Music is tradition for me. Great-granddad fiddled, Granddad fingerpicked blues, and Dad accompanied his rich baritone with flatpicked country guitar. Mom’s cousin, Monroe Gevedon, was a Kentucky fiddler recorded by the Library of Congress in the 1930’s.

At family gatherings I’d watch my father, grandparents, uncles and aunts laughing, singing and playing guitar. That was the best music I’ve ever heard.

I’ve been writing songs all my life. I want my songs to be like the timeless folk and blues songs. I’ve glanced at the books on how to write hit songs but I don't get it. They tell you to avoid poetry—but the old folk songs I love are full of poetry! They tell you never repeat any section more than twice, and to get to the chorus within a few seconds--but most of the great folk and blues tunes I love may aren’t afraid of repeating simple structures and often don’t even have choruses. Those songs have endured hundreds of years--I don’t think many hit songs will last that long.

New Blues, Deep Roots

Music is tradition for me. My great-grandfather played fiddle, Graddad was a fingerpicker with a fondness for blues, and Dad was a flatpicker with a rich baritone. Mother’s cousin, Monroe Gevedon, was a Kentucky fiddler who with his family was recorded for the Library of Congress in the 1930’s.

My musical inspiration was family gatherings watching my Dad, grandparents, and uncles and aunts singing and playing guitar. That was the best music I’ve ever heard.

I’ve been writing songs as far back as I can remember. When I was five or so I remember talking my Grandparents into giving me a nickel for every song I could write. I sat in the back of their sedan, making up songs, at one point realizing that one of those songs seemed a little too close to songs I already knew.

Music is my life but I don’t strive for a “career”. I love to perform but I don’t take requests unless it’s for one of my songs. I glance at the books on how to write hit songs and realize I don’t want to write that kind of song. For example, they tell you to avoid poetry in your songs-- the old folk songs I love are full of poetry! They tell you never repeat any section more than twice—but the great songs are often simply structured quatrains or 12 bars of blues that are repeated until the story is finished! They tell you to get to the chorus within a few seconds, but most of the great folk and blues tunes I love don’t even have choruses. Those songs have endured hundreds of years--I don’t think many hit songs will last that long.