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drums I was born in Muskegon, Michigan. My musical career started at the age of 11 playing trombone in school band. At 12 years old I developed an interest in percussion. Using buckets and trash cans with old beat up drum heads taped to them, I began to practice drumming every day. With my brothers, and using this home made contraption, I soon formed my first band, The Streamliners. (Well, we called it a band!) With a part time job and help from my parents I soon purchased my first drum kit, and I switched to percussion in school band. A string of groups followed, including Destroyer (see article & photo Muskegon Chronicle / December 16, 1983), the Three Clod Hoppers and Something Special, all Muskegon based bands of various styles. In 1984 I joined a Mt. Pleasant, MI college style combo dubbed X Urbia. Our most notable accomplishment was being hired as the studio band for a number of locally produced cable TV shows. In 1986 I befriended Doug Houseman. We soon pieced together the Blues Persuasion. In the longest lasting collaboration of my life, Doug and I have continued to perform and record music of various styles under the group name Frozen House to this day. While continuing work with Doug, I joined the Muskegon based variety band R-Eazy, alternating between bass and percussion. In 1988 I was added to the Tight Fit line up.
I re joined R-Eazy for a period lasting from 1991-1993 (again alternating between bass and drums). Today I am an active member of the Big House Blues Band and continue the role of producer and engineer in my home demo recording studio/video suite, Vinyl Wall Productions (www.vinylwall.com). Coming back to Tight Fit in 2005, I am looking forward to returning to live performance and entertaining. It's kind of like slipping on that beat up, old pair of shoes... it just fits and it sure is comfortable. |
Some of my many influences include: Elvis Presley, The Beatles, Keith Moon (The Who), Eric Carr (Kiss), Stewart Copeland (Police), Ronnie Tutt (Elvis Presley's TCB Band), Eric Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughan, B.B. King, Robert Cray, Alice In Chains, Stone Temple Pilots and Van Halen.