BIOGRAPHY

Conducting for Sam Moore at Classic Rock Festival, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

Ivan "Funkboy" Bodley is a bass player and musical director for the stars.  He has performed with 49 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees and counting.  He has been musical director for Sam Moore (Sam & Dave), Martha Reeves & the Vandellas, The Shirelles, The Crystals, The Tokens and has performed with: Sting, Elvis Costello, Temptations, Solomon Burke, Ben E. King, Percy Sledge, Eddie Floyd, Rufus & Carla Thomas, Bo Diddley, Buster Poindexter, Uptown Horns, Paul Rodgers, Wynonna Judd, and David Foster.

 

Appearances include: Carnegie Hall (featured soloist with the Rock Concerto), Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize (with Cracked Ice led by Crispin Cioe), 12 Broadway shows including “Rock of Ages,” “Spider-Man,” "Hedwig & the Angry Inch," “Kinky Boots,” "Fun Home," and "Ain't Too Proud," Obama Inaugural Ball featured in the Barry Levinson documentary “Poliwood,” Late Night with Conan O’Brien, Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, Today Show, Emeril Live, Imus in the Morning, Charlie Rose, Live with Regis & Kelly, New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, Istanbul State Symphony and Israel Symphony Orchestras.

 

Ivan is a Magna Cum Laude graduate of the Berklee College of Music and an inductee into the New York Blues Hall of Fame.  To date, he has traveled to 29 countries around the world and played to audiences of up to 82,000 people in performance settings ranging from jazz duos to 150-member symphony orchestras.

 

Originally from Chattanooga, TN, Ivan has resided and worked in: New Orleans, Los Angeles, London, Boston, and is now based in New York City.  Ivan has a BA in Psychology from Tulane University, where he was Musical Director of college radio station WTUL, New Orleans.  He was also a publicist with Epic Records/Sony Music.

 

“Look at That Cookie” is Funkboy’s fourth recording as a bandleader.  With James Dower on keyboards (Sam Moore, Savage Garden, Ne-Yo) and Joe Goretti on drums (Moby, Ne-Yo, Temptations), Ivan and company travel the world together backing Sam Moore, The Temptations, Martha Reeves and other royalty of soul music. 

 

On days off back in New York City, the trio creates instrumental groove music that might result if The Meters joined Lou Donaldson and Ramsey Lewis for a jam session.  It’s soul-jazz that even has jam-band crossover appeal.  It’s music inspired by Memphis, Motown & Mardi Gras.  So you know it’s party time when these boys are in town!

 

Ivan "Funkboy" Bodley uses Moxy and Warrior basses, Hartke amplification, DR Neon strings, PRA Audio wireless, Tech 21, Digitech and Line 6 signal processors.  Ivan eats only Little Debbie snack cakes.