Chuck

I'm a musician from Southern California. Specifically, the South Bay. Torrance, to be exact. Before moving to Torrance in 1964 (at age 5) we lived in Gardena, Hollypark. I had a friend there who I recently found on the net, the wonderful Laurie McClain, a singer/songwriter now in Nashville. Hearing her extraordinary music inspired me to attempt this myspace thing. Bear with me. I'm puter challenged but I'll eventually get this rolling.In Torrance I grew up with the fine progressive, art rock, R.I.O. drummer Dave Kerman. No he didn't come out of the womb shredding Chris Cutler riffs. We've known each other since age 5. We both had an interest in music and luckily for Dave, piano player Keith Godshaux (latter of the Grateful Dead) lived across the street and convinced Dave's mom to get him a real drum kit. I had a piano at home, and my sisters played, my Grandmother teaching us in the beginning then Bernard Verkike (sp)organist at the First Lutheran Church of Torrance taught us. What a great teacher, Bartok folk tunes, small jazz books, full color cards of all the great composers . . . I picked up piano, trumpet, guitar and bass as well and we gained early performance experience in the Torrance Area Youth Band. In 1974 Dave and I toured California with my churches production of Joseph. We made it up to Carmel, Oakland, etc. I even played Bass !!After high school I spent the summer playing in an original group with singer Diane Vineyard who was just fricken awesome. She told me about playing with T-Bone and the Bone-ettes (she was a Bone-ette) I remember it being T-bone Burnette, though at the time I had no clue who anybody was. Her manager Beverly Noga had been on the Road with Cream, and Blind Faith (Bev's mom, Helen Noga had owned the Black Hawk in Frisco and discovered Johnny Mathis). We played the Troubadour 20th anniversary that summer. I remember Warren Zevon getting up and playing the same piano I had just played. It was 1977, I was 18.That fall Helen Noga calls me up and asks "can you play that big Rock and Roll beat" So they the needed a keyboard player for one of their acts. Tony Defranco and the Defranco Family. I had heard their hit record on the radio when I was in high school. But I was able to just come in and be part of the band. They were really down to earth and just great people. The "Wrecking Crew" had played on their recordings so I got immersed in the North Hollywood music scene, going to see their former keyboard player Greg Mathieson at the Baked Potato with Larry Carlton and Abe Laborial. . . (to be continued) . . .