Rock and Blues Jam

SMR will play a set, then start to rotate folks up, keeping the core of the band in place. Each added performer will have 2-4 songs (about 20-30 minutes a rotation).

If a full band wants to join, they must contact John at least a day before.

An amp for electric guitar will be provided, as well as mics, cords, etc. Those who play guitar should bring their own.

Sign up starts at 5:30. Jam begins at 6 PM and ends around 9 PM.

Who are the Signal Mountain Rockers?

John Giannella - Johnny G’s musical experience dates back to the 1980s, when he started playing in local bands with his brother.  Since then, he has played music on stages around the world and continues to record and perform as much as possible.  New to Chattanooga after completing over 22 years as a Marine Corps Officer, Johnny looks forward to entrenching himself into the local music scene.  He’s very excited to bring Rock & Roll and Blues back to Signal Mountain by way of the Signal Mountain Rockers (SMR).

Craig Philipp - Craig started playing bass at the age of 14 in a band called Kashmir and played his first gig, a middle school dance, 3 months after picking up the bass. Kashmir morphed into Pegasus, and became one of the top young bands in the Cleveland, Ohio area according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer.  That band, and the thrill of playing music in front of large crowds, instilled the desire and passion for music and playing the bass.  Since then, Craig has played in multiple bands from Cleveland to Florida, and just about everywhere in between. Among his credits are recording two extended play disks of rock music with Sammy and the Rejects and Hazardous Waste, a full length album in pop rock with the band LP called Walk Away and a blues album with the Blues Injectors called Shot of the Blues, along with a two-disk live recorded concert in Bradenton, Florida with the Blues Injectors. On the two full length studio albums, Craig recorded, engineered, and mastered the albums and wrote or co-wrote most of the songs.  It was not until the Blues Injectors, and later the Blues Devils and Bottle Trees that Craig was immersed in the blues and found great love in studying the music.  The blues is now his business.  In late May, Craig relocated to Signal Mountain, leaving three working bands behind.  It took little more than a month to find the Signal Mountain Rockers and he looks forward to making great rocking blues again.

Chip Hancock - Chip Hancock was born in Marietta, Georgia, and raised in Chattanooga, Tennessee. He began playing drums in the third grade and soon realized a love for percussion that would ultimately become his life's passion. Chip started teaching drum lessons at the age of 15. At 16 he auditioned for the Marines and performed with the USMC Band in San Diego, California.  Following military service, in 1983 he founded the School of Percussive Arts in Chattanooga, TN. Since then his students have won hundreds of percussion auditions in regional and all-state bands and orchestras in Georgia and Tennessee. In addition to private instruction, Chip taught 27 years as the Director of Percussion at Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe High School and Lakeview Middle School, 4 years as Director of Percussion at Ridgeland High School and Rossville Middle School, 6 years as Director of Percussion, Pep Band, and Jazz Band at The Baylor School, and 14 years as Director of Percussion at Ringgold High School and Ringgold Middle School. Chip has taught camps, clinics, and percussion programs in Hamilton and Marion Counties in TN, as well as Cobb, Paulding, Douglas, Bartow, Gordon, and Whitfield Counties in GA.  Chip is also an accomplished and seasoned performer as principle percussion and drum set with the USMC Band San Diego, and has traveled Europe with the Beauty and the Beast European Tour and the Evita European Tour. For 27 years, Chip performed with the Chattanooga Symphony Orchestra as a section percussionist and drum set. During his career he has been fortunate to perform with artists to include: Bela Flek, Michael McDonald, Moody Blues, Patti LuPone, America, Al Jarreau, Three Dog Night, Travis Tritt, Mary Wilson, Roberta Flack, Art Garfunkel, The Machine (with Jeff Coffin), The Temptations, Melba Moore, Jennifer Holliday, Robert Goulet, Dave Brubeck, Victor Borge, Ben E. King, and The Smothers Brothers. Chip studied at the Armed Forces School of Music and has a BS Degree in Music Education from The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.

Paul Hendricks - Paul M. Hendricks started on the piano at 8 y/o, then discovered rock'n'roll and formed his first band at 14 and never looked back. He has played regularly, both acoustically and electrically at the annual Lion's Club BBQs on July 4th and Labor Day. His local musical experiences have also included 2 appearances at Riverbend. Paul plays keyboards and guitar and sings lead and background vocals. Come on down to the MACC and jam!