I began playing guitar when I was 9 years old. I began playing bass when I was 16. I began playing dobro, mandolin, banjo, and autoharp in 2011. I started playing banjolin, mountain dulcimer, ukulele, and bouzouki in 2012. I added tenor banjo to my show in 2013. I can play fiddle and hammer dulcimer but I have not added them to my shows yet.Sometimes I play a washboard in my shows when it fits the venue.
I wanted to be a musician for as long as I can remember. When my sister, Debbie, used to take organ lessons at the house, I would go in the hall closet and CRY because I wanted to play too. I was probably 2 or 3 then. Debbie had lots of instruments: sax, drums, guitar. So, I stole her guitar when my parents went on vacation and she was staying with a friend. Aunt Annie took me to a music store and helped me buy new strings and scheduled two lessons in one week for me. When my parents came home, I had a music book propped up on the dining room table and played when Mom and Dad came in the house. Dad said, "Who do you think you are? Liberace? Dad made me play guitar for a whole year before he bought me my own. He wanted me to "earn" it. He bought me a Tele style Penco and an Ampeg Gemini II amp.

I don't remember the first concert I ever went to. I always went to my mom's (Jeanne Williams) shows when she sang.with her brothers in The Ross County Farmers, The McCoy Brothers, The Real McCoys,and the Shawnee Valley Boys. My mom and her brothers opened for Johnny Cash and George Jones at Renfro Valley, KY. I barely remember that. My Mom played at the Ohio State Fair in 1972 and was sponsored by WMNI for that performance. My parents owned Sam's Place and had a lot of country music stars there and Mom and her band, The Shawnee Valley Boys, opened for all of them. We had Barbara Mandrell, Mel Tillis, Mac Wiseman, Billy "Crash" Craddock, Tony Booth, Crystal Gayle, Ferlin Husky, Roy Drusky, Hank Thompson, Mel Street, Jean Sheppard, Don Gibson, Hank Lochlin, and a lot of others. In 1977, Sam's Place went to rock n roll and we had Brownsville Station, Steppin Wolf, Pure Prairie League, McGuffey Lane, Madame X and The Godz.

Too many to mention! My favorites are: my Gibson V2, a 1971 Alvarez Dove I inherited from my Uncle Alva McCoy, and my 1982 Alvarez Yari Dreadnaught, In my acoustic solo shows I perform with either the Alvarez Yari of the Dove, Dean chrome resonator, Michael Kelly Mandolin, Morgan Monroe Rocky Top 5-string Banjo, 1962 white Oscar Schmidt autoharp, Luna Uke Mo Mah ukulele, Rogue banjolin, 1944 Slingerland May Belle tenor banjo, Dean Black Chrome 6 string banjo, vintage Crate 4-channel PA, Peavy 8 channel PA, and Rolland Street Cube, Shure SM58 mics. When I play rock n roll I use a Peavy Classic amp, GNX3 pedal board, Digitech RP300 pedal board, Rolland G6 guitar synthesizer and play an Epiphone Flame Kat guitar.

I would like to network with fellow performers in my genre. I hope that this website helps me establish a bigger presence in online media search engines. I hope this greater presence leads to more bookings.

I always wanted to be just like Barbara Mandrell - she played lots of instruments and put on a very entertaining show. I love The Eagles. I really wanted to be Joan Jett when I was a teenager. .My mom, Jeanne Williams, was a HUGE influence on me. She had the stage presence of Patsy Cline and a lovely voice. Her brother, Alva McCoy, was always a hero to me - he could play almost any instrument and he sang just like Ray Price. My mom and Alva sang beautifully together - you get that with family harmonies. Black Leather Touch, Teazer, SD Kite, Madame X, and C&R Express were all regulars at Sam's Place and I learned a lot by watching all of them.

I am mostly a solo acoustic act. I play a wide range of acoustic instruments and sing Americana, Bluegrass, Folk, Country and Old Time Gospel.Gary Puckett of R.U.Bound, joins me sometimes. I have been in bands - Stone Maidens, Blue Steel, Country Spice, The Core, The Bull Dozer Band, Freedom Run, Ocean of Love, and Visions. I have been in some other small bands too, but I honestly don't remember their names!
I am a very successful solo act - I play gigs about 3 X per week.

Barbara Mandrell. I always wanted to be just like her! She is an awesome musician!!!!

I would give ANYTHING to jam with my mom and her brothers. They're all dead now. I was always nervous about playing with my uncles - they were so good and very intimidating to a kid. Hardly anything or anyone intimidates me in my old age - I would love to share the stage with them. Sometimes when I sing the Will The Circle Be Unbroken, I envision them all singing and playing with me and it almost makes me cry!

I played at the Ohio State Fair at the Martin Janis building on July 25, 2012; lots of people were there - I'm not sure what the daily average attendance is at the fair. The smallest group I have ever played for is in a nursing home, maybe 20 people.

I played at the Mayor's Night Out concert series in Point Pleasant, WVa on June 14,2013. It was a stage in front of the Ohio River with an 800 seat amphitheater. I don't think every seat was filled, but it is the biggest concert I have ever performed at where people just came to see me play. I was the only act. Gary Puckett did join me, but he was not advertised because he was not sure he could come. So, I am very thankful, pleased and proud that so many people came to see me play.

As part of a band, the biggest crowd I ever played for was with Freedom Run in 1986. We played (and won) a battle of the bands to a packed football stadium.

The Eagles Greatest Hits. I think I heard it for the first time in 1977. It just opened up the whole genre of Country Rock for me. It brings back great memories of my teen years. I used to cruise through the hills of Chillicothe listening to my 8-track of the Eagles in the early morning hours before school started. If I could bring two albums I would bring The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band's Will The Circle Be Unbroken volume II.