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LL: What was it like growing up in Texas in the mid 60’s-70’s?

RF: Growing up in a small town in Texas had its ups and downs. I grew up close to my family of
lots of aunts, uncles and 20 cousins so I was never without someone to play with! Downside was
that it was far from any proper city, so you had to be creative about things to do. Hence, my taking
up the piano then the guitar.
Sugar Loaf Mountain near Gause, Texas
In the 70's we had variety TV

Hearne, Texas shows such as the Flip Wilson
Show and the Mac Davis Show,
Glen Campbell etc. These were
the TV programs I watched a
lot of and are huge reason I
wanted to be able to entertain
people one day.

LL: What made you decide
to join the Navy and what
was that like?

RF: I knew there was a big
world outside of my
hometown and I wanted to
explore it. I tried to join the
Armed Forces right after high school, but my mother was against it. So, I went to college to study
music and after graduating with a degree in voice performance I enlisted. I wanted to travel. I
made a lot of great friends from all over while in the Navy. I worked as a helicopter mechanic for
a year to take a break from music then transferred to the Navy Band and finished my term as a
singer and piano player for multiple ensembles including jazz, pop and big band.

LL: You were offered your first recording deal in the early 90’s on Atlantic Records, a
major label. Can you tell us how that worked out?

RF: I did sign with Atlantic and performed all over NYC for three years while under contract.
With the label’s help I was able to play a lot of the most popular nightclubs such as The Bitter
End, Cafe Wha and others. I honed my skills as a songwriter while in New York performing
anywhere I could, and I still have great friends there. It can be a very intimidating city to find
shows to play but that's the challenge I was looking for. I sang, wrote and recorded as much as
possible with award winning writers. This period of my life was one of the most valuable times
for me as an unknown songwriter and performer.

LL: You’ve had the opportunity to record with and work many different artists. Can you
tell us a bit about that?
RF: I've always tried to make sure I was prepared for any opportunity in the music industry. I've
had the chance to sing and play with Bonnie Raitt, Warren Haynes, Robben Ford, Jorma Kaukonen,
Susan Tedeski and Derek Trucks and quite a few more. I've had different roles as a musician with
each of them such as background singer, piano and rhythm guitar player. Each opportunity to
perform always leads me to being asked to play for someone else. I've been blessed.

LL: You’ve had numerous Grammy nominations, Blues Music Award nominations and
wins. What have been some of the highlight experiences for you?