I am a Singer Songwriter born in Pittsburgh, raised in Cincinnati, and settled in Chicago and Los Angeles.  I learned songwriting by listening to and studying, among others, James Taylor, Gordon Lightfoot, Stephen Stills, and Jackson Browne.

Encouraged by my father, a huge Chet Atkins fan, I started studying guitar when I was 9 years old, taking my first lessons with Bud Weigand at Buddy Rogers Music, then learning barre chords with Scott Behrens, and basic jazz with Dave Baney of the Baney Brothers.  We did not have a keyboard in our home so I would find creative ways to teach myself piano at off hours in the local churches, schools, and the VFW hall.  Every night, I would lie in bed under the covers with my Magnavox transistor radio glued to my ear and nod off to sleep waiting for Soul and Inspiration, Tiny Dancer, The Weight, or Operator, and finally, to save battery, the solitary sound of the freight train rumbling rhythmically in the distance.

I worked my way through high school and college playing in various rock and jazz bands and sang in choirs whenever I had the chance.  That is really where I learned about singing in harmony parts.  My 6-piece college band developed some local notoriety which led to recording sessions, live appearances on our college radio station, a beauty pageant, and a headline gig at the university’s large basketball arena.  Great fun.  We had the foresight then to record some of our original songs, a few of which have recently been included in Fervor Records’ music library for eventual use in film and/or television.

After college, my first real job was working for Gretsch Musical Instruments (then a division of the Baldwin Piano and Organ Company), which allowed me to travel all over the country visiting and playing in music stores and at trade shows.  A kid with a company car, an expense account, and a trunk full of musical instruments - what could be better than that?

As an adult, my wife and I started our family: three never-cease-to-amaze-me kids, a mortgage, our Golden Retriever, and a used Volvo station wagon.  The American dream.  I worked long hours during the day, chased advanced degrees by going to school at night, and, as possible, squeezed in open mics or bar gigs whenever I had the chance.  All made possible by my beautiful wife who, in addition to her own workload, picked up all the slack at home.  I continued to write music that I would eventually record with Jim Reeves, a former Columbia Records recording engineer who was then operating his own studio just North of Chicago.  Jim is a fountain of knowledge with amazing experience and a plethora of great stories about engineering recordings for John Lennon, Bob Dylan, Gregg Allman, Lou Reed, and a host of others.  So, I have been in good hands.  Jim understands harmony so has also been extremely helpful with vocal arrangements.

Today, with our kids grown and scattered across the world, downsizing our lifestyle, and thinking about next steps, I continue to write, play, perform, and record original music, fully dedicating myself to the melodies and lyrics that run from the cosmos through my brain to my fingers.  I am now gleefully throwing myself on that night train, excited to see where it may take me. 

My music is available on Soundcloud and Bandcamp.