BIOGRAPHY

I was born in Baltimore, Maryland 76 years ago, but spent most of my childhood in Virginia, of which 7th grade through college was just outside Harrisonburg, Virginia “In the Heart of the Shenandoah Valley!” My dad was a Presbyterian Minister, Navy Chaplin, and an Administrator of a Home for the Aging, while my mother was a Latin/English High School teacher and loved the piano. Like many artists, I cut my teeth on music in a weekly church pew or choir loft and listening to the radio at night on my bed. I formed a singing group in high school called the “BC Five”, saved up and bought a Fender Sunburst Stratocaster in 1964, and played guitar in a band at dances during high school. ​I graduated from VA Tech in Mechanical Engineer in 1970. I have no military history having missed the first Viet Nam Draft Lottery. Upon graduation I went on to James Madison Univer., graduating in 1972 with an MBA. I got married, and we moved across the country to California to pursue a career with a military weapons/systems corporation. From 1972 to 1979, we moved to Dallas, Texas, and then St. Louis, MO to continue to work in military design and manufacturing, gathering two lovely daughters along the way. In 1979 we move to Nashville, TN to work as Program Manager at the Aerostructure Corp. adjacent to the Nashville Airport; and lived out on the Percy Priest Lake Drive. This is where I regained my Virginia country music roots through Printers’ Alley, the Ryman and any other establishment big enough for a stage. But then another major career opportunity came up, and we moved back to Southern California in 1984 to Irvine, CA. While living in Irvine, a good friend of my wife had a sad story how her married son contracted cancer and died in the hospital. During those days, his little son would crawl up on the bed and up into his arms to hold each other. She heard that I was considering some renewed songwriting; and she asked if I could write a song to share her memories. The result was “In Daddy’s Arms.” It’s an attachment to this website and registered in BMI. I gave her 50% of the Writer Share since she gave me the idea/details.  Soaring Eagle Music Company did the demo production.  Also, during this period while visiting back home to Virginia, I met with a friend of my wife’s family, Bobby Campbell, who sang with the Quartet “The Coachmen” from Staunton, VA (which is also home of the Statler Brothers). He had a particular interest in my song “Three Roses.” I registered it in BMI while giving him 50/50 Writer credits for modifying one stanza and recording my work. They started to include it in their shows, and I understand that it was a show favorite. Many years later, I found out through research that they included it in a CD called “Going Home.” That was almost 30 years ago. ** I recently found a copy of the CD through Amazon, but that’s all I have. (See References) No royalty information was sought or passed on. Both Bobby & his wife have passed on since. The original “Three Roses” is included in the 1993-95 list of recordings; as well as a separate, completely new version I created which provides more story, visuals and emotion. The common chorus in both versions giving them the Hook was my sole songwriting development. It is in the latest set of recordings as “Three Roses All Red, White and Gold,” where BMI required a new title. It is in the process of new registration for this new version as well.