Stephen’s musical background includes some piano lessons as a young lad, years of church and school choirs, classical musical productions and a capella work at the university, and a divinely inspired hunch one day to learn to play rather than sell a guitar that landed in his lap at age 23, about the same time he decided to become a bad but not terrible poet.  With some self-taught chords on the guitar and piano, and accompanied at times by a few close friends who sang and played better than him, it all somehow manifested into a love for songwriting.

Now retired, Stephen was a career military officer and civilian Department of Defense official with 40 years public service.  He served during the Vietnam War as a Petty Officer in the U.S. Navy, then as a Commissioned Officer in the U.S. Army and finally as a DoD civilian to round out his career.  His service has spanned five wars, to include a number of undeclared conflicts that looked a lot like war, and afforded travel through every continent on God’s green earth except the uninhabited ones.  These influences are central themes in his poetry and music.

He figures his epitaph should just say – “He knew the beauty of love, and cherished the gift of song and verse in his heart – as God gave him the light to see that beauty”  Thank you for visiting.