Eldon Bell’s first musical memory stretches back to when he was just seven years old. Bell, drummer and bandleader for the Bay Area group Five Point 0, remembers sitting in his family’s living room as his brother Ron practiced with his band, The Emotions.

Following that evening, young Eldon tried to imitate the sound of The Emotions’ drummer by banging spoons and forks on furniture around his house. Probably to preserve their own sanity and their collection of silverware, Bell’s parents bought him his own drum set when he turned 11 years old.

“From then on, it’s been a life passion,” he says of playing music.

From banging on chairs in his family’s Hunter’s Point home, Bell moved on to playing with Bay Area R&B band Front Line. After a stint with the group, Bell hit the casino circuit for eight years, playing places like Las Vegas and Tahoe with The Brothers Owens and Rhythm Nation. Also, in 1990, Bell says he played various overdubs and drum fills on Bobby Brown’s hit record Don’t Be Cruel.

In 1997, Bell put together Five Point 0 with several other experienced musicians he met after years of playing in the Bay Area. Currently, the band includes lead vocalist and keyboardist Grady Wilkins, who also plays in The Whispers—a long running R&B act known for hits like 1980’s “And the Beat Goes On” and 1987’s “Rock Steady.”

Five Point 0 is known for playing everything from Nat King Cole’s “Unforgettable” to Sly & the Family Stone’s “Family Affair” to Kermit the Frog’s “Rainbow Connection.”

“We pride ourselves on having something in the repertoire that everyone can enjoy,” he says. “Therefore, we have an extensive play list.”

In the future, the band might also toss some of their own songs into their sets. Right now, the group is working on an original album featuring R&B, pop and country songs. Bell says that the CD—which will probably be released by the end of summer—will be as inclusive as the set list at their shows. “It will have something for everybody,” he says. “We may even cover one standard.”

Five Point 0 play Sly McFly’s, 700 Cannery Row, Monterey, Friday at 9pm. 649-8050.