I developed a good ear, being able to separate the instruments in whatever I listened to.

The desire, to create my own music, came from my first gig. I was in a band, playing a show for blind children. I remember that they screamed at every popular song, they recognized, that we played. I stood there imagining they were screaming for my own songs.

I began to hear music in my head, all the time. It didn't annoy me, in fact, it was quite entertaining.

When I realized that I was much more serious about music, than my friends were, I left America for the United Kingdom.

Arriving in England, I tried to be kind and respective of everyone that I met.

It worked well and I made some very wonderful acquaintances that I still value today.

I met and played with some of the cream of British players of the day.

I played with Alexis Korner (with Tim Rose) before he passed. His son Damien was my introduction.

I jammed on the stage of the SpeakEasy with Mitch Mitchell and Brian Robertson .

I formed a group for the specific reason of being produced by Chris Squire (from one of my favorite groups YES, whom I'd met earlier at the Whiskey a Go Go, in LA).

I succeeded and still know him today (I think).

I auditioned for Roxy Music, whom I had n heard of.

My roommate gave me a quick "crash-course" on them, before I went off play with them at an audit

I was invited to play/jam at a place called the Farmyard, where I met other great musicians, including a teenage Simon Phillips.

I ended up living, recording and touring in a band with Simon (sometimes doing 30 dates in a month).

But it was never a dull moment, with him.

Whenever the tour van arrived to pick us up, I'd jumped in

and they'd say, "Where's Simon?"

I'd say, "He's in the bath."

Later, I moved back to Los Angeles and began playing with a Nashville songwriter, Danny Tate. The band included me and members of a local LA outfit called The Cruzados (Charlie Quintana & Marshall Rohner (R.I.P.).

Danny's band went through various personnel changes but it was basically me and him, with guitarist and drummers coming and going.

We did some festivals and radio appearances, also a quick spot in a movie called Medium Rare, with the late acid guru, Timothy Leary.

All the time, from England up to this point, I was writing a recording my songs at home. I wasn't confident enough to invest in myself (pay for a studio) to put my stuff down, in a good way.

But I did create some home demo "gems" that even amaze me today, given the gear that I had to work with, a 4 track reel to reel, that someone gave to me.

Record companies even refused to listen to my stuff because they were afraid to break up the potential of the Danny Tate "machine," of which I was a part. An A&R man actually told me this.

But, I did finally leave that band and returned to London and eventually Paris.

Paris is where I started my 2nd musical "life."

I started investing in myself and decided to stop being the "hired gun" that I had been in Los Angeles and the U.K.

When I recorded my 1st cd I used very un-conventional ways of dong things, which I learned from my DIY home recording techniques.

I learned a few things with working with engineers & producers like David Kershienbaum (Tracy Chapman & Joe Jackson) and Keith Harwood (the Stones and Led Zepplin) also John Punter (Roxy Music) and Andrew (Chris Squire) & brother Greg (Seal/Trevor Horn) Jackman.

The result, was that I came up with a good "maiden voyage" cd, done with some very outstanding musicians, that respected and liked one another. I found out earlier, that it really shows in the music, if this is the case with the players. I always tried to create a good "harmony" inside the studio, so that everyone was comfortable.

I learned that strangers play polite music, while friends play with a passion to please.

To be continued....