The 1970s ... From High School to Glassboro State College

Albatross in the Gymn at JFK H.S. Iselin NJ 1970

In the photo L - R ... Bob Speidel, Fred Urrutia, Alan Fossa, Geof Fleming,  Tom Sayek and Me

    Played all through High School and met there two of the best drummers I have ever worked with. Tom Sayek and Tico Torres. Tico and I used to jam with a great guitarist Jerry Gerber who played with a Doors cover band called Crystal Ship. Tom and Tico are rock solid, listening and responding to the whole of the sonic picture! Totally different styles but, both are just the best at what they do. Tico went on to work with Frankie & the Knockouts and then Bon Jovi. Tom is big in the Avant Jazz world and he and I still work together.

Got my EB-0 and a B15-N twin cabinet stack!

     Well, in 1970 it was off to Glassboro State College where I met two guitarists Bob Szala and Larry Scacchetti. The three of us were singer / songwriters and got on in a fine way, so we put ourselves out into the world as “Trilogy”. Trilogy worked a lot! Opened up for John Prine, Bonnie Raitt and Jim Croce. Played the Village Gaslight. Bob and I signed songwriters contracts with Emil LaViola who had just left a VP position at Colgems. Emil was the Musical Director for the Monkees TV show. We did some nice things together.

The photo above is me at "The Goldbug"  which was a very hip coffee house just off the Glassboro campus. Bobby, Larry and I performed there almost every week

from '71 to '72.

That's an Ovation Balladeer that I should never have traded away

My first published song "Sad World Sail Away"

was written using this guitar.

Lounging at the Glassboro Train Depot.

This photo was the inspiration for a 2022 song that I named "Down On Bleeker Street"

Emil Laviola