PAGE 1 I began playing guitar around age 14. I took a few lessons and learned my chords on a Blue Chip Stamp guitar my mother had gotten for me. I learned how to harmonize by listening repeatedly to The Beatle's albums. It was easiest to pick out the Paul McCartney vocal lines. As I became better able to strum and switch chords I began to pen my own songs. I wrote some extremely corny, "Moon in June", love songs at first, fueled by teen aged romance, naturally. As time went on I collected a greater diversity of influences adding to The Beatle's such favorites as: The Eagles, Credence Clearwater Revival early on, and then Elvis Costello, Joe Jackson, The Cars, The Police, Squeeze, INXS, Huey Lewis, The Knack, and David Bowie. I really like the way Elvis Costello plays with lyrics, using disassociated activities as analogs for the pursuits, characteristics, or situations within a story line. This tactic helps him to drive home a poetic and yet more concise idea or moral for his songs. When I write a song, I get the most satisfaction from developing this kind of product. After several years, throughout my teens, of forming groups with siblings, school friends, and cousins, I was able to begin meeting musicians with whom I could build a professional act. My first regular nightclub appearances began in the early 1980's with a band called The Likes. The Likes were founded by myself and singer, guitarist, song writer, Warren Waldorf. The act lasted from it's garage apprenticeship on into it's professional gigging heyday of 1985 with Warren and I as the main singers and writers. It was a great run. We had dealt with personnel changes, especially with drummers, and learned how to perform for the San Jose club goers of that time. We had energy, plans, belief, and determination. We wanted to make it big with our songs and our act. BIO PAGES: NEXT