Professional 
Training

Two classes with a piano
teacher but the academy
closed. I continued to self
teach myself and then
taught myself guitar and
song structures. Spent a
lot of time practicing music
and songwriting, always
striving to remain original.

Performing

I always held very little 
interest in performing. But
I had in the few years I
attended college as a Liberal
Arts student agreed a few 
times to play acoustic
piano during art shows,
mindful to complaints that
I was playing too loudly.
 

Successes

Scored music for an 
in-house produced promotional
video for a community college.
More recently assisted a friend
roped into a demo production
offer from Nashville that was not
quite what it seemed. I love
Nashville but there are lots of
wolves in sheep's clothing.

I was born in June of 1962, in San  Antonio, Texas. My father was American Indian/German descent with a stronger bloodline of Indian and was a native of Texas. My mother came from Georgia, daughter of a US Army military man who came from a New England dairy farming family. Less is known of her mother, who had some Sicilian influence and an interest in songwriting. She was the only one we can identify from the family tree that showed this ability, and who at one time was able to sell a song for use on The Arthur Godfrey radio show. There are some images that lock into a child's mind, I think, and I remember two from this period that have stayed with me all these years. The first is lying in my bed, maybe age one, two or three with the full moon shining in the night sky and through my window. In the background was the sound of firetruck sirens. I remember a feeling of fear that has stayed in my emotional memory all this time. The second, is laying on my belly in front of the TV while my mother watched the funeral of John F Kennedy. The feeling of sadness and loss that filled the televised funeral and my mother has also remained with me, having made an undeniable impression on my emotional memory.

Music I Listened  to Growing up The Beatles Elton John K-Tel albums The Doors CSN&Y Jethro Tull AM radio Classic country New Wave Disco Emerson,Lake & Palmer Rick Wakeman Elvis The Beach Boys Pink Floyd WAAF 103.7 FM

Other Influences

-  Watching televised CBS reports of the Vietnam War
My father followed the war on the evening news and I saw the protests, demonstrations, and the confusion and destruction on the battlefield. I became aware how critical free speech is to change and pointing out wrongdoings.

-  The Watergate scandal
My father followed this story as well and I learned how dishonesty and crime can be a pivotal aspect of American politics. But despite this, I became aware that it is still important to me to know who wants political offices, what they represent, and to exercise my vote.

-  Childhood shyness of people
I never felt comfortable around people, adults or children, when very young. I couldn't even ride the bus. One time, I think in 3rd grade, I walked home over three miles to avoid riding the bus. There were occassions when relatives would visit and I would hide behind doors. Strange I think, and I don't know why I was like this. It took many years for me to become gradually less shy. I isolated myself a great deal which only encouraged the time I spent practicing music, writing, and reading about music artists. It is no surprise to me that spending hours by myself in a home studio is "escapism" for me as well as a labor of love.

-  Growing up on a farm
The innocence of animals is one I learned to appreciate as much as the innocence in our children. I never grew insensitive to the slaughter of animals for food, although I do eat meat. To this day I could not kill or slaughter an animal. But the independence working a farm gives a family is unsurpassed by any job I've ever had. 

-  Having a daughter
Nothing quite compares to the miracle of life. But following that is also the awareness that this is not the idea environment to raise children in. Society as a whole maintains a protection of free speech as a priority above a safe and spiritual environment for children. I evolved into a more conservative viewpoint about some things as she has grown, seeing first-hand the challenge of raising her my way and the way media influences would have her raised. I also understand much more clearly the dangerous environment our female children grow up in, referring specifically to the predatory members of our society.

-  Mom had me listen to ALL music
Mom was good to have had me listen to all kinds of music because I think it provides someone a more well-rounded influence of styles. And I also remember the "Paul is dead" controversy that plagued the Beatles, when mom pointed out to me the various "signs" on album material and in songs that were claimed to be evidence of his demise. I learned how additional intrigues such as this can draw mystery to an artist or song. And further following of Beatles music taught me how a song can inspire various and quite different interpretations of the lyrics, sometimes completely false from the writer's intent.