During the summer of 2017, an idea was born: Bassist, Roni Collins and keyboardist, Steve “The Hitman” Himes were performing part-time in a local blues group out of Fenton, Michigan when conversations started happening over leaving that project to start a newer, stronger project. The idea was to bring on board a couple other top area musicians to bring a new flavor of R&B to the Metropolitan Flint area and beyond. Given the climate of the current performing situation, it was a no-brainer. Soon thereafter, Collins and Himes left the blues band and began the early planning stages of the new project. It took no time at all to bring on board good friend to Roni and Steve’s and veteran guitarist, Randy McEntire. These artists were well on their way to building what ultimately became The Good Foot!

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Turn the page to 2019...
Steve ended up taking on a project with another group for about 9 months, but once that project wrapped, he reached out to Roni and Randy to see if they were still interested in forming this new R&B project. They absolutely were, and plans were back on to establish the band.

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During the summer months in 2019, Roni, Randy, Steve and drummer Kenney Hampton headed for the studio to make some music together. (Kenney played drums in the blues group that both Roni and Steve were in.) “Chemistry is job one,” Roni reminded everyone. This four-piece group had chemistry like no other. Four good friends making music together, finally!

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So, long story short...
Things were progressing mightily for this new group, when unexpectedly, Kenney had to step out due to health considerations. The men were sorry to see Kenney go, but supported his decision. With a few phone calls made, Roni was pleased to share with Randy and Steve that drummer Rick Thompson (Bugs Beddow Band/Packin Heat) was available to join the group. This was a real blessing!

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What's in a name?
This four-piece group kicked around names, just like every band does. It didn’t take long for one name to continue to emerge into focus. Steve suggested, “The Good Foot” as he puts it, “It’s just a really cool name and doesn’t have the typical ring to it like so many other bands end up stuck with. Plus, it’s a subtle nod to the busiest man in show business, James Brown.” Himes added, “Those who know and love the Godfather of Soul will appreciate the nod, and everyone else will probably think it’s a cool name.” On September 18, 2019 The Good Foot was officially born!

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Covid and The Good Foot...

Like everyone else in the world, The Good Foot was affected by the covid pandemic. Covid took 2 years away from the band making music together. (Our last show before the world went on lock down was March 13, 2020!) The band changed courses and like many other groups, created several covid videos where The Good Foot came together virtually, with each player playing their part from the safety of their own home.

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As things started to open up again, Randy made the difficult decision to step out of the band. The feeling was that it wasn't safe enough to return to the usual venues the band performed in. The band respected his decision and said farewell to our good friend.

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The Good Foot Welcomes Dave Ward!

Jumping ahead to September 2022, the band welcomed guitarist, Dave Ward to the band. Dave is a musician out of the Saginaw/Bay Region. He was performing with several bands in that area over the years (such as The Remedy Band). We are happy that Dave filled the void left by Randy, and now The Good Foot is back to making music once again!

 

The music:
The Good Foot is playing an array of great songs from all over and what makes it special is the artistry that goes into making so many of the songs uniquely their arrangement. They respect the music, first and foremost. But they also know how to take a classic and “rub a little stank all over it,” as Steve reminds the guys quite often! The band is fast becoming recognized for their mash-ups--that is, taking one song, then using another similar song with similar rhythm and chord progressions, and combining the two to form one unique arrangement. This has become a trademark that fans love!

 

The Good Foot currently features the music of these artists:

• Marvin Gaye

• Johnny “Guitar” Watson

• Booker T. and the MG’s

• Charles Wright

• Steely Dan

• Robben Ford

• Al Green

• Hall & Oates

• Boz Scaggs

• T Connection

• Atlanta Rhythm Section

• And so many more!

 

If you haven’t “liked” our Facebook page, we hope you will! We intend to use our page to share band news, events, shows and showcases with extended personnel, and much more.

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If you know of a venue that would appreciate what The Good Foot is doing in the land of R&B, Blues, Soul, Funk, Rock, please contact us! We’ll be glad to consider any suggestions.