I am originally from New Orleans, but my family moved to Miami when I was 8 years old. When I was in high school we moved again, this time to the Atlanta area. I was active in my high school band program, gaining valuable experience in marching, concert, and jazz bands. After graduating in 1973, I went to the University of North Texas, noted for its jazz education program, and in 1975 I attended the University of Miami, another notable music school.

My professional career began during my senior year in high school when I was hired to work in a band at Six Flags Over Georgia. Later I began doing club dates in the hotels along Miami Beach. Eventually I went on the road with the Glenn Miller Orchestra, traveling in a bus doing one-nighters across America and Canada. I moved to Los Angeles in 1981 and began freelancing. There I gained experience in a wide variety of live and studio settings and was fortunate to work with some well-known West Coast musicians.

While living in LA I studied with some wonderful drummers including Joe Porcaro, father of rock and studio drummer Jeff Porcaro, Roy Burns, founder of Aquarian Drumheads, and funk pioneer David Garibaldi from Tower of Power . My real mentor, however, is the great jazz drummer Jeff Hamilton. I spent many years studying and hanging with him and he still kills me every time I hear him play.

I left L.A. in 1989 to serve as an artist in residence in the jazz studies program at Saint Francis Xavier University's school of music in Nova Scotia, Canada. After completing the term, I decided to move to Atlanta, settling there in 1990.

I was offered a position as the house drummer for the Ritz Carlton Hotel playing with ensembles ranging from jazz trios to big bands, and it turned into a nine-year stay. I played the popular Ritz Carlton Big Band Christmas concerts at Spivey Hall for many years. I was part of several July 4th concerts from Lenox Square aired on local TV featuring a 90-piece orchestra and chorus with a live audience of 250,000 people.

In 2000, I left the gig at the Ritz to freelance and teach. Since then I've been involved in several theatrical productions at the Canton Theatre, Libby's Cabaret, and the award winning Alliance Theater revival of Jelly's Last Jam.  I still love big bands and have worked with Larry Elgart, The Knoxville Jazz Orchestra, the Atlanta Pops Orchestra, and the Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. I also played a concert recreating the Miles Davis Birth of the Cool album featuring trumpeter Marvin Stamm at Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia. Presently I enjoy working with a lot of different artists in a variety of settings.

My most recent career move was to buy the North American distribution company for Bosphorus Cymbals with a team including Bill Norman and Jeff Hamilton. I'm now serving as President and handling the day-to-day operations of the company. I don't have time to teach any more but I still gig a lot. Sometimes it gets pretty crazy.

I have been playing and teaching drums for thirty years and now have added running a cymbal company to the list. I consider myself very fortunate to be doing what I love to do.

...mv