Chicago Bob Dougherty grew up on the North Shore of the Windy City, where the rock 'n roll of the Allman Brothers, Stones, and Beatles blared through the household whenever his dad was out. A move into downtown Chicago for college brought the groove of Mo Town, and opened his musical world to blues artists like The Big Twist and his Mellow Fellows, Lonnie Brooks, Mr. Buddy Guy, Pine Top Perkins, and more. Bob dabbled with the guitar. However, it was later in life, through his experience with the Blues Ensemble at The Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago that the guitar properly took hold. He writes original tunes, and takes great pride and enjoyment in covering blues and blues adjacent music "our way." He brings a fresh take on an established tradition that is full of life and reverence for the blues and for artistry that interprets existing formulas with new energy and excitement.

Originally from Tennessee, Jeremy started playing piano in middle school. The foundation of the keys was swapped out for the far more portable guitar, which could be lugged to a campfire or a friend’s house. He came to the blues through the classic rock of bands like the Stones, Led Zeppelin, and Cream. His musical influences include “the three kings”: BB, Albert, and Freddie and the legendary guitarists they influenced. Jeremy’s sound is an energetically curated driving force that pushes the musical language of the blues with taste and tenacity. 

Dan hails from Duluth, MN, where his mother got him started on piano at 8. At 20, he won a harmonica in a raffle. With the help and motivation of a friend and fellow harp player, he was well on his way. Chicago blues were prevalent in his home town, and after starting harmonic, he quickly found inspiration in the music of Bonnie Raitt, Johnny Winter, and Lamont Cranston. His dedication to the harp brought him to the tutelage of Jason Ricci, a world class harmonica player, and someone Dan credits with some of the biggest gains in his musical ability. He remains committed to the development of his skill and expression. Dan’s harp has a soaring and tender eloquence that shapes the sonic expression of the Benders’ catalog with both care and command. 

A Southern girl, Abby grew up in the Carolinas, where the Delta Blues were a subtle and abiding soundtrack to Southern life. Immediately taken with the sound of the bass, she found her first stage in church. In college, the bass was set down in lue of a guitar that was hauled across campus, and later the world, as she pursued adventures further afield. The blues crashed back into her life while on fieldwork in Liberia. Taj Mahal's Maestro album seemingly fell from the sky, effortlessly blending the sounds of the West African shoreline, Caribbean, and the low country South, cutting across culture to the core of human experience. After a long hiatus, and a move to Bend, OR, she returned to the bass and has found a musical home with Bob and the Benders. She is partial to the textured vocals of Bonnie Raitt, Susan Tedeschi, and Otis Taylor. Her influences on bass include Bridget Kearney, Bootsy Collins, and John Paul Jones. She enjoys finding a lane to bridge rhythm and melody with the foundation of a bumping groove.

The only Bender from Bend, OR, Kris comes from a long line of Bend folk, dating back five generations. He started on an alto sax in sixth grade, and stayed with it into college. After switching out of a music major and into computer science, Kris was ready to switch instruments as well. The drums offered a physicality that was invigorating, a straight conduit from the body to the instrument. His first substantive tax return was used to buy the cheapest kit he could afford and a portable storage unit for practice that wouldn’t bother the neighbors. He came to the blues via jazz and rock ‘n roll, with musical tastes that include Steely Dan, Marcus Miller, Elton John, A Tribe Called Quest, The Wu-Tang Clan, and the list goes on. Kris is a musician who is unafraid, creative, and down to play on whatever stage offers that next chance to thrive on a kit. He brings courage and excitement that drives growth and innovation with the Benders, and beyond.