't Matter Anymore), Roy Orbison (Oh, Pretty Woman), Sam Cooke (Cupid, Chain Gang, Having a Party), Marvin Gaye (Ain't That Peculiar), The Supremes (Come See About Me), The Beatles (I Call Your Name, I Feel Fine, I'll Cry Instead, I Wanna Be Your Man), The Rolling Stones (19th Nervous Breakdown), The Animals (Don't Bring Me Down), Paul Revere & The Raiders (Kicks), The Jaggerz (The Rapper), Dionne Warwick (Walk on By), Gene Pitney (It Hurts To Be In Love), Del Shannon (I Go To Pieces), The Who (Substitute, The Kids Are Alright), The Temptations (The Way You Do The Things You Do), Aretha Franklin (Chain of Fools), Johnny Cash (Ring of Fire, Fulsom Prison Blues), Sam & Dave (Hold On I'm Comin'), Eddie Floyd (Knock On Wood), Bobby Womack (It's All Over Now), Music Explosion (Little Bit of Soul), Gary US Bonds (New Orleans), Little Richard (Money Honey, Rip it Up), Frank Sinatra (That's Life), Nancy Sinatra (These Boots Are Made for Walkin'), The McCoys (Hang on Sloopy), The Coasters (Poison Ivy), Cat Stevens (Here Comes My Baby), Jackie Wilson (That's Why I Love You So), Patsy Cline (Back In Baby's Arms, Strange), Wayne Fontana & The Mindbenders (The Game of Love), The Yardbirds (For Your Love), The Vogues (5 O'Clock World), The Monkees (Last Train to Clarksville, Stepping Stone), Mickey & Sylvia (Love is Strange), The Kinks (All Day and All of the Night, Til the End of the Day), Sir Douglas Quintet (She's About a Mover), Smokey Robinson & The Miracles (You Really Got a Hold On Me), Neil Diamond (Solitary Man, Cherry Cherry, Sweet Caroline), Bruce Channel (Hey Baby), Al Green (Take Me to the River), Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons (Walk Like a Man), The Buckinghams (Mercy Mercy Mercy), Dean Martin (Sway), and more.......
| John Jacobs | Guitar, Vocals |
| Tom Johnston | Drums, Vocals |
| Eastside Elvis | Elvis Tribute Performer |
| Pat Shanley | Guitar, Vocals |
| Jef Reynolds | Bass, Vocals |
We all share a love of the music from what we consider the golden era of Rock, Pop, Motown, and Soul: 1958 to 1966. From Elvis to the Beatles, from Sam Cooke to The Temptations, from Dean Martin to Otis Redding, from Jackie Wilson to Burt Bacharach, from Chuck Berry to Paul Revere & The Raiders, from The Rolling Stones to Patsy Cline. And many more, but you get the idea!
3 to 4 standard (20 amp, 120v) electrical outlets
At least a 20' x 15' area for stage area/equipment set up
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