Music

Before I went to work for Deneba Software, I was a professional musician. My interest in drumming developed as a child in New York, which resulted in the following musical journey.

The first band I ever played with was in Junior High school named "The Invaders". We played school and church dances and my deep love for music began to grow. In the summer of 1964, just prior to my junior year in High School, I worked with a band at the Metropole Cafe on Broadway in Manhattan. Our little group of young musicians found ourselves playing opposite a jazz quartet of legends that included Charlie Ventura and Teddy Wilson. The group was led by my childhood hero, drummer, Gene Krupa. This kind, talented and generous man inspired me to pursue what was only a dream back then. The band I was working with eventually became a group named the Dick Watson Five, who recorded a pop-music version of the songs from the broadway show "Baker Street".

After high school, I moved to Detroit Michigan and studied drums at the Detroit Institute of Musical Art. I then spent a number of years performing, with a variety of R&B artist at local venues, some you may have heard of; Cody Black, Edwin Starr, Wilson Pickett, rock vocalist Ruth Copeland and others. In 1969 I met Ike Stubblefield, a phenomenal Hammond B3 organ player who was equally talented on the Mini Moog and other keyboard instruments. Ike has had a good careea as a song writer, performer and producer in North America and Europe. We met an excellent arranger named Bill Jones, who played all the saxes and flutes and together we formed a band named "The Store".

In 1970 the band relocated to Chicago and played the local clubs. The group disbanded the same year and we went in different directions. I joined an excellent rock band named "Smoke" in Toledo, Ohio, where I stayed for one year. I then moved to San Francisco and reconnected with Ike in another excellent R&B group named "Ruby Delicious". This was a short run and by early 1972, Ike and I found ourselves in my home town, New York. We had the pleasure of meeting George Benson at the Club Le Baron in Harlem. George was gracious and invited us to the bandstand to sit in. This was 40 minutes I'll never forget, a great experience playing with Ike on the B3 and George Benson on Guitar!

In July 1972 I settled in Miami Florida with a nightclub cover band from New York that Ike and I had been traveling with named "Sweet Beginnings". From this group an original band was formed named "The OZONE Band". During this time I also recorded a demo with Steven Stills.

In 1974 I got a call from Bill Jones who asked me if I was available for a gig with Martha Reeves. I jumped on the oportunity, learned their repitoire on the way up and met the band and Martha in Chicago. You may remember Martha and the Vandellas as one of Motown's successes in the 60's and 70's with the hit songs; Dancing in the Street, Heatwave, Jimmy Mack, Come Get These Memories, and more. This is one classy lady. Martha had a great following and through her we met some of the greats like Mick Jaggar, Joni Mitchell and Stevie Wonder who sat in with the band at the Troubadour in Los Angeles.

One of the best things about working with Martha was playing in a band from Springfield, Missouri named "Granny's Bathwater". That's right you heard me; Granny's Bathwater. This band was filled with very talented people playing great R & B and jazz from the heart without the help of sequencers or drum machines.

Ike joined Granny's in the Mid '70s and when we were not working with Martha, the band wrote and recorded more original music and performed it all over the mid-west and southern US. Here's a sample of Granny's music but beware, this is not for the timid or faint of heart. TURN UP YOUR SPEAKERS and rock on with Granny's Bathwater

While in Springfield I worked with "The Benny Mahan Band" for a while. Benny is one of the most versitile vocalist I have ever worked with. He has a rich soulful voice and could sing just about anything. Benny was a featured vocalist with Granny's from time to time.

Granny's also recorded with Larry Lee of the Ozark Mountain Daredevils. Larry is an excellent song writer and vocalist. I was very pleased to participate on the recording of Larry's original music.

When Granny's disbanded in 1978 I moved back to Miami, Florida where I teamed up again with Ike Stubblefield in a band named "Expresso". The band featured some great original tunes. Ike and I colaborated on original music outside of Expresso as well.

During this time I consulted on the Eagles Album "In The Long Run" providing a sound effect with an old analog SYNARE 3 for their hit song, "Heartache Tonight". After Expresso disbanded I worked and recorded with Wayne Cockran and for various producers and local artists in Miami. I sequenced percussion tracks for arranger Juanito Marques and others as well as developed sound sample libraries.

From 1982 - 1987, I worked with an excellent 12 piece show band named "Mirage" at the Sheraton Riverhouse, in Miami, Florida. The band was lead by keyboardist Bob Curbelo and covered a wide variety of musical styles. Many talented people played for a time in this band like Dennis Noday (trumpet) from the Maynard Ferguson big band. We were fortunate to be asked to perform two songs in the pilot episode of the original "Miami Vice" TV series. It was great fun! Rent the video! I'm the bearded guy on the drums, about one hour into the story. Eddie Perez and Layla are the featured vocalists.

During this time I also had a jazz trio named "5 O'clock Shadow". Pianist Eddie Stack and bassist Bob Pruit played original treatments of jazz favorites.

My interest in the Mac developed in 1984, which was also the early days of MIDI. By 1986 I was developing a keen interest in computer graphics and pursued the subject. By 1989, this lead me to a wonderful opportunity at Deneba Software when I met Manny Menendez and he invited me to join the Deneba team. Deneba Software was aquired by ACD Systems in March of 2003, where I continue to work as the Customer Support Manager. I continued to play part time during the Deneba years in Miami, most of this time was spent with "The Danger Drew Band", lead by Greg Drew and Jamie Danger. This was another ensamble of excellent musicians with impressive resumes and a very broad repertoire that included original treatments of timeless standards, jazz, pop and show music.

The years I spent performing was a wonderful ride. I hope I am fortunate enough in the future to play with talented people like those mentioned here.

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