In the early 1960's I had already been inspired by The Beatles. I was learning guitar and writing surfer songs. In 1963 the instrumental band THE SURFARIS came out with 'WIPE OUT" (Find it and listen on any platform).  

The tune rocked my young world! The song featured drummer Ron Wilson's impressive skills. It was one of the few times in music history a song featuring drum solos made the charts.   

All my friends were playing the drum part on their desks and tables, anywhere they could find a surface to bang on. Not me! I learned to play the drum solo with my right hand and a pick on my guitar! I learned Bob Berryhill's guitar licks and could play both parts solo! I had the honor of meeting Berryhill and blurted out "You taught me how to play the guitar!" I guess there is still a bit of "groupie" in me! 

The Surfaris made me realize that I could play my acoustic guitar as a percussion instrument. My right hand would drive the beat while my left hand took care of the chords and notes. The result is high energy, driving, percussive approaches to my songs. "LIKE DON'T ALWAYS MEAN LOVE" is one of those songs. I hope you'll check it out. 

The Surfaris were recently inducted into Musician's Hall of Fame in Nashville. 

Check out "LIKE DON'T ALWAYS MEAN LOVE" on the Epiphany EP

On Monday, November 30, I  released my new EP EPIPHANY.

You can find all the songs in the usual places (Including CD's for us old farts who still have players.)

Here is a great place to experience the transition of my sound from Reno to Nashville. The Reno Tracks (Bla Bla Cafe', And The Life & Portola) were recorded with Max Yasgur's Farm- Danny Mikeal, Larry Yarborough, Don Carpenter and Bene' Michael. Gust artists were Dan Pike adding violas to "And The Life" and Rick Sparks playing banjo on "Portola". 

The Nashville musicians came out of Azalea Studios "Brecking Crew"- Chas Williams, Dave Hoffner, Ron de la Vega, Nancy Moran, Fett and Ron Krasinski. Special guests Tim Lorsch and Mike Daly sat in on Why Are Armadillos In Nashville?

The songs are:

Hey Boss, You're Fired

Bla Bla Cafe

Portola

And The Life

Like Don't Always Mean Love

Why Are Armadillos in Nashville?

The songs each contain a truth, realization, or discovery the character in each song is experiencing. For example, the Bla Bla Cafe' presents a heterosexual man at the Bla Bla Cafe' (A real place, by the way) on the verge of realizing why the women there are unresponsive to his advances. In Portola a railroad worker is discovering an answer to his loneliness through a Bible he finds laying around.

In other songs an employee finds his empowerment and takes his life back, a sunset brings tragedy to two families, love is reluctantly dawning on a doofus and of course we learn why armadillos migrate to Nashville.

I always try to give my Widespread Crew more than is available to the general public and EPIPHANY includes some specials for them as well. The Widespread Crew can download the songs before they get released to the public. They also have a special discounted price for the CD. 

I hope you will have fun with all the things I'm making available. Perhaps you too will have an EPIPHANY!

You may have noticed my home page has started featuring armadillos. I had been fascinated by armadillos for years, especially after seeing cartoons as a kid featuring Texas armadillos rolling up in a ball and rolling away. However, I had never seen a real one in person. Then I moved east from Nevada.

I drove south to Arizona, turned left on Highway 40 and drove through New Mexico. By that time I was getting excited, I was going to go through Texas and I may get to see an armadillo up close and in person. Imagine my disappointment when not one made an appearance. Well, maybe in Oklahoma? Nope. Arkansas? Are you kidding? 

I Pass over the Mississippi into Tennessee and continue my trek to Nashville. After i arrive, I start noticing armadillos at the side of the road! I started asking what Armadillos are doing there? Isn't that a Texas critter? 

That question led to the first song I wrote in Nashville. "Why Are Armadillos in Nashville" is going to be released November 16, 2020. But you can purchase it NOW! on the Music and Store page!

Epiphany is on the way too! November 30.  The 6 song EP is already available to you right now on the Music and Store page.

EPIPHANY is coming along so nicely with 6 completed songs. Each song offers a sometimes hidden insight or revelation.

This has been such a fun project. Album art by famed artist Jimmy Abegg will be featured on the cover and the songs are so very different from each other. We have a Texas Swing you (Really? Me doing a Texas Swing Tune? Yep, I'm channeling Bob Wells all the way in this one!)!

The amazing musicians working on the album, Rick Sparks (Reno area Blugrasser), Dan Mikeal, Don Carpenter, & Bene' Michael (from Max Yasgur's Farm and the Voo-Doo-Dogz), Larry Yarborough (max Yasgur's Farm and The Billy Hill Band), Dan Pike (Zero Theory), Dave Hoffner (Michael Martin Murphy), Ron De la Vega (The Crickets), Chas Williams (Nancy Griffith and author of THE NASHVILLE NUMBER SYSTEM) and Ron Krasinski ( Seals & Crofts, Barry Manlow, ....). 

I am self funding this album project, so I am depending on all of you to stream or download or purchase my other albums (NEW CLOTHES and SALUTE) to help me pay for the new EPIPHANY album. And, of course, Buy EPIPHANY when it comes out!