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 I first became musically aware in 1964 when I saw the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show. I was in the first grade. From then on I knew I wanted to play guitar in a band. After much hinting around, I got my first guitar, a Suzuki nylon string, for Christmas in 1965. The following spring I bought my first record album, The Monkees second album that included Not Your Steppin' Stone and I'm A Believer. I'd put the record on and play along, and several of the kids in the neighborhood would join in.
In the seventh grade I had a music teacher named Mrs. Pearl who'd stay after school and coach me and several others on the popular music of the day including songs from the Beatles White Album, Hey Jude, Abbey Road and much of the folk rock that was in full bloom.
The next year I became one of the guitarists in the EYC and HYC Episcopal youth groups in Seattle and played countless folk masses and church functions. But this was mostly folksy stuff.
However, in the ninth grade in 1972, I saw the Rolling Stones on their Exile On Mainstreet tour. My cousin "Ted" Newman Jones was their guitar tech at the time so I got in free and sat right next to the stage. I was mostly deaf for the next two weeks, but was blown away by the power of the electric guitar filling the Seattle Coliseum, especially in the hands of Keith Richards. That year I got a no name electric guitar and began to teach myself tunes that I play still. Tunes from Creedence, the Beatles, the Stones, Cream, and whatever was popular at the time. I then began trying to write songs that sounded like the Stones.
In 1973, I hooked up with drummer Al Schwartz and Kurt Christensen. We started playing in Al's parent's living room. We worked on Steppen Wolf, CSNY, Chicago, Black Sabbath, Santana, Kiss and Hendrix, as well as the previously mentioned tunes. Our first gig was at a spaghetti dinner that spring at Hammond High School in Alexandria, Virginia. We practiced fairly regularly and played a few parties through high school. Kurt and I also played a few two-guitar coffee house gigs.
In college I played solo and duets doing Neil Young tunes and other folksy stuff. I occasionally sat in on lead guitar for other aspiring acts. I ran into many really good musicians and jammed a lot, but never found the confidence and opportunity to get into a real band. During college I found that I preferred to drink beer more than just about anything else and my musical aspirations got put on hold for about 10 years until I got sober in 1988.
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