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Biography

 

Steve was born April 19, 1953 into a family of music lovers. The only problem was that the only thing his parents could play was the record player! (Remember those?) Steve’s father, decided that Steve was going to learn to play an instrument and started him on piano lessons at the tender age of four. Showing a natural aptitude for music, Steve gave his first recital a year later. While studying the piano, young Steve became interested in a different instrument.

“My dad had an old college buddy named Ben who used to bring his family to visit at least once a year.” Steve remembers. “He would always have his guitar with him and our two families would sit around for hours singing folk songs.” Young Steve was hooked and pestered his father for a guitar. When he was nine years old, Steve received a guitar for Christmas. He was thrilled. Unfortunately Steve was fairly small for his age and his hand would not fit around the neck of the guitar. Steve was disappointed but Ben came to the rescue. He told Steve’s dad about a baritone ukulele. It was only four strings but it was tuned the same as a guitar and Steve could learn the basics on that until he had grown enough to handle a full size guitar. It was perfect. Steve spent hours learning songs by his favorite folk group, the Kingston Trio as well as other popular folk songs.

Popular music took a turn in 1964 with the “British Invasion” and Steve was fascinated by this “new” kind of music. This was something new! He hadn’t been exposed to much rock and roll during his earlier years but this was too big to miss. It sounded nothing like the folk music he had been listening to and playing on the guitar for the last three years. It wasn’t even close to the standards and the country western that his father liked. Steve had stumbled across rock and roll and this was a turning point. When The Beatles appeared on the Ed Sullivan show, the American music scene changed for good and so was young Steve. Rock and roll spawned a new  fascination with another instrument…the drums. “I remember seeing the  Dave Clark Five on the Ed Sullivan Show and wanting to be able to play drums just like him,” Steve says. “I would take pots and pans from the kitchen and make a make-shift drum set in my room and use pencils for the drumsticks.” This was the start of a love affair with percussion that continues to this day.

One day, while riding down the road with his dad in 1965, Steve heard a sound on the radio he had never noticed before. It was the guitar hook to “The Last Time,” by the Rolling Stones. Steve recalls that time: “I was used to us having the radio on while driving and not paying much attention to what was on. This song riveted my attention to the radio. I’ve never forgotten hearing that song while riding with my dad in his old Ford Falcon.” There was a raw edge to the guitar sound in this song and it rekindled Steve’s interest in the guitar. He now wanted to play rock and roll guitar as well as rock and roll drums.

Steve joined his first rock band in high school. Blackwell’s Island was a tight knit group of friends with Steve behind the drum kit. More than a cover band, Blackwell’s Island’s repertoire consisted of at least 65% original material written by Mark Tracey the band’s lead guitarist. During his time with this band Steve played his first electric guitar. Steve explains: “One day before practice I was waiting for the rest of the guys and I picked up Mark’s guitar. I had been playing guitar for years but it was all acoustic and never amplified. I had no idea how sloppy my playing was!” Steve laughs, “Every little mistake was several times louder, I could hear them all and they were terrible! That was an important lesson in cleaning up my playing.”

Steve joined the Air Force in 1973 and during his first six years there was no place he was stationed that he was not in a band. Even in basic training. “I would go to the rec center during breaks in training and play the drum kit there. A bunch of us would jam,” Steve says. “Once while we were jamming and sounding pretty good, one of the recreation directors asked us if we would like to become a combo and play for Miss America’s visit to our base. Of course we said yes!” Unfortunately one of the members of the combo got set back in training and they were unable to play. “What a shame!” Steve laughs, “I almost got to meet Miss America. What a thrill that would have been for a young 20 year old!”

Technical school was no different. Steve played in the drum and bugle corps at Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi Mississippi. “That wasn’t the only music I got to play either. I was studying electronics for the Air Force, playing in the drum and bugle corps, plus I was playing bass guitar in a bar band at night.” Steve recalls, “I didn’t get much sleep but I had a blast! I wasn’t even old enough to drink in the bars I was playing in. If there was a fight in the bar and the cops were called, I had to hide until they were gone. Then we’d continue playing.”

“When I got stationed in South Carolina at Shaw Air Force Base, I really started honing my lead guitar skills,” Steve says. “I was already pretty good with rhythm guitar, bass, drums and keyboards, I just figured that if I learned some lead, I could hire myself out as a Jack of all trades.” He started learning all he could. Pairing up with a young lead guitar playing airman named Lanny Cheek who was willing to help Steve, he started learning with a will. “I was copying everything I could,” Steve explains. “I was picking up solos note for note from records. Then I would take those things I had learned and use them in my own way.” Steve learned improvisation from those days in South Carolina. “One of the bands we covered was the Allman Brothers. We had a great time jamming to Allman Brothers songs and blues tunes. I don’t even remember the name of that band but man, did we have fun!”

Steve continues: “After a year of being stationed in South Carolina I got sent to Germany. It was there that I met my lead guitar mentor, John Peppard. At the time I met him I had no I idea he’d go on to win a Grammy but I knew he was a great guitarist and songwriter.” At the time John was in a band that rotated around the US military club circuit in Germany. “John was the greatest help to me becoming a real lead guitarist. More than anyone he encouraged me,” Steve explains. “If I was having a problem with something and about to give up, he’d just tell me, ‘Of course you can. Just do it.’ and somehow I’d find the ability to do it.” During this time Steve started dabbling with recording. He had a TEAC reel to reel recorder in his house and would play with overdubbing. “My finest achievement in those days was a song John had written called ‘Here Comes The Night.’” Steve still considers this to be one of his finest solos and swears that it is (“It is!” Steve laughs) the only guitar part that should be with this song.

The years have passed and Steve has been an active musician for all of them. During the rest of his Air Force career he wrote and played music all the way. There were musical ups and downs but Steve never wavered in his love for music and rock in particular.

“Towards the end of my Air Force career I was in a band called Framework,” Steve recalls. “It started as an acoustic trio and we added midi backing tracks. That has it’s pluses and minuses!” he laughs. “You’re limited by the length of the midi file and can’t jam or do an impromptu medley. However you don’t have to put up with band members showing up late or drummers messing up. And believe me, I know about drummers!”

Since the breakup of Framework, Steve has been performing as a solo act. “I threw out the midi! No more limitations,” Steve explains. “I was a little frustrated as a solo acoustic act in that I’m a lead guitarist too so I got a Boss RC-50 looping station. It’s a digital recorder that I can record and playback on the fly with the touch of a footswitch. That coupled with my DigiTech Vocalist vocal harmonizer makes me my own band. Total freedom!”

These days Steve continues to expand as a musician. “I’m putting together a band to do covers and originals,” he says. “We’re going to specialize in early 70s and late 60s hard rock covers and some stuff of our own. I’ve been extremely inspired by Joe Satriani and have been writing some instrumental works. Another of my band members writes great ballads. It’s gonna be great!” he grins.

This year Steve can be found performing in venues in and around Navarre Beach, Florida. “You never know when you come by what’s gonna happen or who’s going to sit in,” he says. “In fact, I just bought a new Gretsch Rancher acoustic guitar. Who knows? It may find its way on stage sometime this year too!”

Let’s hope it does.