I believe I’ve told this story before but I’m happy to do it again.

I was born into a somewhat musical family. My father played a type of Honky-Tonk piano in bars and my oldest brother learned to play piano by ear playing the rhythm and singing the melody to songs like “Whole Lotta Shaken Going On” and “Great Balls Of Fire”. My mother sang well and played a lot of music around the house. My next oldest brother worked for the record industry.

By the time I was about 10 I had learned to play like my brother by watching everything he did. It would drive my mother crazy because first he would sit and play for about an hour then after he left I would sit and play exactly the same think for about 2 hours, over and over and over again. After dinner my dad would play before he left to go to the bars to play.

After the Beatle hit the USA just about every kid in school got a guitar including me and learned to play some basic progressions. Some of the boys I hung with decided to start a band and wanted a keyboard player so I bought (with the help of my dad) a Baldwin Portable Organ. I played chords and a little lead for songs like “Light My Fire” and “The Letter”. We played parties and small gigs until I graduated when I left the band for a “real job” as my parents said.

I kept the organ until I was about 25 when I sold it to a minister for a new church. I got $100 for it. By that time I had bought a Lowery Genie organ and I was playing it but I found it was harder to play and sing that type of organ like I did the piano so I started to play one finger melodies along with the chords. It’s pretty much how I still play today.

Durning the 70s and early 80s I played keyboard in a church group and wrote and co-wrote a few christian songs. I also ran a 16 channel mixer for another semi-pro christian music group.

As for influences beyond the family I like so many kinds of music and in each area I have favorites but my all time favorite is Paul McCartney. I admire him as a musician and as a man. He is a person who has been devoted not only to music but to family as well and to justice in the world.

My dad died in 1972, my oldest brother has not played in years and the other brother is retired from Warner Brothers Music. My mom at 84 would still like to sing but no one would listen. LOL


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Heather- Leesburg, FL PR54