About Me
 
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1977 Sarasota, FL | 2015 Key West |
 
How I wound up in Key West-
 
I grew up in the Chicago area, and played in a lot of garage bands during high school. My first gig
was at a sock hop at St. Viator's High School, opening for Ted Nugent's band (he was a sophomore there at the time).
 
I attended the DePaul University School of Music, and studied classical guitar with Jack Cecchini.
Jack was (and is) a brilliant musician and educator who played with Harry Belafonte and Peggy Lee at
the peak of their fame. I earned a Bachelor of Music there.
 
After that I spent most of the 70's playing bass in show bands (where the money was), and touring the
eastern U.S. We played in Florida a lot, and I wound up back in school at the University of Miami.
 
I got my Master's degree in bass from the U.M. jazz program, and took a job playing on the cruise ship
Nordic Prince. That's when things really changed. Though I got to work with many fine singers
and musicians, it was easy to see that the ship's steel band was having all the fun. I spent seven years
exploring the islands and learning the music. I knew that Calypso, Soca, and Reggae was what I wanted to play.
 
I moved to Key West in 1988 because I saw that it was a place I could make a living playing Caribbean music.
I taught myself steel pan, and people say that's what they want to hear. I won't argue.
 
 
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