Setting the Stage | How I began my journey as a performing guitarist in the DMV

I am playing the guitar and now singing because it brings me joy.  I am 62, I’ve raised two kids, at the age of retirement, become a caregiver for a wife that had a brain tumor removed right after she retired after 34 years in the government.  During COVID when the world shut down, I rediscovered the guitar. 

I have always had one. Always wanted to play it to a high level. But it seemed unimportant, just another wone of the things I didn’t.  And I did a lot.  I am a former federal police officer and firearms trainer.  I took my love of teaching, to become an international figure called the black man with a gun from 1991 on. I worked with the NRA, and all the other gun org to include more diversity in the shooting sports and culture.  I was successful. But it didn’t make me happy. I used to shoot very well. Very well. But the gun culture is funny. I spent too much time chasing influencers and paying my dues in hopes of being compensated. This was all before google, Facebook and YouTube by the way.  By the time this took off, I was beat down, tired, angry and disgusted.  I had been a part of a 90% of all landmark decisions involving gun control since 1991. I had also been the ego to guy after a mass shooting or law enforcement shooting incident involving a black person. As a calming voice, a reasonable response to the loss of life and defense of an institution.  And then jealousy hit.  With the rise of YouTube and Instagram stars in the gun world that did in a few months what had took years for me to do, I knew my time was done.  The vehicle for most of my advocacy and post activism travel was podcasting. 

I discovered it in 2007 with the creation of the Urban Shooter Podcast. It changed named as handful of time, eventually becoming the black man with a gun show. It carried the mail.  The only thing I wanted to do more than play the guitar as a kid was be on the radio.  I learned as an adult how difficult broadcasting was to sustain.  I have family.  I have responsibilities. I couldn’t rely on the fickleness of an audience to mess with those things.  Podcasting was very good to me.  I got my message out. I endorsed and interviewed folks I had met on my road trips around the country defending the right to keep and bear arms and even had a boat load of sponsors over the years.  When the sponsorship river dried up, I knew it was time to pivot. To transition, to do something else.

The world changed. I changed. My kids graduated college; bills were due. And I wasn’t getting any younger.  

Did I tell you I was also a minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ? Oh yeah. This pistol packing preacher, accepted the call into ministry right before 9/11.  I was constantly catching hell for it by older Christians.  I ministered to men like me. Law enforcement, veterans, active-duty military, outdoorsman, motorcycle enthusiast and gun owners.  It was a calling..css-j9qmi7{display:-webkit-box;display:-webkit-flex;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;-webkit-flex-direction:row;-ms-flex-direction:row;flex-direction:row;font-weight:700;margin-bottom:1rem;margin-top:2.8rem;width:100%;-webkit-box-pack:start;-ms-flex-pack:start;-webkit-justify-content:start;justify-content:start;padding-left:5rem;}@media only screen and (max-width: 599px){.css-j9qmi7{padding-left:0;-webkit-box-pack:center;-ms-flex-pack:center;-webkit-justify-content:center;justify-content:center;}}.css-j9qmi7 svg{fill:#27292D;}.css-j9qmi7 .eagfbvw0{-webkit-align-items:center;-webkit-box-align:center;-ms-flex-align:center;align-items:center;color:#27292D;}