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| It all started June 3, 1970 when I was born in Colfax, Washington. Well.....it actually started 9 months prior......but we won't get into that. At age 6 I saw a violin demonstration at school. I told my parents about it, and how I wanted to play violin. They eventually said yes. I started classical training using the Suzuki Method. My teacher was Jan Wasson. I did well with it, but wearing suits and playing stuffy recitals was not for a redneck farm boy like myself! So I started fiddling at the age of 12. My fiddle teacher was Tony Ludiker, and he taught me Texas-style Contest Fiddle. I competed in numerous contests around the northwest, including the National Fiddle Contest in Weiser, ID. At this time I also started playing guitar and mandolin. I still try to compete in contests, and have placed, and won a few around the country, including 10th place in the Champion Division at the Nationals (1992, 1998). At age 16 I started to branch out with my music. I was playing swing, jazz, bluegrass, 50's rock, and country. I started teaching myself lead guitar by listening to Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly, and Duane Eddy. I also began singing a little. When I was 18 I moved to Spokane, Washington. When I turned 19 I started playing at a honky tonk called Kelly's in Stateline, ID. I was playing with Kelly Hughes and the Kelly Hughes Band. This was the premiere country act in the northwest, and Kelly's was the place to be. We opened for numerous Nashville acts, such as Clay Walker, Waylon Jennings, Merle Haggard, Collin Raye, and John Anderson, to name a few. In 1996 I decided to move to Nashville. I played with a couple bar bands, and had a pretty good time living there. I slept in my car sometimes, and sometimes I didn't eat much. But this is what I always dreamed about. I really got into bluegrass, and the contest scene in the south. I was winning quite a bit in 1998. I was in Nashville when I got a call from my friend, and former teacher, Tony Ludiker. He told me about a band in Southern California called The Doo-Wah Riders. They needed a fiddle player for a summer tour. They had never heard of me (I wonder why?!??!), but they decided to give me a try. (maybe they were desperate!) They flew me out for the tour, we had a great time, became friends, and then they fired me. (well, actually, it was the end of the tour) So I went back to Nashville. I decided to move back to Spokane, Washington and started playing again with a bluegrass band called 'Custer's Grass Band', and with a country group called 'Country Drive'. I also started playing with Kelly Hughes again. I was doing session work, and working as an electronics technician at Itronix. I am now back with the Doo-Wahs, and living in Southern California. We have performed for the Academy of Country Music Awards, performed at festivals, concerts, casinos, clubs, and private events. I have played on our last 2 albums and our current single is #39 on the Texas Music Charts. |