Jim Sleek is the drummer and vocalist as well as the band’s spokes person and original member of the 1984 Uptown Country group. Jim started singing and performing at the early age of 12 when he performed with his dad and his uncles in the Sleek Brothers Band. Jim also takes care of the band bookings and promotions.
Dan Long plays acoustic guitar and keyboards in the group and adds great lead and harmony vocals. He also plays a 5-string bass that he made, and picks up the harmonica and mandolin during the groups performances. Dan's dad taught him to play guitar at age seven.
Mark Wilkins is the bands bass player. He also plays rhythm guitar and adds vocals and harmony to the band. Mark has been playing in bands in the area for over 30 years. He is also a talented songwriter.
"Toni Lee" Brubaker is the female vocalist of the group. She has enjoyed country music since she was a young girl. Some of her favorite female vocalists include Janie Fricke and Martina McBride. Toni Lee began singing a couple of years ago at her church as part of the contemporary praise and worship team.
Henderson "Hank" Hensley started with the band January '06'. Coming from a musical family, he learned to play rhythm, bass, and lead guitar at an early age. Hank played in his dad's band, plus various other country bands.
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The first Uptown Country group was started in 1984. The group performs a high energy country show throughout Ohio and the surrounding states. The five members have over 125 accumulative years of experience in the music industry. The groups vocal versatility takes you from the early traditional country to today’s newest country sounds. The group also blends in some 50’s and 60’s rock-n-roll with a twist of bluegrass in their show.
Uptown Country takes great pride in their accomplishments over the years. Some of these accomplishments include opening for legendary Grand Ole Opry stars Bill Anderson, Porter Wagoner and Joe Diffie. The group has also opened for other Nationally known recording stars like the Oak Ridge Boys, Doug Stone, and Paul Brandt, to name a few. They have performed with Grand Ole Opry star and CMA award winner Jack Greene and David Frizzell who has also won the CMA award. They have done some special shows in Ohio with the Brett Family Singers from Branson, MO. Working with Michael and Tre Twitty on their show, “Memories of Conway” has also been very special to the band.
In 2006 the band achieved one of their milestones by performing their own show at The Gibson Showcase in Nashville, TN. 2007 was also a memorable year for the band, they peformed again at The Gibson Showcase in March and were honored to open for Gene Watson at the Norwalk Theatre, Norwalk, OH in March, and "The Possum" George Jones in April at the Stranahan Theater in Toledo, OH. 2008 - The band performed at the Annual AllStar Country Music Spectacular held at the Wayne County Fairgrounds in Wooster, OH. During the day of entertainment, they were also the back-up band for International Country Duo of the Year, International Entertainer of the Year, and Songwriter of the Year winners Moore & Moore (Debbie Moore & Carrie Moore-Reed), Billy Yates, European CMA Male Vocalist of the Year, and Michael Twitty for his performance of "Memories of Conway".
Jim is proud of his first CD recorded in 1997. Since then he and the band have recorded three more CD’s, all with originals by Jim and other band members. (Jim is the only original member of the Uptown Country Band.) Check out clips of the songs on our Music page - 2001 CD "Miles & Memories" with the original "Memories" by Jim Sleek and Jim Lash and the 2003 CD original and title cut "Don't Sweat the Small Stuff" by Jim. The 2008 CD "In The Caribbean" features originals by Jim Sleek "In the Caribbean", "I Just Don't Understand", by Dan Long and his mom Barb, and "Picture Perfect Fool" by Mark Wilkins. As band members have changed over the years, Jim makes sure the new members bring with them experiences and a level of musicianship that maintains the band's overall entertainment ability.
Uptown Country performs at Eagles and Moose clubs, VFW halls, and wedding receptions. The group especially enjoys performing at county and state fairs, and festivals throughout their own state of Ohio.
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