Kevin began playing the guitar at the
age of 9. The day he was given his first guitar (Christmas of 1970), he joined the neighborhood funk band. Soon after,
his dad began taking him to weekly music lessons. He studied guitar,
music theory and jazz improvisation. At the same time he was learning
Jimmy Hendrix, Kool and the Gang, Santana, The Ohio Players, Sly and the Family
Stone and other popular music with the neighborhood musicians. Influenced
by his dad, he became interested in Wes Montgomery, Kenny Burrell, Grant Green,
George Benson, and Pat Martino. Despite being teased by his "funk" band
members, Kevin intensely pursued his studies in jazz. Later, he formed
his own pop music bands in the basement of his dad's house where he and his
friends would rehearse daily. At the age of 15, he began attending the
local jam session (Taj Mahal) sitting in with the professionals. During
his first year at Fort Hayes Performing Arts High School
(in Columbus, Ohio), he was hired as a member of the Hank
Marr Trio. Hank was Kevin's teacher at the performing arts high
school. While attending high school, he was recognized as an outstanding
musician with a bright future on a front-page feature article of the Columbus
Dispatch. This was the start of his professional career. With his
local reputation growing, at the age of 19, Kevin was selected to perform in
the 1st Annual Jazz & Ribfest as a jazz all-star in his hometown. In
1979, he began his collegiate career at The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, with a music scholarship as an
instrument soloist with the top jazz band. During his collegiate career,
Kevin was awarded, "Outstanding Guitarist," at the Notre Dame Jazz
Festival (Notre Dame, IN) and Tri-C College Jazz Festival (Cleveland, OH) several times. In 1984,
Kevin's professional career got a boost when he toured and recorded with the
legendary Ray Charles. Over the years, Kevin has performed
and/or recorded with many artists, including: Jimmy Smith, Charles Earland,
Melvin Rhyne, Hank Crawford, George Coleman, Cissy Houston, Sammy Davis
Jr., Ella Fitzgerald (Columbus Symphony Pops), Jack McDuff, Eric Gale,
Bobby Alston, Hank Marr, Gene Walker, Rusty Bryant, Bobby Pierce, Gary Carney,
Jeane Carne, George Howard, Kim Pensyl, Vince Andrews, Bobby Floyd, Keith Dobbins
and the Resurrection Mass Choir, Richard Smallwood (Columbus Symphony Pops),
Destiny's Child, Pharez Whitted, the Winans, Ben Tankard, Dennis Chambers, Bill
Summers, Teri Lyn Carrington, Nick Smith and Sekou Bunch.
After many years of performing, Kevin started teaching at the Fort Hayes
Performing Arts High School and The Ohio State University. Two years
later, he married and moved to Champaign, Illinois where his wife, Cynthia, currently
serves as a faculty member and assistant director of the undergraduate program
in accountancy at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Kevin
holds a bachelor's degree in Jazz Studies- Performance from The Ohio State
University (1985) and a master's degree in Music Education from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (1998). He
taught at the University of Illinois while earning his master's
degree. Since 1995, Kevin and his wife, Cynthia, have owned and operated
a private project recording studio, J2 Studio, in Champaign, IL, and they also own and operate a
music production company, Marina Park Music, and record label, SeeSon
Records. Kevin continues to perform with various recording artists across
the country, and currently teaches elementary, middle and high school
orchestra. In addition to producing and writing music, Kevin enjoys
playing bass with his wife (pianist) at their local church, but considers
his greatest joy to be that of raising his two young sons, Julien and Justen.
Kevin also has an adult daughter, Kia.