Qualifications
I've composed, arranged, produced, and played for over 35years in the music industry, 27 of those years professionally.

Work History
I started out playing gospel in 1970 at the very young age of 14. I would travel across the U.S. during summer vacation from school on gospel tours as a bassist and background vocalist, this is where I established my foundational roots in music. At the age of 16, I graduated to playing Hard Rock, R&B and Top 40 Pop music in hotels and clubs in my hometown of Cleveland, Ohio as well as doing recitals with the choir from my high school. I had also started to teach bass lessons at a Music Store in Cleveland Heights, Ohio called “Mayfield Music”.
Between the ages of 18 and 20 I graduated to playing fusion, Jazz and pop jazz. I fell in love with the freedom of this style and I still enjoy playing and recording this for myself to this day. Between the age of 19 and 23 I was touring through an agency all across the U.S. playing with numerous bands and ensembles as a freelance bassist, entertainer and vocalist. I had set up base in Madison Wisconsin and studied on my free time privately with “Richard Davis” the former upright bassist for Miles Davis and many other jazz artists.
I had also set up my own private band for whenever I was in Madison to do live shows on the University of Wisconsin’s campus and it was here that I was first introduced to McCoy Tyner and Al Jarreau. Richard Davis had informed him that there was a young kid he was teaching that had exceptional talent and that I would be playing that night while he was in town and that he should go and see my late show after his concert. Al Jarreau agreed and he and Richard Davis showed up about 10:45pm and the rest was history for me.
I was offered the bass/vocal position with his band at the age of 22, flown to Los Angeles, assigned a new agent and agency (Patrick Rains Associates) and thrust into the professional music world right at its top level. I spent 3 years touring with Al Jarreau while recording with the likes of Kenny Loggins (I recorded the hit song “Heart to Heart” from his AIRPLANE album), Michael McDonald, touring with Ray Parker Jr. as his music director, The Jazz Crusaders, David Sanborn, War, Aalon, The soul group Bloodstone, Chuck Berry, Jimmy Smith, Alex Acuna, and in Brazil with Tania Maria, and Hermeto Pascual. Along with the touring I did a lot of studio work with the likes of Billy Davis and Marilyn McCoo and many others.
While doing all of this I still found time to do lots of commercials and I entered a contest held by BMI for songwriting in which they chose 10 people from across the country to study (with Burt Bacharach, Carol King, Al McKay (from Earth Wind & Fire and a few others)) the art of composing. I won a position for the 3 month intense program and graduated from it with flying colors.
I managed to juggle all of these obligations while touring and after a few tours to Japan I was offered to come here to do seminars for Yamaha Music, Korg, and a bass company called Aria in 1983. Upon arriving here the itinerary was expanded to include “Feeling” seminars as well. The sponsors were well impressed with my seminars and Aria offered to sponsor me if I would like to come to Japan to teach, play and continue my personal pursuits of recording for myself. I pondered the offer and made a decision to move here in January of 1984 and thus began a whole new chapter to my music career.
Upon arriving in Japan I was given an agent (Makoto Miura) and an agency in Ginza to handle my affairs. I was immediately cast to tour with Yazawa Eiikichi and while doing that flying back and forth to Tokyo to do a massive amount of studio work. I continued to work from 1984 recording and touring with a great many Japanese recording artists as well as teaching at a music school known as An Music School that was based in Roppongi at that time. I taught ensemble as well as private classes in all styles of music. My ensemble classes won the top awards for 2 consecutive years while I taught there. Unfortunately the demands on my schedule became to much and I had to resign from teaching there. I formed a band called Chicken Shack that went to the top of the jazz charts upon there first release. I subsequently went on to do 3 more albums with the group before going solo. I’ve also recorded and toured in Japan with the likes of Takanaka Masayoshi, Ueda Masaki, Nagamine Yasuko, Anri, Char…and many many more. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.