TDP newbie

[rickyraveon]

Hey guys, Just saying hi.
I'm Rick, and live in Oklahoma. I attend Life Christian Ministries in OKC (10 years or so). I've been on the P&W team the whole time. My playing background goes back a long way (I'm an old guy). My main instrument is saxophone, but I've been playing guitar for 35 years, bass for 30, and other assorted wind and brass instruments over the years. As you guys all know, finding and keeping a good bass player for free in church is difficult, so I've been the bass player for the last 5 years. One of these days we'll get a "real" bass player, & I can double up on sax, lead or even an occasional harmonia or two.
I've basically been a christian all my life (Preachers Kid) attending PH, AoGod, or Non-denom churches.
I was deployed to Kuwait/Iraq in 03/04, and as any normal Hispanic Okie, I attended the "Gospel" (as in Black Gospel) services for a year. As some of my my musical influences are Earth, Wind & Fire, Santana, Chicago, Grover Washington Jr, et al, along with growing up on good old southern gospel, I fit right in (playing a pretty mean alto sax). I'm now hooked on Black Gospel, and I'm a blues nut too, (big time!) so that's my point of view musically.
Of course being from OKLA, I'm a country fan, and some of my guitar heroes are roy clark, chet atkins, jerry reed, vince gill, steve wariner, and lately brad paisley.
My gear list is long (GAS), but consists of multiple teles, strats, a gretsch LP copy, and my pride & joy, a Peavey Cirrus 5 string bass.

I hope to enjoy the forums, and hopefully spread some insight and experience in the Sunday Players area in particular. I started playing guitar in church at 8 years old, and clarinet at 10. If you do the math, that's a lot of church time. Everything from me playing piano (not a good thing/at 15 yrs) as the only instrument in my Dad's church, to backing the Happy Goodmans, Don Moen, Dino, Jeff Fenholt, Danny Chambers among others, as they came through the various churches I've attended or conferences I've played.
My point is, I've been part of the "hog calling" backwoods Pentecostal brush arbors to the smoke & lights of the modern P&W and youth movement. Our perspectives and backgrounds are a wealth of information for each other, and I'm looking forward to exchanging thoughts, prayers, ideas and experiences with you all.

God Bless,
Rick

[tom grossheider]

Welcome aboard Rick, glad to have you here! Thanks for sharing about your background, and a personal thanks for serving in the military, it is greatly appreciated! You'll find this a fun group and hope that you feel welcome! God Bless!

[ravindave_3600]

Nice to have you, fellow rav-er

[Telesaurus]

Welcome Rick. I enjoyed your "bio" & it sure looks like you could be a good advisor on about anything that comes across the boards here. I'm not a multi-instrumentalist, just a guitar player, but our varied styles kind of mirror each other, in a way. the big difference being I spent most of my life in the secular music field, concerts, country clubs, bars etc. Played hard rock, southern rock, top-40 contemporary, blues, country, even made a good living backing various "Elvis" imitators.
I was saved a little over 5 years ago. I attend a small Pentecostal Church that is steeped mostly in southern gospel, but enjoy any type of music that Praisees The Lord.
I play in a comtenporary Christian group that does anything from Jeremy Camp, S.C.C., Lincoln Brewster to The Gaithers, The Crabb Family, Gold City,etc. We have enough "soul" in our music, that we seem to play more A.M.E. Churches than anything else. I have never experience anything like the excitement of worship that occurs at these Churches!
I hope you will not hesitate to forward any help or past musical experiences that you may have.
Again welcome to this part of Gods' kingdom.
Gods' Blessings