----- BASIC DATA -----
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Name
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John L. Fordham, a.k.a. stage-name "Scruffy Eagle"
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Address
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Available on request.
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Phone #
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Available on request.
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Email
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contact@scruffyeagle.com
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Age
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54 yrs. old
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Gender
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Male
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Marital
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Divorced
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Location
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North Land O' Lakes, MI
(This is at the bottom edge of the middle of the
Upper Peninsula, in Michigan.)
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Travel
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As required, using my personal automobile
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----- INSTRUMENTS -----
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Primary
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Hand-drumming (Djembe, Bongos, Congas, & Drum Tambourine).
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Secondary
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Rhythm guitar (acoustic, electric, & banjitar) &/or vocals.
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Also practice
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Electric Bass Guitar, misc. fiddles, and Flute.
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----- MUSICAL ASSOCIATES -----
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This is a list of individual musicians I've had the privilege of practicing with, in private settings,
in alphabetical order as per last names:
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Garrett Derner
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Dennis Goodrode
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Tom Markov
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Michael McDermott
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Dan Meier
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Jim Short
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Rich Simmel
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This is a list of bands I've had the privilege of sitting in with, in alphabetical order:
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"Bear Creek" - 16 sessions
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"Bellinia" - 1 session
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"The Bill Hassey Orchestra" - 2 sessions
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"Broadband" - 1 session
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"Center Stage" - 1 session
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"Cold Hard Cash" - 1 session
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"Crossroads" - 6 sessions
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"Diamond Jim and the Red Hots" - 1 session
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"Flying Feather" - 1 session
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"The Jacob Rice Band" - 2 sessions
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"Jerry Allen and the Knife River Band" - 1 session
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"Johnny Green and the Green Men" - 8 sessions
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"Luther Lewis and White Lightning" - 1 session
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"The Maxx Band" - 2 sessions
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"The Michael Scott Band" - 1 session
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"Mozart's Cadillac" - 1 session
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"Quest" - 1 session
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"Robby Vee and the V-Rockits" - 4 sessions
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"The Rock-A-Billy Revue" - 1 session
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"Unity - The Band" - 1 session
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"Vinny D. Valentine and the Royal Flush Players" - 1 session
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"The Westside Band" - 4 sessions
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"White Rhino" - 2 sessions
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----- HISTORY SKETCH -----
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My earliest training was in the choir of St. Gregory's Episcopal Church,
in Deerfield, IL. I was in the choir for a couple of years.
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I had clarinet lessons for about 1 year, at approx. age 10. (This didn't last,
because I never actually liked the clarinet - I was just doing it to please
my mother.)
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I purchased a cheap pair of bongos at approx. age 18, and played them till they
wore out about 3 years later.
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I began writing poetry at approx. age 18, encouraged by the presence of and praise
from a young, very pretty English teacher I knew as "Miss Bay". The
practice of writing poetry became a discipline which I've continued ever since.
After a couple of years of playing rhythm guitar, it was extended to include the
writing of song lyrics.
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At approx. age 19, I purchased a very old Cornet at a garage sale. I took
approx. 5 formal lessons at Faller Music in Lake Forest, IL, before losing
interest in the instrument. At approx. the same time, I purchased a very old,
very beat up Trombone from a music store near Western Illinois University.
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I had an approx. 3-month stint of practicing flute, using a wonderful silver
instrument borrowed from Andrea Ratzer. That ended, when she requested the
flute back. A couple of years later, I purchased a very old, beat up flute
from Barbie Ball. It needed repairs which I couldn't afford at the time. It
got stuck in a closet and subsequently hauled (unused) from home to home until
it was finally repaired about 20 years later. It has a very nice sound.
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I began learning to play rhythm guitar at approx. age 20, spurred by the need to rehabilitate damage in my wrists.
I took approx. 3 formal lessons, then switched tactics to learn from my guitar virtuoso friend, Garrett Derner.
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I spent many years practicing strumming & singing, with Garrett Derner and
another friend, Rich Simmel (a drummer). We had an informal trio,
usually in the company of several 6-packs of beer. Garrett & I probably
practiced together about 5 years. Richie & I practiced together on a
regular basis for approx. 12 (?) years. (That overlapped the time involving
Garrett.)
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I experimented with many different instrument through the years,
never becoming very good on any of them. The list included: Hawiian Guitar,
Ukelele, Trombone, Cornet, Flute, French Horn, Viola, Bass Guitar, Piano,
Electric Keyboard, Harmonicas, Jaw Harps, Alto Recorder, Tenor Recorder,
Soprano Recorder, Mandolin, and Banjo. Throughout it all, I continued to
practice rhythm guitar on a continuing basis.
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My primary instrument for approx. 10 years, was a beautiful Hohner 12-string acoustic
guitar. I gave many impromptu (free) performances for handicapped people, using
that instrument & my voice. During that same time period, my secondary
instrument was a Gibson Les Paul which I built from a kit I purchased at the
Highwood Music Gallery.
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I practiced guitar with Jim Short for several years. It was during that time,
when I purchased a good bass guitar for the sake of our plans to form a band.
The band flopped, and the guitar ended up being dragged from home to home for
the next 10 years, unused but well cared for.
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There was an approx. 15 year period, of using drum machines to create rhythmic
sequences to accompany lyrics I'd written. My first drum machine was a Yamaha
DD-5 (I think, 5...) It was later replaced with a Yamaha DD-7, which I still
have and use. I consider the material I created in that manner, to be in the
"Beatnik" genre.
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Approximately in October of 2005, I concluded that musically, I was in a rut and
needed to make some changes. I developed a 3-pronged approach to fixing what
I perceived to be a problem, and enhance my musicianship:
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1)
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I had my old viola repaired & strung with new strings. Since the
instrument lacks frets, the musician must better develop the sense of pitch,
harmony, chord, and scale, in order to play it. About a year later, I acquired
a 5-string electric violin. I continue to practice fiddle, approx. one hour per
day.
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2)
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I began practicing my electric Bass Guitar on a regular basis; at minimum, every other day. This discipline
improves my dexterity doing flat-picking. It also improves my ability to rapidly find the notes I need to do
melodies within given chords and scales. About a year and a half after setting a bass guitar practice
initiative, I felt I'd made enough progress to justify the acquisition of a 6-string electric bass guitar.
I used it frequently for about a month, until I concluded it simply didn't have the same quality of tone
as my 4-string electric bass - at which point, I switched back to using the 4-string almost exclusively.
At this point, I only practice bass guitar very occasionally.
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3)
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I purchased a new set of Bongos; a quality set, this time. Practicing percussion improves my sense of tempo,
pause, and beat. Since then, I've added Congas, Tablas, Djembes, mini-bongos, mini-djembe, tunable drum
tambourine, and egg-shakers to my percussive arsenal. I continue to practice hand-drumming frequently,
using a collection of challenging music as my practice material to play along with.
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Soon after obtaining the Bongos, I realized that I had a genuine knack for hand-drumming. I began seeking out
opportunities to sit in with professional music groups; mainly, at the Lac Vieux Desert Casino. (There are only 3
places within 50 miles or more, that I can find free live music up here in the U.P.) At the time of this writing,
I've had the privilege of sitting in as hand-drummer with 22 different bands for a total of 59 sessions (some of
the bands have had me sit in on multiple occasions). I enjoy it immensely, and intend to continue doing it. Since
I began that activity, I've extended my hand-drumming into usage of Congas, Tablas, Djembe, and Drum Tambourine.
My primary percussion instrument for sitting in used to be Bongos, and now is Djembe.
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----- WHERE I'M AT NOW -----
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HAND-DRUMMING:
My current focus for participation in a band, is to seek a position as a hand-drummer. I have a variety of
hand-drumming tools, that I could bring to a show. My preferred instruments would be the drums I already own:
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Bongos,
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Congas,
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(2) 14" Djembes,
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Tunable drum Tambourine,
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Tablas, and
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Egg Shakers.
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Please note: Although I possess Congas, space constraints in my car would make transportation of the drums to gigs
unmanageable unless given assistance from the band. My preferred genres as a percussionist are Funk, Rock,
Smooth Jazz, Blues, Soul, Hip-hop, and Country Rock, in that order. The only genres I don't like, and
consequentially would avoid doing, are rap and heavy metal. The only genre I've had difficulties fitting the
hand-drumming into, is Folk. I can learn new material fairly quickly, when it comes to hand-drumming; and, can
frequently accompany material I've never heard before in a satisfactory manner without any difficulty. I use a
microphone pointed at the drum(s) for amplification. At the current time, I don't mix singing with hand-drumming;
I do one or the other, but not both during the same song. (That's a goal of mine, that I'm working on...)
STRINGED INSTRUMENTS:
I possess a wide variety of stringed instruments suitable for stage & studio. These include:
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6-string acoustic guitar,
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12-string acoustic guitar
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6-string acoustic Banjo (Banjitar),
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4-string electric Bass guitar,
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6-string electric Bass guitar,
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Amplified acoustic (electric) Mandolin,
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5-string amplified acoustic (electric) Violin,
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5-string acoustic Violin
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5-string acoustic Viola
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4-string acoustic Viola, and
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4-string acoustic Cello.
NOTE: Currently, in need of repair.
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My guitar playing is primarily rhythm guitar work. Although I'm a fairly good
rhythm guitar player, I don't learn new material on it quickly. My current repertoire
list (available via a dedicated page on this website) should be viewed as being the
current range of my potential contribution as a rhythm guitar player. As a general
rule, any song which I've listed as having been memorized for rhythm guitar, is
a song for which I've also memorized the lyrics and can sing while playing.I can sing &
play rhythm guitar together, or do either task independantly of the other.
VOCALS:
I can sing lead vocals or backup vocals, as the situation requires. I used to have a fairly good singing voice,
best suited for choral and crooning styles. Unfortunately, a dental problem forced me to quit singing for about
3 years, and my skill as a vocalist suffered as a result. I've begun practicing singing again, and hopefully
within the next year I'll regain the facility as a vocalist which I had before.
ELECTRONICS, (ETC.) EQUIPMENT:
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A 4-channel KPM-4080 P.A. system, with two 10-inch speaker cabinets;
loud enough for most small-to-mid sized venues.
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3 lo-z mics that have mic stands with boom arms and cables for
each - and, a LP mic claw for mounting a mic onto the Bongos lap tray or Djembe rim.
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A "Cry Baby" pedal, and a multi-effects pedal unit.
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A Yamaha DD-7 digital drums machine.
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SONGWRITING:
I write poetry and lyrics on a regular basis. I frequently compose chord sequences and/or melodies to accompany
the lyrics I write.
LIMITATIONS:
I don't have any repertoire of standard bar songs material memorized for lead guitar or bass guitar, in order to be
able to fill those roles on stage. The same applies to the current status of my fiddle playing, and flute
playing.
An item that might be considered an issue by some bands, is a physical limitation of
mine. My stage work is limited to performing from a seated position. This applies to
all of the musical tasks I might be engaged in, with a limited exception regarding
singing; if I'm only singing, I can usually stand through one standard song's
duration - but, can't do that repeatedly throughout an evening's performance. The
reason I have this limitation is problems with back, hips, ankles, feet, and
arthritis.
An item that would be considered a major advantage by some bands, and a major issue
by others, is the fact that I never consume any intoxicants on the job (no
drinking alcohol, no smoking pot, etc.) - and, I'm critical of anyone who does.
I consider it to be unprofessional conduct, and a sign of someone who's incapable
of placing their musicianship as their top priority. I believe that any use of
intoxicants before or on the job, will guarantee failure - will guarantee that
whatever level of success the people involved might have otherwise achieved, will
never be attained.
GOALS:
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I intend to acquire a position as a hand-drummer in a working band, and (sooner
or later) be linked up with a group of sufficiently professional musicians.
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I intend to attain a situation where I'll have the opportunity to perform the
songs I author, in front of audiences.
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I intend to continue working to continuously improve the quality of my hand-drumming.
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I intend to continue working to master the technique
of singing while hand-drumming.
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I intend to continue working to master the techniques
of single-note picking in lead playing and bass playing.
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I intend to continue working to master fiddle and flute playing.
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I intend to maintain my current level of expertise as a rhythm guitar player
and as a vocalist.
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