Denver and the Mile High Orchestra is featured as one of the Top 12 bands in the Fox network’s competitive reality television series The Next Great American Band. It is a moderately large group with over 10 members, and it operates out of Nashville, Tennessee. The band was formed by a posse of buddies back in 1999 at Belmont University. It has since traveled across the globe to make music at various venues, having played at the likes of festivals, conferences, and churches. They have even performed at no less than two Olympic Games, during 2002 in Salt Lake City and in 2004 at Athens, Greece.
In addition to these previous feats, Denver and the Mile High Orchestra was also the house band for the 2005 Gospel Music Association Music Awards. Among the band’s members is Denver Bierman, who presently serves as the group’s leader, composer and arranger, as well as a vocalist and a trumpet player. Other trumpet players include Scott Steward, Adam Beck, and Reggie Grisham. The band’s resident saxophone players are Chris Gregg, who is also a vocalist, and Michael “Motown” Kemp. Rounding out the group’s rhythm section are Jeff Pardo on the piano, Tony Marvelli for bass, Jared Ribble for drums, and Paul Gregory on the guitar.
(Photo courtesy of FOX)