Who am I? I recently retired from a faculty position (freshman level mathematics) at the University of Toledo, and am now back home with my wife in Marietta,. My plan now is to begin a second career in music. I play guitar, lap steel and mandolin. I also sing and write songs. I'm in a band called "Still Crazy", and also gig occasionally with singer/songwriter Don Baker. I have four self-produced CDs of original tunes, "Heartbeat of the Words" "Circles" "Into The Fire" and the newest, "A Bit Further On" on CD Baby.
Musical Influences: Most importantly, the "Cellar Door" coffeehouse. No, not the one in DC - the one on the campus of Stetson University circa 1969-71. I was a young college student, and had the good fortune to fall in with a bunch of knowledgeable musicians who taught me that not all the great music makes it into the top 40. They introduced me to people like Fred Neal, Buffy Saint -Marie, Eric Anderson, Hedge and Donna Capers and James Taylor (before "Fire and Rain"). Of course, I also listened to Paul Simon, CSNY, and even a bit of Santana, Hendrix and Doors, but since those days I've maintained a preference for the folks who aren't quite so mainstream. Over the years, I'd count as major influences Fred Neil, James Taylor, John Fahey, Tony Rice, and Allison Krauss. I tried my hand at Bluegrass, but it's too durn fast for me. I have gotten a fair amount of repertoire from Union Station. Current favorites are Tim O'Brien, John Gorka, and Danny O'Keefe, whose recent songs are maybe even better than the older ones. So I kind of fit somewhere in the middle of country, folk and bluegrass, with a little blues and pop for flavor.
Here are a few of my original songs you can download for free,