Musician.

I am first and foremost a music fan. I’m talking A Tribe Called Quest, Radiohead, WuTang Clan, Wes Montgomery, R.L. Burnside, and Junior Kimbrough. Parliament. Luther. Jimi. Nina. Ye. Gary Clark. I could go down a rabbit hole. Did I mention the Clark Sisters? Well, I grew up listening to gospel and singing in what Black Southern churches call the “Cherubim choir.” Every now and then I sang lead. Outside of church, me and my friends memorized Too Short and Jodeci songs. Every. Word.  

As a child, I never learned an instrument. But I was musically inclined. I was the middle school kid who pounded out beats on my desk – a la Uncle Luke’s Miami bass booty music. It made the whole class go wild. It made the teachers go mad. In high school, I wrote rap lyrics when I should have been completing my assignments. I eventually started rapping and making beats. Goodie M.O.B. and Outkast inspired me. Throughout college, I was front man and MC for a hip-hop band. We aspired to be like The Roots. But we played every song waaaay too fast.

At age 25, I started the journey of teaching myself guitar. In my early 30s, I independently recorded my first music project called “A Contagious Spring” under the tutelage of Eve’s Drop Records founder Jaems Murphy. Two years later, I recorded and released “Without You” with my band Decoteau Black, which includes my friends drummer John Laws, bassist Will Boone, and a rotating cast of mostly self-taught musicians. In terms of genre, my style is hard to pin down. I consider the closest comparison Parliament Funkadelic, but with fewer musicians and slightly more structure. Ultimately, influences from all my favorite musicians (there are many) show up in my music. 

Under my given name, I perform as a solo artist, write songs, and record with other musicians. I’m currently writing lots of new solo material while playing in and around Chicago, IL. Check out my music using the links on this page.

If you like what you hear, I’d love to perform at your next event, work with you to create some dope music, or be in conversation about my musical inspirations, learning approach, and creative process. Learn about upcoming performances and releases by subscribing to my monthly newsletter.