Born and raised on the South Side of Chicago to parents that were
musically, mechanically and artistically inclined.
They were caring and nurturing and very supportive
of my musical and artistic gifts.
I attended the Markham Public School system where I excelled at art and
music, but really sucked at math, and English! I was
much more interested in Underground Radio, listening
to Classic Rock and the Blues Greats of the 60’s on
my transistor radio tucked under my pillow nightly,
than learning Algebra and how to write a perfect
paragraph.
I learned guitar from friends and by watching the “masters’ at the
Battle of the Bands, where I learned the basics of
guitar progressions and the magic of electric
guitar. This, as anyone who knew me at that time
became my obsession.
I soon found myself playing with as many local bands as would have me.
Spending countless hours practicing and performing,
hoping my grades would be enough to get me out of
High School.
After graduation, I knew I had to “hit the road” and road life became a
way of life. I recall one of my favorite memories
was with a band called “Sundance” where learning how
to sing harmony was essential if you wanted to keep
your gig. Singing soon became second nature to me.
And I soon found myself fronting and arranging for
the bands I was in.
Following the road circuit, fast food restaurants and cheap hotels soon
became a way of life for many years. The grind of
gigging and no sleep became the norm and looking
through the
van windshield was my backyard. The death of my
Father brought me back home to Chicago to take care
of some unfinished business…
When I got home, I realized I needed to clean up my own act. I decided
to go back to school and become active as a Social
Worker for the next five years, still performing
with local bands. During this time, I met my soul
mate and life partner Denise where we’ve created and
shared a wonderful life together for over thirty
years!
Through my wife, I was introduced to the Art of Tattoo by being asked
to compile music for a friend, Roy Boy for videos he
was producing. We became friends and I soon found
myself studying the Art of Tattoo. After an
introduction to Tattoo through Roy Boy, I found
myself with an apprenticeship at Chicago Tattoo
studying under Dale Grande. Having completed my
apprenticeship, I moved on to Downers Grove Tattoo,
where I studied with Ray Youngman and
Mr. Max, my
partner in crime. In 1990 I opened my own studio
called Prairie Tattoo and have been in the same
location for over 20 years. Mr. Max and I are still
creating Custom Artwork on a daily basis and lovin’
it after all these years!
I have continued playing music by playing with some of the greatest
Chicago area bands, such as… Woodlind, Croesus,
Bullwinkle, JP and the Cats, Kent Brother Band,
Calico Cats, Jo Kenny Band, Bob E. Lee Blues Band,
Singer Songwriter Robert Durling, Gloria Thompson
Rogers, Superstition, and currently, guitarist and
Band Director of the
SoPro Blues Revue and
guitarist and vocalist of
The Jay Walkers Jam Band.
By following my late Mother’s Words of Wisdom, I have enjoyed a life of
pursuing my dreams of art and music. She taught me
the importance of following your dreams and you
would always lead a happy life.
You can find me doing session work, concert
appearances or weekly local gigs or laying down
beautiful artwork at Prairie Tattoo. Life is good…
