It's been over 40 years since I got my first Telecaster.

I started gigging professionally in the early 1980's in the Seattle area with Freddy Pink and the Hightops, a 7, 8, or 9-piece R&B horn band that I co-founded with Gordy Yancey. We played constantly (often 7 nights a week) all through the 1980's, opening for the likes of Sly Stone, Johnny Rivers and David Clayton-Thomas of Blood Sweat and Tears. They're still going strong!

At the same time (early '80's), I also formed The Thirsty Leaches, a punky/alternativey/rock/grunge band (before there were such things) with Max Hawthorn, Doug Owens and then Gary King. We finally made a CD in 1999 and still get together occasionally for gigs when I am able to get to the great Northwest.

I moved back East, to Connecticut, in 1989, and quickly fell in with the blues crowd in New Haven, playing with the Robert Crotty Band. We had the opportunity to open for Albert King, Johnny Winter, John Mayall, Albert Collins and more. I worked for a while at Toad’s Place in New Haven in the early '90s doing artwork and lighting and as a member of the Toad's Place Allstars, had the pleasure of opening for BB King.

During this time I had stints in The Whiskey River Band (southern rock) and Garry and the Moodswingers (swing blues/r&b). Also, I was in a band called The Housebreakers, playing original "rawk"—a Stonesy/Black Crowesish kind of thing. We had a couple of songs that got pretty good airplay on WPLR in New Haven.

From 1995 to 2001 I was in Steel Rodeo (Original tunes mostly by Eddie Seville—sounded like Bruce Springsteen meets the Rolling Stones meets John Mellencamp and AC/DC), playing all over the place, all the time—New York, CT, Massachusetts, Vermont, St Croix. A really good band, great gigs, and a good time. Plus we got to do shows with people like Steve Earle.

I also hosted the blues jam once a month at cafe nine in New Haven for almost 10 years—until I got sick of it and quit. There was also the Peter Blossom Band featuring JEFF SIMON on the keyboards. I played for four years with the Greg Sherrod Band, playing funk and blues in NYC, CT and RI.

For several years I played with my friend, Travis Moody, in the Moody/Blossom Band playing old acoustic blues and hillbilly stuff—lots of open G tuning and slide gi-tar. We still play together from time to time.

For the past four or five years I've been playing a lot with Once Removed and also the Crickstones. Both bands feature the same core band—John Hurley on guitar and vocals, me on guitar, and Fred McKay on bass. The Crickstones feature Liz McNicholl on vocals and guitar and doesbluegrassish/Americana acoustic music. Once Removed has Pat Speer and Jim O'Donnell on vocals as well as T-Bone (Tim) Stone on keyboards and describes itself as "if the Grateful Dead and the Band got Bob Dylan drunk and took him to Ireland.".

The same core band plays as The Red Planet doing a Jerry Garcia/Grateful Dead oriented kind of thing.The Red Planet has John Hurley on guitar & vocals, me on guitar and vocals, T-Bone Stone on keys, Fred McKay on bass and a variety of drummers.

Occasionally The Forgotten Ones get it together and we do gigs playing classic truck drivin' country music.

I also play in the Crown Street Orchestra with me on guitar, Kevin Walsh (former lead singer of the Bernadattes) on vocals, T-Bone Stone on keys, Pat Haddon on bass, and JB Sutherland on drums.

 

John Hurley and me tearing up an old Bob Dylan tune, "WhenI Paint My Masterpiece"