I have been married to the same beautiful girl (Tammy) for almost 25 years. We have 2 kids- Wes is 22 and attends Ga Tech (he made the "Dean's List" the past three semesters!!!). He is also an Eagle Scout, and really kicks A$$ playing bass with his band "Half Black Lit Shack"... My daughter Anna is 12 - she likes horses and hanging around with her friends... I think she takes after me because she has a "warped" sense of humor. To be honest, I'm pretty much totally confused about what goes on in an 12-yr old girls head....
Not counting family, work, and other "essentials"... I have a passion for playing my guitars. It keeps me sane (at least less insane than I would be otherwise)...
Music
My musical influences: Duane Allman, Dickey Betts, Toy Caldwell, Ricky Hirsch, Joe Walsh, Eric Clapton, and virtually every other "Blues" or "Southern Rock" picker.
"The Buddy Holly Story" --- "The Big Red One" --- "The Frisco Kid" --- "My Cousin Vinnie"
Books
Heroes
My wife for putting up with me for all these years (and I know it hasn't been easy)...
My Dad... No matter what I did he always stood by me. I miss your wisdom Papa John...
My Mom...because she is tough as nails and taught me to never quit...
My brother Dan, great singer (married Tonya Currier - a classical opera soprano) and he's the smartest guy I know (MIT Doctorate in Nuclear Engineering).
My brother Tim, very talented, courageous, compassionate and kind. Also very smart (Entertainment Lawyer in Nashville and a College Professor in Massachusetts)
There's a lot of my Dad in both my brothers...
What the heck happened to me????
About me: I was born in Atlanta, GA in March of 1957. I spent my early childhood "swattin' gnats" and running through the soybean fields and watermelon patches around Cordele, GA. Cordele is the "Watermelon Capitol of the World". Just ask anybody who's ever lived there, they'll tell you... In 1969 when I was 12, my family moved to Macon, GA. I can remember thinking, what-in-the-hell is in Macon, GA? In the next few months the world would experience a new musical force exploding from this sleepy southern town. Growing up in the home of the Allman Brothers, The Marshall Tucker Band, Wet Willie and the other Capricorn recording artists was instrumental in forging my lifelong passion for that "southern blues rock" thang... Even as an old dude, I can't shake the echos of "It Ain't My Cross to Bear", "This Ol' Cowboy", and of course a little "Macon Ga Hambone Blues" from my soul.
I basically stopped playing guitar for all practical purposes when I was around 25 to pursue a career and raise a family (all that real life stuff). No regrets--it's been a good life so far. I now live in the beautiful "Hickory Flat" community near Canton, Ga. My son Wes inspired me to start playing again. I saw how much fun he was having playing bass with his band and it brought back a lot of memories. So, at age 50, I bought a Gibson Les Paul (and then another one-- you can't have too many) & an old Marshall amp and started over at the beginning. You get rusty when you haven't played regularly in 20+ years, but it comes back if you work at it...........
Well, it's been a little while (almost two years) since I began playing guitar again. I've had some fun playing with a couple of bands, but it's been difficult to find one with that good old "Macon GA" vibe that I remember from my youth. I'm happy to say I have found a group of guys with similar musical roots. They even let this old dude try to play a little slide guitar on some funky southern blues rock tunes...
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Who I'd like to meet: Dickey Betts --
I'd love to sit down with him and a couple of Les Pauls. I want to get a lesson in picking that sweet southern style. The man plays guitar like warm honey flowing out of a jar...
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The Right To Life: Gov. Sarah Palin Video Produced by Seth Adam Smith
Hi Everyone! This is Martha. I'm still in the process of moving to another city; therefore, I will continue to be offline for a few more weeks. My friend Alex is doing an excellent job at running this page. I greatly appreciate it. I Hope to be back soon!
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