About

Over the course of a journalism career spanning over 30 years, I’ve spent time in print, broadcast and online media. After graduating from the University of North Texas (North Texas State University back then), I embarked upon a career in radio. Though I started out working at stations in far flung Texas outposts like Gainesville, San Marcos, Conroe and Seguin before (mercifully) getting back to Houston, it was all (mostly) fun. I held a variety of positions, including news/sports anchor and reporter, news director, sports director and talk show producer and host.

I got into radio near the tail end of the “wild west” days that, according to the older DJs and reporters I worked with, defined radio up until deregulation strangled the fun out of it (don’t get me started!), but I still thoroughly enjoyed it for the most part, got to meet lots of cool and famous people and came away with plenty of incredible, crazy, strange and just plain weird stories (if you’ve got a spare day or two I can run through a couple of them).

Beginning in the early ‘90s while I was still a full time radio guy, I began getting assignments as a freelance writer, primarily covering all kinds of sports and fitness topics. Between radio and freelancing, I was fortunate to get the chance to cover the NBA, NFL, MLB, auto racing and college sports, along with the random international soccer match, clay court tennis tournament or polo match thrown in. Oh, and I also began playing bass guitar. Good times indeed.

I eventually shifted into full time print journalist mode just in time for the onset of the demise of newspapers and magazines. Great timing, huh? After a couple of years of surprisingly successful freelancing, in 2001 I began a 10-year stint as editor of Health & Fitness Sports Magazine in Houston, a monthly publication focused on fitness, sports and recreation. Those were excellent times, as I was lucky enough to be part of great team of talented people who generally loved what they did. Sadly, the magazine folded in 2014.

Without question, marrying my wonderful wife, Wendy, in 2005 was the best thing that ever happened to me. Together we raised two fantastic daughters, Taylor and Keleen, and I got the opportunity to get to know and be a step dad to a great guy, Roger.

After I left the magazine in 2011, I set out on another stint as a freelance writer. It did not go nearly as well as the first, but it led to me fulfilling my dream of writing a book. In 2012, I pitched an article to Living Blues Magazine, a national publication that features long form, career spanning articles on blues artists, focused on Houston blues legend Grady Gaines. Grady was the sax player with Little Richard’s band during the explosive beginning of his hall of fame career. He would go on to become an in-demand sideman, supporting legends like Sam Cooke, James Brown, Etta James and Smokey Robinson.

The article led to me and Grady working on the 2015 book, “I’ve Been Out There: On the Road with Legends of Rock ‘n Roll.” It was hard work, but it was an honor to be able to tell Grady’s remarkable life story and we remained friends up until his passing in 2021.

I’m currently working as the editor of the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion department at Houston Methodist and enjoying the opportunity to help shape the messaging of the new department devoted to trying to encourage people to think outside their own heads at least occasionally. I still write features and do album reviews for Living Blues.
All in all, it’s been a pretty great ride that continues …