Born in Long Island, New York, I began my journey in music by learning to play the drums at the age of 12. Growing up, I immersed myself in my parents' record collection, which included traditional big band, swing, jazz, and country music from their era.
During my high school years, I played with various bands, exploring genres from country to rock & roll. Notable groups I performed with include The Whole Works, The Cool Jerks, County Fair, Tumbleweed, and Rob Stoner’s Rockin' Rebels. In addition to these experiences, I also played banjo and sang in local folk clubs and coffeehouses with my bluegrass trio, Allswell & Blue, and ventured into voice-over work.
I spent most of my formative years in Suffolk County, Long Island, concentrating on my music before a challenging home life prompted me to leave and travel across the United States to pursue music professionally.
After dropping out of high school during my sophomore year, I joined The County Fair. The band recorded several singles for the Frog Record label, catching the attention of Shelby Singleton, owner of Plantation Records and Sun Records, along with his producer for the Plantation label, Royce Clark, who shared a similar musical vision.
In 1972, I moved to Nashville with The County Fair, aspiring to become a recording artist. While there, I completed the recordings for the Plantation label that had begun in New York. Unfortunately, these recordings were largely overlooked at the time and were not released until 1990 on a compilation album titled Long Island Artists of the 60’s. Upon relocating to Nashville, the city was experiencing a pop-oriented urban cowboy movement that largely ignored The County Fair's updated honky tonk style. Frustration over the lack of success led to the gradual disbanding of the group. In contrast to the polished music prevalent in Nashville, The County Fair’s raw, revivalist approach felt radical, and the cow-punks who attended our shows provided essential support for our emerging careers.
Remaining in Nashville, I engaged in extensive session work, aided by Shelby and Royce’s support.
From my Nashville experiences onward, I have collaborated with a diverse array of artists and clients as a composer, producer, and session musician, with many having recorded or licensed my compositions.
I have continued to work diligently over the years and made my way to Norway in 1990, where I currently reside. I own an independent label, A.C.T. Entertainment Group, and a publishing company, Essential Sound Music Publishing. My focus lies in production music, and I have enjoyed considerable success in composing and producing music for over four decades.
My compositions have been utilized by both major and independent record labels and publishers, including EMI, Grappa, Warner Chappell, Curling Legs, RUf Records, Little Big Beat Music, Victor Entertainment, Sonet, Collectable Records, Sweden Songs, Face Front, Inside Out, Trygve Sound, Essential Sound Music Publishing, and Long Life Music. My work has also appeared in numerous television shows and films, including Heat, Breaker Beauties, and networks such as TV 2, CMT TV, History Channel, VH1, CBS, ABC, NBC, SVT 1, AMC, Sport 1, Jong Gewild, DIT Network, KIKA, Blitz, Direct 8, Discovery Channel, Rai Italia, CMT, OWN, Travel Channel, Ketnet, Jimmy Kimmel Live, Late Night with Carson Daly, Saturday Night Live, Late Night with Seth Meyers, The Late Late Show with James Corden, The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, TLC, Vampire Diaries, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Fox News Network, TVNorge, Jeger Tvillingene, and TV3 (SE), among many others.
