Here's my interview with Music for world peace radio
How'd you get started in the biz?
I got started in the music business in 1965 when I put my first band together while in high school. How I started the Music For World Peace record label is a more interesting story:
I am a Vietnam veteran who hated war and didn't like being in the military. I wanted out so badly that I was willing to extend my tour in Vietnam for an additional 6 months so could get a 6 month early out of the army. During my tour of duty I began to lose my faith and doubted my belief that there was a God, in spite of some of the miracles I had seen in a war-torn country.
When I agreed to extend my tour they gave me a 2 week leave to go home. When I was on my way back I was stationed in transit at Ft. Lewis, Tacoma, Wa., where I would stay for 1 week and then fly back to Vietnam.
During my in-transit stay I got into some mischief trying to get out of pulling extra duties like scrubbing and waxing floors, cleaning toilets, KP, guard duty, etc. The company commander told me I wouldn't be on the scheduled flight because I had to stay behind for an extra week to pull all available duties every day for an entire week.
On the day I was supposed to fly out I was at lunch watching the news on TV. They reported that the flight that was bound for Vietnam that morning (the flight I was supposed to be on) crashed in the Pacific ocean in shark infested waters shortly after take-off and there were no survivors.
It was like God was saying to me "You don't believe in me? Well here, let me show you that I am looking out for you". At that point I knew God had other plans for me, but I didn't know what they were. This was late 1970.
For many years following that incident I wondered what his plan was for me. Then in June of 2020, 50 years from the plane crash, I was thinking about how so many Christians preach to others and talk about the life of Jesus and how they love Jesus but do the opposite of what he taught. I thought "wouldn't it be great if I could use my God given talents to somehow bring his teachings to everyone in the world?" I was a skilled musician, songwriter, producer, and I had a vanity label since 1980, which gave me the experience of running a record label by myself. Then it hit me. I could start another record label and release music, not only my own, but the music of others that conveyed his teachings. But it had to be in a way that everyone would listen to it. Not just Christians. Then a plan began to develop in my head and every step I took seemed to be free of the usual obstacles when trying to put something so complex together. Music For World Peace Records was born.
Since we began, some of our music seemed to get away from it's original intention and leaned more toward anti-war, but I would like to get back to it's original intention and get more songs that convey the teachings of not only Jesus, but prophets of all religions who taught us how to have peace on earth. We are not looking for gospel music or any music that focuses on any one religious belief. We want music that sounds secular yet brings forth the teachings of world peace by prophets like Jesus, Buddah, Mohammed, etc.
Who are your inspirations or influences?
Jesus as a philosopher who taught world peace more so than a religious figure head.
What advice would offer aspiring producers?
Find something you are passionate enough about to give it your all.
How do you set yourselves apart from other shows?
Being a virtual label we do not organize shows. We do however, help our artists promote their shows when they let us know about them.
Only the shows organized by our artists. When they announce them they appear in our Facebook public group.
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