I began my musical career, as over 90% of all bassists did, learning how to play the 6 string guitar. That started in 1963 at the South Bend Conservatory of Music. My first guitar was a 1963 Gibson Melody Maker which I still own and play (this guitar has the best neck of any guitar I've ever played).

After a few years the Studebaker plant closed for good, and my Dad moved the family up into Ford country (Dearborn Heights, Michigan). I got with two other guitarists and a drummer and formed my first rock & roll band, TNT & the Dischargers in 1965. That year, we played a couple of 8th grade school class parties and our first real gig, a Battle of the Bands at Dearborn Divine Child High School. Needless to say, we lost the battle. It was rigged. The band that won, The Stingrays, was the local "house band" for the school. In actuality, we lost because we did not play the songs the kids wanted to hear, we did not go to that school, and we didn't have a bass player (at the time, we all didn't know what a bass was and that one was needed in the band).

Being that I was considered the 3rd best guitarist of the band at the time, they (and I) decided I should give it a try. To make a long story not so long, I self taught myself how to play the bass with a 1966 Crestwood (Japan) bass that I still have and play. This bass has the worst neck and string action of any bass I've ever played but this is the bass I do all my practicing on because, if I can play and sound good on the Crestwood, I can play 10 times better on my Fenders (also, now what kind of money can I get for an old Japanese bass anyhow? I might as well keep the dog-gone thing!).

My first Bass amp was a Kalamazoo with 2-10" speakers - not very loud or bassy - or anything for that matter. In 1968, I upgraded to a Fender Bassman - 50 watts, silver face (with silver trim) and 2-12" speakers - a big improvement over the 'MaZoo.

All through junior and high school (Crestwood HS, just like the bass) I was in the "same" band but with several other guitarists but always with the same keyboardist (Al Walker) and lead singer/rhythm guitarist (Nick Venditelli). The band name was switched to Blue Society.

The guys in the band always said we were the school's best band, I thought we just had most of the school's females behind us, more than any of the other bands. There was the usual "band rivalry" with the other bands of the school and the city. I was more liked by the members of the other bands than any other member. I even went to some of their practices and jammed with them a few times. They all wanted me to play bass in their groups but I guess I didn't see any advantage to switching bands (remember the popularity with the females?). I even showed their bassists a few licks and runs.

After high school, the keyboardist left for Mt. Pleasant and Central Michigan University, the guitarist left for the Wild Wild West and so new members came and left then in 1972, the singer left for Lansing and so the band split up.

I got a job fixing TV's and Stereo's at a Magnavox dealership and met a drummer, Jerry Morris. Actually, he was the store manager and one of my many bosses. In 1973, he invited me to jam with a couple of his guitar playing buddies, Bill Anderson and Lee Phillips. That was the start of a long running band - Homegrown. I bought a used 1972 Sunburst Fender Precision Bass for $200 and still have it - and outside of some buckle wear, it's in near mint condition.

Jerry's (drummer) career took him elsewhere and we got Lou Carath for a while. A good singer, owned two PA systems, was also a DJ, and was very good on the drums but there was a personality conflict between him and the guitarists. This was our bar-playing era. How wonderful it was to get home at 3:30 in the morning and get up for work at 6:00am. While in this group, I got a Sunn 200S amp and we made an Electro Voice TB 1 cabinet with 2-15" SRO speakers. We then auditioned a couple of other drummers and then selected Bill Sweeting right there on the spot. Think about it, how many drummer/singers are there willing to play drums and keep their head steady while singing into a microphone? Bill was a great addition to the group. We played mostly parties and an occasional bowling alley. I was also a roady/soundman for another rock band (they were real good) for about a year at this time. That work got me interested in the PA and recording business.

I lasted in Homegrown up until I got kicked-out somewhere around 1980. I was back in school and so my time (and my desire to practice and play) changed. I also was getting into professional sound recording at Pro Sound Studios/Superdisc in East Detroit (now called East Point, MI). I occasionally "substituted" bass playing for several bands and doing many recording sessions, mainly for songwriters and singers doing demos. I also subbed for my last old band, now called Windfall, when their new bass player couldn't make the gigs. Not really sure how long they stayed together after 1980. I stayed out-of-touch with them for a while. I heard their lead singer got hurt really bad in a motorcycle accident and couldn't work. A few years later, Bill Anderson passed away.

I also played some back-up gigs for a bassist in a wedding band - good money but sure messed-up the weekends.

I did a lot of traveling for Fords from 1983 through 1994. During that time, my nephew Brian Coogan became a phenomenon on guitar. He got me started on my desire to re-learn the 6-string. At 14 years old, we went to a blues bar in Taylor, Siscos on the Boulevard, and he got up on stage (during open mike) for the first time in his life and impressed everyone there, especially me. Around that time, I came across some good deals on some guitars and amps like a Vintage Re-issue Strat, a 1973 Sunburst Mustang, a 1988 Rickenbacker 4003 bass, a 100 watt Marshall stack, a Twin, a Super 60, and a Yorkshire Bass amp - 150 watts with an old JBL D-140F 15" speaker. I like that amp because it kicks and I can carry it with one hand and put in the trunk.

While working at a GM plant in Linden, New Jersey (I'm in a low emissions paint consortium with Ford, GM, & Chrysler,) I went with a fellow consortiumer to Outlaw Guitars there in Jersey. I fell in love with a 1978 Natural Fender Jazz bass with a maple neck and bought it. That purchase inspired me to really get back into playing bass after not touching one for about 10 years. In 1995, I joined the Ford Jazz and R&B Band and played bass for them for about 3 years. I had to bow-out of the jazz band due to long hours and long driving distances now working at the Ford Wixom Assembly Plant.

Jazz is something I've always wanted to play but never had the opportunity until then. What a learning experience what with learning all them modes and runs and what-have-you's! I even played some blues and country with a couple of groups and learned a lot about those venues. I recommend that ALL musicians go out and play (and I mean play passionately) other music. It is a learning experience that you can use and apply it to whatever you're playing.

It has to be about 2 years ago that I heard from the guitar player in the Homegrown band, Lee Phillips. He asked if I wanted to jam with him and Bill Sweeting the drummer out at his place. I made it on over and had a really good time, playing those old tunes we used to do together a long time ago (but now they're called "Classic Rock"). It was like riding a bike, you never forget. I think I made it there the following week and skipped a couple of weeks here and there but kept on going back for more Thursday Night at the Jams. I even forgot to go to a jam or two because it was so long since I was involved in a weekly commitment. It got to where I was really looking forward to jammin' over there that I was coming up with songs to play and everything. We even came up with the name ROAD HOG, playing mostly classic tunes tailored towards "biker music."

After awhile, we kept on debating if we could make it as a 3 piece. I was for it 100%. A three piece is unique in that we all have to be up front in everything that we do. In the past, I sometimes had the "problem" (or just being lazy) of hiding behind the rhythm guitar or the drums and never really concentrated on playing killer ALL the time. A three piece forces you to do your best, and then some, ALL THE TIME.

We built a PA, got new effects processors, new mikes, and a monitor system all courtesy of Guitar Center, Pontiac Music and Sound, and of course, eBay.

MAJOR INFLUENCES:

Bass- James Jamerson-Mowtown, Jack Bruce-Cream, Chris Squire-Yes, Nathan East-Foreplay/Kenny Loggins

Music- Loggins & Messina, Jimi Hendrex, Blind Faith, SRV, Allman Brothers, Larry Carlton, Billy Joe Walker Jr., Michael Dowdle, Acoustic Alchemy, Foreplay, Bob James, Keiko Matsui, Steve Wariner, and Diamond Rio.

 
 

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