I grew up on the southwest side of Chicago during the late 50's and 60's. Home of the South side Irish, Chicago White Sox and Al Capone. The Capone family grave site (featuring included Big Al himself) was located just behind our family house in the Mount Olivet Cemetery.

My aunt who lived just a few blocks from us had a great appreciation for jazz and big band music which she more than willingly shared with my brothers and me. The recordings of Gene Krupa and Buddy Rich captured my imagination. So much so I would stay up late to try and catch them when they appeared on The Tonight Show, and after having seen Ringo with The Beatles on Ed Sullivan in February of 1964, my fate was sealed.

I've been interested in drums and drumming for as long as I can remember. The prominence of musical acts during the 60's and our exposure to them via the television and growing mass media fueled the fire. My parents weren't musicians or particularly musical and didn't really support the desires of my brothers and me, but we were like sponges soaking up any musical influences available to us, whether it came from friends taking music lessons, local garage bands, or from the hundreds of records we spent our savings on. We were inspired and started our own band. Totally self taught, I played drums, Roy played bass, and Bob played guitar.

I wanted to join the band in High School but I couldn't read music. I joined beginning band, learned basic reading by playing the flute. The band director understood my desire to play drums so he gave me a book of drum rudiments and since I had some basic knowledge and ability, would let me play the drum set in the jazz band and then later in the marching and pep bands. I loved it all and played when ever and where ever I could. And through this all, "The McNaughton Brothers" band played on.

This period was also the hey day for two of the greatest names in drum manufacturing, who were also based in Chicago, Ludwig and Slingerland. Because of this, my fondness for vintage Ludwig and Slingerland drums exists today. As a kid I always looked forward to taking the train downtown, walking over to 226 S. Wabash Ave and visiting Frank's Drum shop and Drums LTD. Once you stepped off the elevator on the fourth floor, everywhere you looked, drums filled the space. It was like heaven to a young aspiring drummer.

Gene Krupa was from Chicago, and when he died in 1973 he was buried in Calumet City on Chicago's far south east side. At that same time, Calumet City was where my brothers and I played some of our first "professional" gigs. Starting at 10:00 pm and coming home as the sun came up over the steel mills. We thought we had really hit the big time.

From here the rest is history. Like most bands The McNaughton Brothers went their separate ways, but continued playing.

Roy and I played in several bands together.

We attended Millikin University in Decatur Illinois and performed with the MJU Jazz Lab band where we had the pleasure of meeting and performing with such jazz greats as Butch Miles, Bill Holman, John Von Ohlen, and Carol DeCamp. Not to mention Roy had the distinct honor of playing bass with the "Velvet Fog" himself, Mel Torme.

After college while performing with Johnny and the Blue Lights we were chosen as a regional semi-finalists in the Marlboro Blues Search which became our initial introduction to the Legendary Buddy Guy and his club "Legends" on south State street in Chicago.

Today, I play drums with the "Mike Watson Band". An Atlanta based trio playing throughout the Atlanta/Alabama region.

Roy plays with the Chicago based "Jebs Clampett" rock band and Bob who also resides in Chicago plays with "The Effigees", a punk band based out of Chicago.