My dad and I pickin' on the porch on the
ranch where I live and work part time.

I grew up with music.

I developed a love for the guitar by putting my ear against the speaker when my dad would play his Gibson SG through his old Alamo tube amp. My folks bought me an acoustic guitar around the time I was 13, but I loved to play his Gibson electric. I was able to learn the guitar pretty well by seeing my dad play and learning a few songs and chords from him. The rest I picked up from Willie, Waylon and Merle CD's. Those are my biggest influences, along with George Strait and Dwight Yoakum.

 
I remember hearing my mother sing & whistle while she got supper ready or doing the dishes. I would sit in front of their stereo system and play Elvis records and 8 track cassettes 'till I knew every word. I took piano lessons for a little while, but only wanted to play boogie woogie, so my teachers were pretty frustrated. The lessons didn't last very long. However, all of these influences were teaching me the relationships between notes and how to find a pitch by ear, both with instruments and vocally.

Around the age of 12, I sang my first solo at The First Nazarene Church in Waxahachie, TX. The song was "Oh Buddha" by The Imperials. This was followed by many performances of popular Christian songs and Christmas carols.

Around the age of 24, I started playing and singing in Opry's all around Texas, most notably The Grapevine Opry, where the photo from my home page was taken. I was a regular on The Grapevine Opry, as well as The Mesquite Opry, The Carrollton Opry, and The Pleasant Jamboree in Mt. Pleasant, TX. I have also appeared on The Johnny High Show in Arlington. I did this for a few years, but grew tired of singing the same old songs by the same old people. I wanted to write my own songs, but somehow couldn't. Everything came out sounding like Merle Haggard, and let's face it, there is only ONE Merle Haggard.

In 1998 the company I worked for was sold to another company. Some of the employees got jobs with the new company and some didn't. I spoke with a good friend about how some employees were treated differently, and he told me "you've got to have something people want". At that time, suddenly I was able to write songs that sounded like my own. Then the songs really started flooding in. That was several years ago, and they haven't stopped yet.

This is my first album. All of the songs listed on the album page are my original lyrics and music. The producer didn't have to change much. We used all of my arrangements as well.

So there you have it. My album of original Texas Country music that we hope you enjoy and will pass on to your friends and family.