Early Years

I had early piano lessons. Thanks to our family friends the Yearwoods, I had a piano of my own to play since I was in about the second grade. (Ed Yearwood was a great tennis player at Morgan State College in the 1950's, you can look it up!) I don't remember the name of my first piano teacher, but for many years I studied with Mr Richburg on Buchanan St NE. He had two terrific musician sons, Derric and Terrance, and I was fortunate to have Terrance as a classmate in high school. Terrance could play most instruments very well, especially drums and piano. I was never too serious about the piano, though I could play R&B stuff on it for my friends. I remeber an impromptu grade school performance of My Girl, or some other Temptation' classic that had even me popular for one day (or afternoon). I should have learned a valuble lesson looking back on it: my good friend Lynn McGee played some classical piece beautifully, but I got the all the house with Motown!

I started in school music as a drummer at Bunker Hill Elementary School in NE Washington, DC. I started in the 4th Grade and by the 6th grade, the senority system dictated that I would be playing snare drum (up from cymbals and bass drum). However, I never could keep my mouth shut and my band director, Hershel McGuiness, found out I played the trombone. Of cousres the school had far more drummers than trombonists. I had started on the trombone in the DC Youth Orchestra Program between 5th and 6th grade. Of course I wanted to play something cool like the trumpet, but they ran out of trumpets, and the brass choice became the trombone or the baritone horn. I took one look at the size of the baritone horn case and a tromboninst was born. In those days, 1968-1976, the DCYOP was at the height of its powers teaching close to 1000 kids in the summer on beginning, preperatory, elementary, junior and senior levels in both bands and orchestras. In the Great Society '60s, the DCYOP even served a hot lunch!!! That may explain the size of the program back then, I knew kids that only came for the lunch.

I am a 1976 graduate of McKinley Tech High School. McKinley Tech was a musical and academic powerhouse on the on the verge of a decline. But when I went there you could, if you were interested, get an excellent education. You could major in music at Tech either as a vocalist, pianist or instrumentalist. The head of our music department was Beatrice Gilkes, a beautiful woman who graduated from Oberlin in the 1950's. Most influential to me was Peter D. Ford, Jr. Mr. Ford or Peter D. as he was affectionally called inspired most of the instrumental music students. Most people have one of those teachers in their life, that made the difference in a big way. Peter Ford was a top trumpet player in town, one that used to play all the big shows that would come to DC. For many years he was in the house band at the Howard Theater. (In the old days there was a large black-oriented theater in each town featuring live stage shows- The Apollo in New York, the Royal in Baltimore, teh Uptown in Philly, amd the Regal in Chicago are the among teh best known, collectively they formed the top end of chitlin circuit.) Peter D. gave me my foundation as a professional musician. Under his mentorship I was introduced to Rick Henderson in whom's big band I cut my teeth. Ford encouraged me to write for all of the school ensembles including the jazz ensemble, marching band, brass ensemble,and concert band, and would sometimes let me lead the jazz ensemble at assemblies.

Looking back on those days there was so much talent and so many talented musicians at McKinley tech in those days. The number of people in my years 1973-1976 that have played professinally (beyond the very casual level) would probably number to several dozen. When the DCYO gave a concert, the DC kids made up about half of the hundred or so musicians, and McKinley Tech and Wilson High School accounted for the vast majority of DC kids. The DC Youth Chorale was a similar story. On top of that we had kids like Ray Calhoun (later to go on to Gap Band fame, that harldy participated in the organized music program. If someone can get a hold of a video tape of the 1974 local WRC TV 4 Christmas special our music department did, please get a copy for me!

College Years

I didn't study music in college. I went to Carnegie Mellon University and got a degree in Electrical Engineering and Economics. I spent a lot of time playing and running the campus radio station though, that goes a long way in explaining my mediocre undergraduate grade average. At first I did some playing in the CMU Jazz Ensemble, but had to give it up to study. I didn'treally like the band anyway. I always though the motto of those types of college bands was Swiftius, Altius, Fortissimus or faster, higher and louder! And no one gae a damn about improvisation. A fellow who's name I do not remember that played baritone sax at the University of Pittsburgh, just down the street, recruited me for their band. Nathan Davis ran the band at Pitt. I loved it. Could have taken the class for credit, but then he would have had something over my head! So I just did it 2 or 3 times a week. No gig bags in those days, so it could be a cold, windy mile and a half accross Panther Hollow to get to rehearsal. In contrast to Swiftius, Altius, Fortissimus Nathan had the band playing head arrangements on tunes like Dat There, Stablemates and Lady Bird/ Half Nelson. Melody... solo.... solo..... solo..... Melody! Wow! With a college band, the price is right, so we played early and often, the most fun was a 10-day trip to New Orleans, with a stop in Birmingham, AL. Most irresponsibly, I took the time off from school and went. It was a blast. I met Red Holt, and Jothan Callins in B'ham, and J.C Heard and Marcus Belgrave in New Orleans. i did an arrangement for Nathan Davis and the band, Benny Golson's Along Came Betty.