The O-Tones

We love what we do and it shows! We sing and play Swing, Soul, Jazz, R&B, Motown with vocal harmonies and great solos on sax, guitar, and piano. Our audiences of all ages love the variety of music for listening and dancing as well as the mix of singing and instrumental solos. Soulful, exciting, fun, inspiring, that's what clients say about us. We come with our own sound and are very sensitive to not be too loud, especially during dinner and cocktails. But we kick in with the energy for dancing when the timing is right! We can also do smaller groups, quintet, quartet, trio, and duo, depending on space and budget.

The O-Tones wedding band is made up of several singers, Mary Witt (bass), Ann Percival (rhythm guitar), John Caban (lead guitar) and Ben Kohn (piano). Each lending their own flavor, they soar in their solo vocal stylings, while blending smoothly in their harmonies. Add to that hot tenor sax by Jon Weeks, swinging and funky piano & organ by Ben Kohn, and, creative, grooving drumming by Joe Fitzpatrick, and you’ve got a sound that can’t be beat! With three singers and six instruments, you get the feeling of a big band with horn section. Trumpet can be added to extend the horn section sound. Smaller groupings are also available, 5-piece and 4-piece.

Reviews about The O-Tones:

Kevin B. , Married on 08/28/2021 5 stars Hire this band!
The O-Tones played for our wedding in Western Massachusetts in August 2021, and we could not have asked for a better band! From the moment we reached out, Mary was responsive, professional, and a pleasure to work with. It is clear that the band has been doing this for years, and Mary was able to answer all of our questions from the start with ease and enthusiasm. The band played a great mix of oldies and Motown that kept everyone at our wedding--old and young--on the dance floor all night. We were also able to hire two of the band members to play during our ceremony. We had some specific requests for songs, which they were happy to learn and executed perfectly! The O-Tones put on an incredible show, and their love for what they do was contagious. Our guests are still telling us what a great time they had dancing. We can't recommend them enough!

We cannot thank you enough for entertaining us with your fabulous talent at our wedding! Our guests are still telling us what a great band we had and the energy stayed high all night because of you.
-Annie & Kyle Ravana

Tim F. , Married on 06/22/2019 5 stars So much fun!
The O-Tones played for our wedding in Vermont in 2019, and they were terrific. They were extremely professional, easy to work with, affordable, and - best of all - their music was great! They played an excellent blend of swing and Motown that kept our guests dancing all night long.

Dale M. , Married on 05/10/2019 5 stars Fabulous music! Delightful to work with.
The O Tones were a wonderful addition to our wedding party. Their repertoire is huge and Mary Witt will work with you to develop a playlist that works for you and your event. We had them do light background music for the cocktail hour (though some guests couldn't resist dancing! ) After a break to serve dinner they picked up again with wonderful dance music. A third set continued the dancing - and an impromptu opportunity for the band to back up the groom as he played a song he had written for our daughter. Mary has a fabulous voice and the band is professional and accomplished. Our guests continue to rave and we love them too.

"I was fortunate enough to experience a beautiful evening at Rae and Steve's wedding in Vermont, made special and atmospheric by the talent and charm of Mary Witt and The O-Tones. Their rendition of David Bowie's "Life on Mars" (IN PORTUGUESE!) was absolutely stunning and made for a very memorable first dance for the young bride and groom. Mary's magnetic stage presence and warmth of spirit inspired friends and family to have fun, live in the moment and dance the night away. It was a pleasure spending the evening enjoying the smooth sounds of the O-Tones."

-Michael, 2021

Lee B. 5 stars They are fantastic!
We hired the O-Tones for a birthday party. From start to finish, they were very professional, easy, and friendly to deal with. They're wonderful musicians with a wide-ranging repertoire, and even the non-dancers at the party loved listening to them. And the dancers had an amazing time!

The O-Tones are an incredibly professional band that also happens to kill it when it comes to making music. If you want to dance and smile and bring people together, then hire them. NOW!
Eoline , Married on 09/30/2017 5 stars The O Tones rocked the house! Everyone from babies to grandparents danced our toes off.

Mollie , Married on 09/30/2017 5 stars
Having great music was really important to us, and the O-Tones definitely delivered. My now-husband and I love oldies, Motown, and big band standards, which are the O-Tones' specialty. We went with a 4-piece combo due to the size of our venue, which ended up being perfect. They were great at being background music during dinner and then getting everybody dancing afterwards, which was exactly what we wanted. Mary kept things moving during the evening, which was really helpful, and even let a couple of friends sing with the band, which was really fun. There was excellent communication before the wedding as well: Mary worked directly with the venue to make sure the technical stuff was taken care of, so I didn't have to bother with it; she made sure the songs we cared about were played, and was generally very professional and also fun to work with. I'd absolutely recommend the O-Tones if you're looking for great live music.

It was so wonderful that you played at Dan and Diane's wedding. It somehow made the world feel whole. And the music was great. I've never seen so many people, of all ages, having such a good time dancing at a wedding.
-Minna Schrag, mother of groom

You were great as always. Everyone loves your music.
Barrington Stage Company gala fundraiser, repeat clients

Being dancers themselves, The O-Tones know how to play for dancers. They are excellent and creative musicians who play great styles of music for a wide variety of dancing.
-Teddy Kern,
artistic director,
Dance Manhattan

Some locations of weddings and events:
Weddings - Newport, RI, Block Island, RI, W Kingston, RI
Weddings - Cape Cod, Lenox, Williamstown, Berkshire venues, MA
Weddings - Greenwich, Simsbury, Westport, Fairfield, CT
Weddings - Lincoln, Newburyport, Hingham, MA
Weddings - various VT locations
Irving Plaza, Denim & Diamonds
Dance Manhattan - New York, NY
Various Swing Dances and private gigs - Boston area, MA
Philadelphia Swing Dance - Philadelphia, PA
Swing Dance, Real Art Ways, and private events - West Hartford, CT
Swing Dances - Washington, DC & Baltimore, MD
Gala Fundraisers and private events -Westchester, NY, Sheffield, Lenox, Great Barrington, MA
Swing Dance - Brattleboro, VT
Swing Dance and private events -Providence, RI
Swing Dance and private events -New Haven, CT

Partial Songlist:
Fast Swing and Rock ‘n’Roll
Adam & Eve
Ain’t Misbehavin’
All My Lovin’
And I Love Her
Better Man
Boogie in the Barnyard
Caldonia
Can’t Buy Me Love
Choo Choo Ch’Boogie
Cryin’ Out Loud
Dancin in the Dark (Springsteen)
Don’t Fence Me In
Drop on Me
Eight Days a Week
Everybody Eats When they Come to My House
Exactly Like You
Five Months, Two Weeks, Two Days
Full Moon Full of Love
Girl Put Your Records On
Good Rockin’ Daddy
Hard Days Night
Hello Goodbye
I’m in Love
I’m on Fire
Jump, Jive, and Wail
Let’s Get Away from it All
Livin’ It
Love Letter
Music Man - Kohn
No Soap, No Hope Blues
Orange Colored Sky
Pennies from Heaven
Route 66
She Just Wants to Dance
Something to Talk About
Spring Cleaning
Straighten Up and Fly Right
Sunnyside of the Street
Take the A Train
Tee Ni Nee Ni Nu
There Ain’t Nobody Here But us Chickens
Twist and Shout
Vienna - Billy Joel
Walking Slow Behind You
Who’s Gonna Help Brother
You Make me Feel so Young
You Took Advantage of Me

Soul, Rhythm & Blues, and Motown
Ain't No Mountain High Enough
Ain’t Too Proud to Beg
Baby, I Love You
Baby, You’ve Got what it Takes
Can I Get a Witness
Can't Help Myself - 4 Tops
Chain of Fools
Cissy Strut
Come See About Me
Cryin’ Out Loud
Dancin’ in the Streets
Drop on Me
Ever Since the World Began
Everything I do Gonna Be Funky
Fool in Love
From Four til Late
Funky - Chambers Brothers
Funny How Time Slips Away
Hallelujah, I love Him So
Heatwave
Here Comes Love - CA Honeydrops
Higher Ground
How Sweet it is to be Loved by You
I Can't Help Myself
I Heard it Through the Grapevine
I Know
I Love Music
If You Want Me To Stay - Sly & the Family Stone
It Hurts to be in Love
It Takes Two
It's the Same Old Song
Just a Fool
Knock on Wood
Let’s Stay Together
Livin' It
Love and Happiness - Al Green
Love is a Beautiful Thing
Love Potion
Love the Life you Live - Black Heat
Love Train
Love’s in Need
Midnight Hour
More than One Way Home
Move on Up - Curtis Mayfield
My Girl - The Temptations
No, No, No
Nobody But You Babe - Clarence Reid
100 Days, 100 Nights - Sharon Jones
Pride and Joy
Push & Shove
Reach Out, I'll Be There
Respect
Second that Emotion
September
Shining Star
Signed, Sealed, Delivered
Something’s Got a Hold on Me
Stand by Me
Stone in Love with You
Stop in the Name of Love
Teardrops from my Eyes
Tell Me What Have I Done Wrong
The Walk
The Way You Do Things Do
Think
Tracks of My Tears
Use Me
Wake Up Everybody
What's Going On?
You Can’t Hurry Love
You've Really Got a Hold on Me

Medium Swing and Latin
Ain’t That a Kick in the Head
Alright, Ok, You Win
At Long Last Love
Besame Mucho
Beyond the Sea
Blue Light Boogie
Blues for Dixie
Bye Bye Blackbird
Centerpiece
Cheek to Cheek
Come Dance with Me
Desafinado
East of the Sun
Fly me to the Moon
I Can’t Give you Anything but Love
I Could Write a Book
I Don’t Know Enough by You
I Love Being Here with You
I Remember You
I Thought About You
I’m an Old Cowhand
I’m Beginning to See the Light
I’m in the Mood for Love
Killer Joe
Knock me a Kiss
Let’s Fall in Love
Let’s Get Lost
Makin’ Whoopie
Massachusetts
My Baby Just Cares for Me
Our Love is Here to Stay
Paper Moon
Perfidia
Send Me Someone to Love
Squeeze Me, Don’t Tease Me
Stompin’ at the Savoy
The Way You Look Tonight
They Can’t Take that Away
Time After Time
Unchain my Heart
Walkin’ After Midnight
Walkin’ with Mr Lee
Watermelon Man
Wave
Witchcraft
World on a String

Ballads and Waltzes
A Kiss to Build a Dream On
As Time Goes By
At Last
At Long Last Love
Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered
Body and Soul
Bring it on Home
Cottage for Sale
Could I Have this Dance
Cry Me a River
Darkness on the Delta
Don’t Blame Me
For All we Know
Georgia
Give me the Simple Life
Gravity
Home
I Can’t Get Started with You
I See You
I Will
If I Didn’t Have you in my World
If I Turned to You
If It’s Really Gotta be this Way
In a Sentimental Mood
In My Life
It’s Raining
It's the Same Old Song - 4 tops
Last Chance Love
Leavin’
Mississippi
Old Cape Cod
Since I Fell for You
Stars Fell from Alabama
Stone in Love with You
Stormy Weather
Tell it Like it Is
That's All
The Very Thought of You
There’ll Be Some Changes Made
These Foolish Things
Trust in Me
Unforgettable
What a Difference a Day Made
What a Wonderful World
When a Man Loves a Woman
When I Fall in Love
Without Love
You Don't Know Me
You Go to my Head

Jewish
Hava Nagila
Mezinka
Mayim Mayim
Tzena Tzena
Zemir Atik
Kozatzke

We bring our own sound system and run it ourselves. We are never too loud. We are very flexible, working with your schedule, and happy to give input when requested. We can learn a couple requests if they are not on our songlist. With 3 singers, we have a lot of options for songs.