Pursuing A Lifetime Interest
For me, music and the guitar are an essential part of life. As a child I loved to sing, listen to the big console stereo in the living room, and conduct the orchestra to my parent's LPs. Noting my interest in music, my parents arranged for clarinet lessons, followed by violin and piano lessons. None took hold.
When I was 12, a cheap, well-used Stella guitar appeared under the Christmas tree. My Mom still says it's the best gift she ever gave me, and it did change my life. From that day, I've had a guitar in my hands for much of the past 50+ years.
I began with basic chords, spent months after school learning barre chords, and used the guitar to accompany songs. Even wrote a few. My first good guitar was a used hand-made classical from Spain, and that lead me to fingerstyle playing - still my preferred style.
In junior high I formed a partnership with my friend John, and we played together until we left for different colleges - duos and in a band. The
guitar was part of my identity in college, and afterwards as I tried various ways to make a living. Even did a stint in my late 20's and early 30's playing for a (meager) living, doing over 100 gigs a year in restaurants and bars.
In late 1980, I had the opportunity to play dulcimer on Charlie Murphy's Catch the Fire album, recorded in Nashville. Then in 1983, when son Graham was just over a year old, I recorded an album of original songs entitled Toneweave.
Having a family, I had to put music on hold, and after getting a Master's in business, I began working in the pro audio industry, for companies like Electro-Voice, Clear-Com, and Meyer Sound. Later had the opportunity to write articles on related subjects for magazines.
Over a dozen years ago, I began playing gigs again, mainly with my partner and wife Eva Bagno. Great to play again! And this past Fall, I recorded a CD of 20 solo acoustic guitar pieces - entitled Autumn Winds. It's my first release since Toneweave.
