I will start at the beginning where I grew up in Richmond, Virginia. At age ten I wanted to be a drummer and pieced a set of drums together from my Uncle Billy's basement. It was a horrible set with calf skin heads that would get wrinkled in damp weather. But I soon became public-enemy-number-one in my neighborhood because of the noise. My parents knew music ran through my blood since I was born as I had mastered playing the tennis racket like a guitar to every rock & roll song on the radio at two and a half. My dad who was a former professor at the United States Air Force academy made me an offer. He said if you learn how to play the organ I will buy you any set of drums you want. That's how it started. And no I never got the drums.

I took three lessons did a organ recital and I started playing on the week ends and during summer vacations playing country, soul music and rock & roll with all these older players.

When I was sixteen years old I returned home excited to announce to my parents that my band Nickel Bridge had won the state battle of bands at the Virginia state fair ground. It was like eleven at night and they were in bed and said "that's nice dear now close the door." It was a night that would set the course for my career. The crowd was huge and we played one show and they went crazy! It was my first full blown Rock and Roll show. One minute you are in front of thousands of screaming fans and the next in complete silence. A life style I would soon be accustom to throughout my life. Well disappointedly no one was awake to share in my moment of triumph. So, I sat at the kitchen table and read the front page of the news paper that the head of the Navel Band had died. I knew this guy was a real musician so I read the article. They had quoted him and I will never forget what he said. He said he despised a musician who would not play a request, because music was a gift and everyone did not have it and those who did have the gift were obligated to share it with those who did not have the gift.

It hit me like a ton of bricks and would be the philosophy i would apply through out my entire career. Although I had just finish playing a rock show I loved playing all kinds of music like country and this meant I must be on the right track.

I decided I would learn as many songs as i possibly could incase someone wanted to hear a request, I could share the gift.

It's not the American idol kind of gift of music where 28,000 people think they have it. They show up, beg and plead to be a star so they can support their family and if America sees them they are sure to be stars. They are seeking fame and fortune. I learned that there are many levels of the gift of music that GOD himself placed in musicians and they are humble and do not boast as it was a gift and not of their own doing. With this gift comes a huge passion. Many people mistake arrogance and conceit with passion, but it must be present for the music to be performed the best it can be.

The best thing about playing with other artists that truly understand the gift of music is a stage full of musicians full of passion for the ultimate performance. As Music director for the Pointer Sisters I was always in awe working with the late June Pointer. We were also working on her new CD and band, June Pointer and The Hollywood Heroes when she passed away. June was the star of the sisters and sang all the major hits and I thought I had passion until I met her. She was all about music twenty-four seven, 365 days a year from morning through out the day and night even as she slept. Her sister Bonnie who started the Pointer Sisters was the same way. The results are the highest of highs when you are on stage because you have eaten,drank,and slept this music so it is flawless for the fans. It's never about you, It's about the people who come to see you. Then the gift works as it was designed by GOD to bless an audience. They walk away and say "Wow! that was unbelievable!"