Mom and dad cropped Gerald & Caroline Patten

My parents get the biggest thank you for giving me piano lessons.  Mom played the keys also.  But she was very upset when I started playing in the band.  She always said that the worst thing she ever did was give me piano lessons.  I always hoped they could see me perform just once before they died.  They never did.  Thank you mom and dad for all you did for me and most for the piano lessons.

Kevin-01 Kevin Crossley

In the late 60’s I was invited to a friends house to jam Charlie Huhn .  (Charles “Charlie” Huhn is an American rock singer and guitarist. He got his start playing with Vic Amato, Andy Dennen and Al Lesert in the band Cirrus, in and around  Grand Rapids, Michigan playing many gigs in West Michigan before joining Ted Nugent in 1978.   My friend was not perpared  and there was no keyboard there for a jam session but he had brought someone else, Kevin Crossley.  Some how we found out that we were born on the same day and so was Vic Amato.  We became mates right away and have been all the years.  Kevin worked for SIR in LA.  He has worked with the best in the business.  The provisional musical education that I have today mostly comes from the back stage experiences Keven exposed me to.  Thank you Kevin for being me mate.

Robin Turley Robin Turley

I started working the Casinos while I still lived in the bay area of San Francisco.  It was about a 3 hour drive to work.  After a time I took an apartment there.   The first band that I got work with was the Robin Turley Show.   I worked with Robin Turley  in Reno and Lake Tahoe, Nevada.   I met him at a perfect time in my life and he was a great mentor.  Robin showed the members of his band how to become a professional in the music business.   There was more to it than just playing the music.    I also learned that if you are trying to be the best musician around there is always someone better than you.  So he thought the smart thing  was to be an entertainer and not have to deal with all the competition.   And the best way to do that was to be yourself.   No one can be a better you than you.  Robin suggested that we find out what we do best and do it the best we can.  He showed us how to back up a front man and take the spotlight yourself.   He was very generous with his complements about his band members to his audience.  Showing that he had a good band behind him made him look better still.  Now  years later when  performing with a band I still stand on the foundation of a professional that Robin’s shared with us.  Thank you Robin for your patients with me and your positive direction.

timmy Timmy King

There is not enough room on the page to thank Timmy for all he has done for me over the years.  Getting this site up and running is one of them.  If there is a question that I can not solve Timmy knows  or where to find the answer.  Mr. King is always on the cutting edge of what’s happing in todays computer and music business.  I am very blessed to have him as my friend and business partner.  Timmy is the son that I never had.  Thank you Timmy for your support and love of the music.

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Photograhoy By Boots – John Berry

I met John Berry as a friend of the Center Stage Band and he quickly became one of mine.  Photography By Boots pics are the best I have of my live performances with any band.  Thanks to him I have a video of Ronnie Lee singing Maggie May live at the Twisted Bull. John has spent hours with the band capturing a record of our performances. John is also a well of knowledge about many subjects and I can always trust his opinion.  There was only one thing that I did not like about his work, he never would let me pay him for his time.  Thank you so much John for making me look good.