I was born in San Antonio but my father’s military career soon put our family on the move. Most of my youth was spent in Roswell, New Mexico (maybe that explains a few things ……The Roswell Incident!), Minot, North Dakota (that probably explains even more!) and Houston, Texas. I was weaned on the folk/rock of the ‘60’s and was part of the Woodstock generation. My early musical influences included seminal bands like Buffalo Springfield and The Byrds. My early musical heroes were Stephen Stills, Neil Young, Jackson Browne, Jim Messina, Roger McGuinn, Dan Fogelberg, Paul Simon and Bob Dylan……to name a few. I was captured not only by their great instrumental talents but by the incredible song writing.

My family moved to Houston in the late ‘60’s. Here I met life long friends, Craig Van Amburgh and Linn Cooper, and formed a wannabe CSN trio called CMC (Charv, Mel and Coop). We never got far beyond the Click house on Sarong Street with the music but it was the start of a life long friendship that is bound by our love of music. We still get together on occasion to relive CMC.

In the early ‘70’s I became immersed in the Texas music scene and singer/songwriters like Willis Alan Ramsey and Michael Murphey. I found a “genuine” feel to their music and besides, it was from Texas. What could be better! The ‘80’s brought a change in the music scene and I focused more on a career and raising a family. It was in the late ‘90’s that the music resurfaced and I was drawn to the blues. First, it was the ‘lectric blues and the guitar work of masters like Eric Clapton and B. B. King. That led to the country and delta blues. Rory Block, Bonnie Raitt, Keb Mo, Taj Mahal and Kelly Joe Phelps were very influential. They steered me to the early blues masters, Son House, Robert Johnson and Mississippi Fred McDowell.

With the turn of the century and new interest in music, I ventured out to take a few lessons and meet some other players. It was at an informal gathering of guitar pickers (Guitar Circle) with similar musical intentions that I met Mike Crippen and Bill Aspinwall. Similar musical backgrounds yet distinct styles drew us together and we began to meet more often to trade songs. And these guys knew their way around the fret board! We each began to write songs and with the encouragement from our Guitar Circle friends and families we played a few gigs. The trio, “Big Lizard Boys”, was born. In 2005 we recorded the album, “Pick Yourself Up”, engineered and co-produced by Houston music legend, Jack Saunders. Though families and day jobs are our priorities we still manage to play a few gigs, have fun and keep our music and friendship alive!

I also perform as a solo artist. I have two albums to my credit, The Last Mango in Harris and It Takes Two to Mango, both self recorded and produced. My latest album, The Promised Land, is in the works and should be completed in early 2009. Lloyd Daniel, aka “The Dalai Lloyd”, has been instrumental in making this project happen. He is engineering and co-producing the work at Songbrush Sound in Tomball, Texas. What a hoot it has been working with Lloyd!

These are but a few of the events and people that have been a part of my music. Many are my friends and local musicians in the Houston area. Much of being a musician is listening, not just playing. I like to think of my music as a meld of all of these gifted people who have been a part of my musical life. Hope you enjoy it. Let the music play!

Mike