Growing up in Hudson in upstate New York, it was his father's older brothers that got him into music.
"One uncle went to Woodstock and that became a huge influence on me. My oldest uncle introduced me to people like Yusef Lateef and Archie Shepp. Later, when I entered college, those were the two people I studied with at UMass. Through my dad I became heavily interested in real blues like BB King, Muddy Waters, and Lonnie Johnson."