Authentic Swinging American Roots Music Experience

NightBumpers is a high energy band producing toe tapping American roots music with swinging grooves. Their music is a return to the jump/swing era of the 1940's, with influences from the likes of T-Bone Walker, Louis Jordan, Big Joe Turner, Willie Dixon and others who followed them. Early American Rock 'n Roll and even country tunes from Hank Williams and Roy Clark can be heard coming from the NightBumpers' stage. Don't be surprised if you hear some Memphis Blues, New Orleans Blues, Chicago Blues, Texas Blues, Delta Blues, West Coast / Jazz Blues, Country Blues and Boogie Woogie style blues when the NightBumpers are in the house!

The one thing all the NightBumper music has in common is an infectious groove!

Music and Performances

Some clips from fans and music from our studio

NightBumpers Sizzle Reel (3 min 36 sec)

From NightBumpers' Studio

Recorded and produced at

Foundation Studios Brooksville, FL

About the Players & NightBumpers

Gary Hamor, Bass & Vocals

Even before he started playing bass in 1967, Gary Hamor has always liked tunes that groove, especially ones with walking bass lines. Once he figured out that "blues" was synonymous with "grooves", he was hooked! Gary plays a tuba, upright bass as well as fretted and fretless electric basses. His latest acquisition is the Kala UBASS shown here, which has a sound very close to upright, but is SO much easier to transport! Gary keeps his bass lines simple, and always in the pocket, establishing the tonal foundation for the other band members to add their magic.

Gary moved to Tampa area of Florida after 40 years in Colorado, where he was very active in the Denver and Front Range blues scene. Gary was one of the founding directors of the Colorado Blues Society back in the mid-90's. His two bands were the 4-piece Common Ground Blues Band, and 7-piece Rhythm Oil horn band. Gary's bands have opened for several national acts, such as Robben Ford and the Blue Line, The Thunderbirds, and the incomparable Koko Taylor. In addition, he opened for Los Lobos while playing with the late great David Booker.

More recently, Gary had the distinct pleasure of sitting in with Doug Deming and the Jewel Tones at the 2023 Blues on the Hilltop festival in Brooksville. Gary played with Doug and Zack Pomperleau for about 45 minutes - a time he'll never forgett!

Gary moved to Florida in May of '21, and for a year or so, hunted around the Brooksville area for like-minded blues players by attending local jams. But they were mostly rock jams. Finally the spring of 2023, he decided to head to a blues jam in Tampa to see who he could find. His first night at T. Willy's Monday night jam at the 1918 club, he had the great fortune of meeting Jack Bluni, a world-class blues harp player. A week later at the same jam, through a friend and great guitarist named Detroit Al Hall, he met Liam Sorrel, a.k.a. Kid Wolfy, a great young jump/swing guitarist with lots of style and talent. Jack, Liam and Gary formed the core of the NightBumpers.

In April of 2024, the core group met John Putnam, again at a Tampa blues jam at American Legion Post 138. John is a wizard on keys, guitar and vocals. Shortly after that, Gary met Mike LaSala at Red's Tuesday night blues jam at the Fisherman's Shack in Hudson, Florida, and instantly realized he had to invite Mike into the NightBumpers. The five players got together in July of '24 and started a recording project. The band's first record release is coming up. Stay tuned!

Jack Bluni, Harp & Vocals

Jack Bluni, sometimes referred to as Jumpin' Jack Bluni, started his musical journey buying his first harmonica in 1970. He was a long time member and manager of both the Roach Thompson Blues Band and the Big City Blues Band before joining the NightBumpers. His band, The Roach Thompson Blues Band won the International Blues Competition in Memphis in 1991 and received the BB King Lucille Award at the Handy Awards as well as twice chosen for Jammy award for best Blues Band in Florida! Jack has performed with such notables as Jimmy Page, Koko Taylor, Cary Bell, The Nighthawks, Albert Castiglia, Damon Fowler, Mick Taylor, Derek Trucks and Joey Gilmore. He also has had the pleasure of opening for BB King (twice) Bobby Blue Bland, John Lee Hooker, Clarence Gatemouth Brown, The Muddy Waters Band, Leon Russell, Solomon Burke, Johnny Winter and many more! He is known to "put it all out there" with his tasteful and blues drenched harmonica and vocals!

John Putnam, Guitar, Keys & Vocals

John Putnam has been performing blues for over 30 years, fronting his own trios and quartets as singer/guitarist since 1989. Having moved to New York from Boston, Mr. Putnam performed with his own John Putnam and Used Blues. John also worked with a number of New York bands including: Julie Newdow Quartet, Nawlins Funk Band, Mo' Beta Blues, The Real Stormin' Norman, Daylight Blues Band, Radio Flyer, Sippin' Whiskey, Sly Geralds, Pamela Betti and the Bluebloods, "Diamond" Joe Siddons and Black Cat Bone.

During his career, John has been a studio arranger and guitarist, teacher, lounge pianist, and soundtrack composer for TV (WBZ Boston, WGBH Boston) and radio (WERS, WGBH) and independant films. Two of John's commissioned pieces have been performed at multiple graduations for Harvard and MIT. John also orchestrated the show "Swing For Victory". John headed the Blues program at the Studio in mid-town Manhattan performing with the workshop groups which he led 5 or 6 times a year at the Bitter End in Greenwich Village. He also teaches guitar and piano privately. But the constant throughout his career has been playing the blues ... John has opened for such luminaries as:, Roy Buchanan, Bonnie Raitt, George Benson, John Lee Hooker, Duke Robillard, John Mayall, Johnny Copeland, James Montgomery, James Cotton and Eddy Clearwater.

Mike LaSala, Drums

Originally from Queens, N.Y., Mike arrived in Florida in 1973 and began working in the Tampa Bay Area music scene in 1975. What began as years of juggling day jobs and week-long house gigs has evolved into sharing his drumming skills within many projects in musical genres including Blues, Rock and Roll, Jazz, Country & Western, Contemporary Christian, and Americana. Based in New Port Richey, Florida, Mike has toured the Southeastern U.S., appeared in various festivals, on radio, can be heard on various recordings, and remains an on-call drummer for various projects

Mike especially appreciates the many wonderful world-class musicians who have found their way to this area and the opportunity to make phenomenal music through associations with them -- "it's been a magical experience."

"I am so appreciative of Gary Hamor. Never having met before, we recently jammed together on a few occasions. It didn't take long to realize that he was fantastic bassist and that we were musically like minded. After having the opportunity to sit down, get to know each other and chat about the music scene it wasn't long before Gary invited me to do some drumming with him -- an invitation I immediately accepted. If that weren't enough, I was pleasantly surprised to experience his singing and song writing abilities, and the overall mind blowing talent of everyone associated with this project."

Liam Sorrell, Guitar & Vocals

Liam Sorrell is a roots music fanatic from St. Louis, MO. After getting exposed to the blues and jazz of the city, and the country and western music so beloved by his family, he set out on a lifelong journey to meet in the middle between the rural and urban sounds of the past.

Among his family were guitar players, mandolinists, banjoists and accordion players, but Liam firstly dabbled in drums and percussion. It would not be until moving to Florida that he discovered his love for all things strings, and began playing guitar at age 12. Playing bass, mandolin and 5-string banjo soon followed.

In high school, he played in the school marching band, jazz band and wind ensemble. He also formed a primitive rockabilly group called the Byrd Boys who saw some success in the Tampa area, as well as later sitting in with several rock, rockabilly, jazz, and gospel ensembles, most notably, with Deke Dickerson and Bloodshoot Bill, as well as Amy Griffin of the Raging Teens.

Liam has been a music teacher almost as long as he’s played, and continues to teach stringed and percussion instruments.