The first three years of high school I attended John McDonough in New Orleans Louisiana. My father worked for the Federal Government. He was a federal marshal, among many other things and transferred to Rockford Il. In my senior year of high school. I moved up here, to my grandparents, who lived in Chicago, Il. And went to school, at West Lyden in Melrose Park. It was challenging for me because, they had never seen anyone who dressed or looked the way I did. I finished the last three months at East High School in Rockford and ended up meeting Bill Pederson at a drive thru restaurant, called the Hollywood. He played bass guitar and said to me, your not from around here. Do you play music, and the rest is history. A girl in class one day asked me who I thought I was? One of the Beatles? I said no, but I am the drummer in the Double Decker Bus. She told me I wasn’t anybody unless I had played at a teen club called the Rumpus Room. I told her with a smile on my face we were playing there that very weekend. Back then you only had to be eighteen to go to bars and drink. So out of high school and into the club scene. We played the Ice chalet, where they held big concerts in its heyday. We played with a few big bands, and headed for bigger and better things. I started working on a 45 LP. I was into motorcycles and doing the hippie thing and it freaked our management right out. They lowered the boom and told to do and act as I was told. When I got onto a motorcycle accident, and was late for one rehearsals, I got thrown out of my own band. They didn’t stay together very long after I was gone. From there I hitch hiked to New York and then to California where I ended up joining a band. The band members in the Double Decker Bus were, Bill Pederson on bass, Ken Weatherby on keyboards, Tony Walker on guitar, and Scotty Hannum on drums. Ken Attamadey was the agent, and Ferguson Brothers was our management ,  who also managed the Grim Reapers who later evolved into Cheap Trick.