NEW: I have a couple of crude videos posted on YouTube now. See the first one here: http://ie.youtube.com/watch?v=_5d_YtX_kWc (poor video quality). Read the bottom comments on this Bio for more information on the videos.

Non musical background:

I was born in the mountains of eastern Kentucky. Since I was the age of two I lived at, or near Flint Michigan, and spent most of my life there until 1998. I am an only child. (I learned to replace siblings with wild animals: ("Maw... can I keep this raccoon I caught?) - Mostly my hobbies were electronics/computers in nature. I got myself into a lot of trouble, as a kid, which ended up keeping me grounded often. These were the earliest days in which I learned to appreciate music. Later in life (at 24) I suddenly became very serious about making my own music. I was a late bloomer, musicaly speaking... but I never give up on my dreams, even if I did start playing later in life than many people.

Musical information:

I play styles that vary from Hard Rock to mellow "Mood Music" on my banjo. Not everyone that likes a certain style will like my other styles, and thats fine. The music posted on this page is sometimes called "Alternative Banjo" by other players.

I had heard bluegrass and Gospel since I was born, along with the music of bands such as AC DC. ZZ Top, Van Halen, Ozzy, ' Stones... Most of my rock music turn ons came from the peer pressure of the friends I grew up with. It wasn't easy being a teenage banjo picker from where I came from at all. TV shows like Hee Haw, The Beverly Hillbillies and The Dukes of Hazzard didn't make it much easier on me either. It seems I had at least 1000 fist fights between my 4th and 11th grades of school. To them I was a "stupid hillbilly"... Upon visiting my relatives in Kentucky I was called a "Damm Yankee"....Once I brought a tape of Earl Scruggs (bluegrass) to school... My friend brought his tape of KISS that very same day. Sometimes I feel that all those years of being scared to hear the school bell ring (aka: fist fight time) produced some of the style I played. Eitherway, growing up was rough for me. I remember thinking to myself, as a teen, that I wish my parents would settle down somewhere around Columbus Ohio (1/2 point).

Being a teen during the 1970's-1980's surrounded by hard rock fans, I mostly keep my banjo playing a secret. I always loved the sound of a banjo, and have spent years trying to develop new ways and musical purposes for banjos. I invented a 3-finger picking style, and a gizmo that allows my normal Gibson banjo to sound much like a heavy metal axe (I spent years trying to prove this could be done). Some of my clips on other sites do NOT sound like a banjo, due to the fact I sometimes install humbucker guitar pickups and use guitar electronics. I always use my same banjo (a Gibson RB250 Mastertone) for all recordings. My Heavy Metal Banjo Music Posts are on Banjohangout.org (a player's site) but, one has to join to be a member (free) and to find them posted in my bio page. I'm sorry for the inconvenience. The site is: www.banjohangout.org - and is a very large site for banjo players around the world. My handle is Jammer on that site as well.

I thank the Lord for all the kind people that take the time to write just to say they appreciated any of my instrumentals. As of now, almost all my songs are instrumentals... some made up of only a single banjo track. I use audio production software, and often find that I spend more time at mixing than I do playing. All my songs are totally made up as they are recorded- thus my handle Jammer... I don't like to practice tabs etc. .. I live to play my emotions and capture the mood of the moment. After all, somebody has to make up new stuff or otherwise we will forever hear the same songs.

I play banjo for the LOVE of it. However I do have deep ambitions of perhaps someday (maybe before I'm 98 years old) actually being able to make some $$ on this. I have worked over half my life with my banjo... and it's tough to make a living while trying to make time for life's passions. I pray for whatever God wants my music to be used for is fulfilled to the ut most highest respectable standard.... no matter how small such a task might be.

On a final note: Please give to American Pain Foundation
www.painfoundation.org
"A United Voice of Hope and Power over Pain
An independent nonprofit organization serving people with pain through
education, advocacy, and support."

To donate to help find a cure for Chronic Pain (pain that NEVER goes away), and other types of sever pain, please donate via PayPal at this email:
donate@painfoundation.org - It's sad that millions of pain sufferers are treated like criminals when all they need is medication to make them function like any other able bodied adult. I hope people will someday understand better the millions of sufferers that are often treated like druggies, when all they really need is a little help dealing with their pain that often never leaves their bodies.

NEW: I have a couple of crude videos posted on YouTube now. See the first one here: http://ie.youtube.com/watch?v=_5d_YtX_kWc (poor video quality). I took down a third video due to poor playing, which now leaves me with two videos of me simply jamming banjo by myself. I hope somebody enjoys them. One can always search with "Alternative Banjo" on YOUTUBE to find me. Otherwise a search on GOOGLE with "Heavy Metal Banjo" often brings up a page of mine.

Peace, and Thank You.

>>Jammer>>