When I was 11 a friend stuck a guitar in my hands and said, “You ought to learn how to play”. Within a year I was in a band. . When I was 14 we bought a piano and I started figuring out how to play guitar chords and notes on the piano. I wrote my first song at 15. My step-dad’s record collection. introduced me to Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Bill Evans, Bach, Mozart, Debussy, Stravinsky, and Antonio Carlos Jobim, among many others. After high school I moved to Denton to go to North Texas University. The school had a great music program and I thought, as long as I am here I should take some music courses. I ended up with Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in composition. I studied composition and electronic music with the great Merrill Ellis, who encouraged me to be a composer. Around that time I started a band, Master Cylinder, that lasted for over 10 years. Many musicians were part of the group, and at one time we had a woodwinds player, a brass player, violin, cello, bass, 2 drummers, and me on guitar and keyboards. I was able to write for a wide range of instruments. We released 2 albums on a New York label, which can still be found in bargain basement record stores and on the internet. After college I expanded into traditional jazz and other types of music. My training ground was in the house band at the original Daddio’s club in downtown Ft Worth. In the early 80’s I started working in musical theater, which became another lifelong passion.  

Jazz – in addition to Master Cylinder I have played with many top bands, including Clockwork and No Compromise in the 80’s and 90’s. I’ve played thousands of gigs, in every city in Texas, as well as New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, France, England, Germany, Mexico, and Brazil. I’ve composed well over 500 jazz compositions.

Theater – I’ve been musical director for over 100 productions, I’ve written the music for about 40 plays, and lyrics for most of them, over 800 songs. I have worked with Hip Pocket, Stage West, DVA and Artisan theaters in Ft Worth, Theater Arlington, and Theater Three in Dallas, among many others. I was music director for 20 years at Ft Worth’s Jubilee Theater, where I worked with the great Rudy Eastman. Rudy encouraged me to write musicals, and to write lyrics – something I never thought I could do but learned to love. Through Jubilee plays I learned gospel, ragtime, hip-hop, rap and other music styles. In 2008 I received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Live Theater League of Tarrant County.

Dance – through my 30+ years of association with dancer/choreographer Gracey Tune I have played countless jazz tap shows, and worked with famous tap dancers like Tommy Tune, Sara Petronio, Ron Young, and Gracey herself.  

Miscellaneous – I have written music scores for several movies and short films, and wrote many TV and radio jingles back in the days before canned music replaced composers.  

Today – I play jazz piano in concerts, shows, and clubs, including Arts 5th Avenue and The Scat Jazz Lounge. With my trio, Antonia Valdez, Rageout Arkestra, Sheran Keyton, and various other groups of musicians. I perform every weekend at Lili’s Bistro on Magnolia, and present concerts of new music 2 or 3 times a year at Arts 5th. In May of 2023 my quartet will perform a concert of my music with the Fort Worth Civic Orchestra. I play jazz tap shows at Arts 5th Ave several times a year, and continue to write and perform theater plays. Last spring I wrote the music and lyrics for Rudy’s Renaissance Rhythm, a play about the history of the Jubilee Theater. This fall I wrote and played The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow with the Hip Pocket Theater.