mornings, grab his guitar and rush to Pontone's Music for his weekly guitar lesson. With the money he received
from his paper route, Steve bought his first guitar, a Fender 12-string, which is still hanging on the wall of his
basement studio.
About the time he turned 21, Steve began to favor the guitar styles in country music. One evening while at the
Newport Music Hall to see the local band McGuffey Lane, Steve saw former Chet Atkins Junior Guitar Fingerpicking
Champion Teffy Efaw. "The instant that I heard Efaw playing the chords and melody of Mr. Sandman
simultaneously, I felt a passion and focus to develop my talent and chord vocabulary so I, too, could stand on a
stage with just my guitar."
Steve immediately began studying with Terry Efaw as well as other accomplished musicians in the Columbus
area. He spent five years studying under the guidance of Paul Magree, who holds a Master's Degreee in Music
Education and teaches music theory.
From the early 1990s until 2000, Steve dedicated himself to experimenting with different tunings and right-hand
technique. It was during this time that he developed his style of playing, which incorporates non-traditional chord
inversions and intricate finger-picking patterns. This was also the time he discovered two of his most influential
singer/guitar players - Steve Wariner and Michael Johnson. "The music of Michael Johnson (Bluer and Blue)
taught me how to treat my voice and guitar as two separate but complimentary instruments. Johnson's singing and
guitar technique further defined the direction my musical style would take."
Steve began performing live in Ohio's Northeast region in late 2000 and began frequenting the coffee shops and
night clubs in the area in order to showcase his fingerstyle and vocal talents. The audience took an immediate
liking to the original material he had spent several years compiling. Songs like Bus 32 and Steelworker became
immediate crowd pleasers. It's common after each performance for Steve to receive compliments on the clarity of
his vocal delivery and the uniqueness of his guitar playing.
Steve is in his third year as a live solo singer and guitarist in the folk scene in Northeast Ohio. He can be heard
regularly in the Akron area on WAPS 91.3-FM. Steve also has taken his music to the Columbus area. In the fall of
2002, he played at Arts In The Alley, one of central Ohio's largest arts festivals. Though he has spent the past two
years honing his songwriting skills, Steve can still be heard at bars and restaurants throughout the Cleveland and
Columbus area delivering crowd-pleasing cover tunes in his unique style.
In the fall of 2002, he was selected to open the Mountain Rose 2002 season. The Mountain Rose is a concert
series based in Kent, Ohio, that features both local and national acts. In addition, he was invited to perform with 11
other fingerstyle guitar players at the 2002 Woodchopper's Ball, hosted by Cleveland guitar legend Brian Henke.
In mid-2002, Steve released his first 12-song collection of original material entitled "The Current State of Love
Songs."
**Last update 9/15/03.