I was born and raised in and around Memphis, Tennessee and the Northern Mississippi/Eastern Arkansas Delta Country. Memphis, in the 50's & 60's, was the confluence of rural and urban Southern culture and of typically white and typically black musical forms. In short, Memphis was a natural birthplace for modern blues and rock-and-roll.
As a pre-teen, I grew up listening to equal doses of blues, twangy C&W, Baptist hymns, hand-clappin' and foot-stompin' gospel and the occasional classical piece on the family phonograph. As I approached my teen years, rock and roll had definitely "arrived" - Elvis, The Beatles and others were superstars already.
I had uncles who went to high school with Elvis. Through them, I had a couple of chances to meet "The King" during my early teens. Later, playing in a mixed soul & rock band, I had the extremely fortunate opportunity to play, in studio, with the likes of the Bar-Kays and Otis Redding and to meet Aretha Franklin and other Stax label stars. In 1967, after being a part of an opening act at the Memphis Country Blues Festival, I had the pleasure of accompanying Bukka White and Furry Lewis during the evening - playing jew's harp, kazoo and harmonica - none of which were regular tools of my trade (keyboards and sax) but which lended themselves much better to the acoustic guitar stylings of Mr. White and the powerful voice of Mr. Lewis.
And, while I drifted away from my plans for a musical career, I never lost my love for the blues - as an art form, as a philosophy and a respite for a tired spirit.
Today, I am an information technologist in the St. Louis area. I work with fairly leading-edge Internet technology. But, my real dream is to marry my skills and talents for 'The Net' with my love of the blues and jazz. In the meantime, I'll keep using Live 365 to live the dream (partially). If you have any ideas on how to make it reality, drop me a line.
I hope you enjoy the Blue Jazzman program. And, if you've listened to it all the way through and it's not due for an update just yet, don't hesitate to visit some of the other fine programs. Just don't forget to come back to the Blue Jazzman when you see an update notice!