Alan was born a Korean War baby-boomer and grew up in the great Midwest, moving to the west coast with his family in 1962. By age 10, he was singing, playing guitar, and first chair bass viol in the school orchestra. The love of music of many genres was taking root at a young age. His early musical heroes / influences included Simon and Garfunkel, Johnny Mathis, Stan Getz, and Peter, Paul, and Mary, followed later by the Beatles and the “hip” rock groups of the 1960s.

The muse developed in his teen years, and he won a LIFE magazine national ad design contest, while also adding theater and musical comedy to his already wide repertoire. Unfortunately, High-school and college were interrupted by a battle with a life-threatening disease, and a lot of time and resources were dedicated to recovery from that illness. Enrolling at San Jose State University, Alan split his time between music and technology, eventually finding a more reliable career path in Silicon Valley’s emerging microcomputer industry.

Enter the tech downturn of 1985, and the death of his brother, a disabled Vietnam vet. These events upset the proverbial apple cart, and Alan relocated to Lake Tahoe to reconnect with both his family and his music / entertainment roots. In the meantime, songwriting had emerged with the successful publishing of two political statement-songs, “Tent City” and “California IOU.”

Returning to Silicon Valley in 1987, an opportunity at Apple Computer gave Alan additional experience with computer systems and MIDI hardware (Music Instrument Digital Interface). While still mostly a solo singer-songwriter, Alan built on some experience with bands and ensemble groups, with strong musical influences from Mark Richard and Ted Sanchez.

The 1990s brought the dot.com boom and bust, and Alan joined the executive team of a network company in San Diego, finally relocating here in 1998. After IPO, a step back from the rigors of 9 to 5, opened up more time to play and compose songs, and Alan has become one of the more recognizable voices in San Diego county. For four years running, Alan has opened the summer concert season for the Oceanside “Friends of the Parks” and is a regular co-EMCEE at the the annual SD Troubadour holiday party. Not one to rest on past accomplishments, Alan continues to study guitar and voice with some of San Diego’s most experienced musicians and educators. “Never stop learning” is his motto.

When he is not playing his own booked dates, you are likely to find him in one of San Diego’s many open mics or piano bars, busking the streets of Oceanside or Carlsbad, entertaining a Farmers’ market, or making a surprise appearance at a colleague’s gig, providing some additional guitar or vocal harmony. Wherever it may be, you can be sure that making music is the driving factor.