BIOGRAPHIE
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1970 |
When I was growing up we had a Guitar
hanging on the wall in the living room which served as a decoration. One
day I just had the irresistible urge to pick it up and start fooling around
with it. I guess I must have been around 15 yrs. old back then. Having absolutely no knowledge whatsoever about the guitar, I just started noodling around, seeing if I could pick out a few simple melodies I was familiar with. That seemed to work really well and was a lot of fun. The next step was when I got ahold of a song book with all the guitar chords in it. That's when everything started to click. It took awhile to get all the chords down, but I never had the feeling I had to force myself to practice. It was just a whole lot of fun learning new tunes, different progressions, new melodic ideas and different chords. Never before had anything been so easy and fun for me to learn. |
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1971 |
My parents thought it would be a great idea for me to have a basic understanding of Classical Music and got me started taking lessons. It didn't take me long to realize that this just wasn't for me. I never did learn to read or write music. I don't know why, but written music has just never been my thing. | |
1972 |
Got back to learning on my own and started studying different techniques and styles, like Folk, Blues, Rock and Pop. | |
1975 |
Got really hooked on Fingerpicking and fell
in love with Ragtime |
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1977 |
This is when I had my first brush with the Dobro. There was one on the cover of an Allman Brothers album and Duane Allman played a few tunes on that album with a bottle neck. This is when I knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that I was going to have to get me a Dobro, as soon as possible. | |
1978 |
During an extended vacation in the States I
stumbeled across a steel-bodied Dobro in New Orleans that I bought on the spot, for $400,-. It was a roundneck. Two weeks later, on my way from L.A. to Frisco with my new Dobro, I ran across a Bluegrassband playing on the street. This guy was playing a squareneck, which I had never seen or heard before. I immediately went off the deep end. I had a very interesting conversation with this guy , who told me everything he knew about these guitars. After that I headed back to L.A. and took a tour of the Dobro Company in Huntington Beach. |
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1979 |
Bought my first square neck in Munich along with an instruction book. Not long after that I met a guy in Stuttgart who played Dobro in a Bluegrass Band. He introduced me into the music scene in and around Stuttgart and then things really started to take off. | |
1980 |
My first real Band. Southern Comfort. We practiced
regularly, recorded a demo tape and played quite a few gigs. At this time
I was playing exclusively Dobro, lap style. |
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1982 |
On vacation again in the States, bought my RQ Jones Dobro. | |
1983 |
Southern Comfort disbands. |
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1983 |
New Band formation, The Paper Pardners. Lots
of gigs with this Band, among others, The Marlboro Country Festival and
a Guest appearance in the T.V. show "Kaffee oder Tee". |
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1985 |
The Paper Pardners disband. |
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1986 |
Another new Band, "Hard Times". This
formation recorded a MC with 12 tunes and had a guest appearance in the
T.V. show "Talentschuppen". |
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1987 |
Played on two tunes for the "Main Spring"
album "In The Mood" in a Recording Studio in Munich. Darol Anger played fiddle on the tune "Long". |
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1988 |
Spent a lot of time and effort putting my own Recording Studio together. Started concentrating more and more on guitar and less on Dobro. Made a lot of recordings for various local Bands, from Punk to Folk, a little bit of everything. After recording a demo for the banjoplayer from Lost Pick, he asked me if I´d be interested in playing Stand Up Bass in a new band. I wasn´t involved with any other band at that time, so I took him up on the offer. | |
1991 |
Got a Bass and started playing with the "Phoenix
Stringband". |
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1996 |
Phoenix is playing gigs regularly and recorded
their first CD, "Grassy Grooves". |
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1997 |
Became a regular member of the Oldtime band
"Four Potatoes". This band has quite a reputation already and
is booked regularly. |
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1998 |
Phoenix decides to include a few Dobro Tunes into the program, so after 10 yrs. of abstinence I started back up with the Dobro. | |
2000 |
Phoenix records their second CD, "Sketches
In Blue" |
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2000 |
"The Four Potatoes" record their first
CD. I've been playing in both bands now for many years, with the same band
members, and hope it stays that way. |
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2004 |
Recorded my first solo CD, "Heart of Steel"
with 12 Dobro instrumentals, 9 of which are originals. |
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2005 |
Took a ten day trip to the States and visited
a few Dobro Workshops, Concerts, and met a lot of new friends and other
Dobro Players. The Homepage goes online. The Four Potatoes start to produce their second album. |
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2006 |
Four Potatoes release their second album. |
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2007 | From 9th to 14th of April 2007 I was a participant
at the Sore Fingers Summer School in Kingham UK. This year they had Rob Ickes teaching the Dobro class. He is a brilliant teacher and I got a lot out of his lessons. Also met lots of fantastic musicians. It was a awesome week. www.sorefingers.co.uk |
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2008 | This year they had Sally van Meter teaching the dobro class. Was great again ! ! ! |
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2009 | Al Ras Festival: www.myspace.com/festivalalras |