By far the best reward from being a musician has been meeting--and, in many cases, befriending--other musicians.

The first r&b band I was in was a group called The Sting Rays. We all met as students at Columbia University in New York City in the '70s. 

The first r&b band I was in was a group called The Sting Rays. We all met as students at Columbia University in New York City in the '70s. 

The Slamhound Hunters with blues legend Otis Rush: Mark Dalton, Kim Field, Otis Rush, Leslie Milton, Dick Powell, Louis X. Erlanger (foreground)

The Slamhound Hunters with blues legend Otis Rush: Mark Dalton, Kim Field, Otis Rush, Leslie Milton, Dick Powell, Louis X. Erlanger (foreground)

Photo shoot for the "Private Jungle" CD: John Crossman Sr. (the original slamhound hunter), me, Mark Dalton, and Leslie Milton (photo by Frank Winterer)

Photo shoot for the "Private Jungle" CD: John Crossman Sr. (the original slamhound hunter), me, Mark Dalton, and Leslie Milton (photo by Frank Winterer)

The Slamhound Hunters on tour in Europe: Mark Dalton, Louis X. Erlanger, Leslie Milton, and me

The Slamhound Hunters on tour in Europe: Mark Dalton, Louis X. Erlanger, Leslie Milton, and me

The Slamhound Hunters: Louis X. Erlanger, me, Mark Dalton, and Leslie Milton

The Slamhound Hunters: Louis X. Erlanger, me, Mark Dalton, and Leslie Milton

Slamhound recordings.jpg
The Slamhound Hunters in the studio: Leslie Milton and Mark Dalton, back; Louis X, Erlanger and Kim Field, front.

The Slamhound Hunters in the studio: Leslie Milton and Mark Dalton, back; Louis X, Erlanger and Kim Field, front.