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B I O G R A P H Y
Hey!  Thanks for checking out my bio page.  Since you're here, I assume you want info on
my history and my life and stuff, right?      (If you don't, then RUN!    Run NOW!!!)

I'm from the midwest, came to California right out of high school, and have been performing
in some way or another, for my entire life.  Singing, acting, or just acting up...

I guess the first thing to get out of the way is the old 8 x 10's...

Click any image on this page to see a full size version

As you can see, time marches on!

I've had the opportunity to do many different types of projects, from singing to film, and from
the stage to the recording studio.  But there was a time when I was just getting started in
shows like:

Fiddler On The Roof...

...and The Pajama Game

Anything Goes         and          Little Mary Sunshine

I really am in here somewhere. Can you find me?

Early on, I was very blessed to be signed to a recording
contract with a contemporary Christian label named
Straight Ahead Records.  They also had an agency
for booking performances...
The label and agency was created by Tim Archer, a
member of the singing trio The Archers who were on
the forefront of contemporary Christian music when it
originally arrived in the industry along with legendary
artists like Cynthia Clawson and Andraé Crouch!

HERE's a promo shot I completely forgot
about.

Of course, there's a reason for it...check
out the HAIR!!  I guess my original 8 x 10 (in
the composite shot to the right) was too dated.
They wanted something more "contemporary".

Ummm, ok, but I could still have done without either version...

A year before this, I had auditioned for a show that was scheduled to tour the U.S., but as it
always seems to happen, I had to "hurry up and wait" for an answer on casting.   Apparently,
they were deciding between me and another person.  In the meantime, I got a call from one of
the directors of the tour about a movie that was being cast.  he knew the director of the film
and said I fit what they were looking for in one of four supporting parts.  I went to the audition
and then returned to my "day job"...
A few weeks later, while I was still
waiting to hear about the tour, I got a
call from the director of the film.  All
he said was that he'd found the LEAD
of his new project and the person's
initials were "d.m."  I thought I had
only gone to audition for one of the
supporting parts, but he said he knew
I was his lead when I walked in. Funny
how that can happen, before you even
read for a part.

It kind of takes ego out of the equation
when you realize that sometimes you
can get or lose a role on impression.

The Director's name was John Schmidt.
and his company was John Schmidt
Productions
.  You can check out his
IMDb link by clicking here
John and his wife Cathy, as well as the whole cast and crew were great to work with.  The
entire experience was great for someone who was new to filming, much less feeling the
responsibility of being in a leading role.
But I have to say
that the REAL
mind-blower...

...was the PREMIER.

I mean, there is NOTHING like seeing your
name up on the BIG screen for the first time!

And, getting telegrams!!

Actually there were TWO premiers.
One in a full-scale movie theater, and
the other (the invitation above) more
for family and friends.  So I got to
enjoy the experience twice!!

In the years that followed, I have appeared as:

A member of a five-
man a cappella group
doing doo-wop to R&B
to alternative music.

(Again, dig the
         hair, man!)

Jesus in an original
production in Orange
County, California

             Matt in
   The Fantasticks

My own vocal concerts...

Frederick in The Pirates of Penzance

Tony in
West Side Story

BUT THEN IT HAPPENED.................

I started having a lot of roughness in my voice.  My vocals were raspy and difficult
to sustain.  I waited a few weeks to see if it would clear up.

          It didn't.

So I went to my doctor, who thought it might be post-nasal drip from the MILLIONS
of allergies that I suffer from.  He put me on nasal spray for three months.

          That didn't work.

So he sent me to a specialist (an ear, nose, and throat doctor - ENT for short).  The
ENT heard the sound of my voice and decided to "scope" my throat.

For those of you who do not know what "scoping" is, it's where they put a long,
flexible tube UP your nose, and let it loop over and down the naso-pharynx which
connects your nasal cavities to your throat (simplistically speaking).

This tube has a little camera on the end and they can scoot right up to your vocal
cords and look at them without going down your throat.  It still makes you want to
gag, but not as much. So the doc can see what he needs to see.

Anyway...

The doctor diagnosed me with Vocal Cord Paralysis because my entire right vocal
fold was not moving.  Now, as a singer, imagine hearing that your vocal cord is
PARALYZED.  This was not a comforting thing to hear.

As it turned out, the left vocal fold was doing all the work for both sides by having to
move ALL the way over to meet the right, rather than meeting in the middle like it
does when the whole apparatus is working properly.

As a result, I not only had paralysis on the right side, I also had a Vocal Nodule on
the left vocal cord!!



To read a more about the Vocal Cord Paralysis,
Vocal Nodules, and other conditions of the voice...
click here

As a side note:  Many doctors will dismiss the singer who
KNOWS something is wrong, simply because he or she can
feel a difference in the tissues.  Singing is fundamentally
FEELING as opposed to hearing.  A trained vocalist CAN
tell when something is wrong and is better off with a doctor
doctor that respects that, so that illness can be prevented
rather than recovered from!

(Ok, this was my own soapbox, but I believe prevention is
FAR better than recovery...)

By the way...The NYU Voice Center is a great reference
for singers who need info on how the voice works, various
vocal maladies, and treatments.  They specialize in medical
treatment for singers. Though I haven't had the opportunity
to go there, the website is really informative, and I'd like
to visit the next time I'm in New York City.

The doctor said that sometimes this is caused by something like a cold, that may
even be mild enough that you didn't even know you had it.  It lasts anywhere from
two weeks to one YEAR.  But in 80% of cases it goes away on its own.

So, I was on complete vocal rest (no speaking) for 6 months.  Anyone who knows
me, knows that I HAD to be reallllly serious about getting my voice back to
accomplish that!

After 6 months, I went back to the doctor and the nodule was gone, and so was the
paralysis.  So now the plan was to work my voice back up in strength.

So....I went in search of a VOCAL TECHNIQUE TEACHER:

A technique teacher, unlike a coach, teaches the proper way
to sing; to produce the tones and to use the instrument you
have.  A vocal coach on the other hand, helps you with
presentation and how to stylize, etc.

I wanted to rework my voice and technique to develop my
newly healed instrument to the best it could be.

After researching different teachers and methods, I decided
to try a well-known or "famous" approach, mainly because it
IS based on the traditional style of Bel Canto singing.  This
was originated for use in opera, etc.

After a few short sessions this "teacher" told me I should myself
consider teaching (and of course paying for THEIR certifications)
since I was "too old for a career, even in Gospel music..."

I decided to find ANOTHER teacher.

After searching I found a great teacher by the name of:

MARVELLEE CARIAGA

This wonderful woman is not only a teacher that determines
what her student is trying to accomplish, but there was also
a "partnership" in our work that allowed me to push for
definitive answers to my questions. In some cases, we worked to
find those answers together, rather than me sitting and
listening to someone who acts like they know it all and leaving
without any answers at all. Education is not always a one-way action!

She has sung nationally and internationally, and can still
recognize that NO ONE knows it ALL!!!

I am blessed to have found her.  And to say that the voice I
now have has exceeded what I ever had hoped to hear
resonate (hint hint) out of my gift.

Thank you, Marvellee!!

Since then, I have done the hysterical musical

I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change
Spent multiple seasons as a
Dickens holiday caroler!

Appeared in an original production for
kids conceived and written by a woman
named Sarit Peleg who is from Israel.
Click here to see the video on my CLIPS page!!

This kids project was cut short before it really took
off, which is a shame.  It had original music that was
interesting to both kids AND adults.

It spoke to that part in all of
us that still remembers being
a kid, sharing toys and playing
with other kids just because
they were there.  (BEFORE
we learned to segregate, hate,
and discriminate.)

Well, thanks for stopping by my BIO page (I hope you had a good time and aren't
too thankful it's finally ending!!!)

Be sure to check out my other pages (links are right below
you) for audio clips from my demo, and video clips of
performances (like the Dickens clip mentioned above)!

BYE!

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