My Uncle gave me my first guitar when I was six. It was so big, my Mother got me one my size and started me on lessons. Right down the street, Earl Owensby had a movie studio where I met Clay Smith, who encouraged me to keep playing guitar and writing songs. I graduated from Crest High School in Shelby, North Carolina, and went into electrical work which required a lot of traveling. I met and learned a lot from Bill Pickney of the original Drifters and got hooked on Beach music. I spent a lot of time in Myrtle Beach and eventually met Conway Twitty and the Twitty Birds and fell in love with Country music. I became friends with keyboard player Mike Schripf and did my first Country and Country Gospel recordings at Mike's studio in Hendersonville, Tennessee. In 1998 my songs "Live By The Sword," "The Light Of Love" and "Precious Name Of Jesus" were released on Glory Train Records and in 1999 my song "Don't Start It" was released on Rider Records Country.