Fred Grupe is not only Denny's close friend and fellow Christian, but a great bass player,
too. Born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, 
Fred showed early on of his fervor for music,
enjoying classical and later starting in earnest developing his passion by learning how
to play guitar.
Fred met Denny at Lakeland Community College and were immediate friends, which led to a musical collaberation with Mac Chafer in forming the Fa band. Later, Fred and Denny would join forces with Randy Klawon to play on WMMS' Coffee Break Concert, hosted by Matt (the Cat) Fisher. Once again, Fred joined Denny at WELW, doing The Cleveland Music Connection radio show.
Denny and Fred remain close friends, joining Denny in The Elements as well as special venues when The Elements are not playing.
And if you read the Elements title page, Fred seems to be the one responsible for the name, "Elements." According to Fred, this is how the story goes...
A few years ago we were doing the open mic in Eastlake and it seemed that every Tuesday night, it was horrible weather. Rain, sleet, thunder, lightning, high winds, snow, etc. ... So one night, Denny thanked the "crowd" for "braving the elements", and I said 'yes, thanks for braving US!' (meaning the backup people)
It was a funny moment; and then we all starting saying that one guy was the "element of surprise", and then Al Marn we called "rain" cause he perspired easily, ... it was really cool. Hence, the name Denny Carleton and the Elements - and although there is indeed a specific core group of The Elements, the parts can often be quite interchangeable "
- Thanks Fred
(Note: Fred Grupe is also a member of Abbey Rodeo. [Complete Bio])