As a good ol’ southern boy, born in Paducah, transplanted to Baton Rouge and growing up in St. Louis, The Mississippi River courses through my blood. My parents were incredible dancers. I followed in their footsteps and was immediately in great demand. I had rhythm & blues in my soul and won all of the local dance contests. But I was a maverick…I leapt into sports and overnight became captain of the varsity football team all the while winning talent shows with my impressions of Flip Wilson’s Geraldine (and sneaking into my older brother's room to teach myself the drums.)

 

I was given a work-study job cleaning the restrooms of the fine arts building and was always peeking in the doors of the theater watching the actors. Encouraged to audition, I put down my mop and got cast in a play opposite John Goodman. We both won university acting awards. I received a major in theater and a minor in dance from Missouri State and was asked to be a member of the university dance company, training eight hours a day in ballet, modern, and jazz.

 

Before fulfilling my dream of moving to NYC, I wanted to study voice.  I was chosen by Maestro Edward Zambara to train in vocal performance at the University of Tennessee. I sang at the US Open Tennis Championship for three years garnering a treasured review in The New Yorker’s Talk of The Town for my ‘stirring rendition’ of the National Anthem.