Guitar Strap Button Holder

I have been a musician since the age of 11 when I knocked out television show themes by ear on the family piano. Prior to that, I appreciated music but did not make any attempts at making my own other than singing along with the radio.

I picked up my first acoustic guitar at age 14 and did my best to play the simpler tunes of my musical heroes at the time, many of whom were electric guitarists. Consequently, I wound up stringing my acoustic guitar with ultralight gauge strings to emulate electric styles.

By age 17 I had acquired a Fender Jazzmaster and got more deeply into electric guitar styles. I was quite a fan of Jimi Hendrix (still am) and had the good fortune to meet him in person in 1970 in Honolulu while attending an impromptu concert given for a small audience for people who couldn’t get tickets to the sold out performance at the Blaisdell Center Arena earlier that night. It was held in Thomas Square Fountain (which was dry at the time) adjacent to the concert hall. I heard and saw Jimi play the Voodoo Child Slight Return from about 8 feet away and it changed my life. I shook his hand before he left for Maui.

Sadly, Jimi died shortly thereafter. I had a strong desire to continue what he had started, so I undertook not only to play his songs but to learn his influences. I had remembered him saying that he liked Bach in an interview, so I began to study Bach and learned to appreciate polyphonic music. This soon led to an appreciation of Beethoven and eventually most of classical music. For most of the 1970’s I was immersed in classical music and concentrated on piano, synthesizers and recording studio technology.

The 1980’s marked my re-entry into the world of popular music, my re-embracing of electric guitar and my first experiences with performing:

• I debuted as a rhythm guitarist for singer Joseph Serrao. I was surprised to see people get up and dance when I covered Hank Williams’ “Your Cheatin’ Heart.” The gig was short-lived.
• I got together with several of my friends including Joanie Kumatsu to create an experimental band called Bobo Handshake. (A “bobo handshake” was a karmic consequence of doing things full-out or “being bobo” hence the philosophy of the band). We started out learning Reggae and soon branched out to Ska, Punk, New Wave and Blues.  We got favorable reviews from as far away as New York City, but I soon found out that it was hard to fill a club playing anything but top 40’s or Hawaiian in Honolulu, so I left for Austin, TX.
• Austin was a learning experience. Unfortunately, it was no longer the small town that prided itself on being a cradle for original talent, so I left after about a year.
• By 1986 I found myself in Santa Cruz, CA and became a rhythm guitarist for Gary Martin’s Blue Magic for the better part of a year. We hosted a Blues open mic at Callahan’s Pub and I got a chance to play with quite a few of the local Blues talent.
• In 1994 I was introduced to the Strawberry Music Festival and gained an appreciation for Bluegrass music. I had the good fortune to be working at the Fallgrass Festival somewhat later and met Bill Monroe in person. A small group of us held hands as Bill said grace over apple pie just prior to his going onstage.
• I later moved to San Jose and my next door neighbor, Jim Fowler was also a musician/songwriter. We worked up a set as a duo and performed in 2001. Jim also introduced me to the Northern California Songwriters Association. I attended their conference and learned quite a bit about songwriting.
• After a lull in my musicianship, I became re-inspired when I met Tes at the Universal Temple of Higher Consciousness in Escondido about 2008. They held regular Friday night live events and I found myself participating in these regularly.
• My commitment to music did not really kick into high gear until I was diagnosed with cancer in May of 2014. I realized that putting things on the back burner was no longer an option no matter how much or how little time I had left. I invested in the performance equipment I needed and resumed both practice and songwriting.
• My old buddy Jim Fowler invited me to perform original songs in Saratoga, CA and they were well-received. This encouraged me to devote more time to developing my music. As fate would have it, I re-connected with Tes and Stu and we are collaborating.