I started playing ukulele at age six. When I started figuring out Led Zeppelin on my uke, my parents reluctantly bought me a guitar to pacify my tenacious begging for one. I loved my first nylon string guitar. Then it was onto Bach at age eight and I still remember it was a challenge to contort my fingers in that fashion. I also learned everything by Neil Young and Dylan and began placing my focus on fingerpicking, playing bottleneck and fingerstyle guitar. I got a beautiful high-end Guild at sixteen and soon moved to Boston where I actually started to fit in for the first time in my life. I had lived in several other cities and after being there so long studying privately, an opportunity took me away from New England. I just had the L.R. Baggs Anthem pickup built into my vintage Guild.
I love Robert Johnson and have learned all 29! I have been playing out, but not nearly as much due to health problems. I have had four surgeries in just two and a half years, but am lucky to have made it
through -- due to the best surgeons we could find. I had four ruptured discs in my cervical spine and nearly lost the ability to play from loss of sensation and nerve damage in my fingers.
It has been nearly four and a half years since I have touched a cigarette! My vocals have also improved. If I had not found this place filled with information on how to quit, I firmly believe I'd be dead by now. Thanks to all.
