You can find Jim either grovin’ on his guitar or rockin’ down the highway on his Harley. It all started for Jim many years ago when he saw the Beach Boy’s first album. They wore Pendleton shirts, white jeans, bare feet, and guitars hanging down to their knees. That’s all it took, he put away his accordion, (yeah, you know, play an accordion and go to jail) and bought his first 6 string. He practiced real hard, bought his first Fender just like Carl Wilson and started his first band “The Surf Dwellers”. After the Surf Music phase the British invasion happened and like so many musicians at the time, Jim’s musical direction changed to emulate the Beatles, Stones, Cream, and Buffalo Springfield, etc. As his musical career progressed he was fortunate enough to be in a band called “Gropus Cackus” that had 3 hits; 2 of them on the Bell Record Label. They opened for several name acts, such as Santana, John Lee Hooker, Sly and the Family Stone, Tower of Power Boz Skaggs, Ike and Tina Turner etc. After 15 years and the record deals drying up Jim gave up music and got a day job. Then in September of 2005 a friend of his had 4 tickets, 4th row, at The Mountain Winery to see the Doobie Brothers. Although not really interested at all to see what he thought were a bunch of old guys hanging on too long, Jim attended the concert. The Doobies rock! With great vocals and phenomenal musicianship that “socked him right in the gut and heart”. This event changed Jim’s life to the point where it gave him new inspiration to “do it again”.
Jim feels fortunate to be playing with Dr. Dave and his quality group of musicians and vocalists in the Groove Doctors.
His musical influences are Foreigner (Mick Jones) The Eagles, Brian Wilson, Carlos Santana, Eric Clapton, John Mayer, Gary Moore, The Doobie Brothers, Green Day, John Fogerty and his fellow members of Gropus Cackus whom he still records with today.
