BIOGRAPHIE


 
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.
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
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.


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.


1982

On vacation again in the States, bought my RQ Jones Dobro.
1983

Southern Comfort disbands.
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".


1985

The Paper Pardners disband.
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".


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".


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".


1996


















Phoenix is playing gigs regularly and recorded their first CD, "Grassy Grooves".


1997















Became a regular member of the Oldtime band "Four Potatoes". This band has quite a reputation already and is booked regularly.


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"


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.


2004


















Recorded my first solo CD, "Heart of Steel" with 12 Dobro instrumentals, 9 of which are originals.


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.
2006


















Four Potatoes release their second album.


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


2008

This year they had Sally van Meter teaching the dobro class. Was great again ! ! !



2009 Al Ras Festival: www.myspace.com/festivalalras