Steve's
musical career started at the age of 4, with vocal and dance training
at the Carol Rae Studio's in South San Francisco. By age 5, he was
performing as a vocalist for events at the Moose hall in South San
Francisco and the South City Fair. In 1954, he won first prize on
the bay area TV talent show, Our Gang and was on his way to a busy
singing career. However, severe illness halted all progress and left
him with asthma.
At 12 Steve began classical piano lessons, which
soon turned to music theory. Not long after, he began teaching
himself how to play the guitar. In high school he jammed with friends
playing
jazz and rock. At 21, Steve joined his first working band and played
with High Gain for six years. After briefly working with a group
out of Bend, Oregon he returned to the bay area and played for
several years with the band Breezin.
In 1979 Steve moved to Tuolumne
County
where he worked with a variety of bands, including the Live Rooster
Orchestra, and the Looney Bros., playing swing, country and rock.
In the mid 80', Steven dabbled in acting, performing with the
Columbia College Theater Dept., C.A.R. and S.R.T. all in the Sonora
area.
His acting culminated with a speaking role in the Universal Pictures
movie, Back To The Future III. From 1994 to 1999, Steve worked
with the new grass band Springfield Crossing, which performed at
the Strawberry
Music Festival in 1995, 1996, and 1998.
Steven joined the Black
Irish Band in 1992 after returning from a two-month tour of Asia
with a
theatrical troupe. As a pianist/vocalist/actor Steve performed
in a Canadian play, "Billy Bishop Goes To War," in Hong Kong, Shanghai,
Singapore and Guangzhou. Initially Steve played mandolin, guitar,
and sang with the band, but after a case of tendonitis in 1996, his
performing with the band slowed down considerably. In January of
1999, he came back full time playing accordion and guitar, and later
added the tenor banjo.
Currently, when the Black Irish Bands busy
schedule allows, Steve plays keyboards with Special Delivery,
a country and rock dance band from Murphys, CA., however, most of
his time
is spent performing and recording the great variety of folk
music presented by the Black Irish Band.
