EARLY DAYS

I was born on March 14^th 1950 in Kamloops British Columbia, Canada.

I grew up with music playing in the house, mostly Country and Western music - artists like Marty Robbins, Hank Snow and Patsy Cline. There was an accordion and an acoustic guitar in the house which I plunked around on as a kid. My father passed away when I was 5 and my mother moved the family to Prince George, a small northern town in British Columbia.

This is where my life changed! The Beatles came on the radio and it was the most exciting thing that had happened in my life up to that point. The Beatles music captured my teenage heart; it was a beautiful experience. Their appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1962 was a “Wow” moment for me! For the first time, the idea of playing music penetrated my whole being.

I went to live with my Uncle Carl and Aunt Sharon in Quesnel, British Columbia and music really began to occupy my mind. The radio in this small town did not play British Rock and Roll Music however, my uncle would let me go sit in his truck for a half an hour each night and listen to CFUN Radio from Vancouver. I distinctly remember hearing the Rolling Stones for the first time and the radio fading in and out because of the distance the waves had to travel, but this just added to my excitement and exhilarating experience.

Next, I managed to move to Vancouver and stay with my Aunt Bea and Uncle Bill. Now, I was in the hub of Rock & Roll music and my older brother wanted to come and live in Vancouver as well. I arranged that with Aunt Bea and we made it happen.

We attended high school and I started to learn to play guitar while my brother, Dale learned bass. We met Bryan, who became our drummer and our first group “Blackwall Basin” was formed. I loved British Rock and Roll and the first song we learned was “Gloria” by Van Morrison and THEM. We plugged everything into one amp and I had to be careful to avoid getting shocks to my lips from the microphone. My first guitar was a Canora - a very inexpensive model and hard to play. Today, I own a Fender Jazzmaster made in Japan and it is one of my favorites.

The three of us played our first engagement at the Prince George high school. I used a Fender blond Telecaster guitar and a Marshall Stack amplifier. The highlight of Blackwall Basin was our performance at the PNE (Pacific National Exhibition) in Vancouver. We were on a huge stage which had mud races in front with the audience on the other side of the mud pit. We dressed up like we were English Rock Stars and played our hearts out.

My love for English Rock n Roll has never waned; I still love it! The Beatles managed to completely change the music scene on earth more than once. In my opinion, they were the most creative band in history. Coldplay, Jeff Lynn and ELO, The Travelling Wilburys, the Who (Pete Townsend was my hero) The Rolling Stones and so many others influenced my guitar playing and singing.

I have recorded a new version of Gloria (originally by Van Morrison & THEM) to put on my first album to be released at the end of 2021. It is my tribute to the music of The British Invasion and English Rock & Roll. I also wrote a specific song about the Irish group, “The Corrs” whose music helped me through the tough period following my wife’s passing in 2020. The album’s title is “TIME TO HEAL” named after a song I wrote to personally thank the Corrs.

My love of American music started with Elvis Presley, Roy Orbison, Marty Robbins, Don Gibson, Billy Gibbons of ZZ top, and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. I feel that “Music” comes from the soul and speaks to the soul. I am inspired by many genres with Rock as my fundamental foundation.