ALL ABOUT

THE DOWNING STREET BIG BAND

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     Here’s the story of the Downing Street Big Band, and the 18 professional musicians, some of whom are retired music teachers, band directors and retired military musicians. The one and only big band in Citrus County, our musicians feature the music of the big band era, the 30s and 40s, from Tommy Dorsey, Artie Shaw, Glenn Miller, to Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald and Peggy Lee. 

     The Downing Street Big Band began in 2017 under the direction of Tom and Drema Leonard, and continued through the challenges from Covid and membership changes. After Tom Leonard passed away, Drema kept the band alive and continues as our lead featured vocalist. Besides her there are still 6 original members. Dave and Dee Morgan, Bob Ekart, Sally Smith, John Welter and Phil Davis. Original member Tom Williams just retired, at age 92. Part of our successful existence is the fact that we routinely rehearse at Grand Living at Citrus Hills. We strive to provide our audiences with quality entertainment for weddings, charity events, and special occasions. 

     The Downing Street Big Band is a standard feature of the FFRA gala event, and the Crystal River Rotary car show at Black Diamond Golf and CC in October. Most definitely a one-of-a-kind, rare and unique musical entertainment venue.

     We don’t let go of the past because we found that there are many people who love to remember those good all days and our music provides just that. It’s great to relive, with our audience, who love our music, and love to dance while entertaining their personal memories. We always hear, from our audience, “Where can we go to hear you play”, and “Why don’t you play somewhere weekly?” We encourage the community entertainment directors to think 'outside the box' and offer Big Band music at your next planned event, dinner/dance or fund raiser!





OUR SEXY SAXES

The smooth, mellow sounds of the Saxaphone section bring the melody to life soooo tastefully.

THE 'BONE' YARD

The bottom end of our brass section is where the trombones excel! Beautiful harmonies and tasteful solos, so nice!

TRUMPET YOUR HEARTS OUT

Our trumpets give the 'punch' to the brass ensemble, bringing their unique sound to all of our selections.

RHYTHM AND GROOVE

The rhythm section of Piano, Bass & Drums is the heartbeat of the ensemble. They strive to keep the groove "in the pocket!"



REHEARSALS & PERFORMANCES

Our band is fortunate enough to be able to rehearse approximately every 2 weeks at Grand Living at Citrus Hills

These rehearsals are open to the public and take place from 6:30-8:30pm

Our upcoming rehearsal schedule is:

Thursday Jun 13
Thursday Jun 27

** If you are planning to attend one of our rehearsals, we recommend contacting Drema at 352-322-0442 to verify the schedule as we sometimes have to cancel due to unforeseen circumstances.
Our next scheduled performance will be on Saturday October 19th at the Annual Black Diamond Invitational Car Show
CLICK HERE for more details about the event