Sitting on the floor of the gym at the Crane School of Music, 12-year-old Me sat enthralled as I watched Buddy Rich set up his drum kit ahead of a live show by the Buddy Rich Band. Sensing my excitement, he called me over and tested my knowledge of the rudiments, then told me to keep the practice up.
If I wasn't hooked before, I was after that!
At 13, my parents bought me a 1973 Slingerland drum set - and it wasn't even Christmas! So I started with the drum set: practicing, reading, taking lessons and playing in the high school jazz/stage/theatre bands.
I played in the school orchestra, marching band and also snare drum competitions which led me to my first paying gig for a story teller where I provided the sound effects (triangle, bells, wood block.) I started formal orchestral snare drum lessons at 8 years of age in grade school and also took private lessons. I was quickly addicted to practicing rudiments with a strong focus on reading and technique.
While in college I played in a Jazz-Rock and a Rock n Roll band, eventually getting into playing country and southern rock.
The last few years I've been playing with mostly Country, Rock and Blues bands. Some of my most notable shows have been backing up Randy Bachman, opening for The Stampeders and performing at the Josie Awards held at Dollywood in Gatlinburg, TN.