At the age of 13, Tony was introduced to the music of Johan Sebastian Bach. His passion for Bach inspired him to take classical guitar lessons. Within a few months Tony began immersing himself in all day practicing sessions. His primary focus set on Bach lute suites and Paganini Caprices. With only three years of classical guitar lessons behind him, Tony was recognized for his outstanding musical abilities. He was chosen Middleburg High School's "Most Talented." It was during Tony's senior year that one of his teachers submitted some of Tony's musical work to Queen Elizabeth II. Queen Elizabeth not only received his music, but also sent notes of encouragement, describing his classical guitar abilities as "highly sophisticated."
After many years of study and performance of classical guitar Tony was ready to explore other musical avenues and began his journey on electric guitar. Early influences included Jimi Hendrix, Shawn Lane, and Yngwie Malmsteen. In mid 2000, Tony discovered Ravi Shankar. He began to experiment with the sitar and sarod, two important instruments in Northern Indian classical music. By learning the fundamentals of Indian classical music, it motivated him to create a different approach to improvisation using the techniques and vital nuances that bring the vocal-like quality of Indian music to the electric guitar.
Tony has been a highly sought after Guitar Instructor for 23 years. Aside from teaching, Tony’s continued recording, performing, and contributing to Local and National Music Magazines. Up to date has released 5 solo albums, 8 official instructional releases as well as contributions to numerous outside projects . While gaining recognition for his musical abilities, Tony has acquired endorsements with Vigier Guitars, DR Strings, Spectraflex Cables and Morley Pedals.
Tony was honored by the Hard Rock Cafe St. Thomas, USVI with a shadow box display on their wall. Tony has shared the bill with many artists including Tony MacAlpine, Guthrie Govan, Ritchie Kotzen, Adrian Legg, Buddy Miles, Rick Derringer, Leon Russell and many others.
