I started playing as a kid growing up in Macon, GA back in the early 1970's. Being from Macon, my influences were the Allman Brothers, Marshall Tucker Band, Wet Willie, etc... I also played in several bluegrass bands while in college to earn a little extra money. After college, my musical ambitions took a backseat to earning a real living...
As often happens, time moves on and dreams fade into the realities of life. I basically stopped playing (on a regular basis) when I was around 25 yrs old to pursue a career and raise a family. When I turned 50 I decided to see if I could still play. I'll let you be the judge of that...
I've played with a lot of bands over the years, but none that anyone has ever heard of. Some were really good, some were not so good. They all had that soulful southern blues rock vibe going on, though. I guess you can't escape your roots, and that's just fine with me.
I love playing live. I generally play at music halls, blues bars, theaters, private events, and outdoor festivals. Hell, I'll play just about anywhere if people will listen.
Duane Allman, Dickey Betts, Toy Caldwell, Ricky Hirsch, Elvin Bishop, and other so-called "Southern Blues Rock" pickers have influenced my "style" (for lack of a better word)... A few names that aren't on this list are Charlie Reynolds, Larry Tankersley, and Ricky Sorrells from the old days in Macon, GA. These guys taught me just about everything I know about "improvising in the groove".
Three (3) Gibson Les Pauls (Standard Burst, Studio Light-Burst & LP Deluxe Gold Top w P-90's), Germino Masonette (25 watt hand wired "plexi clone") with a Tone Tubby 2x12 cabinet, Peavey Delta Blues (back-up). I don't use pedals anymore - I just crank the amp up, plug in and go. That's what volume controls on the guitar are for.
I wish I knew more about "desktop recording". It would be nice to be able to edit out some of the goofs on the tracks I posted. There are parts of my recordings that I really like, and then there are some phrases that just don't quite work for me. I would like to be able to do more mixing and over-dubbing so that the end product sounded more professional. At this point, my stuff is a one-take improvisation from beginning to end...
