The Captain Ledge Band isn’t just about a love story between Jeana and Cliff Downing. It’s also a story about coming back from a catastrophic injury to return to doing what you love. Bass player and vocalist Cliff Downing has toured througout the United States as both a sound tech and a musician. Playing club dates and “one nighters” Cliff spent much of the 1980’s working with the hair bands of those years in large clubs. Tiring of touring Cliff spent 1988 to 2001 in Tulsa living and working for himself. In 1996, while playing softball, Cliff shattered bones in his right wrist. The resulting injury put him into an external fixature device for 2 months followed by months and months of cast and rehabilitation. The surgeon that pieced the wrist together informed Cliff that he was lucky to be able to use his right hand. Playing bass was going to be out of the question. Frustrated and somewhat depressed after several attempts Cliff set his bass down and didn’t pick it up again for 10 years. In the meantime he met and married Jeana in 2006. In 2007 Jeana and started playing the mandolin. combining her voice with the mandolin produced an inviting and beautiful sound. It wasn’t long until she was urging Cliff to try to play bass again so they could make music together. And it worked! The two have been performing together as The Captain Ledge Band ever since. Playing and singing together has resulted in two albums with a third on the way! They’ve collaberated with Jimmy Henley, formerly of the Roy Clark Band for 26 years and winner of the award as “Best Banjo Player in the World” two years in a row, and Tony Adams, formerly of Grammy Winner Michael Ginsberg’s band, who contributed to their first two albums. There have been tours and the band has appeared in such venues as The House of Blues in New Orleans, the Malibu Wine Festival in Malibu California and locally for 5 years in a row at The Robbers Cave State Park Antique Tractor Show. The Captain Ledge Band is also in the process of working on material for their third album which will be recorded with award winning producer Mark Hornsby. Hornsby has worked with stars like Garth Brooks and Allyson Krause along with winning awards for his work with The London Philharmonic. The Captain Ledge Band has a smooth “bluesey grass” sound with wonderful mellow harmonies and a musical style that will leave you with a toe tapping smile. They have been featured in Wake Magazines 2014 Year end Sampler that featured female vocalist from around the world as well as having had the video for their song “Threadbare” broadcast nationally for 18 months on ZUUS Country TV along with CMT. They’ve also been a part of Podcast and radio broadcast of their music in not just the United States but also Germany and England. In the last several years the band has begun to appear at festivals and performed to eager crowds of fans across the Midwest and as far west as California. Appearances at Festivals in 2017 have resulted in their being asked back in 2018 to every festival they played at in 2017!