ROCHON WESTMORELAND, bass guitarist, was born to a blues guitarist Dad and an R&B singing Mom in East St. Louis, Illinois and grew up surrounded by music. Rochon’s grandma was a jazz and gospel organist and his step-grandfather was a drummer. It was he that gave him his first drum lesson and he played them in a band with some other kids until he was 12. When the bass player quit the band at that time, Rochon picked up the bass and never looked back.
His dad, well-known in St. Louis, let Rochon spend time with him in Archway Studios where his dad wrote and produced music for over 20 years. His mom was attending State Community College in East St. Louis, Illinois, and playing with the Jazz Band. They auditioned Rochon for the band and he began to play with them. The director, an outstanding pianist named Ed Nicholson, took him under his wing, and gave Rochon private lessons and let some of his students play gigs together with Rochon playing 1st chair.
When his Mom moved to Las Vegas, Rochon followed which has afforded him a successful career playing with many great artists in Vegas and around the world. Currently, he plays bass guitar with Santa Fe and The Fat City Horns.
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