Biography
I heard my first folk music on “Jerry White’s Hootenanny” on WJRZ.AM in 1962.
By 1964 I had learned, as a lefthander, to play a few upside-down chords on a borrowed baritone uke, and a lifelong folkie was born, writing songs in the style of Judy Collins, Tom Paxton, etc. In college I learned to play songs by the Everly Brothers, Simon and Garfunkle, Cat Stevens, the Beatles, top 40 hits, Cream, Led Zeppelin, Sam & Dave, Sam Cooke, and the Temptations.
After a Masters degree in Environmental Education from Glassboro State College (now Rowan University), I worked as a naturalist in Camden County, NJ for 31 years, retiring in 2005. While volunteering at the Philadelphia Folk Festival from ‘76-’04, I got to see folk greats, Elizabeth Cotton, Pete Seeger, Oscar Brand, Bill Staines, & countless others. I performed many times at the Philadelphia Folk Fest, both as a volunteer and as a paid performer.
Inspired by Pete Seeger and the Clearwater crew, I performed environmental song programs as “The Earthsinger” for schools and families in NJ, PA, IL & OR from1986 to 2019.
I have been an active Executive Board member of Alliance For New Jersey Environmental Education, and served as president of the Whitesbog Preservation Trust.
Presently I am a Board Member of PFS, and a member of the Virtual Song Circle Committee and the Archive Committee.