Born in Germany in 1947, the german-american Rock and Blues guitar slinger grew up in Gurnee, Illinois, north of Chicago. Having spent his school education in Germany, he returned to the States in the mid-sixties.

The following years he played clubs mainly in the Chicago area, where he used to live. He was strongly influenced by the Chicago blues scene of these years, being in contact with well-known artists like Little Wolf, Homesick James, Son Seals, Lonnie Brooks, Luther Allison, and many more.