Album Notes

Singer/Songwriter/Musician Featured instruments: banjo, guitar, harmonica, lap steel guitar, fiddle, pedal steel guitar, bass, wood box foot drum, foot tambourine, tambourine, Indian flute, maracas As part of the popular duo Gorecki & Stout (or Stout & Gorecki-depending on who gave you the business card), I got my first taste of playing music on a somewhat professional level. Of course, I had to balance that with my day job in the excavating business. Gone are the days of 240+ gigs per year playing private parties, grungy bars, upscale clubs and concerts in our local historic Tibbits Opera House. It was pretty cool when we were the warm-up band for the Flying Burrito Bros. too. But, after 13 years I guess we both got kind of burnt out, and decided to put our successful duo to rest. I sometimes wonder what could have happened had we encountered the right person or place at the right time. I think that's usually how it goes. There's a lot of good music out there in the unknown world, and I guess that's what CD Baby is all about. My first time playing music was in 5th grade on coronet horn, and before I got out of high school I was playing first chair tuba. What a switch! In the early 70s I got drafted and luckily ended up playing baritone horn in an Army band in Germany, and carrying a baritone in Germany sure beat carrying an M-16 in Vietnam. That was definitely the first time in my life that I was grateful for my musical background. It was in Germany while being discharged that I finally bought my long awaited purchase-a banjo-which has been my primary instrument. Since then I have also included guitar, lap steel guitar, resophonic guitar, harmonica, and bass. On to college and to eventually receive my Master of Fine Arts. There I got together with a couple guitar players and gained a lot of ground on my banjo and singing capabilities. I started giving banjo lessons in 1976 at the Bobby Hankins Music Store. He had a country band and occasionally he would feature me at concerts he would organize at the Tibbits Opera House. That's when I got exposed to playing for large crowds. During that time I started playing with the R & L Bluegrass Express band. And during that time I teamed up with Mike Gorecki as a duo. I was playing in both groups for a while until gig dates conflicted. I had to make a choice between the two, and as a result of my decision the Gorecki & Stout duo played on for 13 years. After we quit playing I mostly played at home and at campfires on trail rides (I'm an avid mule rider). In 1996 I was asked to play an event, and that pretty much started my one-man band show. I had always wanted to record, and in 1998 I bought my own stuff. I record in my own home and after a year of learning and doing in my spare time, I produced my first CD-Waitin' on the Thunder. This CD contains five original songs. The remaining tunes are favorites that I wanted to record. After a couple years I bought more recording equipment to expand my recording capabilities. Five years after my first CD, I produced my second CD-Then and Again (to be released January 2005). This CD contains four originals and seven other favorites.