Music is in my blood! As far back as I remember, I had a passion for everything involved in making music. From writing to recording, to engineering, producing and performing.
My musical influences started when I was 6 years old. It was the early 70's and listening to my mom's record collection was a favorite past time in those formative years. She was, and is still to this day, a huge music fan and her collection was filled with everything from The Beatles to Janis Joplin to Motown and Classical.
By the late 70's I was searching for something different to listen to and then it happened...............I heard the voice of an angel in a Ktel Records television ad!
"your tearing me apart, every every day!" The band was a young montage of monster musicians called Journey! That day would shape the years to come.
I spent the next 3-4 years listening to everything Journey was putting out. I studied every little nuance in Steve Perry's voice. I also learned how to play drums by listening to the amazing Steve Smith..............enter Van Halen. I absorbed every lick that Eddie played. He was my guitar hero.
In the 80's I started playing in various bands full time, one of them being a Journey tribute band where I sang lead and played drums...i was influenced by so many musicians..mostly Sam Cooke, Steve Perry, Neil Peart, John Bonham, Steve Smith, Alex Van Halen and Eddie Van Halen to name a few
In the 90's, being depressed with the whole "grunge" thing, i stopped playing with a band and started doing "one man shows" at local venues...i would record all of the drums, backup vocals, bass guitar and piano in my studio and sync it all into a player...then I would just play guitar and sing lead to the recorded tracks. It was fun but not the same as being with a full band.
In 1998 I decided to put music on hold. With a growing family and responsibilities there wasn't much time for music so I just decided to do freelance work, and for the next 10 years I filled in with many bands as a singer, drummer, or guitarist.
The passion for music never left me and in 2007 I could no longer keep the musical beast at bay.
I decided to start playing drums again since this was where I started. I put an ad on Craigslist and hooked up with a fantastic guitar duo. I saw a picture in the guitarists studio while i was auditioning. It was a picture of a hard rock band in the late 80's and I knew the singer! I asked if she was available to join the band and not only was she....but her husband plays bass!
The addition of frontman "Shakey" started the era of Stumpy Jones!
This band is all Arena Rock and all it's member have a huge 80's rock influence.
When I am not playing with"Stumpy Jones", I am busy buying and selling Real Estate with Re/Max. I am also very much a family man, they are my life! I also jam with my son Lenny Jr. (13) in my studio......(he started wen he was 12 and is already at a point now where I was when I was 18).....he is very talented and I have HIGH expectations for him!!!
I feel I have come full circle in my life and plan to enjoy every minute of the future! Take care of yourself and the people around you.......live long and prosper! ..