So you want to know a little more about me, that's why you've come here, right? The only problem is that writing a bio isn't the easiest thing for a guy to do, especially a guy who is supposed to be trying to be a cool Rock-N-Roll singer. Well, I guess I don't really see myself as being that cool, so I may as well just give it a go.

It seems I've been singing all of my life. As a young child my mother took up playing the guitar for a while and we would sing the songs together. I took piano and trumpet lessons for a while but never became proficient at them. As time went on my mother's interest in the guitar and my interests in playing instruments became nothing more than a passing fancy. Instead, I remember spending many hours looking through all of the left over song books from our failed attempts. I would sing the ones I was familiar with; in fact I would sing any song I was familiar with. Yet, for the most part, I was too self conscious to sing in front of others.

One day the music teacher in elementary school, who I saw as mean and ugly, forced everyone to audition for the choir. Having to look at her in music class was already enough for me and I wanted no part of her choir. I knew I could sing well enough but I intentionally tried to throw the audition to avoid anymore dealings with her. To my dismay, she must have seen through my rouse and included me in the choir anyway. In the end I enjoyed it, but I never allowed myself to stand out and I took comfort in blending into the group.

As a teen I can remember friends commenting on rock groups and discussing who was a great guitarist or who was the best drummer, etc. I always found myself focusing on the vocalist and could hardly tell one guitarist from another. All of my hero's were the front men, the crooners and screamers of hard rock and heavy metal. I always dreamed of what it would be like to be in their shoes, but unfortunately I didn't consider myself a singer, I was only someone who liked to sing. I had no connections with other musicians and I knew nothing at all about being a real singer.

Eventually I decided to try my hand at lyric writing and to my surprise I was pretty impressed with my abilities. I went on to write two or three songs and could hear in my head how they would sound and how I would sing them. Eventually I got to the point where I wanted to hear my songs become something real. But I had to accept the fact that unless I was going to give them away to someone else, I was going to have to learn to sing. Suddenly, out of nowhere I decided I had to give it a try and I wasn't going to give up until I had given it my best shot. The biggest problem I faced was my own inhibitions. I kind of thought I could sing, but I wasn't sure, and I damn well wasn't going to make a fool of myself.

I started to research and I figured I should get some singing lessons, which seemed to make good sense to me. I nervously went to a singing teacher but the problem was that I wanted to scream out heavy metal and she didn't really seem to know what to do with me. She seemed somewhat impressed with my current abilities which boosted my confidence, but after a few meetings I realized I was wasting my time. I wasn't a school kid or someone who wanted to be able to sing Happy Birthday better, I had lofty goals and I needed to get the ball rolling.

I still needed to find out if I was even cut out for this, and I was very insecure about letting anyone hear me try. I picked up some karaoke recordings and sang along with them in my car, but still I was uncertain of how it really sounded without being able to listen to myself on a decent recording.

I started visiting local music stores and began to ask questions. They told me I'd need a PA system,….okay….I knew nothing about what a PA system actually was. They went on to explain that I'd need a couple cabinets with horns, a decent mic., an amp. and a mixer to start. Thanks guys!, what the hell is all that? How much does it cost? $$$ What?! Once again I knew I had to be sure about this, especially if I was going to spend that kind of money.

At one of the music stores, I noticed a posting on their bulletin board. It was from the singer of a local rock band who was offering singing lessons. I was familiar with the band and saw this as the perfect situation; certainly he would understand my plight. I contacted him and we were to meet for the first lesson in a spare room at the music store. Well, what I really got was my first lesson about how dependable musicians are, or should I say how dependable they are not! He didn't even show up that time, and the next time when he finally did show up he had no plan at all. He was a nice enough guy though, and he was a good singer, but he was no teacher. He offered some pointers and when he listened to me sing, I noticed a surprised look on his face. He was shocked that I was able to project my voice so well. The lessons didn't last long but I did get to watch his band practice and listen to his band mates rip on him for teaching someone how to sing, when he didn't know how to sing so well himself. I thought they were a little hard on him but that's your band buddies for ya. Before long we parted ways, but not before I acquired a much needed confidence boost due to his sincere praise.

In the mean time I had learned what all of those PA system parts were about. I shopped around and found some used equipment for a small fortune. Now I was in business and there was no turning back. I proceeded to continue building my confidence by using my newly acquired PA system to sing along with those Karaoke recordings. Now I could hear it loud, like Rock-N-Roll was meant to be and was even able to add some reverb and EQ. That's more PA talk.

I had made great strides by this point but I still wasn't referring to myself as a “singer”; I didn't know I was supposed to. Then I discovered a book that changed my attitude and approach forever. It was called “The Rock-N-Roll Singer's Survival Manual,” by Mark Baxter.

If you haven't noticed by now, I've been writing this bio with the thought in mind that maybe another aspiring singer would end up reading it someday. I'd be honored to find out that someone else was able to relate to and find direction and inspiration from my experiences. Mark Baxter's book did just that for me; it explained things in a sensible and detailed way. I'm the type of person who wants to know how it works. Don't tell me to do it that way because you said so, tell me to do it that way and help me to understand why. The one quote from his book I've always remembered is
“ If you think of yourself as a singer , you are one. If you think of yourself as someone who sings , then that's who you are .” The day I read that was the day I became a singer for life.

Of course the story goes on, but who has time for all of those details. Anyway, something has to be left for the sequel, right? I've gone on to write and perform many songs throughout my life. I even spent a considerable amount of time learning the art of recording. In the end though I've learned that all I really want to do is sing, that's what I enjoy the most and that's what I'll always love. People say, “So; I hear you're in a band, what instrument do you play?” My reply is…“I'm the Singer!, I'm too lazy to learn how to play an instrument.”