Cliff Bender
Lead Guitar, Vocals
Cliff Bender is the band’s elder statesman and very young at heart, and an avid tennis player who stays in good shape. Born near Cleveland, Ohio, he started playing guitar after hearing his first Beatles song at age 9, in 1964, and honed his craft in numerous Cleveland blues bands.
Cliff and his wife Alice moved to Fayetteville in 1978, where he continued to excel on the local circuit. He likes to “let the music breathe,” playing neatly without overpowering anyone, and he is one of the best improvising guitarists you’ll ever hear. He has been in the band since its start in 2014, is an inductee of the Fayetteville Hall of Fame, and is on the Fayetteville Music Icon wall.