Here’s a short biographical history that led me to the great musical experiences I’ve enjoyed in Kearney. Pre-Kearney I was raised in central Iowa and started playing through the public school system. At the age of 15 in our small farm community we started a 16-piece big band and enjoyed that experience for a year.

The influence of rock & roll and the British invasion got my attention and 5 of us started the Surfink Band that enjoyed playing the major Iowa ballrooms and was eventually inducted into the Iowa Rock & Roll Hall of fame. At College in Vermillion, South Dakota I started where I left off and played continuously in bands and after graduation started the life of a road musician.

I came to Kearney for a job in 1983 at Good Samaritan laboratory as a histotechnologist and within weeks was involved in yet another band and started to connect with Kearney musicians. That led and has continued to this day to musical relationships playing in groups like Jasmine, Yikes, MainStreet, Get Off My Lawn, Blackberry Winter, Thalken Tesdall Thalken, Wild Clover, Miles from Dublin, Raw Slang and Blue Plate Special.

Over the last 50 years I figured I’ve been in 50 different bands. Some lasted weeks and others years. I enjoyed sharing the stage as warm up to many great regional bands as well as national acts Kenny G, Black Oak Arkansas, Charlie Daniels to name a few, jammed with the Doobie Brothers and also backed up B J Thomas for a small tour. I’m honored to be in both Iowa and South Dakotas R & R Halls of Fame. All the years of preparation has truly come to fruition in playing with Kearney musicians. Kearney is truly a gold mine and a melting pot of creative musical minds.