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Music has been a big part of my life, and it began at a very early age. As with many young children, my first introduction to music came through my parents, and very quickly it led to formal training for both guitar and piano. Mine isn’t the cliché tale of being forced to take music lessons against my will as often related by some kids, and I actually enjoyed learning both instruments. Of course, when it came to clarinet lessons, that's a different story! Starting out with guitar lessons, I soon developed an interest in the piano, and it wasn’t long before piano lessons were added. Formal training for both instruments continued into my early twenties. |
Through my childhood and teenage years I was influenced by a wide variety of music. While much of my formal piano training focused on classical music, the guitar introduced me to more modern genres. Luckily, my parents loved Rock & Roll music and all of the great Pop hits of the ‘60s and ‘70s, so there was never any objection to the music choices I made, and I was always encouraged to play all of it. I literally grew up next to a jukebox at my family’s business, and there was always music playing non-stop, covering all the great Rock, Pop and Motown hits of the ‘60s. Later on, my own tastes expanded to include much of the classic Rock music of the late ‘60s, then into the ‘70s and beyond… right on up to the present. |
During my twenties, I played in several bands, covering many different musical styles, but my love for the great Rock/Pop songs always drove my main music interests, first as a player and then also as a songwriter. The variety of musical influences that I experienced over the years can be heard in my original music, especially the more classic Rock/Pop flavors, but I managed never to get stuck in any one musical rut, and I enjoyed many styles of music from all around the world...and I am still expanding my tastes. |
I managed to bring originals into a couple of the bands I was in, and we played them alongside popular covers, but I wanted more. I also wanted to record those originals and hear them played on the radio one day, just like the hits I heard in my youth, and so, my songwriting and recording love affair began.
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