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My musical career spans many years (stop laughing). My age alone makes me the “elder statesman” of the band. Let’s just suffice it to say, I first started playing guitar in 1964, on the way home from the Boy Scouts National Jamboree at Valley Forge, PA. I suppose I owe it all to my brother Dave, who was too tired to teach me much more than A, C, G, D, and F. But, that was enough to learn House of the Rising Sun, and I was hooked.
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I bought my first real electric guitar in 1967 - a red Epiphone ES335 copy that I still own to this day. That same year, I played my first professional gig at the old Holiday Inn Oceanside on Lauderdale Beach. It was both a wonderful and frightening time. Thank goodness I’ve never had a problem with stage fright, because music has led me all over this country, playing and doing what I love, for more people than I can count. I had the opportunity to play for 70,000 people on two occasions - opening for the Beach Boys and opening for the Oak Ridge Boys. I must take a moment to thank those wonderful men that led me through Boy Scouting for these opportunities.
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I’ve never had a huge professional career. But it’s been very satisfying, and I’ve been blessed to play with some of the finest musicians I’ve ever known. I was never one to dream about being a rock star. For me, playing with my buddies and making people happy is all I ever wanted. I played guitar for close to 20 years before I got the chance to switch to bass. You see, all those years of playing, and I never got to play with a solid in the pocket bass man.
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The opportunity arrived in 1980, in Gainesville, Florida, when the bass player in my band at the time moved, leaving us with three capable guitarists, but no one on bass. To make a long story short, I won the coin toss, went to a pawn shop, bought a beater bass of unknown name, went home, and played Marshall Tucker, Charlie Daniels, Allman Brothers, etc., until I learned the basic bass lines, and off I went. I truly enjoy playing the bass - I think I was made to do it.
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Since those early days, I’ve been in some rather good bands. First came ‘Bad Attitude’ in Gainesville. Upon moving down to south Florida, I met up with my dear friend Dennis, who, by the way, is a damn good drummer. We formed the band ‘Reckless,’ which lasted two year. In 1990, I suffered the guitarists nightmare - I severed my left ring finger while at work. By the grace of God, a dam good plastic surgeon, and two years of physical therapy, I was back playing better than ever!
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At this time, fate intervened and I met Jim ‘Fat Back’ Korton. He was playing in a very good local blues band. When the bass player quit, Jim called and asked if I wanted to audition. I figured, what the hell, might as well. From this effort came the ‘Rhythm Riders,’ featuring my dear and close friend, and excellent musician, Bill Cerney. The Riders lasted another two years, when Bill had to leave for personal reasons. That left Jim and I floudering for a few months until my wife (and band manager) threw me out of the house one night and said don’t come home until you guys find some musicians. Neither of us knew this would lead to the forming of the Xchange Band...
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