I have been writing songs since I was a teenager.  The Beatles have influenced me more than anyone: their melodies, their inventiveness and their general message of joy and fun executed intelligently and with style have been the center of my musical life and made me who I am today in many ways. 

    My earliest influence was Harry Belafonte, whose smooth raspy voice, catchy Calypso tunes, funny and serious demeanor, and his inclusive worldview were seminal for me.

    Jim Morrison affected me deeply as a teenager. He was rebellious and charismatic, spoke his mind and used his voice; he was poetic and smooth.  Actually, he was not much of a melody song writer, but his lyrics seemed to speak my own mind somehow. 

    In 1976, t the age of 21, I left Ann Arbor, Michigan and moved to California.  I landed at a place called the Argonaut Inn, a gourmet restaurant in Jackson, CA, owned and operated by a cool lady named Kay Sinclair, who paid us with a place to stay and food from the business; we also kept our tips.  It turned out to be a the perfect place for me: I effectively dropped out of society and "found myself".   I fell in love with Judy, a wonderful woman, and exploded with one song after another, inspired by new freedom, new love, my new life--a kind of rebirth happened for me at this time.

    Believe it or not, these songs have endured all these years.  Since those early days, I have worked up only a few new tunes, but I have revisited--and continue to revisit--some of the melodies I developed back then, and have made them into songs that I am proud of.  Here are my California Songs, five songs that mark the meaning of my beloved golden state for me. 

Indian Roses (1976): Judy, my girlfriend at the time, and I attended a Native American heritage festival in Volcano CA that also featured Kit Carson's "mountain men".

Blue Sky Blues (conceived 1976; completed 2013): I couldn't believe the lack of rain on the West Coast, when I first got here.

The Fog (1976; completed 2010) is a mood song, one where I hope that the music paints a picture.

Rainy Day Lover (conceived 1974; completed 2010): an autobiographical psychological portrait.

California (conceived 1976; completed 2014): my quintessential California song, about my journey here and my abiding love of the place and the people who give it meaning to me.