Tell us about your first guitar.

I first got interested in playing the guitar, because I heard a friend playing one over the telephone. He played a popular song and I said, "You play guitar?" He said, "yes." So I asked him to teach me, he said, "Do you have a guitar?" Of course I did not. So I asked my mom, and she said, "Ask your grandmother." So I did and that following Christmas I got my first guitar, a Crestwood electric guitar and amplifier! It was a red and yellow sunburst color with a whammy bar. This was a great first instrument for a beginner. I did not know how to play, but all that Christmas I tried to play the latest songs that came on the radio. Thank you Grand Ma!

What made you start playing jazz?

As a child growing up, my father played Jazz records all day long. From King Pleasure to Miles Davis to Lee Morgan. My mother on the other hand liked more popular music like James Brown, Roger and Zapp, the Motown sound like The Temptations, Marvin Gay, Stevie Wonder, Al Green as well as George Clinton and Funkadelic. Growing up as a child this was the music I remember and I loved. So it was a natural progression to play the music that could best express my inner emotions.

Who are some of your biggest music influences?

As I stated, my father played Jazz music all day long, but most of the musicians were horn players or keyboard players. I was then introduced to the guitar and a player by the name of Wes Montgomery. I loved that sound as soon as I heard it. I remember asking my father what instrument that was and he said that was a guitar. He than started playing more guitar players and that influenced me... like B.B. King, Jimi Hendrix, Jeff Beck, Al Di Meola, Joe pass, etc. But when I was introduced to George Benson and that live album, WEEKEND IN L.A. that guitar style impressed me the most and still does today.

You're getting a lot of attention with radio airplay on your new project. How does that feel?

It is an overwhelmingly good feeling to see radio play several song off of my first solo CD. That means all of the hard work that we put into the music was worth it. On this project I was trying to create music for the listener. By saying this I mean, I did not go out and write songs that would express me as this fantastic guitar player that plays guitar, guitar and more guitar. This project was to express the three most popular instruments in Smooth Jazz: Sax, guitar and vocals, in a harmonious way. We wanted the listen to get a full range of expression from all these voices (instruments) and not get fatigued from listing to guitar dominated music. My producer, writer and keyboardist Gerald Mitchell of Los Hermanos, gave the project that wow appeal, by adding his extraordinary musicianship and touches of techno to the NO TIME TO WASTE CD project.

Where do you live? Do you play out locally or mostly out of the area?

I was born in Detroit Michigan, yes Motown. I hear so much about what Motown was years ago and I listen to those hits that came out of Detroit and I am saddened, because I wish I could have been a part of that era.

At this time I am living in one of the popular suburbs, just minutes away from Detroit. I am part of the Musical ministry at First Baptist Word Changers Church, located in Detroit Michigan were music is a large part of creating an atmosphere for healing and receiving the message. Most of the gigs that I play Smooth Jazz on are in the Detroit area, although we do travel out of town from time to time. We like to do concerts and jazz festivals mostly. Some club dates and private parties are also a large part of our work. We are working on a tour at this time, that will be posted on my Website (wwww.deebrownmusic.com) as soon as it is ready.

Are you an iPod guy? If so, what was the last tune you downloaded?

Yes, I am an iPod guy and the last tune I downloaded was George Benson's version of, "The Ghetto," off the In Flight CD. I know that is an old song, but Benson has a great feel and just listen to the way he expresses his emotions on that tack. Truly the best recorded Jazz guitarist alive today.