I'VE GOT CATS!
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VW DRIVER
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Hey, all, thanks for tuning in to my "BIO" page!

It's 15 or so years later. Like Martin Short asked, "make WHAT?"

MUSIC HISTORY
age 3 - could play a few steady beats on the drums (my time was actually BETTER back then)
- did a gig or 2 with my Dad. He made $180, my piggy bank made $20.
- I already wasn't diggin' being a side man.

age 5 - Got a small plastic guitar for my birthday, and learned how to play open chords.
age 6 - Tried a bar chord. Gave up bar chords til age 9. started writing songs. (somewhere in here Dad taught me how to overdub).
age 8 - (living in CA) played drums in a band called the JUBILEETS. (Webb Baker on Guitar)
- We won several talent shows, and went on to play Knott's Berry Farm and had a gig at the disneyland hotel. Still only did cover songs, though.

OK, OK, lot's of bands n stuff through high school and college. Finally got into a popular trio called "The Finnsters" with my friends Terry & TK Olson. I drew the short straw and had to play bass. Luckily, Terry was a much better guitar player, so it worked out great. We had a local hit with "On the Way". Big fish. That was fun.

CREDITS
(This is where I get to brag about the few things I've done in the industry!)

Living in palm Springs in the late 80s, my management at the time was Darrell Howe and Jim Fitzgerald. They hooked me up with Greg Poree, a producer in Los Angeles. Greg helped produce some demos and gave me some confidence. I met Jim Peterik (Ides of March, Survivor) at a tribute show Greg took me to at the Wiltern in the early 90's and we ended up wrinting 2 songs together via telephone and mail. That was huge for me. He had written some of my favorite songs. (especially "The Search is Over" and "Caught up in you"). My management also hooked me up with producer Michael Omartian.

I met Harold Payne somewhere around that same time, and the networking began. Harold is an amazing singer/songwriter, and for some reason has always believed in me. He has included me in a lot of his creative outings, and to this day is a great friend and source of inspiration. We scored a handful of Sony playstation games together, and a few animation features, too.
We also co-wrote the theme song for Arnold Schwarzenegger's project "The Inner City Games" a few years ago with Chris Arnold.
(It's 2004 right now, by the way)
When Bobby Womack did his Christmas album called "Traditions", a few years ago, he invited me to do some of the arrangements. I ended up arranging and playing on about half of the album. Bobby and Harold invited me to write the one original on the album with them. Quite an honor! It's called "Dear Santa Claus" and I love it. I think it should be a traditional Christmas song. Where's Nat?

At one point, Harold introduced me to Alan Roy Scott. I helped Alan record demos and industrial music in my little 8 track studio. He invited me on a few songwriting ventures, too. One was with Appolonia. Fun. One with Laura Brannigan. A very cool song,"Cellos and Violins" came out of that one. I wonder what ever became of it....Also one with Melissa Manchester. Alan and I wrote quite a few songs together- one placed pretty high in the John Lennon songwiting contest , and one ("See you when I get there")was on a TV show called "FAME L.A. "

It was Alan who took me along with him to a couple songwriting festivals to help write and record songs. First we went to Ireland, where I got to work with Jeff Healy, Brenda Russell, Lamont Dozier, The Go Gos, Delbert McClinton, Gary Nicholson, .... well, go check out: http://www.unisong.com/mbridge/celtic.html
I also went to Cuba with Music Bridges in 1999. There I worked with so many great artists, including Bonnie Raitt, Jimmy Buffet, Joan Osborn, Montel Jordan, Peter Frampton, Mick Fleetwood, Stuart Copeland, and some amazing Cuban perfomers. Go see: http://www.unisong.com/mbridge/mbotw.html for the scoop on that! I met Todd Smallwood at the first festival, and he invited me to help produce the new CD 'Bridge to Havana', released this year featuring all the music we did in CUBA.   We also worked together with Mick Fleetwood on some projects for Mick's label. Thanks Todd.

I've also been involved with Greenstar, where I recorded the traditional music of the people in Jamaica and Palestine. (greenstar.org)

In Late 1998, I went to Kazakhstan to compete in "Voice of Asia". I met some great artists from 17 different countries. It was amazing, go check out http://www.voiceofasia.actis.kz/2003/eng/

Anyway, sprinkled in there are a few songs on T.V. shows like Melrose Place, Fame L.A., and the Lifetime series, Sisters.

As a vocalist, I've done lots of local jingles with Barry Volk from www.Soundad.com, and a bunch of station ID packages for radio stations around the world, especially BBC radio 2. I love doing those. The latest radio I.D. that features my voice is the newly revamped American Top 40 radio spot. Thanks to producer Mark Le Vang for putting me on that one.

Last December I co-wrote Ryan and Trista's wedding song, 'Something About Her', with the groom, (Ryan). It was performed live at the wedding by Brad Paisley.

I absolutely loved working with the extremely gifted singer/songwriter David Allen Baker on his solo project a couple years ago. you can check that out at http://www.davidallenbaker.com He invited me to help produce it, and he really helped me learn this whole producing thing.

But the best thing of all....
My newest CD 'Paraffin Stories' and my Rockin' new Christmas CD is here!!!

Thanks for listening!
I know I was a bit long winded, but writing all this made me re-live it, a bit. I just couldn't seem to leave any of it out. (I sure do hate writing  "I" so much.)

Rick