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I was born and live in Des Moines, Iowa. I got some of my early musical education sitting in with musicians in the bars up on Forest Avenue and on Harding Road here in Des Moines. Rose Marie Webster, Luther Allison, Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee were some of the people I bugged until they would let me play harp or a little guitar with them.

I gigged around doing a solo act until I joined The Wapsie River Band in 1980. I barn stormed the Midwest with them for ten years handling vocals, guitar, slide guitar, harp and banjo. Quite a few of the songs I've written were inspired by things I saw or heard during this time of playing biker bars and dives.
 
In 1990 I went back to playing solo and soon found myself opening up for Lyle Lovett, The Band, The Austin Lounge Lizards, Dan Hicks, Jerry Jeff Walker, Norman Blake, Steve Forbert, Leon Redbone and countless Blues acts that came through town. This coupled with a weekly gig at a local hot spot, Flanagan’s, enabled me to record a couple of cds on the Hot Fudge label. I was also a part of the trio Two Bobs and a Babe which included Hot Fudge label-mates Bob Dorr and Molly Nova.

My music is Blues/Folk based but depending where I'm playing, you might find me covering a jazz standard, Robert Johnson, Lyle Lovett or doing a set of my own tunes. My Finger-picking guitar style can be traced back to my high school years of listening to Hot Tuna, Doc Watson and all the Blues and Bluegrass albums I could get my hands on. My slide playing has been influenced by Johnny Winter, Lowell George and Ry Cooder. For slide I use a '29 National and for most of my regular guitar work I use a '35 Epiphone archtop. My song writing has been heavily influenced by the Texas songwriters and tends towards self-deprecating humor.

 This year will find me playing at festivals, bar rooms, resturants, churches, many private parties and even a Bluegrass festival in August. My songs can be heard on KUNI radio. My voice can be heard on a radio add for The Dock restaurant. My music has appeared in several Public Television projects, one of which received an EMMY award!

I'm a member of the Central Iowa Blues Society and have participated in their Blues in the Schools program. I also take on a limited number of guitar students.


 

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