Violin Virtuoso Masterpieces CD

BiographyThe past. Fertile, Minnesota. Population approximately 800. My home town. I always joke that I grew up in the Beaver Cleaver household. My Dad, Daniel, is a teacher and my Mom, Bonnie is a piano teacher and teacher's aid. I have 3 brothers, all younger than myself, Brant, Christopher( we call him Cisco), and the baby, Eric. We grew up on a farm 7 miles outside of Fertile. Dad would go to work everyday and Mom stayed home with us boys. As kids, we were all heavily involved in music and sports. Wrestling was the big sport for us. You know, my parents never missed a wrestling meet, band concert, or anything that any one of us boys were in. Looking back now, I am very thankful for the effort they made to provide a wonderful home to grow up in. They did that for 25 years. Thank you Mom and Dad. My musical vision was formed somewhere in my teens. To be honest with you, I wanted to be a rock and roll musician. That is why I started playing the guitar when I was about 13. I thought I could get a band together, write some songs, play loud, grow my hair, and BOOM!!, I'd get discovered and become famous. Thankfully, because of my parent's strong suggestions, I went to college instead. Moorhead State University. There I discovered more than I could have ever dreamed. Music so wonderful and diverse that I had no idea ever existed. So, with the help of some wonderful instructors, I studied classical, jazz, world, blues, and yes, even rock and roll. I even got to go on a tour of Spain!!!!! My world broadened. Now, anyone who knows me will agree that I am a bit of the stubborn variety and once I get an idea in my head, I pretty much have to see that idea through. So, upon graduation from college, actually, as soon as I took my last final test, I went on the road with a rock group I helped to form called Mata Hari. It was another education for me. My parents were thrilled(NOT!). We toured from Canada to Florida to Ohio to Idaho, mostly in a 1972 GMC school bus that we converted ourselves. Eight long haired rock and roll musicians crisscrossing the country. We opened for some pretty big names, did a CD of our own called "Feel The Fire", and in general had about as much success as a club band could expect to have. Now, besides the musical education of performing in front of an audience for 6 nights a week, there was also a certain amount of worldly education for this Minnesota farm boy. That is all I got to say about that. My parents are relieved. Mata Hari broke up in the spring of 1993. That is when I met violinist Malcolm Watson of "Watson and Edge" ...