C-13

I was born and raised in a small town in Northern Florida where the cookin is great and the insects will give you a free ride to or from school, work, or wherever you'd like to go for a nominal surcharge in blood.

While growing up I explored the "arts" (more like dabled really). I played the Piano for 6 months, Coronet for 5 years (much like a trumpet , but smaller), and even started to write lyrics my junior year of high school.

It all started with a crush on a young lady that ended in heartbreak. So, I learned to pour out myself through poetry and lyrics (ah so the tragic road to becoming a musician begins). You'll find that 80% of the time this is the reason why artists first became artists. Music is a great outlet when suplimented with a punching bag.

Anyway, while in high school, I also started exploring my vocal talents by being involved in Concert Chorus and performing choruses. This gave me a great opportunity to perform for others around the State of Florida (transportation graciously provided by those Florida-born blood-thirsty mosquitos).

Once I barely graduated high school due to interest in anything outside of school, I tried Community College, but that was a big flop for me. I just wasn't cut out for the classroom. So, I failed miserably due to a lack of interest (so don't feel too bad if you struggle, but I would advise to stay in school in kick some butt if you really want to get ahead). I know...I know.. .it's a lecture like, "Do as I say, not as I do....or did...or once did".

While working at various grocery stores after high school, I quickly realized that I desperately needed to get out of my parents house one way or the other. I mean, I was earning my own paycheck, but I would never be viewed by them as an adult..an equal...while I still lived under their roof and by their rules. Don't get me wrong, I loved them... still do in fact, but in my mind I just couldn't fully transition in to adulthood while I still lived with them. To them, I would always be their little boy and I needed them to see me as a young man. So, I joined the United States Marine Corps for this reason, as well as others. One of the other reasons was because I knew the Marine Corps would beat the ever-livin snot out of me if I didn't work hard in my Military Occupational Skill (MOS). I knew I needed someone to kick me in the butt every once in a while and the Marine Corps was happy to take up my slack.

While in the Marine Corps, I had a relationship with a woman that I eventually married and had a wonderful little boy with. I spent 5 years in the Marine Corps as an I-level Aviation Technician repairing the AV-8B Harrier , as well as, the night attack version. At my End of Active Duty Service (EOS), I left the military because I wanted to remain active in my son's life. I wanted to see him grow up and the military life just didn't fit in to that plan.

A series of events happened and my wife and I divorced. She moved to California with our son, and I followed a month later so that I could remain a part of his life.

Eventually, don't ask me how, my son came to live with me and did so until last year (2006) when he was 12 years old. Since the divorce, I have remarried a wonderful woman whom I have two adorable children with; a boy and a girl (the youngest). So now, I have three wonderful children and, more importantly, God finally answered a prayer I've had for quite sometime. He showed me that I really am capable of producing female offspring (I was starting to question whether or not I was capable of such a feat)!

While in the military, it was then that God started His work in me and started to "gently" guide me to use my talents for a greater purpose than my own. It was a work that would not start to mature until well-after I left the military life behind, but from the first moment he started to work in my life, I found it incredibly difficult, if not completely impossible, to write lyrics that had absolutely nothing to do with His purpose. I also found it very hard to listen to what I call "nonsense music" where anyone with a vocabulary of 5 words or less could write the lyrics and, in most cases, could only be heard by a very limited audience that would actually appreciate it. Not to say that my music is the penacle of all music, but I certainly hope it's family friendly and has a message for anyone that listens to it. This is one of my highest hopes, for each of you, that my music is enjoyable and that you take something away with you as you carry out your daily activities. Maybe it offers inspiration, maybe it triggers a thought in your head, or maybe it just simply allows you to let go of emotions in the quiet place of your heart that only you can go to. Emotions you've been keeping a tight rein on for weeks maybe even years. A lot of us, including myself tend to keep the emotions locked down tight thinking that everything is, "ok" as long as we supress it. Sometimes, in order t