Origin story – here is a portion of what I wrote for our local bluegrass club newsletter:

Imagine you’re back in 7th grade and you’re going to your first dance in the mid-60’s. The girls are all over there. The boys are all over here. Everyone’s nervous. No one knows what to do or what to expect. And then the band starts playing. Luckily, the boys are in front of the band and there, before your eyes, is a glittery turquoise Fender-style guitar and it’s the COOLEST thing you’ve ever seen!

That started me on my musical journey. I got a $25 Masonite Kay archtop for my 13th birthday and started taking lessons from (the original) Mel Bay Studios in St. Louis. I soon graduated to classical guitar and then got a banjo, then a mandolin, and off I go.

While other boys were playing ball in high school, I found himself in front of 25 girls playing top 40 tunes inside the girl’s cabin during church retreats (!). That’s when I decided there might be something worthwhile here. I played plectrum banjo in a men’s minstrel show, played solo classical guitar in talent shows, folk music for men’s breakfasts, etc – the usual high school stuff.