I am from Mobile and used to play at the Grand Hotel. I play at the Riverview Plaza Hotel, for the Convention Association, and at Felix Fish Camp on Sundays. My favorite is playing for retirement communities and nursing homes.  People are shut-in and need something to enjoy. I love to lift their spirits. I made CDs for some of them to have music since they are locked away in their rooms and can’t gather right now.  Music heals and lifts us up. I have seen people who are wheelchair-bound start dancing. One was an older gentleman stood up and started dancing when I playend ‘In the Mood.’ His family cried. I cried. It was like he had a new set of legs. I had one man tell me he was planning to kill himself, then he heard the music and changed his mind.

Playing music is about satisfaction and humanity, not money. I could have been a millionaire doing this. The band Cinderella had a concert in town and was staying at the Riverview Hotel. I was playing that night, and they asked me to go on the road. I liked them and all 80s music, but I was raising my son and couldn’t be gone that long. I played with Wynton Marsalis when he came to town. After his show, he came back to the hotel and we had a jam session. It was so much fun.

I started playing around Mobile after high school. My great-great-grandmother was a musician and it runs down our bloodline.  My brothers and I need to get together and play more, not just at funerals. I would like to play more outside this area. I am shy when I am not playing, but playing for people is still like a little boy getting a favorite Christmas gift.”