RON'S STORY


 Born Gary, Indiana
 Dad worked at U.S. Steel and Mom was domestic engineer.
 We had a big yellow Buick and Christmas was great. Four sisters.
 Never got to meet Jimmy Reed, Michael Jackson or Karl Maulden even
 though they lived nearby. Embedded salt and gravel in forehead 
 when snow sled stuck to road at age seven.
 Began piano and organ lessons at age eight.
 Bought first Beatles album, age 10.

 Age 10. 
 Bought first Rolling Stones album.

 Age 12.
 Tried B flat trumpet and quit when Mr. Demjiaduke cleared about a quart
 of HIS spit from MY trumpet.

 Age 14.
 First garage/basement band, learned Inna Gadda-Da-Vida on first rockin
 Farfisa keyboard.

 Age 15.
 Learned Blues harp rifs from 10 Years After album while buzzed on
 Boone's Farm.

 Age 16.
 Played first gig at Jr. High dance, roadie rolled Corvair on way to gig,
 cut roof off and used car to check ditch weed. Did walk ons in 
 Calumet City Illinois Blues Clubs with my rhythm player
 Butch who looked 47 when he was 19. We drove in his dad's 
 Lincoln Town car, wore our dad's old black suits
 and hats and wore Ray-Bans.

 1971
 I'm pretty sure that Belushi must have been hangin
 out in one of those clubs.
 FYI: I WAS "Elwood".

 Age 17.
 Pink Floyd changed my life.
 The Who and Led Zepplin changed me even more. 

 Age 18.
 Met Steve Andricks at party in Chesterton, Indiana.
 Change began Warp Drive acceleration.

 1973
 Join Navy or work in steel mill. 
 Moved from Gary area to Beverly Shores, Indiana which is in The Dunes.
 Worked in steel mill.

 1975
 Quit steel mill.
 Heard there were lots of hippies, good tunes, girls and macrobiotic food
 in Bloomington, Indiana.

 1975
 Moved to Bloomington.
 Saw a guy named Jackson Brown play at local coffee shop.
 Swear I saw Jerry Garcia at Bill Monroe's Bean Blossom Blue Grass
 Festival, 1975.

 1977
 Met ex-wife.

 1978
 Tried to elbow stage hog named Melloncamp off of open stage at Rapp's
 Pizza Train.

 1980
 Moved to Phoenix, Houston, South Bend and finally back to 
 Beverly Shores, Indiana.

 1982
 Divorced.

 1982
 Attended Indiana University Northwest as Geophysics major.
 Jammed in Phil Farrell's kitchen, Peach's (Rick Scobey) living room and
 some small gigs in small bars in small towns.

 1983
 Moved to Bloomington, Indiana and attended I.U. and switched to Radio/TV
 major.

 1984
 Partied a lot and worked at underground cable radio station,
 WQAX "Qaucks Radio".

 1985
 Hired by Indiana University Cyclotron Facility as experimental high
 energy physics support technician.

 1989
 Helped install Melloncamp's satellite system.

 1990
 Gave directions to Jackson Brown.

 1990
 Gave directions to Arnold Schwarzenegger.

 1993
 Played with a half dozen different bar bands.
 Laid off from I.U. 

 1994
 Bought a `71 Blue Bird school bus and 
 outfitted it like Taj Mahal and took it and '71 Harley to live on Tybee
 Island Georgia. Played a few Savannah and beach bars. I miss that Bus.

 1995
 Moved back to Beverly Shores.
 Started jammin with Steve Andricks again and Long begins.

 2001
 Website www.rock.longmusic.com goes online with help from old friends,
 and incredibly resurfaced Honorable Dr Lou Who.

 2002
 First album "Almost There" released by Long, 
 courtesy Shark Tank Productions.

 Still haven't won the lottery.