CLICK THE PLAYER ABOVE TO HEAR - MICHAEL ALAN and "THE "SURE THING"
IT WAS 1963 WHEN MY FATHER INTRODUCED ME TO MUSIC. I HAD BEEN TO MANY OF HIS SYMPHONY CONCERTS (SEE MORE OF MY DAD'S HISTORY HERE
AND HE STARTED ME OFF WITH THE TROMBONE
IN THE 7TH GRADE OF MY JR HIGH SCHOOL BAND.
IT WAS VERY EASY TO PLAY AND I HAD A NATURAL
ABILITY BECAUSE I WAS EASILY BORED WITH THE LEVEL OF PLAY IN THE SCHOOL BANDS. THAT SAME YEAR I PICKED UP A SPANISH ACOUSTIC STYLE GUITAR FOR $20 AND STARTED TO PICK UP SOME GUITAR SONGS FROM THE RADIO.
IN 1963 THERE WAS VERY LITTLE TECHNOLOGY AROUND TO SEE AND HEAR MUSIC WITH. YOU ONLY HAD TELEVISION WHICH WAS FINALLY IN COLOR IF YOU HAD ONE. THERE WERE ONLY 3 NETWORK CHANNELS, ABC - NBC - CBS. THE SHOWS I REMEMBER WERE... ED SULLIVAN SHOW, THE JACKIE GLEASON VARIETY HOUR, DINAH SHORE SHOW, THE RED SKELETON SHOW AND LATE NIGHT WAS JACK PARR LATER REPLACED BY JOHNNY CARSON SO YOU ONLY SAW PERFORMERS THAT WERE ON THEIR SHOW. ELVIS, ROY ORBISON, JERRY LEE LEWIS AND SOME COUNTRY STARS LIKE BUCK OWENS, JOHNNY CASH ETC...WERE THE ONES I REMEMBER. IT WAS LATE 1964 WHEN THE BEATLES CAME OUT FOLLOWED BY THE ROLLING STONES AND A FEW AMERICAN BANDS LIKE PAUL REVERE AND THE RAIDERS.
IF YOU WANTED TO LEARN A SONG YOU HAD TO BUY THE RECORD SO YOU COULD PLAY IT OVER AND OVER SO YOU COULD LEARN THE GUITAR PARTS. THE RADIO AND TV ONLY GAVE YOU ONE SHOT AT HEARING ANYTHING IF YOU WERE READY WITH YOUR GUITAR SO YOU COULD PLAY ALONG. SO THE FIRST FEW SONGS I LEARNED WERE OFF THE BEATLE ALBUMS. I COULD HERE GUITAR PARTS THAT STOOD OUT LIKE ROY ORBISON's "PRETTY WOMAN" THAT WAS EASY TO REMEMBER WITHOUT THE RECORD.
I MET A FRIEND "BOB FARRIS" AT THE SCHOOL BUS STOP WHO WAS ALSO LEARNING GUITAR SO WE WOULD HANG OUT TOGETHER AFTER SCHOOL AND LEARN SONGS TOGETHER. IT WAS NOW 1965 AND WE STARTED A BAND TOGETHER. SEE MORE ABOUT OUR 1ST FEW BANDS
AT THE BEGINNING OF THE TIMELINE BY CLICKING
HERE
MY MUSICAL INFLUENCES
IT WAS STILL 1965, I WAS 15 YEARS OLD.. MY DAD BOUGHT ME A BEAUTIFUL 65 FENDER STRATOCASTER, SUNBURST IN COLOR. I WAS LEARNING HOW TO DRIVE WTIH MY FATHERS 62 CHEVY IMPALA, I HAD A FEW DIFFERENT GIRLS I WAS TRYING TO GO OUT WITH AND A FEW THAT WERE PERSUING ME. LIFE WAS GOOD. SCHOOL WAS STILL GOING OK. I ONLY HAD A FEW NEIGHBORHOOD FRIENDS BECAUSE WE LIVED IN A SECLUDED HOUSE WAY BACK IN THE WOODS SO IT WAS A 10 MINUTE WALK TO VISIT ANY OF MY NEIGHBORS. I PLAYED LITTLE LEAGUE BASEBALL IN LEWISDALE, MARYLAND IN THE SUMMERS. MY FATHER HAD A SPEEDBOAT SO I LEARNED TO HOW TO WATERSKI AND FISH. MY DAD BOUGHT ME MY OWN SPEEDBOAT WHEN I WAS 15. A COOL LITTLE 14 FT CRESTLINER SKI-BIRD. WE SWAPPED THE 75 HORSEPOWER ENGINE FROM HIS BOAT AND TOOK IT OUT A FEW TIMES. STRANGE BECAUSE I DIDN'T DRIVE YET UNTIL I WAS 16 SO I COULD NEVER USE IT ON MY OWN.
AFTER THE SUMMER AND BOATING SEASON WAS OVER, SCHOOL STARTED AGAIN AND NOW I WAS DRIVING AND THE BANDS I WAS IN HAD A FEW JOBS. NOT MUCH MONEY BUT LOTS OF FUN AND A GREAT LEARNING EXPERIENCE. IN A BAND YOU HAVE TO BE LIKE A FAMILY AND A BUISNESS. YOU MUST FIRST GET ALONG AS FRIENDS, LISTEN AND WORK THINGS OUT TOGETHER AND GET JOBS TO PLAY. EVERYONE GOT BETTER AT THEIR INSTRUMENTS AND AT 16 YEARS OLD WE WERE GROWING UP FAST. NOW THAT WE WERE GETTING
BETTER AS A BAND, WE WOULD LISTEN TO THE BEATLES NEWEST SONGS PLAY ON THE RADIO DURING BAND
PRACTICE AND THEN WE WOULD BUY THE 45 RECORD THE NEXT DAY. AND LEARN THEM.
WE WOULD ALSO LEARN SURF MUSIC BY THE BEACH BOYS AND THE VENTURES. ALMOST ANY SONGS BACK IN THE 60's WERE FAILRY EASY TO LEARN IN THOSE DAYS. MOTOWN SOUL MUSIC WAS MAKING IT BIG AND OUR BANDS WERE NOW PLAYING LOTS OF GOOD MUSIC.
AT THIS POINT YOU CAN CHECK OUT MY BAND TIMELINE TO SEE THE DIFFERENT GROUPS I HAVE BEEN IN
ONCE I STARTED TO FORM MY OWN STYLE AS A GUITARIST I STARTED TO SEE THE INFLUENCES OF THE PLAYERS I LIKED AND LISTENED TO SHOW UP IN MY OWN PLAYING.. HERE IS A LIST OF THE BANDS AND GUITARISTS I HAVE LIKED
1) 1965 JIMI HENDRIX....
IN THAT ERA HOW COULD ANY GUITARIST NOT LIKE WHAT JIMI WAS PLAYING. MOST BANDS PLAYED A FEW OF HIS SONGS SO YOU HAD TO LEARN HOW TO PLAY A LITTLE BIT LIKE HIM... SONGS I REMEMBER PLAYING WAS "FOXY LADY", "FIRE", "HEY JOE" AND A FEW OTHERS
2) 1969 CARLOS SANTANA....
WHAT BAND DID NOT PLAY "BLACK MAGIC WOMEN", "OYE COMO VA" AND "EVIL WAYS", CARLOS HAD AND STILL HAS A GREAT STYLE. HE COULD PLAY A NOTE AND MAKE IT LAST FOR 20 SECONDS WITH THE SUSTAIN AND LIGHT FEEDBACK SOUND HE HAS.
3) DUANE ALLMAN - (THE ALLMAN BROS)
DUANE AND HIS JAMMIN SOUTHERN STYLE ROCK WAS UNMATCHED. HE AND DICKIE BETTS HIS OTHER GUITARIST PLAYED IN HARMONY TOGETHER. SONGS WE PLAYED WERE "BLUE SHIES", "RAMBLIN MAN", "BLACK HEARTED WOMEN" AND "LEAVE MY BLUES BEHIND"
4) JIMMY PAGE (LED ZEPPLIN)
JIMMYS STYLE WAS FUN TO PLAY LIKE BUT IF YOU DIDN'T HAVE A SINGER LIKE ROBERT PLANT, IT WAS VERY HARD TO PLAY THEIR SONGS.
5) STEVE MILLER
GREAT HIT SONGS AND LOTS OF THEM, "SPACE COWBOY", ROCKING ME BABY", "TIME KEEPS ON SLIPPIN", "STEPPIN STONE". I'VE SEEN STEVE LIVE 5 OR 6 TIMES. HE STILL PUTS ON A GREAT SHOW.
6) TERRY KATH (CHICAGO TRANSIT AUTHORITY)
LOTS OF BANDS PLAYED THEIR HITS, I WAS IN ONE BAND WITH HORNS THAT PLAYED ALOT OF THEIR STUFF. "BEGINNINGS", "25 OR 6 TO 4", "COLOR MY WORLD", "DOES ANYBODY REALLY KNOW WHAT TIME IT IS", "I'M A MAN" AND LOTS OF OTHERS.
7) ERIC CLAPTON....(CREAM)
LOTS OF GOOD ERIC STUFF I'VE PLAYED, "SUNSHINE OF YOU LOVE", "LAY DOWN SALLY", "CROSSROADS", "LAYLA", "WONDERFUL TONIGHT", AND MORE.............
8) LARRY CARLTON (THE JAZZ CRUSADERS, FOURPLAY AND STEELY DAN"
LARRY HAS BEEN ONE OF SMOOTH JAZZ's MOST POPULAR LA STUDIO GUITARISTS PLAYING ON HUNDREDS OF ALBUMS.
HIS SWEET STYLE AND BENDING NOTES IS LIKE NO ONE ELSE.
9) STEVIE RAY VAUGHN, ALBERT COLLINGS, LEE RITENOUR,
I LIKE TO THINK THAT MY STYLE WAS FORMED BY TAKING A LITTLE BIT FROM EACH OF THESE GREAT GUITARISTS. IF IT SHOWS A LITTLE BIT OF ANY ONE OF THEM IN MY STYLE THAN I AM VERY SATISFIED IN THE WAY I PLAY......
ABOVE 14 FT CRESTLINER SKI-BIRD 4 SEATER.....
BELOW IS THE SAME BOAT IN A 3 SEATER VERSION JUST LIKE THE ONE I HAD, NOTICE THE JEEP LIKE FOLD DOWN WINDSHIELD. IT ALSO HAD A CENTER CONSOLE THAT YOU PUT YOUR WATER SKIS IN