History Of Razz And Friends

Razz and Friends originally started in 1992 when Razz (a.k.a. Ralph Rasmusson) and
drummer Frank Cerrito thought of forming a jazz/dance band. They decided to leave their
current group, Bluez Inn, that they had formed a few years earlier, and invited Lloyd Howard and
Frank Farina to complete the membership of the quartet. After playing together for four years,
Frank Cerrito left in 1996 for Richmond, Virginia, in connection with a move up in his day gig.
Bill Winchester was invited to replace Frank and has been with the band since.

In 2001, Razz invited Barbara Jean to work with the band as vocalist and she did occasional
gigs, splitting her time with another band she had been a member of as vocalist and bassist. In
December, 2002, she decided to leave that band after their New Year's Eve gig to become our
full-time vocalist. Although we didn't have an official group name in this present incarnation, the
name of "Razz And Friends" for the group was suggested by Frank Farina. He thought the logic
of this was the fact that it wouldn't hinder the use of substitutes in place of the regular
members. Other band members agreed and so "Razz And Friends" became our name.