Biographical Info I’m a drummer who has spent four decades performing with artists such as Lenny Kravitz, Bobby Brown, Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons, New Edition, Sean Lennon, Lisa Marie Presley, Philip Bailey of Earth, Wind & Fire, and many others. I’ve been voted the number one R&B drummer in the world numerous times, and Jimmy Fallon sang “Happy Birthday to me on The Tonight Show. But an epic overcoming back story made all that possible that I tell in my memoir, Maria’s Scarf: A Memoir of a Mother’s Love, a Son’s Perseverance, and Dreaming Big. I wrote it as a tribute to my single immigrant mother, who raised seven children alone. It was her love and irrepressible spirit that kept us surviving against all odds in the face of poverty, abandonment, racism, and hunger. Her incomparable love and belief in me made it possible for me to live out my dream of becoming a world-renowned drummer and a loving husband and father. My goal is to inspire those who face seemingly insurmountable obstacles never to give up and, through the power of my story, encourage them to go after their dreams and become all they were meant to be. I can describe my book in four words: Heartwarming, heartbreaking, hilarious, and hopeful. One reader sums it up this way. “Your memoir makes me want to dream again. It makes me want to go after the unimaginable, the unattainable, and leaves me with an incredible hope.” Having lived through the adverse conditions of my childhood has shaped my heart into that of an encourager. So, with a great sense of conviction and an earnest desire to help people reach their potential and live out their dreams, I have written two award-winning motivational books: The Big Gig: Big-Picture Thinking for Success and SOAR! 9 Proven Keys for Unlocking Your Limitless Potential. I am a very intentional man, and my life as an author, drummer, speaker, teacher, father, husband, and friend is focused on making a difference everywhere I go with everything I have and every experience I have lived and learned from. But I know the best way to impact people is through the power of written or spoken words. So, I continue to share words of life with all who have ears to hear and eyes to see.