He is a guitarist, singer-songwriter, engineer and
producer born in Buffalo, New York, and brought up in Santa Cruz,
California.His interest in
music was obvious from an early age as, by the time he was five, he was
already performing on the drums and the saxophone, but when he had been to
see The Ventures in concert with his dad he made the decision that the
guitar was what he wanted to play.By the time he got into his teens he had begun playing with bands
from his local band and led White Eyes and Feel Machine.Deciding to move to Los Angeles in the late 1970s he became a
much sought after session singer and guitarist and toured
internationally with Rita
Coolidge
from 1980 to 1986 and with
Bill Champlin around the same time.Stretching out as a songwriter he teamed up with James Pankow of
Chicago and wrote "One More Day" which would appear on the platinum Chicago
XVIII. 1988 saw him
becoming a member of the group Tower of Power and he remained with them for
9 years before moving on in 1997 and opening his own recording studio, Big
Surprise Music. Working as a producer now, as well
as guitarist, singer and also engineer, he released his debut album as a
solo artist, Both Sides of the Coin and would produce albums for
other artists that he had worked with in Tower of Power.Having worked with numerous
artists throughout his career he has been heard with David
Lasley and Tom
Scott
along
with many others.Recordings
he can be heard on as a solo musician/singer include Floridays
by Jimmy
Buffett
, Inside the Fire by Rita
Coolidge , The Wanderer
by Donna Summer, the soundtrack of Footloose and compilations such
as Lost in Bass, A String Quartet Tribute to David Gray, A String
Quartet Tribute to George Strait and Swingin': A Tribute to Michael
Jackson which is just a very small selection. At present he can
be heard as a member of Sons of Champlin and sharing his musical knowledge
with students of the guitar and recording engineering.He gives his votes as a member of
the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences and is also Musical
Director of the Westchester, California, Arise Christian Center.
