On Oct. 13, 1949, it was a cold and stormy night…actually, I have no idea what the weather was like! I do know that that is the day I was born. I came to be in Los Angeles, CA, an only child, to only child parents (what are the odds?). These results provided me with a loving, nurturing childhood that took place in a suburb of LA where I had an active schedule: Brownies morphing into Girl Scouts, Job’s Daughters (does anyone even know about Job’s Daughters these days?), Junior Achievement, classes in art, music, dance, theater, archery (that got nixed when I almost hit our dog), school clubs, and local theater performances. Other than all that, I led a fairly relaxed life.

High school was a blur of starring roles in the plays, trying to be a soch and a nerd at the same time, and dealing with teen age hormones that may not have matched my peers. I ended up going to Cal State Fullerton as an acting/directing major, partly because it wasn’t too far from home, and they had a brand new theater and television studio. About two years in, I got a small part on All in the Family, and decided I was on my way to stardom. (Not so much.) Instead, I dropped out, got a girlfriend and moved to Pasadena, CA, where I enrolled in Barber College. This last bit was at my parent’s request, because they thought I needed a job since I was pre-celebrity. Eventually, I moved to the Hollywood Hills, and worked in several men’s styling salons and had all sorts of adventures, most of those memories are fairly fuzzy. (Hey, it was the 70’s for heaven’s sake!)

Over the following years I had different relationships, lived in different places such as Malibu and Laguna Beach, until I finally came home, so to speak, to Palm Springs, CA, where I live today. It was after yet another breakup, when I needed a job that friends suggested I audition for a local star that needed a piano player- and that’s how a 15 year career as a Lounge Lizard began. I played in trios, duos, and yes, finally did solo work, playing the piano and singing in local hotels, bars and restaurants. If you are picturing a foxy singer with big blond hair wearing an outfit that accentuated her curves sitting behind a grand piano in that lounge in that hotel, Congratulations! You have summed it up brilliantly. My last music deal was as the lead singer for Maiden USA, sit with that name for a minute. Did you conjure an all-gal glam rock/pop group? Of course you did! We toured exotic places like the American Samoa Territory (really! I’m still looking to get even with the woman who booked us there), Nevada, right inside the state at Whiskey Pete’s,(oh my god, it is as glamorous as it sounds), and not to be forgotten Lancaster, CA (where not even dirt will grow). It was just as we were about to do more touring, that I met my wonderful wife Kerrie! And that was 33 years ago. (Egad!)

As we settled into our relationship, I continued to perform locally, until the bookings became more sporadic. Finally, Kerrie gently suggested I get a job. (there’s a theme running here) Since I had dabbled with interior design and a little garden planting, I landed a job at Moller’s Garden Center, a wonderful local nursery. After about six years I decided to go back to school and study landscape design and plant science. With my mom’s help, I studied for my landscape contractor’s license and received it in 1993. Kerrie and I created Phillippi landscape and had a successful run for about 16 years. When the economy made so many of us close shop in 2009, I was fortunate to find a job with Vintage Landscape, where I still work today, designing and installing high end residential landscapes across the Coachella Valley.

Currently I am working on a follow up to the mystery novel I’ve written, am active in philanthropic groups, and I perform with my improv troup, The Improvables of the Desert. I am so grateful to enjoy a special life with Kerrie and her wonderful family, along with a host of remakable friends! I posess an embarrassment of riches, indeed!!