Randy hails from a small farming community in Illinois called Mattoon, and attended college as an undergraduate at Eastern Illinois University, where he studied trombone performance with Allan Horney. He then continued his studies in Jazz and Contemporary Media at the highly acclaimed Eastman School of Music, with Ray Wright and Bill Dobbins, earning a Master of Music degree.
After a short stint teaching, he went on the road with the world famous Glenn Miller Orchestra, and toured the U.S. and Japan for a year. After free-lancing for two years in Chicago, he began his 8-year career as a show band musician with Princess Cruises, later becoming Musical Director. In late 1997, Randy and his wife moved from their base in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida to Las Vegas, where Randy once again hit the free-lancing scene, playing with with a variety of acts, including Frankie Valli, The Four Tops, Mary Wilson, and Little Anthony. He then landed a gig with one of the local favorites, Earl Turner, with whom he solidified his love of R&B/soul music. Most recently, Randy was the trombonist for over nine years with Entertainer of the Year for twelve years, Danny Gans, who sadly we recently lost. Randy now plays with BackBeat Village U.S.