I saw The Beatles on the Ed Sullivan show in March of 1964. It was at that point that I told my parents I wanted a guitar. It took 2 more years but finally under the Christmas tree was a new Teisco Del Ray, upon which I took guitar lessons during the 8th grade. The next major musical influence came by way of the Merv Griffin show, which frequently featured the late, great bassist Ray Brown. As a youngster I was fascinated by the man on this big bass, at the front of the stage, playing along side Merv (I had the opportunity to actually relay that story to Ray in person one time when I went to Washington DC to hear his trio!). It was rock bands in high school, and after graduating, I attended Berklee College of Music in Boston for a year, which really opened my eyes to the world of jazz. The disco scene is also a part of my sordid musical past...something I cherish dearly! The acoustic bass came to me later in life, at the age of 29, when I started picking up jazz gigs and realized that electric bass just wasn't going to cut it. Other studies include 1 year spent at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, VA  and lessons with two legendary jazz bassists, Rufus Reid & Cecil McBee. Early on there was some classical bass study, which coincided with my playing in the bass section of the Virginia Symphony for a season. I have been a jazz bass player now for over 35 years and have had the opportunity to perform with a host of jazz luminaries and heroes. There has also been a lot of time spent in the shed with transcription, and tremendous support and help from a number of good friends, who have taught me much, and all of whom are great players in their own right.



My instrument of choice is a beautiful German cottage industry bass from the region of Schoenfeld, and built somewhere in the period between 1860 and 1890. The bass was completely restored by luthier Howard Dodd after I took possession of it, a restoration that lasted the better part of a year. It has been the bass I play most often ever since. I also have a beautiful 1951 Kay bass. My amplifier of choice is an Acoustic Image Clarus II head used in conjunction with a great Low B 1-10 speaker cabinet built by ACME Bass Cabinets out of Denver, CO. On some gigs I also add an Acoustic Image Double Shot. For smaller gigs I also play through a GK MB1-12. I've also added a Genzler Magellan 350 head to the mix. It sounds great. I play Thomastic Spirocore bass strings.



I've also had the good fortune to perform with a lot of great artsists over the years: