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HERE'S MY STORY AND I'LL TRY TO KEEP IT SHORT.... I GUESS IF I HAD TO PUT A DATE ON IT... THE MUSIC SEED WAS PLANTED IN ME WHEN MY MOTHER BOUGHT ME MY FIRTS DRUM SET BACK IN 1970 SOMETHIN. AS A LITTLE BOY, SOMEHOW I KNEW THERE WAS SOMETHING ABOUT THE DRUMS THAT JUST FIT. A FEW YEARS LATER MY UNCLE JIMMY, AN EX -JAZZ DRUMMER, GAVE ME ONE OF HIS OLD KITS AND I THEN BECAME THE KID WHO EVERYONE AT CHURCH WANTED TO KICK OFF OF THE DRUMS..... BUT MY MOM LOVED TO SEE ME UP THERE "BEATING" THOSE DRUMS. (EVEN IF I DID SUCK.) BY THE TIME I REACHED 13 YEARS OLD I WAS ABLE TO ROCK A STEADY BEAT AND I GOT MY VERY FIRST PROFESSIONAL (PAYING) GIG. THAT WAS IT! THE MUSICIAN IN ME WAS BORN! MY MOM STILL LOVES TO SEE ME "BEATING" THE DRUMS AND I STILL TO THIS DAY HAVE TO REMIND HER THAT I'M A MUSICIAN AND I DON'T BEAT THE DRUMS.... I "PLAY" THE DRUMS;0) IT DIDN'T STOP THERE, I BEGAN PLAYING DRUMS AND SINGING IN SCHOOL GROUPS AND EVEN STRETCHED OUT INTO THE THEATER... I PERFORMED AS AN ACTOR WITH COLUMBUS OHIO'S CENTER STAGE THEATER, AND I KNEW FOR SURE THAT THE STAGE WAS MY PLATFORM TO EXCAPE MY SHYNESS AND EXPRESS MY PASSION. MY VERY FIRST GROUP WAS CALLED PERFECT BLEND. ME AND SOME OF MY HIGH SCHOOL BUDIES WROTE OUR OWN TUNES AND PERFORMED IN LOCAL TALENT SHOWS AROUND TOWN. AFTER HIGH SCHOOL I ENROLLED AT OTTERBEIN COLLEGE AS A MUSICAL THEATER MAJOR. AFTER A COUPLE OF YEARS THERE I TRANSFERED TO THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY AS A MUSIC EDUCATION/ VOICE MAJOR. AT THE SAME TIME I BEGAN PERFORMING WITH GOSPEL GREAT KEITH DOBBINS AND RESSURECTION. I RECORDED 2 ALBUMS WITH HIS GROUP AND WE TOURED EXTENSIVELY THROUGHOUT THE U.S., CANADA AND ENGLAND. THROUGH A TWIST OF FATE OR DEVINE INTERVENTION I HAD TO LEAVE COLLEGE (I RAN OUT OF MONEY ) AND ABOUT A YEAR LATER I FOUND MYSELF IN GERMANY PLAYING DRUMS AND SINGING WITH BOB SINGLETON'S GOLDEN GOSPEL SINGERS. WE TOURED ALL OVER WESTERN EUROPE. GERMANY, SWITZERLAND, AUSTRIA, BELGIUM, ITALY, LUXEMBURG, FRANCE. THAT EXPERIENCE CHANGED MY LIFE.... AT THAT POINT I KNEW THERE WAS NO TURNING BACK... I DID THE GOLDEN GOSPELS FOR A COUPLE OF YEARS AND FELT THAT IF I WANTED TO DO MUSIC I NEEDED TO LEAVE OHIO. SO, I MOVED TO GERMANY. SHORTLY THERE AFTER, I SIGNED MY VERY FIRST RECORD DEAL WITH BKB PRODUCTIONS. A GERMAN BASED COMPANY WHO PRODUCED A GROUP BY THE NAME OF STEPAHEAD. WE WERE A GROUP OF 5 YOUNG INTERNATIONAL GUYS. JOSE JALDON OF SPAIN VIA SWITZERLAND ON GUTIAR, JASON DIBLER OF DETROIT, CURRENTLY L.A. ON BASS, ANDREW PANTON OF SCOTTLAND ON KEYBOARDS, JAKE WEASTEL OF ENGLAND ON GUTIAR AND LEAD VOX, AND MYSELF ON DRUMS AND LEAD VOX. TOGETHER WE RECORDED 3 SINGLES. FREE, STRAIGHT FROM YOUR HEART AND HIGHEST MOUNTAIN. WE FILMED OUR VIDEOS IN N.Y.C., BERLIN AND NORWAY. ALL THREE SONGS ENTERED THE TOP 100 WITH HEAVY VIDEO ROTATION. WE TRAVELLED ALL OVER THE PLACE.. MORE OF EUROPE, CUBA AND OUR MUSIC EVEN REACHED RUSSIA AND ASIA. THAT WAS AN INDUSTRY LEARNING EXPERIENCE. SOME VERY HARD TIMES AND SOME VERY VERY FUN TIMES! THOSE TIMES WERE COOL BUT, I KNEW THAT I DIDN'T WANT TO END MY CAREER IN A TEENY BOPPER BOY BAND. I FEEL THAT THE ONLY THING WORSE THAN NOT REACHING YOUR GOAL IS BEING SUCCESSFUL DOING SOMETHING THAT DOESN'T FULLFILL YOUR SPIRIT. AFTER ABOUT 2 YEARS IT WAS TIME FOR US TO CALL IT QUITS. I BEGAN FREE LANCING AROUND GERMANY. DOING THE CLUB GIG THING, CORPERATE GALA GIG THING, VOICE OVERS, STUDIO SESSIONS AND WHAT NOT. ABOUT A YEAR LATER I SIGNED MY FIRST SOLO DEAL WITH THE PRODUCTION DUO THE SUPERBOYS. I RECORED 2 SINGLES WITH THOSE COOL GERMAN DUDES. AND WE RELEASED THEM THROUGH POP STAR - SUPERSTAR RECORDS, DISTRIBUTED BY E.M.I. AND UNIVERSAL GERMANY. MY FIRST SOLO SINGLE "SOMEWHERE OUT THERE," USED A SAMPLE FROM GEORGE LUCAS' STAR WARS. IT REACHED 66 ON THE GERMAN TOP 100. AND THE VIDEO WAS IN HIGH ROTATION. MY SECOND SINGLE "TOM'S DINER, DO MY THANG" DID QUITE WELL ON RADIO, AND HAD A VERY COOL ANIMATED VIDEO TO GO WITH IT. IT'S STILL COOL TO WATCH THE VIDEO AND SEE A CARTOON VERSION OF MYSELF.... ONE DAY I'LL FIGURE OUT HOW TO PUT IT ON MYSPACE. AFTER I FINISHED MY CONTRACTUAL OBLIGATIONS WITH POPSATR RECORDINGS I DECIDED TO FREE LANCE AGAIN. AT THIS POINT I HAD A REAL GROWTH SPURT AS A MUSICIAN. MY SONGWRITING AND STAGE PERFORMING ROSE TO NEW HIGHTS. I ALSO BEGAN SINGING WITH AN A CAPELLA BAND CALLED HARMONY CENTRAL. THAT WAS A LOT OF FUN... A REAL BAND, USING NOTHING BUT OUR VOICES AND MICS. WITH HARMONY CENTRAL I TOURED MORE OF EUROPE FROM THE NORTH SEA ALL THE WAY DOWN TO PORTUGAL. AFTER A YEAR OR SO, I KNEW THAT I HAD DONE EVERYTHING I NEEDED TO DO IN EUROPE (AT LEAST FOR THE TIME BEING) AND IT WAS TIME TO RETURN TO THE STATES. CURENTLY I RESIDE IN ATLANTA, GEORGIA AND I AM AN ACTIVE MEMBER OF THE SWEET AUBURN THEATER COMPANY. I HAD MY INTRODUCTION INTO THE ATLANTA THEATER WORLD IN THE LEAD ROLE OF A DRAMA TITLED TAPESTRY OF SHADOWS. I TEACH MUSIC TO YOUNG CHILDREN (SO COOL) AND I'M ALSO THE DIRECTOR OF A TEENAGE CREATIVE ARTS GROUP CALLED AREA 51... IN THIS WORLD BUT NOT OF IT. IN ADDITION TO SONG WRITTING, RECORDING, PRODUCING, PERFORMING.....I AM CURRENTLY WRITING CHILDREN STORIES AND WILL SOON LOOK TO HAVE THEM PUBLISHED. IF THAT ISN'T ENOUGH, I'VE BEEN BUSY IN THE STUDIO WRITTING AND RECORDING FOR OTHERS AS WELL AS MYSELF AND PLAN TO RELEASE AN INDY PROJECT SOMTIME IN '07. I'VE BEEN AFORDED THE OPPORTUNITY TO EITHER WORK WITH OR SHARE THE STAGE WITH NAMES SUCH AS KEITH DOBBINS, YOLANDA ADAMS, THE WINANS, COMMISSIONED, THE BACK STREET BOYS, NSYNC, MADONA, LA BOUCHE, KIRK FRANKLIN, HEZIKIAH WALKER, DONALD LAWRENCE, LIONEL RICHIE, MELANIE THORNTON AND A SLEW OF OTHERS. I'VE DONE SO MUCH IN A SHORT AMOUNT OF TIME, AND FOR THAT I AM TRULY GREATFUL! HOWEVER, I KNOW THERE IS MORE TO DO BECAUSE I AM HIGHLY FAVORED OF GOD AND MY GIFTS WILL MAKE ROOM FOR ME. A GOOD FRIEND AND FORMER MANAGER GAVE SOME OF THE BEST ADVICE EVER... SHE SAID IN THIS BUSSINESS THERE IS SO MUCH HYPE. IT'S AN INDUSRTY FULL OF IMAGES THAT AREN'T TRUE. JUST REMEMBER THAT YOU ARE NOT THE HYPE AND THE HYPE IS NOT YOU. STAY TRUE..... SO THAT'S WHAT I TRY TO DO. STAY TRUE TO THE SPIRIT OF MUSIC AND CREATIVITY THAT DWELLS WITHIN MY SOUL.
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