I was born in 1961 in Detroit, Michigan. I was 6 when my family moved north to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Being raised in Upper Michigan offered what I would call a charmed childhood. We lived on an 80-acre piece of property that was mostly all woods and tucked between small farms that scattered our country road. Summers in the “U.P.”, as we call it, are an amazing time. Surrounded by Lake Superior, the largest of the Great Lakes, and an abundance of fresh air, I had many great memories of those short but wonderful summers.

Around 1972 was the first time I heard Charley Pride sing. My sister Connie had a turntable record player with an AM/FM tuner. She had a couple of records and one of them was “Charley Pride In Person” (Recorded Live at Panther Hall) and there was one called “Sunday Morning With Charley Pride”. I enjoyed listening to him sing and remember reading the album covers and seeing Jack Clement’s name as the producer. I often wondered what that meant. One thing I did know is that I loved the sounds coming from that record player. A year or so later I remember hearing Waylon for the first time. Years later, I still have to say he’s my favorite singer. Or as my friend Jack Clement would say, “Waylon should have been ‘King of the Cowboys,’ because there’s no one better than Waylon.”

I have been BLESSED to be part of an amazing family. A loving and devoted mother and father, my sister Connie and four of the best brothers a guy could ever have. In 1986, after 10 years of working for my father (and getting a real education in business), my brothers and I went into business. Twenty years later, in 2006, our largest competitor bought us out and the rest, as they say, is history. For the first time in my adult life I had some free time. I bought a guitar and started taking lessons. It didn’t take me long to realize that I wasn’t ever going to amount to much as a picker, but I did enjoy strumming chords and coming up with melodies. One night I was sitting alone in my camp just me the firelight and my guitar. I started thinking about where I’d been and things I'd done and not done. The next thing I knew I was writing myself a song. I've always been interested in the lyrics of a song and when the right combination of words and music come together you got yourself a SONG!

Nashville, Tennessee is a special place to me. I guess it’s because of the magic that I have heard in certain songs that go way back to when I was a kid. I remember listening to, and singing along to, songs like “Just Between Me and You” and “I Know One”, both written by Jack Clement. After having a good friend of mine (my guitar instructor) put some of my songs to music, I had him record them at his studio. He sang and played guitar on them. It was quite a feeling to have created my own songs! I soon got to thinking that I really wanted to bring my songs to Nashville and have someone that knows a good song from a bad one give them a listen.

After a few attempts to get through to Cowboy, I was able to connect with him. I introduced myself and told him that I was a big fan and really would like to meet him. I also wanted to have him listen to a couple of songs I wrote. He told me that he was busy at that time and that I shouldn’t make a special trip to meet him. He said if I was ever in Nashville to look him up. The next day I jumped in my truck and pointed it South. When I arrived in Nashville, I called Cowboy and told him that I was in town. He was a bit surprised but he invited me to stop by. Since that first visit he has become a great friend and a BIG influence on my music and me.

As time went on, I started recording some of my songs at his studio, The Cowboy Arms Hotel and Recording Spa. With the help of some of Nashville’s best pickers, we turned my chord-strumming tunes into some sweet sounding recordings. THANKS Cowboy for loaning me your ear and letting me inside the Outlaw Haven in Music City! You’re the best! Being friends with Cowboy has its perks. I have spent hours in his office with the likes of John Prine, Allen Reynolds, Dickie Lee, Billy Joe Shaver, Roger Cook, Red Lane (Merle Haggard and Waylon Jennings have recorded his songs), Richie Albright (Waylon’s drummer and co-producer) and a slew of other amazing characters. I’ve also met folks like Charley Pride, Hal Ketchum and Bucky Covington roaming the halls of Cowboy’s outlaw retreat.

Since meeting Cowboy, he and I co-produced an album called “Me N Paul”, which includes ten of my songs and a handful of great cover songs. “How Lucky” by John Prine, “The Road” by Billy Joe Shaver and “Gone Girl” by Cowboy Jack are on the album. The artist on the album is my friend, Paul Smith. Paul is a great guitar player and singer. He is the lead vocalist and lead guitar player in Boundary Road and the first one signed to Roaring Camp Music. I also produced an album with another friend and very talented singer/songwriter named Carl Wirkkala. The first album, “Troubles & Trains”, was released in January 2009 and were in the studio now putting the finishing touches on a new project be released in late August. If you’re like me and enjoy great music, I think you'll enjoy giving us a listen. And if you like it, spread the word!

Roaring Camp Music’s goals and mission are quite simple. We’re looking for REAL songs with REAL soul. We’re not trying to fit into any music type or genre. The goal is to deliver the heart and soul of the song. If one was to put our material in a category, it would fall into “Americana” and we’re very comfortable being there.