Dizzy picked up his first guitar at the young age of 5, and from that point on, has dedicated his life to perfecting his skill and talent. One of his earliest memories was when his older brother told him âHey! You need to come watch this band!â and as he sat there watching, his brother telling him that he would remember this moment for the rest of his life. He recalls with humor that âThis Bandâ was none other than The Beatles performing on the Ed Sullivan Show, and it remains a vivid memory to this day!
Growing up during the one of the most turbulent times in this century, Dizzy was exposed to protests, riots, war and rebellion. From the Race Riots and Protests to the onset of the Vietnam War, and Anti-War Demonstrations, music became a way to express the anger and outrage, as well as the desire for peace, equality, and love, and from this, the birth of Rock had begun!
Dizzy began cutting his musical chops listening to the music of true Rock Icons, such as Hendrix, Clapton, Page, Winter, and of course the father of it all Muddy, who he saw in concert when he opened for The Allman Brothers! It was from these early experiences that Dizz developed a love for music that would become a driving force in his life, and he began teaching himself guitar in the late 60âs.
With free concert tickets as a perk from working in a local âHead Shopâ in the 70's, there were few concerts that Dizzy missed. Attending such as Neil Young - Harvest Tour, Pink Floyd - Animals Tour at Soldiers Field, The Who, Eric Clapton, Johnny Winter, Alice Cooper - Billion Dollar Babies Tour, CSNY, Journey, ZZ Top, Foreigner, Led Zepplin, Chicago, The Allman Brothers, Muddy Waters, Black Sabbath (with Ozzy), Boston (Back Stage), Fleetwood Mac, Kansas, Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Doobie Brothers, Lonnie Mack, Jethro Tull, Jackson Browne, Mahogony Rush (Frank Marino) Robin Trower, Marshall Tucker, The Moody Blues, Jeff Beck, Aerosmith, Queen, REO, Rolling Stones, Ted Nugent, Warren Zevon, Steely Dan, RUSH, Uriah Heep, YES, James Gang with Tommy Bolin, and of course Stevieâ¦.. and Dizz soon found himself paying particular attention to the guitarists during these concerts, learning to steal licks at an early ageâ¦.from the âCream of the Cropâ ...... Totally unaware, that he would later share the stage with, and become friends with many of these Rock Legends!