PhotoStories

Long Beach Island, NJ- 1981 A good friend of mine from grade school and I formed a band in 1978 and named it Southridge. This photo was taken outside the dump that was labeled our “accommodations,” for the weekend.

I was 27 years old and was happy to be making a living playing music.

The band lasted until October of 1983. We alternated in night clubs with bands such as George Thoroughgood and The Hooters. In March of 1982 we opened for Pure Prairie League in our only official concert.

Bryn Mawr, PA- 1971 At 17 years old I did my first opening act for Jackson Browne and Chris Smithers at a 300 seat coffee house called The Main Point. I was scared shitless but it was a great experience. It was fun and educational sitting across the table from Jackson Browne in the dressing room as we restrung our guitars and chatted a bit. It made me realize how much there was to learn about performing because Jackson and Chris were already masters.

Glen Mills, PA- 1970 Some of the local guys from my county got the idea to have a 1 year Woodstock reunion. The band was called Orange Wedge and was primarily an acid rock three piece jamming band. By the way, that is a cigarette I’m smoking. This was the last edition of the very first band I had ever formed at the age of 12. I believe this was our final performance.

Jeff Campbell was the drummer and John Lomas played bass guitar.

Washington D.C.- 1974 I was invited to perform at a coffee house in a church that I’ll never remember the name of. They paid my round trip transportation from Philadelphia, fed me, and gave me $50.00. I thought that was great at that time. The crowd was responsive and showed a lot of respect for my effort. They mailed me this photo a week later along with a letter of thanks. During this time of my life I traveled around the northeast and did many of these types of shows.

Booth Bay, Maine - 1984 My wife Lisa and I were vacationing in August and touring the coast with all it’s wonderful scenery, shops and restaurants. We may have been between bands at this point. For some reason I was having a serious contemplative moment when she grabbed the camera and took this shot of me. I don’t remember what I was thinking about but I think I’ll be glad to allow it to be a mystery, even to me.

Brunswick, Maine - 1991 In our vacation adventures along the coast of Maine, Lisa and I discovered The Intown Pub. We got to know the owner and performed there a couple times a year from 1991 to 1993. It was our duo effort named Windy Night that had us traveling from Maine to Florida.

This is me in Media, PA - 1975 This pic was taken in the studio of a good friend of mine named Butch Stockton. At this time I was playing in a fusion band called Ezra white. Butch was an incredible bass player and we would jam occasionally in his studio. Eventually he got me to go on the road for five weeks with a fifties show band called Lee Andrews and the Hearts. We had stops in Pittsburgh, PA and Huntington,WV. I learned that I never wanted to be in that kind of band again. I miss Butch. He still lives in Media in the same house where this pic was taken.

King of Prussia, PA - 1992 This is one of a series of photos that were taken during a performance at a nightclub called Binnie and Flynn’s. I would love to credit the photographer but his information disappeared years ago in our move to Florida.

Somewhere in Wisconsin - 1973 My best friend at that time and I had hitch hiked to California, Washington state, Montana and Canada. When we returned to the U.S. we entered through Minnesota and came around the Great Lakes. The guy we were traveling with had a camera and took this pic of us in front of ten thousand turkeys. During the trip we played blue grass tunes several places so we could get money for food. It was the most memorable trip of my life. Sadly, my friend Bill Hires was killed in a highway accident in 2007. He loved Seattle so much, he returned there to spend the rest of his life. I will miss him as long as I live.

Lenni, PA - 1976 This is the front porch of my parents house where I played a lot of guitar from the time I was 12 until I was in my 30’s. At the time of this photo I was managing a music store in Swarthmore, PA. I had little time to perform due to the management position. I learned a lot about sound equipment, types of guitars and electronics, but after seven months I had to return to performing.

Camden, ME - 1990 There we were again, vacationing in Maine. I had seen Sting wearing glasses that were similar to these so I just had to have them. They got stolen in 1996 and I decided I was over them anyway so I didn’t try to replace them.