Pictures from my music days

Pictures From My Music Days

People ask me from time to time about my days as a working musician. It's funny because that period seems like another lifetime to me. Concerts, recording sessions, and hanging with some amazing musicians was great fun and a hard lifestyle to walk away from. I am not sure that I would have ever become a household name like many of the people shown below but for me it was always about the music. I didn't care about money although I made some along the way, I didn't care about the fame which is good because I managed to gain very little, lol. What I did do was befriend or at least meet and play with some of the musicians I admired most. For me getting to hang out and play with these people was worth more than all of the fame in the world. Some of these pictures bring back great memories and I am glad I lived them and survived them.

Sadly there are no pictures for some of my most treasured memories because the special ones are spontaneous and magical and can never be planned or recreated. Running into Jimmy Page in a Hollywood studio where we were both recording for different projects. During some down time he and I just sat on some chairs in a hallway with our acoustic guitars and played "Over the Hills and Far Away" and other classics by Led Zeppelin as well as other artists. I was blown away by how genuine he was. A couple of years later I managed to get back stage at the Page/Plant reunion tour and Jimmy sees me and walks up and proclaims with a huge smile on his face "I remember you". Being introduced to Paul McCartney backstage shaking like a leaf and thinking this has to be only slightly less intimidating than meeting God only to discover that he may be the nicest man walking the face of the planet. The guy spent twenty minutes talking with me! He was so down to earth that I walked away wishing I had invited him to my house for Sunday Dinner. I also got to meet Ringo Starr (also very cool and funny!) the same night I met Paul. I remember thinking I have actually shaken hands with two of the Beatles in one night and if that were not enough I got snubbed by Madonna the same night!

As I unearth more pictures from wherever I have stored them I will continue to post them right here. Some of the pictures I find may be very cool pictures with some of the famous people I have met over the years. Some of them may simply be with old friends from the various bands I was a part of along the way but they were what got me into the position to be able to play with some of the famous people. Either way it is all in good fun. I hope you enjoy this little piece of my past.

Gus and Gene in Beverly Hills. Gus and Gene not sure where this was taken. Gene no doubt imparting some of his wisdom on me.

Gus and Joe Elliot from Def Leppard. We did a gig in a back yard. Gus and Rick Savage of Def Leppard with some girl who's name I don't remember. Picture I took from off stage of Def Leppard performing in a backyard gig

With Michael Sweet during a live video shoot. Gus and Oz Fox clowning around before a show. Gus and Oz Fox backstage

Gus and Robert Sweet backstage. Gus in the studio with Nancy Sinatra. What a sweet woman! My first gig was in a mini mall parking lot, I was 13 years old, lol

Playing an outdoor festival with my band RISK. I was 18 years old. A very grainey picture of me with RISK performing at an outdoor festival. This is a lousy picture but it's all I have from the theater shows I did with Risk.
The last studio job I did about 5 years ago with one of my music idols Brian Wilson.. He hates cameras in the studio so I had to sneek this picture while he was signing a CD for me., Me with Mike and Russ from our band Assassin. I was 14 years old and this was the first really good band I was part of. Another picture of Assassin. I think I was trying to suck my checks in like Paul Stanley from Kiss, lol

Pictures from My Music Days

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