It all began as a child growing up in Vancouver BC. The radio in our home was concockted by my father from bits and pieces of discarded radios, but it functioned well enough to hear the cries of the times, "The Shadow, the Green Hornet, call for Phillip Morris," and most certainly "WSM The Grand Ole Opry" on saturday nights, when the only sound heard in our home was, "Country Music," to which of course I was glued.
Came the music lessons, oh how I disliked that idea. Constant practice, the burning fingers, the wanting to get out and play, but I stuck to it, because in fact, I did want to learn. Then amateur radio shows sprung up, CKMO of which I was a regular every saturday morning, the theaters on west hastings street that had live entertainment between movies, and who could forget the basement studios of CJOR hosted by Bill Rea. It went from there to being a regular with Bill on CKNW in the Fraser valley, with Mike, Mark, and Jack the Rythem pals, where I made my way as often as Tram fare became available. One of my very dear friends of that time was a man known to all as Pat Morgan, but we called him Buster.
Guy Mitchell, one of my dearest friends and life savors, came to my aid in Hawaiian Gardens Calif, and helped me through a rough time. He taught me how to sing Baritone with Tenor qualities, when I damaged my voice in concert in the late 1970s. There are a number of folks I could mention, from Noel Boggs, to Gene Albright, and many Texas Swing folks, lord I could go on and on, but take my word for it, I was always in the best of company, cause I love what I do.
The taste for entertaining was now permanently embedded in me. When my family and I moved to Oregon, I soon became a regular on the "Stars of Tomorrow" show,
on KGY and KPFM. A weekly radio show hosted by Uncle Nate, owner of the star furniture company, Portland Oregon. Popularity moved our show to the 50,000 watt KEX, Westinghouse studios, in Portland. Our first TV shows,with " Jane Powell"- "Johnny (cry) Ray," and of course yours truly. Johnny Ray introduced me to the "Blue Mouse" theater in Portland, where I did my first vaudeville shows.
After my enrollement in the corps of engineers in Chilliwack as a paratrooper, where I was injured in a para jump, I returned to Oregon to continue my chosen field as a entertainer. ( Rodeo )Rick Blakely of KWAY in Forest Grove Oregon, gave me the opportunity of having my own show during drive time. Twice daily, me and my guitar appeared singing and playing for the local folks driving to and from work, and of course those at home. It was during this time, that Rick introduced me to his friend "Jim Reeves", who introduced me to Tommy Hill of starday records Madisson Tn, where I was fortunate to have my first hit song :"Thunder and Lightn'n," Jim never got to hear my record, as he perished in a small plane tragedy on his way home to Nashville. I played every honkytonk and saloon from Las Vegas to the Canadian border by way of Minn. N&S Dakota, Mont, Idaho, Ore, Wash, Cal, Vancouver, Van Island to Port McNeil and Alert Bay, and I've just begun.
My new commercial is in editing and will be available to view soon.
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