Started performing when I was in Junior High School in choirs and musicals. Joined my first rock band when I was in high school...the first gig was a dance marathon playing the guitar players electric piano.

Concentrated mainly on choir and musical productions through graduation (78) and then attended a local Community College in Pittsburgh majoring in performing arts. Focused on music and acting, continuing to perform in musicals and play in the jazz band along with my music and acting courses. After graduation in 1980, I joined a popular Pittsburgh based dance band called "The Core." Traveled on the road with them for a few years as kb player and co-vocalist. We played the College circuit through PA, OH, IN, MI, etc and had a lot of fun.

Returned to College in 82 pursuing my Business Admin. degree while playing bass in a rock trio and playing clubs at night while in school. I also did part time jingle work for an advertising agency during these years as well. Interned and worked at KDKA radio-Pittsburgh as well during this period.

After graduation in 85, I was hired into management by General Mills and spent the next ten years working in Maryland, Pennsylvania and Ohio.

Left GM after 10 years and started to build up my music business by starting the NH thing. Along the way I also formed my own quartet, which works a few times a month.

Fast forward to the present. I've performed well over six thousand gigs and entertained close to half a million people in the last 15 years. I adore what I do and who I do it for and hope to continue for many years.

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Bill in Dayton

[This message has been edited by Bill in Dayton (edited 05-01-2010).]

Hi Folks – I have immensely enjoyed reading about so many of the talented musicians on this forum. It’s very interesting to see how we all ended up on SZ… I’ll try not to bore you too much, but here’s Saxxman’s life story.…

My Dad was an old “nickelodeon” piano player, an absolute monster. He could play anything without the music and he had a great stride style of playing. Dad had been classically trained and he and my mom and aunt even had a show on the local radio station (playing piano, steel guitar, ukulele and singing). About the time I was eight, my cousin was taking piano lessons from a nice lady and since my Dad worked at night my parents sent me to my cousin’s piano teacher (got a free ride courtesy of my uncle each week). That worked for a year ‘til my uncle passed away and then my piano lessons ended. By then I was in the 5th grade and when the band teachers came to our school I wanted the drums but my Mom said “get a sax”. So I played a year on sax. It was a natural fit for me and I was able after a year to play w/my Dad – quite a novelty for the relatives. In the 6th grade, the county wouldn’t loan me the sax for another year so my music classes ended. During the next two years, I discovered my Dad’s accordion and fell in love with it. I played it every day all summer long for a couple summers. I picked a sax up again in eighth grade when the band leader was trying to build up the band and he put me in the junior band. So I played through high school and was lucky enough in my senior year to hook up w/a pianist and a drummer and we started “The Three Aces” (our phrase was “Call Us for a Full House”)..haha. We played the American Legions and Elks clubs for three years ($35 a night). I should point out that throughout my childhood and teen years, my Dad worked 3-11 at the local Celanese textiles plant. He would come home every night at 11:30 and start playing the old upright piano, which was directly adjacent to the wall where my bed was. So I was treated to “standards lessons” several hours a night. Due to hearing my Dad’s playing into the very early AM hours night after night, I learned the melodies to just about any song you can imagine…. You name it… from “Tammy” to “Winchester Cathedral”. I entered college as a physics major and took sax lessons from the music faculty and concert, marching, and jazz band as electives. Since I commuted to school and the music classes were my best shot at getting a few “A’s”, I spent most of my idle time practicing in the music department (bathrooms and practice rooms)….turned out I must have been practicing a lot more than the music majors. When I took my jury, the faculty asked me why I wasn’t a music major and I said “I never really thought about it”…so they convinced me that music was much better than physics (it was certainly more fun!).

I earned a music education degree and taught 6 months (finished the year for someone who was very sick). Decided I liked playing much more so I enlisted in the Air Force as a musician. What a gig! All I did was perform with 40 other folks (most of) who loved music as much as I did. For five years, I probably wore out 100 pairs of blue jeans riding all over the countryside in our plush Greyhound bus and playing “Hearts” and “Spades”. Did that for 5 years until I had a falling out with my band director over me wanting to arrange “A Child is Born” for our Xmas concert. He initially said “no” til he heard the chart and then changed his mind. But in the meantime I had visited the computer programming school on base and took a battery of tests. Next thing I knew we played “Child is Born” but I was pulled kicking and screaming from the band. So that started me down the path to spend the rest of my life as a computer geek. I lucked into a commission in 1979. I’ve worked as a programmer, analyst, requirements manager, staff officer, and tester of automated systems since 1977. But the computer interest was what got me so entwined into the technologies we all enjoy on SZ. I got into PG Music’s Band-In-A-Box early on (early 80’s with my Apple II) and have stayed with it as the capabilities have grown. I’ve also done my part to keep the music keyboard business alive. Since the 80’s I’ve owned a Fender Rhodes (suitcase), Wurlitzer portable, Korg EPS string keyboard, several Korg synths, and two Roland U-20’s. Got my first arranger over 10 years ago (PSR-1000) and have loved them ever since.

While doing the computer thing with the Air Force I got lucky enough to work in a recording studio in Oklahoma City (performed on several gospel and country albums) and in Germany I met up with some American jazzers and we formed a trio which became popular in several of the local communities. Since retiring from the Air Force, I have been working as a computer systems test engineer and playing my sax and keyboard on the side. My networking is finally starting to pay dividends and I am getting a fair amount of work although it still has to be balanced w/my day job.

It’s been a great ride and I have loved it. On a sad but current note, the Horizon oil spill (I fear) will be a huge tragedy across the southeast and we are counting the days until the slick ends up soiling the most pristine, sugar white beaches I have ever seen. If that happens, I will likely get a host of cancellations for beach weddings that I have booked through October. I may end up with a couple years of “serious practice time” while we hope for the beaches to recover.

Thanks Bebop and those of you who have added your stories…it’s great to read about SZ members and to spend time with something other than “today’s reality news”.

Best wishes to all for a prosperous and highly musical summer 2010!

Randy

Thanks to Bill and Randy for sharing their bios. These are really great to read, study, and learn from. I am thankful to everyone of you that have posted your bios here. I am sure many of our zoners are also. I would still hpe that many more of you would yet post your bios here to share with us all.
You weekend gigs are over now, it is Monday so start scratching your memory and type us up a bio and thank you for your time and efforts,
Best to all, Bebop Bill

c'mon people. Who will be next? we are waiting?
there are many, many of you that have not been heard from yet. why is that? C'mon lets get on it.
thanks
bebop and everybody else waiting on you

I quite agree Bill ! it seems that after 2 weeks we have have stopped at only 13 members who actually have a long term mucial background which I find incredible...we must be the elite 13 !..

Was a great idea to bring this about and learn a bit of the background from the people behind the writing, it pulled up a few surprises but odd that some people are reluctant to divulge their musical heritage...perhaps this will prompt a few more additions..

Noel

Yes Noel, I am totally surprised too. I wonder why our pro's are hiding from this thread?
what's that old expression, uh? Oh yeah, All show and no go!!
Well all I can say is that a lot of people have just lost credibility with me, and maybe with a lot of other forum members. So be it.
Screw it. I am done with this thread.
happy Daze to all,and thanks to the Elite 13 who are really obviously Pros
Bebop
OK< I guess it is not yet over as some more people are posting bios now. I just thought 2 weeks was a long time with no more bios.
At my age you just can't be waiting forever
thanks all
Bebop

[This message has been edited by BEBOP (edited 05-10-2010).]

Bebop, I think that's a little unfair. May I respectfully submit that it's up to the individual to determine what and how much of his personal history he is willing to share with a group of strangers. I'm not sure that a person should lose all their credibility because they don't choose to share on the level that you want them to. I found the bio's that were submitted, interesting, but I don't think we need to shame or express disgust at those who choose not to. JMO.

chas

With what I consider some terrific backgrounds and great stories here I've been reluctant to post. My story doesn't hold a candle to the great talent here who have told their stories. Mine is more of the approach it's never too late to do or try anything in life.

I started taking piano lessons at age 11 for a couple of years. I never excelled at it and had to be pushed to practice. I had this habit of telling my folks I practiced when I didn't, it was easy to fool them, I'd just move the books around the piano to look like I had been practicing. That didn't last long since when the teacher came to the house every week he could easily tell I hadn't touched the piano, every week there was a ruckus when the teacher showed up. I quit at age 14. Somewhere around 17 years of age I loved what I heard people like Keith Emerson and Rick Wakeman doing, so I got a bit serious about learning piano. I wanted to play like Emerson or Wakeman. I stayed home and practiced most weekend days when my friends were at the beach or skiing during the winter. I also went to work at the local Steinway and Hammond Organ dealer got my hands on some very nice instruments I would have never been able to play otherwise. I did make a lot of progress in 4 years, but I got caught up in life and took the wrong path and for the next 15 plus years took a path that nearly cost me my life. There were a number of factors that set me straight and at 32 I put my life back together. I re-entered sales this time around working for a national company and had a succesful career that put some nice things in my life, Hammond B3, a Samick 6 foot grand piano, plus a string of other instruments. Once I purchased the Samick grand I started playing/practicing again. Fast forward to 2002 when I purchased a Clavinova CVP107 and discovered how much music that an arranger could make. I started recording CDs and handed them out to friends, a number of people asked why aren't you out playing every weekend? Because I have a day job. (but I'd think to myself well I can't play like the pros so I'll just play for my own enjoyment.) One day about 4 years ago a friend who's a pro musician and a booking agent needed someone to play piano solo ala wallpaper music at a Christmas cocktail hour. I took the gig and enjoyed it. So my first paid gig in public was at 55 years old. Shortly after I found SZ and have been visiting trying to learn all I can from those who have done this for many years. I have taken many of the suggestions and put them to use, except maybe for someone who suggested that I play gigs for no fee. NOT going to happen my time is more valuable and I'm not that needy to have to play for the bubble. I know I won't be able to quit my day job until I'm ready for retirement from the 9 to 5 routine, but I'm having some fun playing 2 or 3 gigs per month, more around certain seasons of the year. I'm having fun and it proves it's really never too late to try something even though the chances are I'll never be in the same musical class that many of you who visit here are.



[This message has been edited by Stephenm52 (edited 05-07-2010).]

good bio rory and all of you. enjoyed the im little but im loud .a jimmy dickens song.its late tonight. so I will later post my bio. its not exciting as some of you. but I have 59 years behind me. maybe some of it would be of interest to you all. look for me in the next day or so....Joe Lee

Yep, totally agree. And it puts off those who may have been thinking they would post something...

Wow, what a negative attitude from Bebop. Taking his bat and ball and running off home.

Oh well...Saved me some time

Dennis