When I was a kid in Houston back in the 70's I took drum lessons from a guy named Joe Raynor.

In addition to teaching me the rudiments and basics of the craft, Joe instilled in me a desire to always do my very best regardless of what field I would enter later in life.  Besides being a great teacher and brilliant drummer, Joe was also a great person.  Fifteen years later after travelling all over the states making music, I walked into a different music store in Houston and there was Joe, waiting on a student, goofing with the store employees behind the counter.  When he saw me, without missing a beat (seriously) Joe called me by my full name-just like it was 1978 and I was the student he was waiting on.

More recently I've found myself reminiscing about the early days of my musical development and relating stories of the awesome Joe Raynor technique to my drummer friends.  I figured I'd look Joe up on the internet and find a website filled with lessons and pointers.  Sadly, all I found was Joe's obituary.  As it turns out, about the same time I started thinking about Joe he was on his way to a better place.

This website is my way of saying thanks to the man who pushed me along and taught me what I needed to know-and what I needed to learn-in order to pursue a life as a professional musician.  Of course, if he was here right now, he'd be mortified because I still can't do a press roll to save my life.  Sorry Joe, I'll keep working on that one...