I grew up in Virginia, in a musical family. I remember sitting with my mother as she played the piano. My father taught me guitar. My sister and I both took piano lessons growing up. My grandfather was not a musician but he loved to hear me play and encouraged me to learn ragtime and popular songs from long ago.

       I learned trombone to play with the band in elementary school, and in high school learned bass and tuba. In college I played for ballet classes. I learned accordion and my first full-time gig was at Busch Gardens in Williamsburg.

       My love for ragtime and traditional jazz made New Orleans my ultimate destination and after doing some stints on Carnival Cruise ships, I finally mustered up the courage to move down, in the year 2000.

       New Orleans has been a wonderful place for learning the music and for working as a pianist. There are so many amazing players in town, and I will always be grateful to musicians who encouraged me and helped me get started! Jack Maheau, Dickie Taylor, Jamie Wight, Jamil Sharif, Bruce and Chuck Brackman, Tom McDermott, Dwayne Burns, and Seva Venet are a few I'd like to mention.

       I played on Bourbon Street, at the Maison Bourbon, then moved on to the Steamer Natchez, where I played on the nightly dinner cruises. I started working with the National Park Service, and play regularly at Fritzel's these days.

        Playing music for a living is a dream come true, whether I am playing solo or with a band, learning old songs or writing my own. Marrying the girl of my dreams and raising a family has been a whole new experience, which is enriching, inspiring, and always rewarding.