Here's the short story. I've left out too much to remember... I come from a musical household. As a kid, my father would sit at the piano and play this amazing stride stuff -- like he was playing all 88 keys at once. I was mesmerized. My folks have pictures of me at the age of 3 climbing up on the piano bench reaching for the keys.
I took piano lessons a few years later; hating the lessons -- but loving playing the piano on my own. I would make up stuff and play to records. As I got a little older, my younger brother took up guitar. I immediately started messing around with it. I found I liked it more than piano -- it was cool. So I went to the local music store and asked the salesman about guitars and other instruments that were good for playing rock & roll. He happened to be a bass player. FATE. I asked: what's a bass? He showed me. I loved those low powerful notes! It was like canned thunder! And it seemed easy to get started.
My first bass was a Teisco Del-Ray that weighed a ton. I wish I still had it. While playing the Teisco in neighborhood and school bands, I saved up for a Fender. When I had almost enough money, I sold the Del-Ray to a neighborhood friend for a jar of quarters -- well... that's all he had. Good thing it was a big enough jar. I still have that first Fender. It looks a little different now, but that's another story...
I played a million club gigs for the next few years -- from high school through my mid twenties finally meeting up with a guitarist /songwriter named Charlie Karp. We worked together writing and gigging culminating in a release that I co produced. Through Charlie, I met Arty Resnick -- a songwriter who co-wrote Under the Boardwalk and Good Loving. The three of us wrote together -- I learned a lot writing with those guys.
Not long after, I met a phenomenal guitarist by the name of Jeff Pevar. We hit it off immediately and began playing gigs together right up to the present. He has played with Ray Charles, Ricki Lee Jones, Joe Cocker, Marc Cohn... the list goes on. He's now the "P" in David Crosby's new band: "CPR."
About that time I met yet another gifted guitarist (I've been lucky that way): Larry Mitchell. Larry Mitchell, Yves Gerard (drums), and I had a smoking instrumental trio recording two CD's, playing NY clubs, and traveling around the country doing clinics for Ibanez guitars, as well as performing at the winter NAMM shows in CA. At the time, Larry was also endorsing Hartke speakers, and introduced me to another Larry -- Larry Hartke of Hartke systems. He (L. Hartke) gave me a couple of cabinets to try -- and I've been using his equipment exclusively ever since. Larry Hartke has been a great friend as well as a bass visionary -- and has helped me in too many ways to mention.
How did I meet Johnny Winter? I happen to be friends with Johnny's previous bassist: Jeff Ganz. Also, I played some gigs with drummers Karl Latham and Sandy Genarro who had been playing rehearsals with Johnny. That's how these things work.
Playing with Johnny is a blast. It's all about feeling -- and that sound. THAT sound. It's unmistakable. He's a great guy; a friend as well as a legend. I feel privileged to be working with him. And it's important to me to be connected firsthand to the tradition of the Blues.
Throughout all this time through the present I'm working and networking with countless other artists and musicians; writing, producing, arranging, teaching... Everybody brings something different and unique to the table, and the joy of music is in its diversity; the reflection of the sprits making it.