My history goes back to Detroit Michigan-Highland Park, to be exact. I was born and raised there, when everything, economically, was still growing in the area. The I-75 freeway construction destroyed my old hood, it was called “Urban Renewal” , (but really was “Urban Removal”) . Our community was an international melting pot with almost every nationality living in the city. Oakland avenue, from Woodland north to Connecticut was the neighborhood business district, one of the few times in my life where I could go and shop in such a diverse, multi-cultured environment. The Chrysler World Center was located on Oakland avenue and the first Ford assembly plant was on Manchester avenue east of Woodward avenue. Almost every major department store was located in both cities, not to forget our sister city of Hamtramck, which was 5 minutes from Highland park.
My father was a talented singer, piano genius and trumpet player-all done by ear, which he learned from his father we all called papa. I think back on all the wonderful things my father exposed me to and taught me. From driving that old chevy with the shifter in the steering column and the clutch that I could hardly reach on the floor. I learned how to play the piano, trumpet and sing watching my dad and having him share his knowledge of music with me. I took formal training on the cornet, trumpet at the age of 14, while attending middle school. My dad also had my younger sister and I take beginning piano lessons. The piano lessons stopped, but the trumpet lessons continued, as one of these had to stop, due to cost. I chose the trumpet because it allowed me to join the junior high school band, which I loved.
I continued through highschool, playing in the concert band, the concert orchestra(including french horn), pep rally band and concert choir. In other words, I was totally into the music. My friend and fellow trumpet player, Ted Waterhouse and I, along with other musicians, decided to start a band, which we named the Meditations. We stayed together until about 1972. I played keyboards with the band, a Farfisa electronic organ-portable and sounded good for the time.
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