BIO
I was born into the famous performing dynasty; "the Tumbling McCloud's". My family has entertained the crown-heads of Europe and toured the world for almost 225 years. We were known for our acrobatics and juggling. My parents had very high hopes for me
to carry on the tradition because they said I was born with the perfect tumbling build.
It was alot of pressure for me and by the time I was twelve I could juggle 7 balls, quite a feat at any age, and regularly performed with my family under the big top of the Barnum and Bailey circus; "The Greatest Show on Earth!"
Though I excelled in my family trade I was more enamored with the circus musicians. The person I remember most was a guy named Kenneth Gorelick. He was a few years older than me. He played the soprano saxophone in the band, but he also played the guitar and piano. When my parents bought me a guitar for my 13th birthday we would get together during slack times and play the guitar for hours.
to carry on the tradition because they said I was born with the perfect tumbling build.
It was alot of pressure for me and by the time I was twelve I could juggle 7 balls, quite a feat at any age, and regularly performed with my family under the big top of the Barnum and Bailey circus; "The Greatest Show on Earth!"
Though I excelled in my family trade I was more enamored with the circus musicians. The person I remember most was a guy named Kenneth Gorelick. He was a few years older than me. He played the soprano saxophone in the band, but he also played the guitar and piano. When my parents bought me a guitar for my 13th birthday we would get together during slack times and play the guitar for hours.
I was already a star in the circus, but my folks and the circus personnel recognized my talent as a guitarist and singer as well. They knew I wanted to quit the circus and become a singer-songwriter and thought I had the talent to do so. Some of the people in the band were able to line up an audition with some record labels. When the circus was in L.A. several representatives came out to listen to me play. I wanted Ken to help me with the harmonies and play some leads with his sax on a few of my songs. As luck would have it the record execs didn't show much interest in me but thought Ken was fantastic and immediately signed him to a record deal to play the soprano saxophone. Later they changed his name from Ken Gorelick to "Kenny G" and the rest is history.
It was devastating to see Kenny leave and then become so successful. I eventually quit the circus and tried to make it in the music business on my own. I joined a regional touring band in the western states for a couple of years but I eventually quit because I yearned to be a solo-guitarist. I struggled playing clubs and restaurants in Salt Lake City of all places for several years. Though I became fairly successful it became painfully obvious that there were hundreds of solo-guitarist singers just like me.
It took me several years but I eventually came up with a plan to set me apart from the other players. The first addition to my act was adding drum sounds; not a drum machine but real drums. I designed a drum set with electronic triggers I could play with my feet. This is where my circus training really helped me and soon I was playing the guitar, singing and now playing the drums with my feet. I thought I sounded awesome. Little did I know that this would be just the first installment toward my total sound.
This gave me an edge but after awhile it didn't seem like it was enough and I came to a crossroads of sorts. I wanted to add some type of leads to the songs I was playing. "Gordon Lightfoot" did alot of whistling and since I wanted to emulate his style I began to whistle the leads of various songs and it sounded good. I was also entertaining the idea of playing the harmonica. Whistling the leads was easy but the harmonica finally
won out because I believed it would give me the best advantages in the long run. I'm very happy today that I made that choice.
won out because I believed it would give me the best advantages in the long run. I'm very happy today that I made that choice.
So, now I had the foot-drums and the harmonica to aid in my performance. It gave me a
fuller sound and I was beginning to distance myself from the other solo performers.
fuller sound and I was beginning to distance myself from the other solo performers.
The next addition really gave me the ability to play songs I would have never been able to play before. "Digi-tech" had finally created a harmonizer that you didn't have to program each separate note or key. It was smart enough to create a harmony based on the notes of the guitar and was a huge enhancement to my sound. Adding the chorus' in my songs created a dimension that I never believed was possible. Now they were filled with 1, 2 and 3 part harmonies which I controlled with a switch next to my bass drum trigger. A few years ago I saw an eclectic guitarist on "America's Got Talent" who had mounted a drumstick to the end of his guitar and occasionally hit keys on the keyboard with it. Wow! I don't think this artist ever considered that this idea could be expanded. He was hitting the keyboard sporadically and it was more of a gimmick than anything.
I immediately saw the potential on what he had done and fitted a depressor (turning a Keyser capo upside down) on the end of my guitar and played the keyboard, programmed with bass sounds, on a stand in front of me. In the space of a month I was able to effectively add the bass to my sound. Over the past several years I have integrated it as an integral part of my act. Finally, after decades of practice, experimentation and innovation the full sound I had sought to create was finally done. I believe I am the only person in the country, and perhaps the world, that can play 4 instruments at one time without the aid of backing tracks or sequencers. As far as solo artists go I don't believe there is or has ever been anyone that can do what I do.
Give me a chance to share with you the sound of the worlds greatest one-man band.
Give me a chance to share with you the sound of the worlds greatest one-man band.