by John Neiuber

On Saturday, July 26, 2025, at 6 p.m., Claremont Heritage will stage its second annual Treasury of Claremont Music Honors Concert at the historic Garner House in Memorial Park. The 2025 honorees are Jeff Masters, Frank Reckard, Wyman Reese, and Jeffrey Paul Ross, all notable local musicians who have had an impact and importance in Claremont and beyond.

Claremont, celebrated for its local artists of renown, along with its world class colleges, has also hosted musicians and musical institutions that have had regional, national and international influence on music.

Launched with a concert in February of 2020, a month before the pandemic shutdown, the first concert featured six honorees, who are listed on The Treasury website, along with 31 other artists included thus far. In July 2024, the first of what will now be annual concerts was staged in July and honored Justin Andres, Roy Durnal, the Folk Music Center, David Lindley, and Mick Rhodes.

The Treasury is not meant to be, or is presently, an exhaustive and definitive chronicle of Claremont music. It is a primer for people who wish to dig deeper into or elaborate on a subject. It is designed to accept new information as it becomes available. It is also not intended to be Claremont residents only. The musicians may live in Claremont, but may also live in surrounding communities. It is the nature of musicians to work with, collaborate with, form musical alliances with, and to explore different genres with other musicians. The musicians included have demonstrated long-term vision, commitment, creativity, and skill toward the practice and dissemination of their music.

The July 26 concert is organized and produced by Claremont Heritage. The musicians who will be in attendance and will perform are Jeff Masters, Wyman Reese, and Jeffrey Paul Ross. Frank Reckard, who lives in New Mexico currently, is unable to attend. Last year’s honoree, Mick Rhodes, and his band The Hard Eight, will be the house band that will back the honorees’ performances.

The 2025 honorees are:

Jeff Masters

Jeff Masters, born in Pomona in 1951, has been a sought-after harmonica player in the local music scene for five decades. Jeff is a blues harmonica stylist influenced by Sonny Boy Williamson, Little Walter, Big Walter Horton, and Norton Buffalo. He took lessons from the great soloist and bandleader Rod Piazza. He played with The Midnight Creepers around LA, Hollywood and the Valley in the 1980s. He has played with The Stan West Band, Tobacco Road, The Black Tongued Bells, The Stolen 58s, The Mercy Brothers and is currently with The Bells.

Frank Reckard

Francis Laing “Frank” Reckard, born 1952, grew up in Claremont and graduated from Claremont High in 1970. He began playing professionally in high school. Frank got his early nickname “Fast Farm” from his fast picking and the name of his band. From 1972 to 1976 he toured with Hoyt Axton. He was part of Emmylou Harris’ Hot Band from 1978 to 1989, replacing Albert Lee. He has been hailed as one of the unsung lead guitar greats.   

Wyman Reese

Wyman Reese, born 1953, an esteemed, in-demand musician, songwriter, producer, and teacher, has been a mainstay in Claremont’s music scene since the 1980s. Wyman started his first band, Phantom Herd, in Glendora in 1976. In the early 1980s, he was a founding member of Chris Gaffney and the Cold Hard Facts, that made critically acclaimed records, toured the world, and built a large following in LA. In 2008 Wyman was a founding member of Mick Rhodes and the Hard Eight.

Jeffrey Paul Ross

Jeffrey Paul Ross, born 1952, is an amazing guitarist who grew up in nearby Ontario, but played extensively in Claremont. His biggest influences in those days were Peter Green, Otis Rush, and B.B. King, but locally it was John Harrelson and Frank Reckard. Jeff moved to LA and at various times played with country music and blues bands, including the Bellamy Brothers, Juke Logan, James Harman, William Clarke, Albert Lee, Donovan, Jackson Browne, Jeff Bridges, and Candye Kane, with whom he toured Europe and the States extensively. Jeff Ross is another one of the unsung greats of the lead guitar.

All of the honorees can best be described in this quote from Wyman Reese: “Music is the only thing I’ve ever wanted to do in my life.”

Tickets for the July 26^th Treasury of Claremont Music Honors Concert are available at claremontheritage.org.

To learn more about these artists and the 32 others in the Treasury, visit treasuryofclaremontmusic.com. The Treasury can also be accessed via the Claremont Heritage website at: claremontheritage.org. Claremont Heritage has developed a list of musicians yet to be documented and included; however, community recommendations and input are welcomed.